mendota

A stunning photo ; can you tell me the photographic detail ?

thanks,

impressed mendota

hi all noob from NY got some reps ang gens and plan on visiting often

Hi,

I'm a 1 year man, also in NYC.

Enjoy.

Mendota ( jeff )

Ok guys......I haven't been active very much on the boards recently....I'd considered putting up a post explaining why.....but I thought....'hell ..they'll never believe me'......however I am aware that there is an ongoing thread regarding me......so I feel it's only proper to take this opportunity to offer up my explanation as to why I seem to have been so inactive in terms of PM's....Skype and the different forums recently.

Last year around mid-summer I started to notice an anomaly in terms of my vision, when I woke in the mornings and came out of my bedroom I found that everything was extremely 'bright'.....as though there were huge studio lights shining in thru' my windows......which resulted in me squinting for a period of time until my eyes 'adjusted' to the light intensity......I mentioned it to Narikaa who was out here at the time...( I'm sure he'll remember our conversation ).....as well as a number of other members.......however I put it down to lack of sleep and perhaps eyestrain from PC use and the fact that where I live is pretty much always bathed in very bright sunlight........then as suddenly as it appeared it seemed to settle and I gave no further thought to it... !

Recently.....probably since late January......I started to notice a re-occurrence of these symptoms.......along with some others....constant itching of my eyelids.....pain in the eyelids as well as blurry vision..... dry burning eyes....especially when using the PC for long periods......I tried the usual remedies of Optrex bathing solutions....eye drops etc etc.......however there was no noticeable improvement.....I was also getting headaches......and vision changes.....!

Over the past 2/3 weeks I started to become more alarmed and decided to go to hospital........after a battery of tests.......it seems I have blepharitis...( Google it )....and glaucoma.....if the blepharitis can't be eradicated or controlled...I'll end up blind......that is of course if the glaucoma they also found doesn't make me blind first......here's where the other factor comes in......diabetes.....because of the reduced immune structure in diabetics...it takes longer to heal.....!

So for the past weeks I've been following a strict eye hygiene routine......and also the biggest pain the ass......having to use a topical anti-biotic applied directly to the eyeball.......this is a gel......which 'films' across the eye as you close and open your eyelid.... the downside is......it leaves you with worse eyesight than before you use it......it's like trying to look thru' bubble wrap.........and it takes about 2-3 hours before you can see reasonably proper after....so it's lie down in a dark room and waiiiit........applied 4 times a day........so I'm not getting a lot of 'clear vision' time....and still have burning eyes....!

As a result of the above...I've been online infrequently......mainly to check PM's......and to get addresses for items that need to be sent out....Skype use has been very infrequent.......with an occasional posting to the board ...before I have to give it a rest again......very frustrating.....if I didn't have burning eyes ...I'd probably cry.....but can't....!

I haven't posted this looking for sympathy.....it's just something that I have to work thru' as best as I can......I posted it to make those members who have contacted me via PM / Skype / e-mail with enquiries etc etc.....that I am not ignoring them......I just have some difficulties at present........anybody want to buy a Minolta Dimage 7D....let me know...the way I'm feeling at present......it looks as tho' I won't be taking too many photos in future.....although' that's probably just my depression speaking........my Doctor's prognosis is that it will be OK.....just need to get rid of the infection......I'm told that the glaucoma can be controlled and that long term it needn't get worse.......I know we have a diverse membership and many specialists in our midst......any eye specialists or sufferers out there care to comment !

That's the bad news for me......there's good and bad news for some members tho'......here it is.....!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALL orders from the group buy for ANYTHING other than GMT's......have either been sent or are in the process of being sent....almost all of you who placed a single order ..i.e....for Noobmariner / Yachtie / LV etc etc.....your orders have shipped......the members waiting are those who have placed an order for either a GMT on it's own....or in combination with another item.

My supplier in BKK.....initially confirmed that GMT's were available....otherwise I wouldn't have offered it.....and then he back-pedaled....saying that the factory were no longer making them....only to reconfirm that they would be available after CNY..... I had been pestering the life out of him to get them as quickly as possible.....I confirmed that I needed approx 25 of them........so he told me that he would be going to China to pick up new stock.....and that he would acquire them when he was there........!

So he's back now...full of woe...and lamenting that the factory lied to him....and that he's searched the whole of Guangzhou for them.......and found 1x......!

So....can those members who have ordered a GMT.....please send me a PM....with a contact tel number so that I can call you.....for obvious reasons ....I can't get involved in lengthy PM exchanges with members......it's much easier on my eyes for me to call you....although' it may not be such a pleasure for your ears......!

