ken fingerlove

The reason I don't like the spring drives is because every one of them has the most ghastly power reserve indicator. If they lost that (and the big allen bolts on the SD600) I'd be interested. Although I have a marine master 300 and it is enormous. This is much bigger than that!

Most days something like this - braun buffel wallet (stuffed with about a fiver), keys to flat, keys to bike, swiss army knife (one of the ones with a LED torch and a ball point pen - best pen knife ever), (ubiquitous where I work) iPhone, Pilot capless pen, and a watch.

If you're in the UK, try Marks and Spencer tailored shirts (possibly only online). I've never gone tailored before, and these aren't tailored, really, but for

Most of these restaurants are not big money makers. Gordon Ramsay (as well as most of the other 'celebrity' chefs here in London) has had to close several restaurants, and there seem to be quite a few going bankrupt. GR's profession is as a celebrity, not a chef or restauranteur. I'd say starting with $500k would be a good way to make $100k :S

ha, some of us have been waiting since early February, and many more since before that, I think. With the gen movement, will you also need hands, and a datewheel? It'll be nice to see the end result of that.

Looks beautiful, Freddy. Like you, I'm not a big fan of gold watches, but one of these (or even a sub in my case) would slot nicely into the collection. Surely the screw down pushers would have been service replacements on a watch like this? So no one is going to call it out on that basis. The other way round, sure... Reminds me to ping my watchmaker to see if he's done anything with my watch recently... Good luck

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (If you saw the first, this is more of the same and pretty hilarous) Crank II - non stop never let up madness. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best I saw this month was not new - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - haven't seen it since I saw it in the movies, and it is excellent..

As promised - this photo is much redder than the wallet in reality, there must be something wrong with my colour balance. It's great for keeping tidy - there is no simple place to stuff all those receipts, so they get put somewhere more sensible.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5418707&section_id=5403605 I got a fantastic buckle from her three years or so ago, and have worn nothing since, and get some nice comments (sometimes). I don't see it on the site any more, but it's 2" x 3", with a layout of slightly rusty staples embedded in a dark red resin. I'll try to take a photo later if I remember. Reasonably cheap, too, although I did have to double the price with customs charges into the UK.

Thanks for all the replies. I eventually have ordered a Braun Buffel (means brown buffalo in German, I suppose) 8 card money clip wallet. Tan leather - has all the features I want, plus an external single card slot. Cost around 50 sterlings. There was a handmade version of the same wallet for twice the price, but it didn't look enough better. I'll post a photo when it arrives.

That's exactly my thought, Freddy. Much better it happens now than in a month, when I'd curse him from here to eternity. And I'm confident in his ability..

WHY DO I TEMPT FATE SO!!!! He eventually got in touch today. Said he'd finished the watch the day after I'd sent him the bracelet (which he polished up and attached - said the end links were for a slimmer lugged case, but it looks ok) and the second plastic insert (quick run around the inside with the file, and it snapped in place ok (slight gap around the outside, but invisible to the eye). Had it on the regulator, got it to 3 seconds a day (woo-hoo) and then tried to wind it up again, no dice. He said when winding, the minutes logger hand was visibly twitching. Suspect stem, but no, it was the same as the previous one. Partial dismantle to find it was (and I may be making this up, as I am reciting from memory) the crown wheel which had two screws holding it in place, and they'd both fallen out. It's in such an internal place that the total strip down and service (that I'd put off since the movement seemed in reasonable condition) will have to go ahead. Another few week's wait. On the plus side, he's posting me the MM daytona, so I can try wearing that. Or sell it. I'm glad I put the wheels in motion on another project to keep me occupied. C'est la vie!

I looked at the site, but couldn't find anywhere to buy the stuff. The only place that sells the orange lume is ofrei, that I can see anyway. And at $35 a pop (although that is the kit, and I have no idea how much that would cover), I'm not sure how much practicing I can afford. The magazines suggestion was excellent - if I do go down this route, I'll definitely do that.

