Brodie

I never really looked much at IWC watches before; they just didn

Welcome Vac! Nice to see you here as well.

There's not much that can be done with it so your best option would probably be to sell it to me.

Broke two (yes two) crown stems last night. One I trimmed a little too short, the second snapped right in half. If anyone has a spare crown stem for a 6497 manual wind, I'll gladly buy it from you.

Unfortunately you have to pay to play and the best way to get the "nice lume" you're looking for is to have one of the modders do it. Most reps come with weak to no lume and maybe you can get a freak rep with great lume, but that would be total crap shoot. My suggestion would be to pick up an entry-mid level PAM and then get it relumed, which would probably come in a little less expensive than DSN's all in one box solution. Or you could fish patiently over at the for sale forum. Good luck with your search.

Check out some of the seller websites or FS section. As siesta said, for a little over $100 you should be able to get a hold of a "value" PAM. Good for just tinkering and modding if you're not looking for an "ultimate" PAM.

I remember the last time The Zigmeister took a break several months ago, I was brand new and had no idea who he was or what the big deal was about. Since then I've had the opportunity to work with a number of different sellers and modders. Some were good, others not so good, but The Zigmeister is hands down the BEST. I'd put him near the top based on his knowledge and skill alone, but his top notch service and communication makes him by far the easiest and my favorite to work with. Best of luck Zig, hope you hang around and even the best need a break sometime.

Davidsen has branded 24mm buckles (Pre-V, screw in). I believe the "PANERAI" stamped ones are only in brushed however. If you needed them in polished, you could always buff them out or he has the OP version in polished.

Is it really the strap your ordered (#12)? The color looks way different from the picture on their website and personally I like the color in your pics much better. But I've read that criticism of SC that the pictures on their website aren't entirely accurate.

Thanks, you guys are awesome. I was planning on getting this watch: Red Monkey I'll check it out again when I get home. Stuck and work and all my programs and translation websites are blocked and it was driving me nuts.

Is there anyone who can read German and willing to help translate or review this webpage and let me know if it's legit? zeichenderzeit.de It actually does not pertain to reps, looks like they sell genuine low-moderate end watches of all sorts. But they happen to carry one specific watch no longer produced in the US and I was hoping to get it for the wife. If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it.

So it's definitive that the PVD crown is 0.9 and for automatics (not manual wind)? Anyone modify it to fit a manual wind or know how extensive the work would be to do it? Just curious to know if it would be worth purchasing factoring in additional modification costs.

Thick straps are like skinny girls that wear oversized sunglasses. Some people think it's chic or fashionable others think they're just plain goofy. Personally, I don't mind a thick strap for casual wear. But If I had to go for a formal look though, I would definitely switch to something thinner. Like a nice suit, I'd want something that was clean, sleek, and fit well, not some chunky 6mm strap that made me look like I was wearing a freakin' armband.

Amen.