I apologise to those who have been waiting....and assure you that your item has been sent or is imminent....if anyone hasn't received their item for whatever reason.....send me your tel # and I'll try to confirm status.....!

I'll try to log on as often as possible to keep you informed of progress in all areas......but if you don't see me logged on or on Skype.....you'll know why....!

For those members who have contacted me to order...please understand that I'm operating in reduced mode....!

I've been a member of the various forums for a great many years...enjoying all aspects of them....from discussing various aspects ....even to the flame wars......I'm hoping that will continue for along time to come...and that my activity wont be curtailed by this curse that I've inherited.....!

I'm giving up on the 2 watches that don't run, and I do acknowledge you made a gesture to show concern, but I still wasted more than $ 700.00 due to your neglect and irradic behavior.

Also it's manipulative to offer your eye issues in a dramatic plea for understanding. I'm a doctor and I've heard these kind of stories forever.

You probably have diabetes and I am probably correct in assuming you have managed it adequately for some time as do millions of

people with diet and perhaps oral medication.

Glaucoma too is a chronic condition that unfortunately millions of people have to deal with. It's a condition causing increased pressure in the eye, It sometimes doesn't need medication, but most people manage it with drops which keep the pressure normal. Although untreated it can cause blindness in severe cases, eye drops and an occasional check by the eye doctor is all it entails for almost everyone in the modern world.

Then there's blepharitis, a crusty inflammation of the eyelid, possibly with some infection around the eye lashes. Warm compresses when possible and drops or ointment usually cure it in a week or two although the drops might be continued so the infection doesn't linger.

Most people keep working as they treat blepharitis. Some might take a few days to get it under control.

So you have a few issues that most people take care of with a visit or two to their doctor and a bit of care at home. They rarely miss work; so I think it's misleading to offer these as an excuse for anything.

Dear All

First let me point out that i am not looking for any sympathy, rather to inform everybody what has happened in my life for the past several months that has effected all aspects of my life. Last year proved to be one of the worst years of my life, and this year has not started off any better. For those that do not already know it began with my eldest son, now almost three, being falsely diagnosed with autism. After taking him to several different respected medical institutions an accurate diagnosis was finally made. Needless to say, unless you have children it is unfathomable to comprehend how much anxiety, stress, and pressure this has put on my family and myself. Since his diagnosis he has come a long way due to his twice weekly therapy sessions. His vocabulary as went from five words eight months ago to over 300, and this has been a blessing.

Second, the week before Thanksgiving my wife intercepted an email from a female colleague. The email was very damning, it contained nude pictures and very incriminating responses. I was kicked out of my house, rightfully. I lost the ability to work on watches, communicate with clients. It is very humbling to live in a hotel room for a week! After turning over both my computers, telephone records, and taking a polygraph test my wife decided that indeed I had no intentions of or was having an affair. As you can imagine this put a damper on our entire holiday situation.

Third, in december my wife was diagnosed with Lupus and has started presenting the classic neurologic symptons. She is 25 years of age, and her chances of living a productive normal life are slim. To make matters worse a couple weeks ago she had a late second term miscarriage. To add insult to injury three days after her procedure she had to be taken back to surgery to have a suction curretage for retained placenta. She had lost a lot of blood, her hemogoblin was 3, and had to be transfused with 8 units of blood.

Fourth, my best friend whom was expecting his first child lost their child in the second trimester. Their experience was much worse as her placenta actually had grown into her uterus which due to medical necessity resulted in an emergancy hysterectomy. In layman terms she lost her child and her uterus!

Fifth, since Christmas day I have suffered from three bilateral eye infections. Quite abnormal considering that usually people just get pink eye only a couple times in their lives. I found out last week that the bacteria is resistant to Cipro, which has forced me to take more powerful antibiotics, abandon contacts, which not really a problem however my visual acuity is not as good with my glasses.

Sixth, we all handle problems differently. I am an alcoholic. I LOVE bourbon, and when i do drink four doubles is just getting me warmed up. Also, I have a particular weakness for diazepam during crisis situations. I know that this is the wrong way to handle problems, but it keeps the crippling depression at bay. If anyone here has suffered from severe depression then you all know what i am talking about. Really you just do not give a f*&K about anything. I cannot tell you how many times I simply did not log onto the computer, because I could not force myself to.

Seventh, Navigator ripped me off on 40 cannon pinion sets that put me a month behind on all my mod orders. He has now made good on this, so that is cool.