It's awkward. I have a lowish capacity to look at a crappy result, but my feelin is that I have a high capacity for producing said crappy result. I was looking at ofrei for prices. I hadn't seen the SL in orange anywhere else. I'll think about tuis some more I think. J

I'm just making a deal for a Stowa pilot's watch, and it's going to be my little project. I want to relume it in orange SL. This will cost me to DIY - lume kit + orange SL (probably $80) hand removing and replacing tools ($60?), some screwdrivers, etc.. So maybe close to $200, and I might just make a balls of it, but I'd have some tools at the end of the day. Getting someone (The Zigmeister???) to do it - I have no idea how much that would cost (there are a lot of luminous numbers on the dial), but at least it would be done right.. Has anyone given this sort of thing a go? How successful were you? Were you pleased with the end result? What do you recommend? p.s. I like the way if you type z-i-g-g-y it gets replaced with "The Zigmeister" - much more fitting (It was this or buy a rep IWC - and I didn't like the enormouse size of the IWC big pilot)

Nice roll, Jchurch. The Aspinall ones look good - but that Gucci money clip idea is great for forcing you to stay clutter free... I'd try it if it wasn't a

I hope it will be too! Phone call from the watchmaker this afternoon asking if I had a spare plastic bezel insert. He fitted the bezel with some difficulty, then two minutes later the insert pinged across the room, having snapped under the strain. I did have a spare, luckily. Posted him that, the bracelet, and his cheque (I think he gave me a pretty good rate). He's putting the watch on his regulator.. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up the finished watch next weekend.

My current black leather Diesel wallet from around 1997 is beginning to give up the ghost. I've been looking around for something but I can't find anything that really takes my fancy? Anyone got a recommendation? Looking for bifold, material not important, but vintage look brown leather would appeal. Anything up to

Agreed - there was a time - 5 years ago, when I was reading all the Dirk Pitt books, that I might have fancied one, but they are butt-ugly. No offense.

A gen non-Newman dial is around 1-1.5 k. Considering the investment in a V72 DW watch, that's significant, but not insane.

That looks like a V72 (OEM movement for these Daytonas) rep of some sort, so probably very expensive. It's unlikely that would come in under $1k. More like 2. Another option is the V23 or mystery movement rep. Cheaper, but the chrono hand at 6 will be stuck in place. Spinmaster has been selling nice non-V72 (I think 7760 movements) reps in the sales section for around $650, iirc. I don't think these have the correct dial spacing or crown/pusher positioning, but they look good. You could try getting in touch with him.

If I'd appreciated what people said, I'm not sure I'd have gone and bought the pieces.. I'd have waited for one to appear in the for sale section I'm not doing anything but waiting, and it's not something I would want to do again...

well, a month ago my watchmaker said all he had to do was fit the stem. That appears to have been slightly misleading. I rang him this morning, and the incomplete list of things he's had to do in the last month include 1) refinishing all the hands - he didn't like the painted hands, so stripped them and blacked them properly. He also had to broach all the hands to the correct size, and is currently having problems with the hour hand (which he has to fix after bending the tube), and is anticipating problems with the chrono second hand because it has to fit perfectly. 2) shortening the pushers - the pokey thing in the pushers was too long, so he shortened it 3) had to do some watchmakery magic with the movement holder screws - he made some into half screws (I'm not sure I understood the reasoning for this, but some of you guys might - something to do with this not being a mono case, or it being a mono case, I didn't get it - but it sounded very intricate!) So he's left with 2 hands to fit - then he has to fit the bezel. I hold no optimism that it will fit straight on. I fear for my bank account when he tells me these things. I think wisely he is doing this _very_ part time because it's such a nuisance. But he reckons I'll have it in one, maybe two weeks. Ha! On the positive side, I also sent him the MM DW that I also got with my donor watch to see if he could reattach the hands. This morning's phone call was the first time he'd mentioned it, but he says the chrono now doesn't make the movement die, and has put the hands on properly. So I can sell that with no bad conscience and recoup some money from his bill! Or maybe I'll keep it and have two daytonas. I hope my next post will contain some photographs!

G-shock. No question. I would suggest Suunto, but I've had two (Vector and T3) and they have abysmal battery life. Get a solar G 5600. Indestructable. Unless you're going polar, I wouldn't even consider a mechanical watch, but surely you're far more likely to drop/bash/whatever it than get it frighteningly cold.

I'm wearing Levis 504 at the moment. Straight cut, good if you're skinny, and they come in some very nice finishes. I wore nothing but Diesel for 10 years, but find I don't like the newer cuts, and they aren't great value. Bring a girl (or ask a sales girl or the gay salesman) to check out what your [censored] looks like. That's the most important thing.