Watchmeister

Long live RWG.

Great to hear. It makes sense that someone would step in to fill the void. And by now any patents that originally existed must be long gone so it should be a relatively simple exercise to copy virtually all of the ETA movements. Oh wait a minute, they already have.

I know the feeling. Mine has been sitting in the box ever since I rubbed away the chrome from my markers. If I actually get the dial I will go to the trouble and properly plate the markers. One step at a time though.

That is a good answer. Congrats on your purchase. My search for the holy grail continues. I returned the original 7753 I had bought due to the poor case and bezel and am now trying to acquire the dial only and incorporate it into the original honpo. That should take me a year to finish that one.

Great minds...

Lello will have a revised version of the date wheel at the end of September. Contact him then. It doesn't help you now but I am planning on upgrading both the 243 and 24A when they do come out. Oh, and on the 24A I will probably try getting rid of the buckets.

I would certainly be in.

Why now?

Send me a PM and I will dig up their cards. They are not with me at the moment. I was just amazed at how much stuff they had. One dealer had every chrono from the 72 El primero to the 162 to the 188/196 to the 250/251. I cannot imagine how they are getting this stock.

Luminosity, baby!

My guess is that Panerai hit the West Coast first for a number of the reasons you mentioned. Celebrities wear them and then the execs and wannabe execs follow like sheep. West Coast will tend toward blingier watches anyhow. Also although the larger sized watches are increasingly catching on it still naturally drew a younger crowd and between tech and hollywood there is a lot of upscale youth. I also wouldn't underestimate the impact of the larger Japanese population on the West Coast. Panerai is one of the most favored watches of young Japanese in Japan. On the East Coast it has taken longer. PAM watches really got notice when Ralph Liphshitz (oops, I mean Lauren) started parading around his collection, Bill Clinton is seen wearing one of several he owns, etc. Although Panerai watches are more low key, simply by their size they are not really. Old school East coast would say quiet elegance - Rolex (part of the white collar uniform) Patek, Audemars, etc. West Coast has always been quicker to go with the next "it" thing. But now it is a whole new world over on this side.

Wear it well.

In terms of unlocking a phone for personal use U.S. law is in the consumer's favor. Now when he is trying to sell the technology he will definitely get sued.

I have one of our esteemed members visiting in New York and so we made it a point to visit the Diamond District (47th Street in New York). I had not been there in at least 6 months. And here was the shocker, two of the larger grey market jewelers had virtually dozens of Panerais from A's thru J's, special edition, etc. I did pick up their cards (and they did compliment my Ziggified 29 - ). Both dealers had far more inventory than anyone I have ever seen on on Risti or Via. I was so amazed I forgot to stop by Gary's booth who has been the New York standard on Risti for a couple of years. I did ask the two dealers and they both said they are far and away the hottest sellers this Summer. So the days of never being able to find the more desirable gen PAM's on the East Coast are over.

I also noticed you need a valid credit card or pay $5 to make that bid.

I just contacted a friendly off-shore shill to see if he will bid a billion. By the way, that bid is 99 million.

Lanikai- Glad you were able to get the parts. Can't wait to see the finished product. My 63 should be back in the next 24 hours. And with that the matched set will be put to bed. Aloha! (or does that mean hello?)

Even with the explosion in prices this one looks like "It only takes one..." I will be curious to see what his best offer is.

This has taken a revealing but interesting turn for the worst. Over the years we have seen a number of modders come and go who get into trouble for one reason or another. Typically the modder either becomes overloaded with too much work, gets behind and just wants to get the watches out the door. Alternatively, the modder finds that he/she can properly lume a sandwich dial or service a Unitas movement but those services are a far cry from automatic watches with more difficult dials and hands and far more complex and smaller automatic movements. Here what I think I have just read is I have the time for my own modding but not that which I am being paid for. I don't really believe you are thinking that way but that is what it looks like. Flav, You have a great job and a wonderful family and have always been very responsive to me. What this tells me is you were in over your head. Given a busy family life and an excellent job you cannot make enough to make this worth your while. As you can see this field can also lead to other agita. I have to say the charges quoted in this post are surprising to me. They are not only more than what Ziggy charges (everyone's are) but they are more than what my local watchsmiths charge. And these guys went to school for this. You are right to now focus on watch smithing for fun. I can tell from your response that you have gotten yourself into the vicious cycle of too much work to get it right. I even see it in my very limited dealings. When I sent you a few watches for crystal removal for Chieftang's AR runs you were great to do it on an expedited basis. The first couple came back perfectly. But the second time at least one watch came back with the hands having been mis-positioned (i.e.date turnover not at midnight). As we both know automatic watches with dates unlike manuals require checking hand positioning.This means that you didn't have the time to check it before it went out. In fairness, I have never mentioned it as I will get it fixed for nothing when I have some other mods done to it but it just shows which way this thing was heading. So, I am pleased to see you are stepping back. It sounds like you will be a lot happier. So spend time with the family, revel in the gens you own and the reps you will always enjoy modding. Have fun again. Kruz

Ryyannon - . But you are right.

Hey TT- Is there anything else to say?

Well before he locks it I want the last word. "Word". Because I don't have a shot of getting the last word in at my house.

Irrespective of whether you buy a slevin the double AR is a must for the VCO.

What he said. And lest we forget - fix the "A". If you are intent on accuracy I would start with a solid back model.

Sorry to hear of your experience with the watchsmith. What I have discovered over many years is that a bad or mediocre watchsmith is the norm - not the other way around. When you find a good one you stick with them. Reps make it only more complicated as you never know who hates them and frankly reps can have their own eccentricities (Asian 7750, parts are not as well made so they damage easier, etc.) and require their own specific expertise. I have no doubts that Stephane will make everything right.