BobM

I have rolex wrenches. Can successfully unscrew the back ... but then the back stops unscrewing and acts as if it has come up on a stop. I thought maybe it screws out to a stop and then pries out from there. Tried that - gently - but that doesn't seem to do anything useful. Is there some trick? What might I be doing wrong? Thanks.

Truly a very nice collection and you are obviously and rightfully very proud of this collection. Over what period did you collect these? That is, what was the date when you made your first buy? When did you receive the last addition to your collection?

Ask them. I asked my local watchsmith and they have now serviced several for me. I am very happy with their service, quality, and price.

And in the final analysis ... its your choice. If you want to buy reps you pay the offered (or negotiated) price. If you don't want to pay the price, you don't have to. Your choice.

With the guidance provided here, particulary from the link supplied by Victoria, I was able to understand the effective solution. I have used a small piece of door weatherstiripping ... rubber cemented that to the clasp/strap where the sharp points protrude. Problem solved! Thanks once again, you watch wizards!

I bought a Big Bang as a gift for one of my sons. I have received it, had it at the watch shop for service, and have it ready to ship to my son. But yesterday I wore it just to check it out. The deployment clasp bites into my wrist! I am not sure he will be able to wear this watch. Is this just me or do others have this same problem? Is there a solution ... I guess we could take the deployment clasp off and replace it with just a buckle, but surely there is a better solution. Any suggestions?

Here in Houston among our jewelers is a store called Zadock's. Zadok's Jewelers is a family-owned business but a big store. They are located on our equivilent of Beverly Hill's Rodeo Drive, on Poat Oak Blvd in the Galleria area. Last night they had their annual big watch show ... actually it is a two day - Friday/Saturday event ... but last night from 6:00 to 8:30 they put on a spectacular gala for invited guests ... Lots of wonderful food and drink ... they carry nineteen brands of watches: Brietling, Raymond Weil, IWC, Swiss Army, Charriol, Omega, Tag Hauer, Panerai, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cartier, Corum, Oiaget, Hublot, Baum&Mercier, Ulysse Nardin, Mont Blanc, Chopard, Bulgari When I asked, I was advised there were 15 manufactures reps there. As I looked around the room at all the pretty people I judged there were about 200 folks milling around, all dressed to the nines! It was a SPECTACULAR event! ... and lots of fun! I went with a list of watches I wanted to see, hold, and examine. Even with all this watch armada there, I was surprised that more than half of the watches I wanted to see were not in stock. But I got to see and examine the Hublot Big Bang with the ceranic bezel. Very interesting. The Omega rep told me Omega is phasing out the Broad Arrow, will not be producing more of them! That was a surprise. In any case it was a fun night. One of the reps told me they go to lots of these shows around the country at this time of the year. If one comes your way, go. Lots of glitter, pretty people, great food, and watches, watches, watches !!!

This past week I was in Florida visiting my Son. My 22-year old grandson there has the hots for a black Submariner, so we talked a bit about watches. I was telling him about one of my watches ... telling how I set and wind that old watch each day. He looked puzzled, "Wind the watch? Why do you do that?".. "Why, because I want the watch to run and keep time", I said. He stll looked puzzled. Then I realized ... he is too young to have routinely experienced anything but battery operated digital watches or automatic mechanical watches! He had no idea! Amazing. Later, I was telling my wife about that conversation and she related a similar story to me. She was saying that one of her friends gave an older, very high-end, quality watch out of her jewelery box to her daughter-in-law. But after some period of time when she noticed the daughter-in-law was not wearing the watch, she asked why. Her son's wife replied, "It doesn't run". The lady asked, "Did you wind it?" Daughter-in-law, "Wind it? What is that?" My goodness!

AJ, Of the two that I want, I want one with 6-9-12 with day/date, one with 3-6-9 with date ... please.

Iwould be interested in 2 of them, for me.

Moi, some of us "oldies" even earn a living as computer folks. Let's see if I can flush out some 'real oldies' ... 74 here. Top that, blokes.

I have tracked Bill GladeRaider's posts back to 2006 but found nothing on this topic ... no layout of U.S. laws. I have something I want to contribute to this topic but I want to append my contribution to the right thread. Can you provide a link to the relevant postings by GladeRaider on U.S. law about replica goods and illegal acts thereunder? Thanks.

