Viennawatch

Thanks Plaifender! I also read Domenico does good work out of Germany! Regards, VW

Gtanak, your kindness is QUITE overwhelming... But yes lets leave it to rest...

Well firstly thanks for your replies... But I honestly think you two totally blew up my post. I was not trying to be misleading, harsh nor was i trying to post false comments... For any misunderstanding I apologize. I did not mean to offend. I did not mean to give the wrong impression either... I never stated that you have done any work for me and I CONFIRM that I never have, but I made an inquiry a long time ago. I will gladly post the PMs I had with you if you are in doubt. My post was mainly full of questions, to which I obviously do not know the answers to. I have an old price list, or at least i think it is old as I received it from Jennifer 2 to 3 years ago. I did not PM you personally now because I read somewhere you were out for the summer and I was looking for somewhat of a quicker answer. I guess I misread the post about you being out. In regards to the labor costs, I wasn't trying to really suggest anything, its obvious I did not understand that part in your pricing list. Hence the, "Umm maybe I misunderstood the labor cost part." I also admitted to the fact that you do a quality job and surely your work is well worth the price and this has been proven by many people on the post from where I derived this statement from. And when I was referring to if there is anyone else available.. I meant on the forum that you guys have worked with. I have found someone now who does work in the EU, which is most suitable for me... thank you very much. IN NO way was I comparing you with some local watch smith... I meant if I could not afford you, I would either dump my watch or just give it a shot at some local watch smith to see what he can do and getg a new rep instead... I personally do not see why one should get offended by the fact that I feel they are expensive. Its clearly a matter of opinion. Someone may feel you have cheap services, some moderate and others may feel you are pricey! I just can't afford you Zigmeister.. Its nothing personal. And once again... I really think you two totally blew up my post.... Ok i should have spent a little more time on it so that people would avoid misunderstanding me... Really I am totally sorry and in reflection, yes I should have PMed you for clarification, but like I said, I thought you were gone for the summer and I was in sort of a rush. Now look what that got me! Pffft.. Sorry Hope you all can forgive me. I am not an ass... Cheers

Greetings folk... Hope all is well with you all! Once again I have been absent! I just can't keep up the habit of coming in so often! Oh well... A sad thing happened to me today, very sad indeed.... While doing some repairs to a PC at work, the clasp of my UPO got stuck on a corner and flew off, smashing to the ground... A few markers have popped out, the crown/tube is a bit loose.... the watch still seems to be working, but well you never know what else is loose in there. So I have been thinking, perhaps if I send it off to get repairs, I might as well get a few mods on it as well I've spent a few good hours browsing through the forum, obviously not enough... My question to you guys, is The Zigmeister really the only one we have to do repairs and mods? I still have his price list from two years back, but to be perfectly honest, he is quite pricy... Ya I know he does quality work, without a doubt, but ummm sob sob... lol... From my understanding not only does he charge for certain services, but also charges 50 USD per hour? Labor and repair costs... Woah... So if he took 6 hours, that would alone cost 300 USD!!!! Umm maybe I misunderstood the labor cost part. Erm.... Maybe I have an old price list... Has anyone sent his/her UPO 45mm to The Zigmeister for original bezel (or better version Bezel), original crown and tube replacement, super lume, as well as movement service and how much you paid approximately? Would be great to get an estimation... Based on that I could just ditch the entire idea... try to get the watch repaired at some local watch service shop in DXB or dump it and get a brand spanking new rep... I know i said I would probably not buy a new rep, but after seeing the new Rolex GMT Master 2 Green hand, ceramic bezel.. I nearly started drooling.... Your opinions and experience would be very much appreciate... I may be an oldtimer in terms of my membership activation date, but I know diddly squat! :/ But I wouldn't blame any of you guys, if you told me to shut up and do the research myself! Regards, VW

