Toadtorrent

That Maxi is a very interesting piece! Thanks for the pics. You've got some serious goods in that collection...keep the pics coming!!

Which Ulysse Nardin is that? I don't really know much about those watches. Do you have any other pics of it? I noticed on your sig it's a gen. Nice!!

It's hard to tell. With the secs at 6...it's hit and miss. Some have had success with no service for years...others have had problems shortly after arrival. Try looking up the IWC Portuguese mod using graphite lubrication. That might help keep things going.

Welcome. There's lots of knowledge here. Read first...get to learn how to use the Search function. There aren't too many high end Arnold and Sons around...but there are some good Graham's if you're into that sort of thing.

The classic SMP Chrono is great. With a Swiss 7750...greater...but pricier. It is in the size range, no AR though (not supposed to have any with the white lettered model)...great rep out of the box...one of the original "super reps".

...an those that say that you don't need as customers!! Anybody who has owned a gen and has had to service them knows how much they cost to own and maintain. Just because a rep costs way less at the initial outlay...the same number of parts (in the case of A7750 movements) means the same level of complexity to maintain as a gen...but with an Asian movement...more frustrating to source parts, and more frustrating to deal with rep idiosyncrasies. There are no Asian movement servicing manuals and parts lists like you would get with ETA movements...making them I would think, harder to deal with in many respects than gens. The Zigmeister, you do us all an honour to even participate in this forum and share the experience you have. Your prices make you the King of Value!!

Great shots Robbie. I definitely like that FA Jones. Here's some of mine:

Hey The Zigmeister, Thanks for the link! Gotta love that pic with the blue glow on the IWC Cousteau internal bezels. Take it easy on the eye...and don't feel any pressure to be "professional" in getting to my Omega faster than your eyes can take! Heal first...work later!

Yes, you file the threaded end that goes into the new crown. Again...you wouldn't be the first to have done this wrong. Don't worry about the threads not biting in the crown...just a bit at a time. Doing so will make you become a master of stem re-insertion.

Thanks for the nice read! I was just at the AD looking at this and thought I would get more info on it. Very nice!

I have so much invested in Nikon pro glass I have no alterntive. As far as super values go, the Olympus e-Volt series is really good value too. A friend was shipped an entire top-end kit to try out by Olympus...everything!! The schtick was, that they have a smaller market share and were shipping out full kits to certain folks who attended the pro shows to try and woo them over to Olympus. Again...very good value and quality...but limited upgrade path.

The Corum is a big piece of metal. I think it's definitely more elegant than the C1...but the C1 is more "techy". I would say, look at your collection now, or where you are headed and figure out what you want out of it. Do you want to focus on covering your bases from slim dress watches to chunky sports...or do you want to get a selection of the best of the brands...or do you want to focus on divers only. The answers to the above questions may determine which watch to get. If you are only going to have a single watch, I would say the Corum is better as it is more versatile and not so "in-your-face". For example...the build of the C1 is big, chunky and sporty no matter what strap you put it on. However, change the strap from crocodile maybe to vintage leather to carbon fiber and the Corum can take on a whole new look. For size comparison...check out Pug's review of the Corum: Pugwash's Corum Admiral's Cup For size comparison...check out these 2 pics of his: and

Just re-read this...and I have to say...thanks so much for that group shot. It's a very useful comparison to see all those watches side by side for size comparison!!

The Sony and Pentax are probably better deals for body function these days...but in the long run, if you are an "upgrading" kind of guy, Nikon or Canon might be better as they have a more complete line to "move up" to in terms of both bodies and lenses. You can even get their full frame ad Live View there if you wanted to. If you buy Pentax or Sony...you are limited on the professional grade stuff.

Awesome work Lani...photos and writing. You're outdoing yourself every time!

Very neat story...and good project!

I have to say my '06 Cousteau gets the most wrist time. The rubber strap really is very comfortable, and there's something about that nice big crystal and the internal rotating bezel. The SOH is an interesting one...came out to big accolades...then people slowly stopped talking about it. When they released the chrono, I thought people would be all over it, and if it weren't for the size, I would be too...but, nobody at RWG seemed to take to it. Now, they have the updated SOH and the SOH Chrono and I've seen a few posts on these...but not enough to say it's an "IT" watch. The 3717 Top Gun was quite popular for awhile and now, I don't see anybody talking about that one...even with the newer non-Top Gun caseback. I still like that watch as well.

I'm constantly drawn to this watch. I've tried on the black a number of times at the AD...very nice piece, and a great size too, as a contrast to the usual big hocky pucks we see a lot of.

The 2813 is a fine movement...and cheap to replace (about $12). This one has the decorated rotor and plates/bridges...so that makes it harder to replace should you need to. The Zigmeister won't work on these as it's not really worth the time to service a $12 movement, given the cost of replacement...so a replacement if required, will likely require a mod (i.e. swap of the decorated parts onto the replacement movement). That being said, the 2813 can be a very reliable and sound movement...but has been known to have some slipping datewheel issues on occasion and if you play around with the movement, the keyless works can get out of whack a bit (an easy fix if you have the tools and know how).

Very nice read. Good job!! It's always nice to read about something a little different.

I just tried on the gen at the AD a few days ago...very nice watch.

That's a lot of work for you guys...and once again shows how much a small select group of people put in for the community. Thanks for all the hard work.

The finish on the rotor is a lot better, but the font is a bit small. The finish and engraving on the plates and bridges is better too. The movement looks to be the best of the batch in my opinion. The engraving on the caseback is nice and deep. I didn't have time to look at the dial though. This looks to be a better version than the previous ones and at a better pricepoint. Again...I haven't looked at anything else...just the movement as that's the key piece of this watch on the gen.

I actually change the strap on mine to bracelet fairly regularly. It hasn't been that hard...but that's because I have my Wu Tang style. ;P I actually have to use 2 tools: 1) generic springbar tool with the poker thin tip snapped off to the tapered point (not the fork end) 2) springbar tool with 1mm fork Step 1) Use the 1mm fork end and retract the spring bar to be just out of the lug hole Step 2) Once the end of the spring bar is out, pop in the poker tip between the space of the retracte springbar and the case lug (Lani uses a toothpick...I've used a safety and a paper clip as well...anything to stop the spring bar from popping back into the hole) The key on Step 2, is the object you use needs to be large enough to stop the spring bar from popping back...but small enough that you still have enough spring bar compression room to pop the other side out of the lug hole Step 3) While your poker has "side A" blocked, use the forked end on "side B" of the spring bar and retract the tip back out of the lug hole as per normal, while at the same pushing down slightly As soon as the spring bar tip is out of the lug hole, the downward motion should pop the end link and the spring bar down onto your casing pad. I would take pictures but it's a 2 handed operation and I don't have an assistant to take photographs and frankly, I"m too lazy to setup a tripod on macro and use the timer.

Great group shot. It's really nice to see the comparison of sizes, and how nicely the panda dial rounds out any collection. Great pics!!