You are right! Dammit! I should have OHHed and AAAHHHHed over his watch and asked about it. By the way, he was driving an SUV of some sort and had 'Honorary Consular' plates. Could have been from southern Europe, but also looked like he might have been from Central or south America. Maybe that might give us some clues as to likely style preferences.

No, not the uboat. I looked at the link you have provided. The one I saw had both the stem and the pushers on the right side. The case was perfectly round, with a smooth, domed silver bezel. The numerals were all the same size. The subdials were inside the numerals; they didi not cover or obstruct any of the numerals. The numerals at 12, 3, and 6 were all fully formed. The more I think about this the more I believe this watch (or was it a clock straped to his wrist?) was surely 60mm across.

Yesterday, my wife and I were at the car wash getting her car washed. Because of my preocupation with watches lately, she has been making a point of looking at people's watches. She said to me, "That fellow has on a BIG watch." I tried to manuver into position to see the watch. It was hidden under his shirt cuff ... but I kept manuvering. When he paid for his wash (he was right in front of us) I saw the watch. It was not big, It was HUGE! I was able to get a good look at it as we all were waiting for our automobiles to come thru the wash line. I could not see any brand name on it. It was at least 50mm, maybe 60 ... looked to be perhaps 12-13mm thick. The dial was black with large white arabic numerals at every hour postion. It was a chronograph mechanism, with subdials at 12, 3, and 6 ... and with running seconds at 3. It had standard pushers at 2 and 4. It was hanging on his wrist by a black calfskin leather strap with white saddle stitching. I never got to see whether the strap was fastened by a deployment clasp or a simple buckle. If the watch displayed date or day/date, I did not see that. I have never seen anything like that and I do wonder what it might have been. Any ideas?

Howdy, Tex, from another texan ... from Houston. Enjoy your participation in RWG. Yes, I too have found the folks here very knowledgeable ... and honest and forthright in their comments. If you don't want it straight, don't ask. And there is so much great information among the previous posts, and the search facility here is excellent! Enjoy the fun of lusting over all the great watches you will see here. Fill up your collection with confidence. RWG is a replica collectors goldmine! Welcome aboard!

Watch and strap received today. I picked it up at the post office. I am very glad to have received my order. Watch was ordered via Silix' web site September 30. I sent three emails asking about status after several days. By virtue of vbarret's intervention, Silix was notified and responded to me by PM that the order was "overlooked". Order was finally posted November 14. Here is the post tracking record: Bullet Delivered, November 19, 2007, 7:58 am, HOUSTON, TX 77036 Bullet Notice Left, November 17, 2007, 11:35 am, HOUSTON, TX 77036 Bullet Arrival at Unit, November 17, 2007, 10:10 am, HOUSTON, TX 77074 Bullet Processed, November 17, 2007, 6:31 am, HOUSTON, TX 77205 Bullet Inbound Out of Customs, November 16, 2007, 4:05 pm Bullet Processed, November 16, 2007, 3:54 pm, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128 Bullet Inbound Into Customs Bullet Inbound International Arrival, November 15, 2007, 1:15 pm, SAN FRANCISCO Bullet Origin Post is Preparing Shipment Bullet Foreign International Dispatch, November 14, 2007, 10:01 pm, SHANGHAI EMS, CHINA PEOPLES REP Bullet Foreign Acceptance, November 14, 2007, 6:32 pm The watch - a 28,800 HBB, stainless with black bezel - was received in good condition and runs okay. I am very pleased with the watch. The PVD'ed bezel is a far better rep of the ceramic bezel than I imagined it would be. I will get the watch to my watchsmith for service late this week, after I show it to my daugher-in-law (coming up from Florida for Thanksgiving). The watch is a birthday gift for my son. I am sure he will be pleased with it. As I said, I am very grateful for eventially receiving this order. No one else - that I am aware of - offers the HBB's with the 28,800vph movements at Silix prices. Still ... I think I won't do that again. More hassel and uncertainlty that I want to tolerate. Thanks to vbarret for the help she provided.

