POTR

Sounds like a job for Dr. Gaunzhoolittle...

Just for Dave123, Something a bit more MODERN than the oldskool bling Elgin...

I can say, beyond any doubt, a finer group of people on the net would be impossible to find. Welcome to RWG.

I was starting to lean a bit "dark-side" on top of dragging Subbie into something without his knowledge... Would've been bonus points for me if I could have gotten a "WTF is Dave talking about" out of everyone else though! But, you were just to sharp for me...

You nailed that one Dave...

Ubi... Carlsbad... Dave... Thank you for everything. You guys rock.

Aren't they a lovely little pain in the ass Freddy? This one is past due for a service, is getting "tight" and is starting to run ever faster... PM me if you want a mate (spare parts) for yours..

I was going to throw in "With just enough vintage grime to drive ol' Dave straight up the wall with his polishing rags..." But that was a bit obvious...

Ok, I feel the need to be VERY specific here.. We are talking watches... which have very soft screws for just about every part compared to industrial and automotive objects... Therefore, When someone says "Loctite" I have to say there is ONLY ONE grade of Loctite to use on your time piece, and then only for external screws and sometimes, if your very careful, tubes and crowns... That is LOCTITE 222.. OK?

Alright, alright... no use going against the current today... guess I will have to bling it up in thanks to Dave123 for his generosity and all around good cheer (and I won't even make any Chandler B(l)ing jokes after this one, today, for at least 5 minutes, I promise)... So, in an effort to go with the flow, in my own unique manner... I give you some righteous Gen oldskool bling... two tone stylie... 70-something, Elgin Two Tone Tonneau in White and Green gold, with small seconds at Six On rare (for my dwindling collection) Genuine Lizza-Calf embossed strap.

I have been wearing this almost every day for the last month or so, and have received about 10 compliments from wearers of Gens of various marque, a few more from people not even wearing a watch (gasp!), and have noticed many, many more admiring glances toward it, and no one, as of yet, has ever asked if it was not real... Kind of surprising, since it isn't the best rep out there, and there is quite a bit that is obviously (well at least to me) wrong with it... in fact, it's my ugly old sub...

OK, I just HAVE to do something to counteract that double blast of Breit-Bling yesterday.... Now that I have regained my sight... More vintage not-so plain vanilla anti-bling goodness.... 50-something Benrus, 21 Jewel, Shock Resisting, Model #3001 in stainless with champaign dial on classic gold bark Spidel

The most common crown is 24-600-0, and tube is 24-6010... The + crown should work for early, but that sellers date spread is a bit large...

The only show off factor to Rolex in the past has been the bling models... I would have preferred it had stayed with the Midas, Cellini, etc... but accept that demographics change... I still think of the lack of keeping up with size preference a small issue for a classic, LV as a miscalculation, and the Yacht-Master as a masterfully wonderful Rube Goldberg of a failed step, but these newest of the line look more like a correction of past mis-deeds to me... When I look at these new models I see pieces of other high end watches carefully adapted to the Rolex style... not Canal Street... (for example, with the heavy crown guards, I see modern Blancpain FF, the crystal and bezel, Omega..) fit and finish? Rolex. I like them. They are definitely Rolex, the new stylists have come to terms with melding classic Rolex with modern taste, and I hope that I can pull things together here quick enough to be able to by that first year Deep-Sea homage/re-issue, because it will be the new classic.

I wish I had the $465 to spare to buy Uncle Jay's 5508... If you want an education, try looking up the price for just the correct "full coin edge" 5508 "aftermarket replacement bezel." Then search for an "aftermarket replacement dial"... Are you getting screwed? Not in my opinion... but then again that is just my opinion... would you be happier with a ~$100 "unnamed vendor" vintage with incorrect everything? Or would that be the screwing to avoid? Again, not in my opinion... I have one I bought from TMG for half price used that has turned out to be a rather nice running, if inaccurate representation, that has been fun to mod here and there as the mood strikes, and is gradually starting to look more "right"... If I had a correct $300+ full coin edge aftermarket bezel... it would probably be on it tomorrow... and it would probably still come out less in cost than UJ's "limited edition", but, that doesn't make either one of them the better bargain... or a major screwing. See how the crap spreads once it gets started??

