Watchmeister

+1

Yup. All makes sense. Now I understand why no 2 Pre-V watches look the same. Even If they are the same watch.

Won't ruin the watch. Your crown stops allowing winding once you have fully wound the main spring. And I would agree it is better to give the watch a full wind.

Are the dials the same version? In a couple of the pics they look different. I may be hallucinating but I am not sure which one I like better.

Had to come back to this thread. That is a stunning watch. IMHO the tropical dial changes it from oh, another GMT to wow! Great trade.

In fairness if you ever try to change a strap or end links it is almost impossible not to lose screws. The AP is one of the worst for changing straps. I know I have lost at least one or two of those tiny "caps" on the strap pins.

At some point I owned a gen 45mm (long gone now) and I don't remember it having a silver date wheel.

Enjoy Carnaval! I am jealous.

Very nice project.

What a great homage piece.

The Boutiques will sell anything. The only issue is they never have any stock. They will let you prepay but then you have to wait for god knows how long.

I know there is a lot of debate but I would definitely hold out for the N version - especially if the rumors are true that they are correcting a couple of flaws.

Great project. Wear it well.

AP baby. Just back from Ziggy for a service. And I should add with a service on the actual chrono module. Going where even AP won't go. AP won't service these modules. They just replace them and charge you $1000.

I assume the pins being referred to are the pinions which hold the hands (i.e. when you look down on the dial and hands the little nub in the center of the hand tubes should be silver rather than black). This is an older thread but I remember thinking to myself that this thread is a testimony to just how "OCD" we all are. At one level the rep looks really good - and it does. But if you look close enough you can find things wrong with everything.

Looks really good to me.

That is one lucky friend. Very nice.

Sounds like a big step in the right direction.

How many black market items can be returned?

Well, you went big. And it looks fantastic. Congrats. Wear that one well.

Wow, news to me. I guess they rose with inflation.

I am not suggesting free shipping. I am suggesting free shipping on the new item when paying the shipping on returning the defective item. And everyone's experience is different. I have always return defective watches and never had a problem. Now it has been more than a year since I had that type of issue but this is also based on 8-10 years of experience when all of the cartel had their little photo buckets.

Panerai's are north of $2k from the dealer so don't feel so bad.

So the squiggly line (barcode) on the side is only a sticker? It really does detract from the watch. If that is what Rolex is doing to fight against fakes that is truly lame. You would think that for a $5k watch or whatever it sells for they could stick in a chip or something.

If I receive a DOA watch and am a frequent flyer I expect to pay the shipping back myself but not to be charged shipping on the replacement they are sending me. What has clearly changed has been more frequent repairing rather than exchanging but I suspect that has more to do with the cost of the watch.