Watchmeister

Thanks for the kind words. It will be quite a while before this one is done though.

Freddy- You are scarily observant. That watch started life as a Double Red MBW and the dial came from elsewhere. It could be one of those refinished singer dials. I don't remember where I got it from. It does actually look closer to the other one (although clearly different). I am not god's gift to photography.

Yup. And I will show the other side when I figure out how to get the movement out of the inner movement case.

Here is a testament to the generosity of my dear friends here on the forum. A hearty thanks to Archibald and Ubiqitous. Their generosity never ceases to amaze me. And I thought it appropriate to bring it up on Thanksgiving. The first was originally sent to Archibald to finalize the original Rolex vintage date wheel project way back when. When it came back it had been transformed - gen crystal, beautifully engraved case back, upgraded bezel and pearl and even a gen bracelet. And the other from Ubi simply showed up at my door. In truth I had to check the return address to find out where it came from. Both works of art in their own right and symbolic of the wonderful goodwill and generosity of many folks on the forum. Both are MBW's with Ziggy vintage lume, case work and all the trimmings including the original date wheel project of course. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

And here we have the beginnings of my next vintage PAM project. This is how it all begins:

I am not familiar with the material used by Lume-Tec but the gen Deep Sea uses the same Super Luminova sold by Tritec SA as do 99% of high end sport watches.

I have bought watches to part out in the past when I needed a couple of specific items for a franken. You just need to be careful what you pay. IMHO, the prices you get for standard parts have fallen at the same time that the second-hand gens seem to have risen in price. It is much more difficult to do it. Now the only way I do it is to part it out in advance of the purchase. My conservative rule of thumb is that you need to buy a gen hand wind for under $3,000 for it to work (ignoring what you were willing to pay for your parts). I would guess the following prices on parts (but I am conservative): E movement - $1,000 Tobacco Dial and Hands - $800 (on a good day) Caseback - $300 - 400 So what would you pay for a full case set with crystal and no back? $1,000 - $1,200? The total is then approximately $3200. And of course you should never take apart a gen.

Looking really good. Wear that one well.

Holy crap! That yellow dial is stunning (and I generally stay away from yellow). You are amassing an awesome collection.

Had to steal another look. Lani - that watch looks fabulous. Then again how wrong can you go getting a case coated by the same folks who did the majority of the original Pre-V's, A's and B's. Wear that one well. Definitely sending a 28 and a pair of Pre-V's out that way.

IMHO, the real moral of the story is not "don't go swimming with reps". The real moral is don't go swimming with any watch which has not been properly checked and serviced. I have ruined a gen AP and Breitling taking them swimming without having them tested. Chrono's definitely are higher risk with all those entry points whether rep or gen. By the way have you ever noticed that most gens are listed as "water resistant" not "waterproof". That is not an accident. Personally, I tend to swim with properly sealed and serviced reps rather than gens since I am less vigilant on servicing the gens.

Pick your brand and people can be helpful. On IWC there are a number of reps that will pass muster. And because IWC movements tend to be ETA based there are a number of excellent reps which (when you are bored and have a little extra money) you can often find a gen dial and/or hands. They take a little effort but can look great.

Back to basics - true O3T on A semi-mat:

Lani- You and Ziggy ave outdone yourselves. Wear that one well.

You may get lucky if you do a search on ebay and a similar watch has sold in the last 30 days (search on your watch checking the sold box). You can also triangulate looking at multiple offerings. Look for the low or no reserve folks in the case of current offerings.

I have seen 3 different variations of Fiddy's and they are all C3. I am too lazy but I posted pics of a gen dial taken apart for reluming somewhere here so you can find it if you like. The hands are definitely C3 as well. Just remember Panerai paints the underside of their hands with white paint which is one of the reasons why they look and glow differently.

Stuff looks great. I guess he is the forefather of modding low end watches. Is modding a $200 Seiko that different from modding a $200 rep?

Well, he managed to get away with the watch still on his wrist but it is truly stunning. Ubi- that one is stunning.

Very cool watch. I am loving that crown as well.

Is there anything else to say.

Hey, I recognize that dial. Watch looks great. Wear that one well.

Looking forward to seeing that work of art.

Incredible watch - congrats to builder and owner. I definitely have a couple coming to you for that finish. It is stunning. Lani - Wear the beauty well.

Congrats. Wear that one well.

Very cool. You can't let that one go.