Bark3rd

Joey nailed it, once I realized the lug holes were fake (the amount of wrestling and poking I did at them is comical) I focused on getting to the pins from the inside. After whipping out my handy dandy $6 ebay watchmakers tool kit I had it off in about a minute with no damage to the strap. Thanks for the help! Time to drill out these biatches. Nice watch though, its my 2nd one (1st one was lost) and the only rep that has fooled my Rolex snob buddies (of course I told them it was a rep afterwards).

Aha, that explains it-I didn't drill them and didn't realize they dont go all the way through. There is no space whatsoever between the strap and the lugs, probably going to have to mess up the strap. Oh well. Fake lug holes FTL.

Thanks, yes I actually own one of those cheap Chinese watchmakers kits but the tools are good enough to remove a strap. Ill try the penetrating oil, hadn't thought of that, thanks.

Hey all, I'm at a loss here during a very simple task. I have a Josh "Retro" edition GMT II on which I installed a kevlar strap from Torneau's. Now that I have repaired the Oyster bracelet I want to put it back on but I cannot get the kevlar strap off. I have the correct tools for pushing in the spring bars through the open lugholes but they will not move. The strap fills the entire space between the lugs, so I cant get to the spring bars from inside the lugs without damaging the strap. Why cant I push in the spring bars through the open lugholes? I used the same ones that came on the watch.

I appreciate your replies, this hobby is funny! Had a mgmt luncheon with my boss present yesterday, right away I spotted he was sporting a new "limited edition" Bvulgari yellow gold Chrono, an awesome honker. No one else at the Tag and Sub infested table noticed, at the end of the meeting I complimented him on it. He ate it up! Lol, he knows I like watches and would have been disappointed if I hadn't noticed it. Unfortunately, he is the type that knows ALOT about watches but has no love for reps. I just wear my gens when I know I will be around him. I would like to build a nice 1680 or something, really not too interested in a regular old Sub, our company gives them out for awards so everyone has them. They also give out gold Presidents and the winners are expected to wear them. Argh! Wouldn't it be hilarious if when I win one of those (and I will) I sell it and replace it with a super rep!

Has Josh's retro gmt fallen out of favor here? Ive been pretty happy with mine.

Its just such a cool watch, I know it has its inaccuracies but who wouldnt want a gen of one of these! My question is how do you wear it? It is a lot of watch to wear around Rolex hounds (my business brings me around these types). Although I carry the reps well (always in suit and tie) not sure about this one ($98 Josh Asia). If anyone ever asks if I have a rep on I just say "maybe, maybe not-you tell me" as I own many gens as well. Ive only been called out once, on purpose really-wanted to see if the GMT would fool my boss who is a big time collector. Came close, he's so good he figured it out when messing with the crown/movement. We had a good laugh and he was very impressed with it. Anyway, my only other reps are pretty good ones like the Retro GMT, UPO, and GMT2C. But, the DRSD is a different story, not at all like pulling off a GMT or Sub. So, how do you rock one of these? Will I be called out all the time? Should I beat it up and make it look old? Honestly, I dont get off on being called out, I'd rather avoid it. Not sure if the DRSD is for me, seems like Id be explaining it too often. Few other reps, in my opinion, present this particular problem of rarity (not counting very poor reps-thats a different deal).

Back from the dead! It is funny how I gravitate away from interest here, wear mostly gens for a year or so, then come back. I just enjoy the subject of reps; for some reason I gravitate towards things that most people know nothing about. I also had my favorite gen, a Bulgari Scuba as well as my favorite rep, a retro GMT stolen (or lost-hate it when you dont know for sure) so I'm back on the market for something new. Thinking about buying a vintage gen Pepsi GMT or a Breitling Emergency. These are my top 2 choices. Anyway, I came accross the aforementioned GMTC the other day and I want to start wearing it again. I think I can handle taking it apart based on the steps you guys outlined (I mean heck, I got a 1967 Evinrude that had been sitting for 30 years to run this weekend, dont see why I couldnt take a watch apart). One more question: does the CHS movement present any special challenges to this task? Based on what Ive read about it you would think rubber bands and chewing gum will come flying out when I mess with it.

Yeah but both of ya have jacked up front brake levers! How do you ride like that? Must be slow C riders who dont use the front brake!! lol Good to see some fellow dirt riders on here.

This has been a great watch I bought from another member here, its the CHS version. Unfortunately the tiny white paper triangle that sits inside the hour marker has come unglued and is loose inside the crystal. I took the watch to a local watchsmith who was afraid to pull the crown tube out and refused the job. Im no watch mechanic, any ideas for this repair or is it a goner? No way will I wear it as is, looks bad.

Thanks very much! I was hoping to hear from you By Tor, I too am a gmt freak. I have 25 watches and for 6 mo I only wore my Bvlgari gen and my GMT rep and now they are both gone. Its a tough situation, both the maid and the babysitter are still working for us, I leave watches out all the time and none ever come missing. I cant imagine what happened to them as I take them off when I get home, set them in my room somewhere and put them back on the nxt day. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Im so frustrated but I think they would have turned up by now. I will closely heed your suggestions, thanks again.

I guess I have authored a dud of a thread. It is exciting to have that "feeling" back. I went totally dead on reps for awhile until recently when my most treasured gen (Bvulgari Scuba) and rep (Retro GMT) came up missing. Could have been the maid or the babysitter or possibly, I stashed them somewhere and havent found them yet. Maybe this situation would have made for a better threadl Back to lurk mode...see you in another year.

Been trolling off and on for awhile now, I bought the "Retro" Joshua GMTII last year and after fiddling with it a bit, really liked it. It got all the wrist time, my UPO just sits now (I think I may use it for my new boat anchor). As variety is the spice of life, I'd like to try a different model, currently I am eyeing two items, one from Josh, one from Chris. This is to be my main watch, worn every day with suit and tie. Right now I am leaning towards the Josh vintage model, but am unsure as to the quality of this piece, cant find any write ups on it. Pleny of info on the GMTIIC (Chris) though, looks like it is very accurate. So mostly what I seek are pros/cons of the Josh vintage piece. Thanks for your input. Vintage: http://www.jpc8118.com/rlgv10012-vintage-b...362-p-4138.html

Note to self....

After observing the watchsmith monkey with the bezel, its not something I would want to mess with-pay a pro a few bucks to take it apart and adjust the spring tension. Here is a great thread on how to deal with the "jingly" rep bracelets. : http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...2&hl=GMT+II