Hello all again! Thanks once more for the nice replies! Its great to be a part of such a community of experts and enthusiasts! Although my purchase of reps will cease for the time being, (until perhaps they start churning out reps which are truly identical to the originals and I'm talking just visually not whats on the inside, but that would be great too!) I will drop in from time to time! I am thinking of having the reps I do own pimped out to perfection, as much as possible, but then again they are already so old, it may not make sense to spend so much money for that! After all you modders aren't exactly cheap, but hands down, you do amazing! As promised I have uploaded some pics of my genuine watches... Excuse me for the poor pictures. That's a skill I am really bad at!!! The two watches I own are the Oris Chronoris (01 672 7564 4154-Set) and the Omega Speedmaster Reduced (3539.50.00). I am very satisfied with both of these watches and these are two models I have had my eye on for a long time. The Chronoris was a bit difficult to source. I was living in Dubai at the time I purchased it, which was at the Rivoli Group, which is a large watch and jewelry chain and they only had two pieces in the entire country, both which were in scratched condition at the dealer. It was painful to see the watch in its previous condition and the salesman had said it was due to people trying it on so often. I don't know how they could let it get so scratched by people trying it on. Anyways I got this watch for about 850 Euros due to an offer and was able to bargain out a free servicing. They were able to get out about 95% of the scratches, the remaining 5% you can only see if the light shines at them at a specific angle. I believe the retail price is about 2000 euros or perhaps more. I am not exactly sure, but for what I was able to get it for was damn good. So I am quite happy with that. The Omega Speedmaster Reduced was also purchased in Dubai, but by my sister who now lives there. Of course she didn't pay for it... I did, but since it was cheaper in Dubai as compared to Austria, I had her get it for me. It was around 2000 Euros in Austria, but I was able to bag it just a few weeks back for around 1400 Euros in Dubai during DSF (Dubai Shopping Festival). By the way folks, it really is worth checking out the Dubai Shopping Festival for watches if you are ever around this region. Its usually around end of January for a month and almost every store heavily discounts their items. Funny thing is, in 2009 when I was checking out watches during DSF, every Rivoli chain I went to was flooded with Chinese tourists holding stacks of 100 dollars bills (10000 dollars per stack and sometimes 3 to 4 stacks!!!) They were literally buying out the watch stores!! I wonder whether they bought the watches to then take them to their factories back in China to make our reps!??? Anyways I had a bigger budget than I spent on the Reduced. When I was diligently doing my research pre-purchase, I was first thinking of the Omega Speedmaster Professional and the 50th Anniversary .... At the end I chose the Reduced because I saved some money and it was an automatic. 50th Anniversary would have cost me about 2000 Euros and the Professional is a hand wind with Hesalite crystal which i think is very scratchable... I've had my share of hand winding with the PAM reps and all I can say madame's and sir's, I've had enough of that! Plus I am paranoid that the watch will wear out faster with hand winding models.. For example the crown on my rep PAM Blackseal does not screw in anymore, but then again its a rep... :S Now I am not going to attempt to review these watches in terms of movements, etc... I used to be somewhat knowledgeable enough to make an attempt, but my recent absence from RWG as drained away whatever knowledge I did have... So all I will say is, they keeps good time, although the Speedmaster does lose more time than the Oris, (I will have that checked out soon at a dealer) but overall I am very happy with both of them! And I shall show them love and respect and treat them with extreme care! My next purchase won't come anytime soon as I'm short of dough, perhaps in a few years again... Which watch I will go for next.. I'm not sure, but I've already begun to pick up a taste for a few Tag Heuer watches! Let us see!!! Anyways enjoy folks and see you around!! Regards, Martin

Haha! Ok ok! Thanks guys! I will take a few snap shots of my watches and will post them up here in the next couple of days!! Bear with me! Regards, Martin

Hi MM and Val, Good to see that you guys are still around! Well its not so much about never loading up this page again... I guess its just that I have often said hello, I am back and then disappear without notice... The times have changed and I am extremly busy these days with work, that I barely find any time to come on to the forum, unless its just to look around. I am not cancelling my account if thats what you are thinking! Honestly, you hit the spot on the nail Val, I honestly thought that people may think that since I now have moved on to gens and start showing pics of my purchases that it would not give off a good image of myself. I will try occassionally to come back and say hello! I will also try to snap a few shots of my gen purchases of late! Once again thanks a lot for your warm replies and I guess... See you around! Regards, Martin

Hello folks! Some might not know me at all, some may not remember me! I've been a member for quite some time, was more active in the early part of this decade you could say. And have amassed quite a collection of reps in the last few years. This is however my final farewell to the forum. Although I may still check in to see the latest, my money will now only be dedicated to originals. I just wanted to send out a BIG THANK YOU to RWG and all of its admins, expert residents and the trolls and noobs for keeping it interesting! Although I still consider myself a noob, I have never learned more about watches than I have on this forum. You guys truly rock. I have jumped the gun and purchased two originals (Oris Chronoris (Orange) and the Omega Speedmaster Reduced) with my next purchase already in mind for a Tag Heuer Monaco. So another thank you and may RWG and its fan's prosper!!! Farewell! Best of luck!