Ok, now I am a little less confused... I sent the 6mm crown and tube for the NDT 5508 case, that crown won't fit the 5500's tube, but if you wish to use it on the 5500, the old tube needs to come out and the 'new' one needs to go in... I think I might have a 5.3mm crown for the 5500...

Uncle Jay, That is why I sent you the set.. you'll have to turn the old tube out of your case and install the tube that is with the crown... which may mean a retap for the case tube hole... everything is there with that set except for the small gasket that seals the tube to the case... which should be about 3.3mm and semi-flat.

A 'perfect' break in the mainspring?

Love that shot Freddy... Hell, EVERYONE'S wristies are excellent, but there is something wrong... Can't you feel it? There is a disturbance in the force... Something is out of balance... like... there is not nearly enough... CLASSIC TWO-TONE 40 Year Old Bulova Oceanographer - Solid 10K Bezel, SS Case, 333 Feet Rating, Automatic

I have family all over the world... Some of them have been energetically hitting up everyone else on the planet for donations... Some of them have been enthusiastically sending me donation after donation... even while they try and hide from my Christmas list... Many of them have given up personal items to auction off for my benefit... Quite a few have gone to extraordinary lengths to bid incredibly wonderful sized gifts and have sent money from everywhere... When I say everywhere, I have to illustrate the point by letting you all know that I received a PayPal donation from a dive station somewhere UNDER the middle of the ocean... If we had off world colonies, I am certain that there would have been donations from every one of them as well... I am in awe of the family assembled here ... They are a great and wonder group of people ... And I am forever grateful...

Uncle Jay, you should have gotten a tube with the crown... it was screwed together lightly so they should have stayed together... or are you saying that the tube is too small for the hole already in the case? You can 'lume' and varnish the sub dial to improve it's feel... LOVE the Tudor dial and hands...

I'm in. How could I not be? US Size 15. My submission for consideration... a melding of TeeJay's & Phoband's idea's Note that I stylized and blended the three letters together a bit more, with the G becoming a stylized dial with hands approaching at 10 & 2...

Words cannot adequately express the breadth and depth of my gratitude. I simply wished to explain to my friends why I was disappearing on them, and they have refused to let me disappear... I wanted everyone to know that things were getting rough for me but that things would eventually be ok, but they have gone out of their way to make things as ok as possible for me right now... I wanted to say thank you, and everyone has expressed the same to me in ways that will leave me forever grateful... I was ready to trudge off alone to slug it out with my daemons yet again, but my friends have insisted on supplying me with weapons... My ordeal is not over, it will take more time to resolve, but, I have come to see that I have a greater family here than I have ever could have imagined, and that whatever comes my way, I am not alone. I love each and every one of you. Thank you all, -Rob

I finally took off the "Ugly Old Sub"... and put on my last remaining Ocean Ghost.. It's a lot bigger than your average "sub"... the bezel is 46mm, the case is 47mm (51mm including crown) and 55mm lug to lug... so it's actually "Big Pan" sized... But, if you'll notice that you are still seeing links on both sides of the watch on the top of my wrist here, you can probably see what I mean when I say that I make large watches look "normal"... Here is a comparison, to really show how big this watch is...

This is a $10, flat, "euro made" T39 from helfands on the bay... I tried it, because I had seen replacements like this on older Gens before, and I like it, it kind of makes it more of a well used tool watch, if you can follow... I will probably be changing this out for something else later.... if I ever decide what this piece will eventually be (yeah, I am leaning 5508 so, probably a T16) anyway, maybe one like this could be a reasonable option... Just a thought.