Eight, I had a huge seizure in december, eta movements ran out of stock, new asian movements ran out of stock and this has delayed a lot of orders. While most people would just pack it up and run at this point, I have reordered every watch and continue to delivery to my customers. I was burned a couple years back by a dealer known as luckky for $2000 USD so i know how it feels to be scammed. This i will never do.

Nine, on a good note we are in the process of moving. We have found an old 1877 Victorian House a couple hours out of town that we are completely restoring. This will be very rewarding once it is complete.

The Facts

I may not be the best dealer, but to this day I have not ever ripped anyone off or scammed anyone. Infact, i am probably the most giving collector on the boards. Typically when problems arise i do not ask any questions, i simply take care of the problems or give refunds! Period. That is the way i have always done business. I am honest. I was the first dealer to point out to the community that UPO, of late, was being built with the 2842 movement instead of the 2824-2 movement. I always price my watches according to what i would pay for them as a consumer, and this is in direct conflict with other dealers that want to drive prices up to unreasonable levels. For example, when Ruby started offering the Big Bang SS and SFSO Swiss version at cheaper prices the two big dealers went to the factory and told them specifically not to sell Ruby those watches. I am facing this same crisis now as I am trying to get the new graham chronofighter in. When my price was advertised at $340, which brought me a hefty profit, and was $60 USD cheaper than the other two main dealers, those dealers went to the factory and asked not to sell this version to me. My actions I believe have been in the best of the community. In the end I realize that a simple thread when all these problems arised would have sufficed, but again i do not deal with things like this. I get drunk, pop a few pills and withdraw. I can only hope to do things differently in the future.

More importantly, for every bad review you read there are 30-40 good ones that you never hear about. I sold well over 1000 watches last year with just a couple bad reviews. In any other business i think that is an excellent track record. I try to do my best to take care off every client before, during, and after the sell. What we need to remember though is that these are replica watches, the quality control not as good as the $10 casios that you can find in any Wal-mart. Yet, we expect these watches to run perfectly, we expect the cases to last forever, we expect warranties, and service that you would find at AD's. We expect every panerai movement to have perfect CDG, perfect this, perfect that. Well if perfection is what you are in search for go buy a GEN. Well I am here to tell you that everyone has been LYING to themselves. These watches would not even be quality wise the rejects from brands such as Invicta, Casio, Seiko,etc! Why can my cheap $80 USD Invicta perform better than a $400 USD cousteau, which supposedly has a better movement, yeah right! Infact, the date/day wheels have always lined up perfectly, and the power reserve is much nicer. Then again it is the unrealistic expectations that the watches that we buy are SUPERIOR. What you are buying are cheap watches, built in a country with terrible labour conditions, but this is besides the point. My advice for those with unrealistic expectations, do yourself a favour, save your pennies and buy a gen. You will be much happier in the long run, more appreciative.

Lastly, I grow tired of this hobby of mine and am considering retiring. I am tired of all the threating emails, blackmail, etc. Tired of all the unrealistic expectations. Tired of all the childish behaviour, back stabbing, and just plain sick of a few of the primadonnas that freqeunt these boards and others. I have not made a decision yet, but to further contribute to this forum in the event that I do stop collecting, I WILL SHARE MY THREE SUPPLIERS CONTACT INFORMATION. THEY TAKE MONEYGRAM AND WESTERN UNION AND YOU WILL GET WHOLESALE PRICE ON ALL THE WATCHES THAT YOU ORDER! I HAVE WORKED WITH THESE SUPPLIERS FOR OVER A YEAR AND THEY HAVE ALWAYS DELIVERED! WHY BUY FROM ANY OTHER DEALERS WHEN YOU CAN GET WATCHES UP TO 60% OFF RETAIL?

Alcoholism is a progressive disease. Life gets more and more unmanageable, and only getting sober will change things.

Your story is typical, full of chaos and anger. The only hope is getting sober. Get sober, and the rest will get better ; but first

you have to stop drinking and drugging.

Alcoholics Anonymous can save your life. Maybe you've tried it and you weren't ready. Now you better be ready.

Do it man. Things won't get better if you don't - they'll get worse until you end up in jail, in a hospital, or in the morgue.

pam024A with strapmasters shark honey tan

rolli

Amazingly beautiful. What do you use to take your pictures. Again, thanks for the help yesterday.

jeff

Hey guys,

I've got a 6152 hommage sans the crownguard that I need some more screw bars for.

It's not the normal Panerai setup. Instead of the lug being threaded, the screw bar is threaded on one end and a small screw goes into it on the other end.

I don't know if other rep makers make them the same way but I got this thing on the bay as none of the rep makers offer this set up but one of the screwbars (that the small screw screws into) is stripped.

