HauteHippie

He needs a stilty spacer ring.

Wow, Palin is REALLY energizing this race.... (1) Obama's post DNC poll bounce: GONE. (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1547) [Remember Zogby had Obama's DNC bounce among the largest of the reputable pollsters at +6 to +8] (2) McCain Gets $7 Million Bounce (in 24 hours) from Palin Pick (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/08/30/mccain_gets_7_million_bounce_f.html?hpid=topnews) Completely giving back a post-convention bump within two days is, to my knowledge (and I'm a politics junkie), unprecedented.

Yes, the ETA font is inaccurate. It needs a new DW. And don't forget the CG.

Old school 063... go with that one!

Yea, I'm down for 4 years of that! And, hey, maybe she DOES have what it takes to stand up to Ahmadinejad and his ilk... Give her a chance I say! We will see!!

Based on historical norms, current polling data is very significant if you're in the Dems' camp. At this point in the summer, Dems *should* have a sizeable lead, and by the Obama team's own admission, the huge slide over the last 4-6 weeks is very disconcerting. They're even now trying to spin the modest to insignificant bump he's seeing after the DNC, which in reality is a huge disappointment. The more I think about it, the more I don't like the Palin pick from a strategy standpoint. But not because of skin cancer concerns, or any of that... I just really think if I'm McCain I wouldn't want anything to hinder driving home the point of Obama's inexperience. And I just don't see how he can continue to do that with Palin on the ticket.

So, what does the 'Sarahcuda' imply? Sorry if I'm being dense. But from what I understand, she has a 80%+ approval rating in Alaska? I know very little about her but I like some of her ideas, especially the Alaskan model of taxing oil companies for use of public lands, and returning the money to the taypayers.

It is an interesting pick. It's unconventional, but I disagree with the mainstream media who call it a hail marry pass. McCain is in a great position right now as Obama has been tanking in the polls since July, and he doesn't need to do anything out of desperation. Even the DNC hardly provided Obama with a bounce in the polls, which is great news for McCain with the RNC still to come. This pick does a number of things for McCain: (1) It brings on board a solid conservative to shore up the conservative base who have been dogging McCain all along. He needed a conservative on the ticket, and she is going to appease a great many. (2) It gives the Republicans a potentially history making ticket as well. (3) It brings youth and the notion of "change" from a Washington outsider to the ticket. What I don't like about the pick: (1) Experience, or lack thereof. McCain's #1 talking point, IMO, is the experience issue. Choosing a junior governor hinders McCain's ability to go after Obama on experience to a certain degree. On the other hand, of course, it will be very hard for Biden to attack Palin on experience after having gone after Obama so harshly on the issue during the primaries. (2) It feels a little like a somewhat misguided attempt to court disgruntled Hillary voters. I just don't see a conservative female attracting too many Hillary types. (3) The Dan Quayle factor. I.e. Who the heck is Sarah Palin? She comes almost out of nowhere and could really falter in the VP debates against a menacing Joe Biden. Personally, I'm still undecided. But I'm still leaning towards "none of the above."

Here's one crystal I did for sssurfer: I like the end result.

If this is your plan, I'd go for a 63 over a 29. The 2836 29 bezel font looks quite inaccurate to me. As long as the 63 dial is reasonable on the 2836 version, then you're good to go. Lello DW, The Zigmeister lume, chief cyclops, and you've got a great watch. Also take a good look at the hands, especially the GMT hand length and size. My old school 63 has a slightly short GMT hand, but the triangle tip is sized correctly. I've seen DSN hands, for example, where the triangle tip is far too large. Not sure how it looks on the 2836 version. Also recommended, of course, would be an improved CG and a gen crown. Anyhow, good luck. Should be a fun project.

CBR's advice is good. Save your money and buy a good rep when you can afford it. Welcome to the forum. I'm here in Silicon Valley as well. There are a few of us around the Bay.

When we customized some HBBs for Sead, those pieces started as HBB Lite models. The addition of AR made them equivalent in all aspects to the non-Lite model as far as I could tell (except that the Chief AR was much better than the rep AR on the non-Lite).

Welcome back.

Wish I could have made it, guys!! Enjoy the GTG and take lots of pics!!

Another lovely Ubimariner. One thing that really stands out to me are the end links. They are fantastic. Boy do I ever need to do something about the end links on my sub!! On the hands, I don't think they're too bad. But, I agree, that there are better hands out there. Some of the rep hands on recent MBWs are nearly identical to the gen sub hands, much closer than Tudor sub hands even.

Many methods work well. If you would like to send it to me I'll take care of it for you.

True!!! Technically I think his was a Presidential model in yellow gold, but the same size.

Simply gorgeous. I've always been partial to the DJ, even though it's too small for me. And I still like it, maybe even more so, with the update rehaut ring, the brushed / polish oyster bracelet, and the wider lugs. The rhodium roman dial with SS and WG, smooth bezel, and oyster bracelet is simply to die for.... The day they make it in 40mm, I'm all over it. Enjoy!

The wider lugs make a big difference to the appearance on the wrist. The rep dial you have, is not one of the better ones I've seen over the years. Clearly the printing isn't even close. Another rep roman marker flaw that still seems to exist on your dial is the width of the numerals. The rep numerals are a little anemic. Overall, though, from a distance the rep looks great on the wrist. The gen, however, stands up to scrutiny. As I said previously, the difference in bracelet quality itself seems subtle in pics, but to the touch it is anything but. Pictures just don't do the actual look and feel justice. GREAT write up. Worth being pinned. Thanks for the fantastic contribution!

Boy, this guy has all sorts of good stuff up for auction. How I'd love to use # 200246375931 in a franken....

Great piece, W. Enjoy!

Yea, elegant is the right word to describe this piece. I've got my eye on the silver guilloche dial myself. But, in all honesty, there are a couple T models I'd like to tote around on my wrist!

WHOA. Simply, WHOA. I think the master absolutely NAILED it. That thing looks incredible. Congratulations!!

LOL! No kidding. It's been a long time since I owned a gen Rolex, and had forgotten about the steel quality with all the reps that have passed through in the meantime. Well, when I obtained the gen 78360 a couple weeks ago, I was floored. The quality is just hard to describe. And I totally agree about the alternating matte/polished. VERY attractive. For the first time in a long time, I've been drawn to DJs at the ADs... And that is why.