Victoria

What another awesome, trademarked Anton question! You were missed around here. Reps, I have a few: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph - Real Life Cost: $20,000 - Only people who know, know this watch costs as much as it does. It doesn't get a second glance on dad's wrist, usually, except in Palm Beach. Vacheron Constantin Toledo 1952 (RG) - Real Life Cost: $27,300 - Just the other day, when I came up in the lift after taking the Wristcheck for it, my neighbour asked how much it cost. She was staggered to find out. Cartier La Do

Hello! Gorgeous! I needed to get Pugwash's controversial Top Gun off of my screen, thanks Master Chef!

Even when we're on the same tracks, there are pitfalls. It is non-U to pronounce Finance as "FIGH-nance" in the UK. It should be "fih-NANCE". EDIT FOR KEN: Ah, anthropomorphise is the act giving human characteristics to inanimate objects. (Oops, no wonder, Ken. I mispelt it. I'll leave it there as is!) Americans do it with Oscar, I've noticed.

I was just about to post "What did you bring back from Japan, Ajoesmith" inquiring about the Seikos. Ajoesmith, you must be in Japan now, but can't wait to see what watches you'll bring back!

- Why do flammable and inflammable mean the same thing? - Why do realtors anthromophormise living spaces into arrogant things? "The bedroom boasts a sumptious view"

His hairstyle gave me the creeps. Eh. It was okay. Not a patch on L'Auberge Espagnole, which started its own "TransEurope" international genre. I especially wasn't amused when those perky American tourists, wearing amazing t-shirts that you couldn't even find at the Republican National Convention, were purposely misguided by Jack. And whoever thought Adam Goldberg could be a romantic lead was nuts. Saw Meet the Spartans. I laughed 'til I cried at Paris Hilton being a hunchback. I downloaded Into the Wild, suggested by HikeUSA in book form. We'll see if Sean Penn can direct as well as he can act.

I've been able to observe TeeJay's thinking over these months. I've observed that TeeJay seems to take exception to usuary. That's a common Shar'ia distaste*, and I'm not sure what came before, the chicken or the Islam. That is his personality being in line with his conversion. But if true, and it's just a hunch, it goes a long way to explain why he dislikes the price markups the "cartel" and others have. And then now the banks. Hah, TeeJay darling -- sorted! *In the UK, it's common for many Islamic local banks to follow Shar'ia law. They are not allowed to charge excessive interest (we Christians had the same strictures. That's why TeeJay used the Shylock reference, stemming from The Merchant of Venice, of course). http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/conte...46141_mz035.htm Excerpt: "From Jakarta to Jeddah, 265 Islamic banks and other financial institutions are now operating in some 40 countries, with total assets that top $262 billion, according to organizers of the International Islamic Finance Forum, a semi-annual industry conference. That pot of money, the investment of which adheres to the Koran's prohibition against receiving or paying interest [...]" Banking, credit cards, mortgages as we known them in the West, could not exist under Shari'a Laws. Ah well. I like our system, since I firmly believe, greed is good.

COMPARISON OF HOW 232s SIT ON WRISTS Gen 232 DSN 232 Note: I wear my watches "high". Also, I have 5.7"/14.5cm wrists. It'll differ from a beefy guy's wrist like above. Still, I think this is a good visual aid. I confess, my DSN Fiddy weighs a tonne on my wrist, and I don't wear it daily. But the 47mm 232 is light; even lighter than the Luminors. Please note further that it's hard to find any place at noon EST, in South Florida, that doesn't have the 83F/28C sun beating down on you. This is the best ambient shade I could find. That said, it's still too chocolate-looking. It looks darker in person.

Vicky to the rescue! I'll shoot a quick photo downstairs, as I already have the gen Wristcheck saved to compare it to. Be right back.

This isn't wrong, but I noted why VERY carefully in one of my posts. Deltatahoe bought the 232 with David's older dial. David very kindly sent him a replacement, when the darker one came out. DTH then had a California watchsmith install it. Chappie botched it up royally. The caseback is messed up with scratches, and the dial doesn't sit right. It could well be off-centre, but you have to take this into account too, visually. As I said, I don't think one can blame Davidsen for that. My watchsmith, who bought a gen PAM after working on my reps!, will be getting this watch soon to sort out.

Scoobs, I have goose bumps. This is SO perfect, with your jeans, that shirt, and your leather jacket. CONGRATS! @Scoobs: Leathery mustard! I would go with black though. It will "pull in" the accents of your shirt and jeans.

Just wanted to say, DAZZLING work, guys. This must be the best Wristcheck yet. @Raijor: Was informed earlier this week I have a package waiting for me. Can't wait! @TeeJay: That's hawt!

Yes, but Cucumber_Jones, remember that he said it was his opinion. And you know what they say about opinions, right? Opinions are like ar$eholes. Everyone needs one.