I figured I'd buy a bunch of them.

Anyone know where i can get more?

Thanks,

John

I'm in exactly the same boat so if we can locate these unique screws, let's get a bunch. I'm searching and will let you know if I score.

jeff [ mendota ]

To everyone who participated in any of TTK's Group Buys and who have individual purchases from him

who still have outstanding issues (orders not recieved and such), please post here so that we all know

where we stand:

I'll start:

2 watches not recieved from the Rolex Group buy started on Jan. 12, 2008 http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=65692 :

1 DRSD

1 GMT Master

Copy of the Final Buyers' Spreadsheet:

Thanks!!

I have two watches, an AP and a Patek, both expensive - took ages to come, and NEITHER ONE RUNS at all... not a tick. No answer to Skype.

Neil obviously has a problem and that's it for me.

Hello,

what you guys thinking of the new Patek Nautilus Jumbo sold by TTK?

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=66552

I really like this watch, especially in Steel with the blue dial.

Do you think that the "21j Asian automatic" mouvement is reliable?

Thx

Mine arrived frozen : I've had two in a row that don't run. I can't get TTk to do anything so far. I had the first looked at by a local jewelr to see if it was something simple : No luck.

I love coffee. I got a wonderful Gaggia Evolution 16100 as one of my Christmas gifts. My espresso needs are met, yay.

But now, I need advice on a good American-style coffeemaker, so since RWG is slow, please help me out with this non-watch related question.

BTW, saw this on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...PZ&v=glance

Cuisinart DCC-1200 12-Cup Brew Central Coffeemaker, Black and Stainless Steel

It's programmable, with all the bells and whistles. EDIT: That's a must for me. Only problem is, we have limited counter space in a smallish kitchen.

TIA!

I'm a coffee nut too - roast my own etc. I like the Capresso - their simplest model.

EVerone:

I have enjoyed my foray and readings of the "replica watch" hobby. It's addicative ... i cannot get enough. This forum has been very helpful and informative. Nonetheless, I continue to google replica watches and came across the following ... asking this membership and reaadership if these are legitimate or scam sites ...

replicabillboard.com

bestswiss.com

classicswiss.com

Replicashoppe.net

Replica-Faux.com

www.trustedtrader.com

www.classicswiss.com

Appreciate comments and feeback.

There are some sites that compared to dealers here are extremely expensive, but it would be too extreme to call them scammers. They deliver what they promise for the price they quote. They may well be 2 or 3 times higher than these dealers, but who knows their overhead etc.

If people pay them, what can you say ? I don't want to sound like I'm defending them. I wouldn't deal with them now due to price, but the few I'm referring to

were not scammers with me. Bestswiss was one example. When I first tried the rep hobby, I paid $ 800 dollars for a watch I could get for half that, but it was a good watch ( I had it looked at by a watch jeweler ), and they replaced a faulty watch without any hesitancy when I received a watch with a problem. That's all I can say.

Genuine inserts- the black part- are friction fit and they are pressed into the bezel itself. If the bezel itself- the ss (or gold) part came off, it snaps on also- you just need to make sure you don't lose any of the miscellaneous parts that go with it.

But if you have a rep and the insert fell off, you're probably going to have to glue it back on to the bezel- a few drops of GS Hypo-cement or epoxy to the metal bezel and press the insert on- just make sure the bezel still turns and you don't glue it to the case.

Thank you. I'll do what you suggest.

I found my black Bezel on the floor and noted my submariner was without one. The diagnosis was easy.

Could someone tell me the way to replace it. Thanks.

Mendota, it seems to me you are talking of Radiomir straps because of the little screws.

Here are two videos. The first is by the Greek "V", and the second is by a non-RWG'er, TTBOMK. Radiomir watches have fussy, horrible little screws, and I've spent hours looking for them on my carpet.

Use a white towel or similar, whenever you are changing straps. However, once you have practise, fear not. It's easy.

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Can anyone give me advice on the best way to deal with the vintage PAM strap holding bars and the tiny screws that secure the bars.

I have spent hours on one change of straps. The other more frequent spring bar or screw mechanism isn't bad, but the watches with the two bars

that come out at right angles and go into each side of the strap give me trouble, both on getting the best sequence of steps to get the strap on,

and then to deal with those tiny screws. Any hints would be appreciated.

You mean, this watch Mendota?

Never come across the name, in the various trusted collectors' sites we have here.

