Watchmeister

I am not normally a fan of QC pic posting but if you are either unsure due to lack of knowledge or concerned about the particular piece you should definitely post them up for comment. Amongst other things we are all hear to help each other. I would suggest you label the thread QC pics so that experts know to take a look.

Enjoy the first (and certainly not the last) rep. It is a fun but expensive habit.

It's all a conspiracy. Why do you think Rolex stopped officially servicing their own vintages. Now they charge whatever they want for the remaining parts. I was discussing this with another member today and you are better off buying the full watch. If a 6263 is $30-50k (or whatever it is) why would you expect the parts to be any less. Especially when all us idiots in the aftermarket are buying these parts. Your best deal today is a whole watch so start saving those pennies.

Now Tanya- You're evil.

It is a Chinese holiday. In any case (unless a dealer says otherwise upfront) if they elect to use their own shipping method and the watch gets lost it is their nickel. In fact at certain points in time certain dealers have refulsed to ship watches to certain countries due to customs losses and I am sympathietic to that on their end. Hopefully Angus will get this sorted out after the holiday. I don't remember what the holiday is but I do recall from business that it is a few days.

When it comes to reps - blue loctite is your best friend - whether it is those side bezel screws on the Chrono Avenger, the cg screws on a PAM or top screws on an HBB. Think blue....and no, I don't mean Viagra.

It is a good idea. The whole thing is so confusing because when you start looking at older versions people add "genuine" kyocera bezels, Mikey ti screws, somebody's crystal, blah blah's gummy strap etc. to make the earlier versions anywhere near as good as later ones. Then you have to factor in Lites which are half the price and have some real improvements but I am sure there are drawbacks. To be honest, it got so confusing after the first couple of versions I gave up and other than a random ABB which I have no idea whether it is any good (but was expensive) and a first gen Mellow Yellow where I actually incorporated the first Swiss movement and then sold I have never done anything since.

Wow, incredible comparison. This is one bears reading a couple of times. And I forgot to add - to the Noob maker.

I don't know wheree the sign up is but I am in.

Brilliant.

How old are you and what is she expecting you to be? Pretty impressive you have lined up a free date.

The Nautilus wears much smaller than the 286. It is a classic for those who know what it is. I think it is a good choice if you are trying to wear a more "under the radar screen" watch.

Looks great. Wear that one well. It is surprising that the tritium has completely lost its glow. My 5513 from 1966 still gives off some glow.

I don't think I would regard the tourbillon as stealth and it is $800. I would go with the second one. On the Ice Bang I like it to but never figured out whether the tungsten or the TI bezel version was better. I think one version of the gen Ice Bang did have tungsten but someone else can weigh in. And given the improving quality of the v6's part of me says hang tough and see what else they produce. I assume they will get to an all black version.

Wow, Happy Birthday!

Now what I know what you mean when you say "hmmm"

I actually think the whole Ethos of Panerai and reps have changed - independent of one another. Panerai is now more common than Rolex for young people in my neck of the woods. Panerai watches were rare in the real world - my first gen was bought abroad. I loved them but couldn't find another one in the U.S. So off to the internet and there was the original RWG. At that time reps all needed major work, everything was wrong with reps from Low A's to crappy crown guards to horrible datewheels and cyclops. Fast forward to today and the basic brand is mainstream and has moved away from "cult followers of a lesser known brand" to the "it watch" of larger brands (albeit with some unique heritage). And that combined with the advancements in rep world manufacturing have made good reps every bit as available as gens for those who care to look. Now it "feels" more like buying an off the shelf Breitling or Omega rep than building your grail of a relatively rare piece. Look at the number of vintage Rolex builds still going on. Don't get me wrong. I still love Panerai. I have built more than 25 frankens ranging from a simple movement swap and relume to full gen frankens. And I have my fave 10 left. I still sit on my remaining parts waiting for the next one to help build one of the few remaining PAM's I aspire to build. But it is much quieter. I must admit I have not gotten myself to buy one of the great out of the box reps. With no labor of love involved I have little interest. But no worries I still have friends helping me with a "perfect" pre-v, pray for that 8 day movement to complete that perfect 233, etc. The rep world has changed. The interested population has grown dramatically but a substantial portion just want to get the best looking rep on the wrist as quickly as possible. It is far less about the journey.

Gen. Really nothing else to say.

I do think it is fair to say that it is on the horizon. But no one really knows when it is coming or how good it will be. But yes, hope springs eternal.

Don't know how I missed this one as well. Exactly as Pete says, there are a number of different case shapes and so you always have to compare the exact same model rep to gen to get an accurate fix on how good that particular rep is.

The one people have been discussing for more than a year. Seriously, I am sure it will eventually come but in reality there is no certainty it will be any better or any worse than past ones. Never lose faith in the ability of the factories to make a fatal flaw in a new rep.

Wow, looks great. "Welcome to the Thunderdome."

The forum goes to some trouble to try and provide access to trusted dealers who have sold thousands of watches to members so avail yourself of the resource and go to it.

No idea what it means. That is why I use the "hmmm" smiley all the time. It means....you figure it out because I haven't.