But to use as a standard slide rule, the layout is confusing. The inner log scale runs 0 (beginnig at about 2:45) to 10 counterclockwise. The outer log scale runs 0 to 10 clockwise, such that the two log scales oppose one another, unlike a regular slide rule where both scalles run clockwise. However, regular calcualtions can be made easily enough. Position the log scales such that 3 on the outer dial is over 2 on the inner dial. Look around to the beginning of the inner dial (the index of the inner dial) see the value on the outer dial is 6. 2 x 3 = 6. Without moving the scales, look at other relationships: 1.5 x 4 = 6, 3x2=6, etc. Let's do 9 divided by some values ... aliign 9 on the outer dial with 1 (the index value) on the inner dial. Now look on the outer dial for, say 4.5. 4.5 divided into 9 should equal 2, right? Look at the inner dial under 4.5 ... it's 2. ... or, look at the vaues on the inner dial: 2 on the inner dial divided into 9 equal 4.5, the value on the outer dial bove 2. So, playing around with these relationships on these "opposed" log scales, you can figure out how to multiply or divide anything by anything. Faked me out a while, too, until I figured it out.

Jawo, you have done this forum and so many other folks just getting into replica watches a great service. Thank you! I, too, started by typing in "replica" into Google. BlueFakes offers such an enticing story: triple wrapped! ... 440 stainless ... and on and on! And all at only $800. I waddled around in these sites, almost all of those you list, for months. But something didn't 'smell' right. I kept looking and looking .and finally found RWG. When I found RWG and listened in to the discussion, I knew I had found the motherload and had been saved!! Hallelujah! Thank goodness for RWG!

We in Houston are friendy folk. I am glad one of us helped make your visit pleasant.

Outstanding point! Thank you!

For the first time ever, somebody noticed and made coment about a watch I was wearing. I was at the bank, making a deposit ... had my hands up on the counter filling out the deposit slip, etc. After the transaciion, as I turned away the young teller said, "Have a nice day. Nice watch." Huh! I turned back ... I couldn't believe it. I had to ask, "What did you say?" "Nice watch.", he replied. I smiled. "Thank you." I have never before had anyone make any comment - good, bad, or indifferent - about any of the several watches I might wear. That doesn't mean someone may not have noticed a watch but said nothing. In reality, though, I think nobody but us really cares. Since that is the way it is, if it isn't sufficient that it pleases just YOU, you are into the wrong hobby. Oh, the watch I was wearing ... a 30 year old knockoff of the Corum Liberty head double eagle gold coin watch with a burgundy alligator strap.

I have not found a purchase option for either the Omega XXL Railmaster nor the IWC F A Jones that offers an ETA as a movement option. Electing an ETA version of that movement does not appear to be a viable option. Actually, if I understand what I have read today, the proper model of the movement in both of these watches is an Asian Unitas 6498, not 6497 as is sometimes specified in the dealer's site. The difference is that the 6497, if used in a pocketwatch, has the stem at 12 and the running seconds at 6. But if used in a wristwatch has the stem at 3, then the running seconds will be at 9. The 6498, in a pocketwatch, has the stem at 12, the running seconds at 3. when in a wristwatch, with the stem at 3, the running seconds will be at 6. Stem at 3, with running seconds at 6 is the configuration of both of these watches. These movements, as gen ETA/Unitas or as Asian, are manual wind.

[i have found lots of new information and have updated my original post on this topic to reflect that ... for those besides myself who may have an interest.

I would like to find where to be able to buy these movements. I first looked at several palces, but have not found any of these. But, ... Opps! Obviously I didn't look too hard. I have re-looked and found the ETA movements available from many of the watch parts sites. I have updated this as first posted to reflect this new information. Seems I still have a problem finding the "Asian" movements. I will keep looking and update this post as I find information. Notes on "Asian" watch movement sources: I have found the following parts houses each have Chinese movements ... Cousins, Jules Borel, Cas-Ker, and Ofrei. I have not yet sorted out how to map the chinese part number to the ETA part number, but I thjink all of these ETA parts have chinese equivalents within the offerings from these parts houses, except for the 7750s. The Zigmeister says, "Ain't no such." While that seems presently true, that is just not acceptable over the long run; we have to have sources for that movement series. I am obnliged to keep scrounging. A7750/28,800vph as used in the Bentley GT A7753/28,800vph as used in the Omega Broad Arrow ETA 2836-2 as used in the Rolex Air King Available at: BECO Technology, Cas-Ker, CousinsUK, Livesay's, Ofrei ETA 2824-2 as used in the Omega Deville Available at: BECO Technology, Cas-Ker, CousinsUK, Livesay's, Ofrei Asian Unitas 6497 as used in the Omega XXL Railmaster Oh, yes ... I have also asked one of the larger dealers if I could buy them from him. He replied they do not sell movements. Thanks