But if I were you, I'd email or PM Narikaa, Ruby, TWP, and Wackobirdkeeper (on RWI) who all specialise in getting watches,

My attention was brought to an article in Watch... Magazine that announced the results of a prestigious watcxh competition in

Geneva. The Grand Prix winner was a watch by Richard Mille. I Googled around and found a picture of the winner and it is a very cool

watch.

Has anyone seen a rep of a Richard Mille ?

I picked up a Steelfish Superocean this week from a Canadian member over at RWI. The biggest reason I bought was that the seller had relumed the dial with C3, and as none of my watches have anything beyond the standard rep lume, I thought this would be a cheap way to judge whether my other watches should be relumed. Having this watch for a few days, I can honestly say that I am both satisfied, yet not overly impressed with the performance of the lume. In my honest opinion I would say that the C3 performs slightly better than the lume that is on my UPOs. But, any fantasy that this lume would glow brightly long into the night was quickly dispelled. The C3 lasts only slightly longer than the rep lume, and at best its pretty much a novelty that can only be appreciated for short periods or in artificially produced settings. Would I send any of my other reps for relume? Only the ones with particularly weak lume, like my Navi for instance. I certainly would not consider a UPO relume however.

Opinions?

How do you best judge a lume and how do you test it?

This is a pre run sample of the new 201a dial I have been working in the past 2 months.

This is a solid 34mmx 0.8mm black dial with dial feet made for units 6497.

All Indexes been engraved by CNC machine unifoirmly at prcise 0.5mm depth from surface.

My next step is to apply c1 lume/vintage lume on the bottom and 4 sides walls of the index aera.then fill the

hollow aera with vanish.

Printing of logos will be done eventually.

more pics will be followed soon.

All comments are welcomed.

What model will the end Pan be, or am I missing something ?

I love the dial and would put in a pre ordere on what I see.

Jeff

New (to me) PAM 114, modded & lumed by Flav, with Taikonaut Ostrich Skin Strap

I was looking to spice up my Pam strap collection. Bought a 24/24 Bob Vertigo genuine gator in Dark Aubergine. Not too many "stock" 24/24 gators out there. I've owned a lot of straps, including numerous exotics, and this strap is easily in my top five. Very well made, fine stitching, comfortable, and great color. You be the judge.

Bob's screw in buckles are also the nicest I've seen.

Check it out! Click on the image for monster size.

For my taste, this is one of the most elegant combo I've seen in a long time.

congrayulations !!~

jw

your 117H is loookinng Goooood,

LIVE STRONG AND WEAR IT WELL

What is Davidsen's site ?

Looks awesome im going to sell my 111h to upgrade to the davidsjen, that crown looks fantastic too!

Do you know how to get to davidsjen ?

thanks,

mendota

My old watch winder just broke down so I ran a search on ebay and there seems to be a bunch of great options...I just dont understand how they are so cheap? This 8 winder + 4 holder which normally retails for close to 900$ has buy-it-now for 70 bucks - i dont understand? Are they cheap asian knockoff watch winders or are they the same quality products that retail for close to a grand? Would love to hear from some people who have bought these winders on ebay, any input would be greatly appreciated! I got this one for 50 bucks, I dont think it gets any better than that...

The case is pretty nice ; the platform with the moving discs is cheap but functional ; most importantly the motors do work and at 5 months, all the ones that worked at the beginning, still work, but not in first rate style. They're noisy and often get hung up by the position the case is in requiring one to move it.

Another problem is the rotation of the disc brings the watch into contact with the plexiglass window scratching the plexi and depositing a white powder on the casing or crystal of the offending watch. In general, with a lot of care, the whole thing can be made functional and worth the price - but just barely in my opinion.

If the retail winders weren't so over priced, these wouldn't hold up.

I'd like to get some really great high end leather straps for a few PAN's and a few old PP reps. Please advise.

:cc_confused:

I see a lot of posts that mention VIP membership, but very few posts that describe the details of VIP membership. The only "official" word is to contact a member of the admin team for details.

There are a lot of posts that state cryptically "Upgrade to VIP membership and all will be revealed." That's pretty vague!

We need a sticky post that describes VIP membership and why you should get it. Details should include what you get for VIP membership (posting access in the sales forum, access to dealer info, etc.), what it costs to get VIP membership ($XX/year), and how to go about getting it.

I think that if you made it easier to get details on VIP membership then more of the new members would upgrade. More VIP members will mean more money to support the forum, more active participants (if you put money into it, you'll use it more), and as a result a better community. Right now it's hard to justify!

So, can one of the admins please expound on VIP membership a bit and put it in a sticky/pinned post?

Thanks so much,

- from all the noobs