Honestly, you're doing me a favour. I love posting pics of my watches. Well, those are biggie probs in a watch! Having only held a gen 112 and 111 in my hands, and then only once, I just can't say whether this one is done well. But I must say, the DSN 112 compares VERY well (again, to my untrained eyes). Correct. It's not as well-done as the DSN 112. OTOH, it avoids the excessively purple-blue tint on most single-sided AR PAM reps. The 113 also has weak AR, comparatively, but then it's a white-dial. It's hard to tell. Lookie. ...well, I'm running on Turkish coffee, which I had at dinner. I may be up until Tuesday! But let me at least turn off the comp. Night!

Two more, highlighting colour. DSN 232 (No Flash, In the Shade) DSN 232 next to DSN 112 (w/ Flash)

David's dials are hit-or-miss. The good news is that he seems to step it up a notch in the base PAMs. That's good for you and your prospective 232, Chad. Now, I am a DSN 232 owner for only a week, and moreover, I wouldn't dream of calling myself expert. But here are some comparison snaps for you. My thoughts follow. GEN 232 (Shot in the Shade) DSN 232 (w/ Flash) GEN 232 DSN 232 GEN 232 DSN 232 Thoughts: First, it's hard to capture the brown of the dial in the sweltering Florida sun. This last photo gives you a good idea of the colour, since the other ones reflect too chocolatty brown. Clearly, it's not as DEEP brown, even with the upgraded dial which Deltatahoe, its previous owner, had installed. But it's not light chocolate either. I would say the print on the dials looks excellent, TO ME. Maybe others disagree. The mark of a good PAM seems to be the 12 and 6 -- the numbers which one's eyes pick out immediately on a watch face. Though there is a slight thinness about the 12, especially in the lower 2, that could well be the poor re-installment of the dial (it seems to tilt a bit too; again, not DSN's fault, I fancy. I'll have that seen to by my watchsmith). The 3 looks good. The 9 seems a tiny bit closer in the swirl, than the gen, but that is truly nitpicky. The "L Swiss Made L" is perhaps the biggest problem. It is a hair off-centre and sloping. Overall, the watch is a joy to view. Its heft is substantial. The finishing, impeccable. The crystal with AR, flawless. It just looks expensive. Should you get it? Well, check out the pics first, and good luck!

Supercallifragilisticexpialistrapy! Note on the Toro Moro with blue stitching. I badgered Greg over this one for a month, to get it just right. When it arrived, to my horror, it didn't look good on me. (Hmm, wait, was it this one or another one? I forget now. I have maybe 7 Gregs) Still a wonderful strap, but just not for me. The MF hammered calf is a work of art, though. Because it's thin, it doesn't overwhelm the Fiddy.

I remember! It was one of the first Wristchecks that caught my attention, Golfman. I will try to find it so you can see how long I have been lusting over it. (Here) Thanks to Toad, and Pix for the nice words, too. And Max for the Gold Star! I will not be buying non-PAM gens in the near future. But if I did, the IWC Porto above would be it. ...anyone have 6.7k to spare? @Hike: Nice stuff. Which one is the gen Rollie again?

I can't write "agree" enough on this! I didn't know how guys went about it. Me, I choose mine according to wardrobe. Since many watches are similar, when opening up my watch cases, I let a watch "speak" to me. Only a fellow WIS might understand this, though. Once, in Palm Beach, I was invited into a home of a watch collector. He had a burlwood-lined closet, which opened via electronic "curtain". His over 100 watches were in little pods lined in deep maroon felt -- almost black. Each little pod was a winder-type, and it was all set up to wind his watches at a certain hour, even when he was travelling. I cannot describe to you the effect this had on me. Seeing that case, was like dying and going to heaven. I asked him, "How do you decide on which watch to wear!?". "I just choose one."

Now, now...he wasn't referring to you, V. Rolli was making general observations. Do you know I never thought about it, that way? Good point.

Yes, that's another thing. You could be accused of swanking, and that's never good. HOWEVER. This is a watch forum too, and don't we post watches of gens as comparisons? It's very necessary, IMO, to see the gen features. In this thread alone, I have seen 005 eyecandy for future comparison. It's very handy.

Gorgeous. All your pieces are gorgeous, Robert. I've always wondered: With people such as yourself with SUCH great choices, what determines which watch you'll wear, this or that day?

Patently so. The motive (as if you needed one to post! We post what we like ) became apparent later -- to show gen owners that rep watch owners are not poseurs and uncultured about Panerai history. When I first started posting here, my parents begged me not to post gen watch pics. I have cheated here and there, but I have never posted any of their major watch pieces (no Ulysse Nardin, no APROs, none of my mum's bling, solid gold Rollies). I kinda regret posting that photo of my vintage gold Rolex, but since that was mine and not theirs, it was my call. When I asked my parents, "why shouldn't I post photos of gens on the rep forums?", they replied, and I think in retrospect very wisely -- "jealousy". Never mind money. It's jealousy that ruins the world.

Ahh, a kindred spirit. You might like this thread -- "Prop Watches In the Movies". So why did Brandon Lee die?