Watchmeister

Absolutely beautiful job. Whoever owns this one should be very happy. Not his first and probably not his last: And here is Ziggy perfection in white:

196 on gen croc today: Yesterday - 09 with extinct Finepics PVD on PAV strap:

The Inge is a poster child for a well executed rep. I can't say I wear it that often but it is one I would never part with. May many more reps of this quality come forth in the New Year. Wear it well.

V- That is one stunning strap. No one deserves it more than Ziggy and I am glad it is going to him. Heck, I would put away the XaMas' for that one. Beautiful strap.

IMHO, other than improving the flow of information so that problems are more quickly revealed there is not much else one can do. Modding is very complex and often requires more skill than many full-time watch smiths have. If you think about it you have movements which are often more fickle than standard branded movements, many aesthetic parts (dials, hands, etc.) that are also made of inferior materials or assembled in inferior ways to the gen. And the range of services people are asking for are far broader. Modding requires a certain level of base skills, development of knowledge on our fickle reps and quite often a high level of artistry. Someone can do wonderful things with a vintage Rolex but have a horrible result with PAM's. The best defense the forum has is early customers who display their results here (both good and bad). And then you double the complexity of evaluation as who knows what was going on with the watch before it was shipped. Finally, at 20-30x I can make just about anything look awful. And I would be remiss if I didn't add how often absolute crap work is displayed and people still rally to the modders defense. So what is the answer? If you are using a new or lesser known person please post the results. Only with multiple reviews can one get a sense of whether to trust a modder. If you see newer folks diversifying into services for which they have no competency tell folks that as well. And in spite of the fact that Ziggy and perhaps one other person tends to always get it right if you get a watch from them and you love it please post it as well. It helps people evaluate their results from other people. On the other issue of collectors selling already modded watches it should be easier. The collector should have a pic of the modded watch in their offering and you can compare what you got with what was advertised. All other standard collector criteria should apply.

Although I am in Stephane's camp on this one I am somewhat more tolerant. If it is a question coming from a recently joined member that can be answered relatively easily and is not invading on my or any other member's privacy I will provide a brief accurate answer in a friendly manner. If I never hear a thank you or response back I note it and that person will not receive another response to additional PM's. When I do get "who has the best sub" I simply respond back to spend some more time on the forum and come back if you can't find the answer. If someone is outright rude I am with everyone else, ignore them.

I have always wondered about the hands as well. Just remember that hands are not so simple as Bases require only 2 hands while Marina also need a sub-second hand. I haven't seen the recent offering on Ebay but he sells them in different colors so before you buy make sure he has a set that matches up to whatever you are trying to make.

Same on my end.

Seconded. Give it up. When your out of Metta, you're out of Metta.

Thanks for the info. You are facilitating a 2008 project.

It's all a conspiracy. I am only writing this post to see what shows up on mine. Oops, nothing. By the way, D - very nice collection although I am sure it has been greatly augmented since.

Modding is actually a far more complex issue than watch dealers. A dealer sells you a watch and the criteria is basically: did I get what was pictured, is it as advertised, was price fair and is dealer service good (i.e. does he stand behind his product). Modding is complex in that it includes aesthetic improvements and actual watch servicing. Also modders can theoretically offer many more services (movement servicing, changing parts, reluming, etc.). So your dream modder is both a skilled watchsmith and artist. This is a very rare combination. And then to make it more complex people have good days and bad days. Even Ziggy can have a bad day. But he will do everything he can to make it right. In addition, people can get in over their heads initially offering services they are qualified to offer and then expanding into things they are not. With the exception of 2-3 folks who have withstood the test of time what is the liklihood of finding someone who is truly a knowledgeable watchsmith and is skilled in the vagaries of aesthetics. 99% of local watchsmiths do not have both skill sets. I know there are a few here who have found local folks and congrats to them. IMHO, this is the most complex issue to deal with. RWG is not in the business of certifying dealers or modders. It simply tries to protect its membership as best it can. And as for any comments on Ziggy and MacDonalds versus Burger King. Ziggy long since learned to stay away from evaluating other people's work. There is no upside. He does not get any additional revenue out of it. Let's face it, he is perpetually booked whether or not someone else is doing good or bad work. What he does object to is members being taken advantage of. But the reality is that folks get so nasty about it that he no longer will do it. So, bad news guys. There is no easy "this guy is certified" answer. This forum does its best to protect its membership. But it is not in the business of buying or modding watches. IMHO, at best a forum can be reactive - not proactive as relates to modding.

Looks great. Wear it well.

Does Davidsen really have a properly numbered 02D caseback (Dxxx/1200) or 02B (Bxxx/1500). Bases were usually half the annual amount of 01's. I don't know if this helps but here is an 03-T and Base-L:

Fabulous post. I don't know how I missed this one and I paid the price. Just last night I overwound my 243 rep and now it doesn't work. Crap! Ziggy- This one will be heading over to you at some point.

Very nice write-up. And obviously I couldn't agree more. But I thought Whoreology was something very different.

I will add one to the mix: At least I am consistent.

Well, if you were a gen buyer and couldn't tell the difference you would be either scared or pissed off too. And I know a good number of folks who are on Risti as well. Don't have the same screen name though.

In fairness to the Risti, similar to these forums, there is a core group of members with unbelievably good knowledge and then a whole lot of folks showing off their latest watch - myself included.

Asad- Bear in mind that Jimmy is not looking as closely as you are. He had them made a long time ago. Here are a few pics of Jimmy's: You can see how tightly the lever fits against the body of the CG - From above you can see the placement and size of the cg pin head: Hope this helps.

Unfortunately I have to agree that it is not a Jimmy CG. And I am positive as I am staring at one.

Congrats. Obviously a good amount of effort went into and it was worth it. Wear it well.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Before you buy either version you should make sure you are satisfied with the PVD coating on the rep. I have always thought it was anodizing or something else. It looks very different from true PVD coating. Not trying to dissuade you - just making sure you have all the facts.