Im not sure, but weren't there reps of this watch a few years back? I can recall a white dialled PAM back in the old RWG days. I however am not too fond of this model... Sorry to say, but i feel the white dial gives it a very cheap look...

Hot hot hot! I'm looking to get a gen pam myself... in a year i hope...

By the way... I'm a little outdated when it comes to reps these days, not like my past RWG days... what about the power reserve indicator? Is it static?

So simple, yet so unbelievably sexy..... Any idea how much the original of this watch costs??

Great information!

I just find it crazy at what lengths some of you guys will go to mod your watches... The most I spent on a watch inclusive of modding (ever) was roughly around 350 Euros, back in the days of Palpatine... (I wonder what ever happened to him by the way?) But hey, if you guys have got the money.... Lume for me is the only thing that I really need to afford, hehe. Regards, VW

Very good straight forward review man! Despite the flaws, nice watch, wear it well! Vw

Indeed Kruzer00, you are right... It is the 310! Love it! Here is a link with pic and details http://www.paneraisource.com/watch_details...rary_219.html... Next im going to find out the price!

Its definitely not the one in the pic... Like I said, its only got two sub dials, no date and it has diagonally extruding chrono pushers.. the pushers are round... plus that one looks almost exactly like the daylight without the daylight writing on it... Thanks for the try! Just bear with me a week or so.. then I will try to take a picture!

hahaha Silly me... actually I thought you RWG long timers have become such experts that you could name them on the spot! Yes picture would help...I will be back in Dubai in a week or so, I will try getting one then... Just to start you out... it had the 1950 flyback case with the diagonally extruding chrono pushers, two subdials, no date... In fact it looks EXACTLY like the 1950s flyback without the 1950s and flyback stamped on the dial. It MAY be a tad bit smaller, case wise.. I dont have an eye for measurement... I would actually need a ruler.. lol.. No blue hands and no extra button on the left side. I have checked the website Panerai website, no luck... Trust me... I did my reading and my research... that is why I come to ask, i do realize its a touch one... Regards, VW

Hmm I forgot to mention that I work for TNS, but it should have been rather obvious why I was asking that question.... So do you?

Hey all, Just curious to see if anyone is working for TNS or any of the other companies under the WPP/Kantar Group of Companies? Regards, Martin

I guess it must have been a trick of the eye... a mirage.. lol...

I bloody miss Bangkok... even though I was just there in December.. lol... I hope to go again in April...

I recently made a short stop to Dubai to visit my good old folks and checked out this new Dubai Mall.... I`m stunned at the size of the place, never thought malls could get that big and just to think of all the stores they have managed to fit in there. The good thing is that they have a nice section on the ground floor just for watches and they have a Officine Panerai store there as well... I was SOOOOOO happy when I saw that place! The salesman told me there was a 10 to 15% discount on selected models, funny enough, I didn't even ask for the prices on any of the watches.. Just went in to look around as I couldn't afford anything right now... Anyways point is... I'm gonna start saving. I saw a real beauty... It was a Panerai Luminor Chrono, so said the wording on the dial, but it wasn't a daylight. It had the similar case of the regatta or 1950 flyback chrono, but seemed to have been just an ordinary chrono. Sadly with out a date, but it looked remarkably beautiful. But Im really curious to know more about this one model I spotted.. I've tried looking around without any luck.. Any ideas? Regards, VW

I am sometimes envious of you guys. Having so much watch knowledge and watch making/modding gadgetry... I tend to appreciate other people's watch modding skills, therefore i send everything to them... I'm to scared that i will destroy one of my watches in the process of modding... I dont have such nimble fingers! but a BEAUTIFUL watch/job! Love the Fiddy! regards VW

Thanks to you all for your welcoming words! Looking forward to many more interactions.... How's the "troll" status been here?