ChipSlap

A few months ago I visited my niece at her job at a bookstore in my hometown of Napa. We chatted for a while before I asked about watch books, informing her I was a watch enthusiast. This prompted her to tell me that a couple of months earlier her father (Steve, my former bro-in-law) showed her an old blackface Doxa diver that he was selling on ebay. Some weeks later I asked her father about the watch at my nephew's wedding. The provenance is interesting. Steve was a Navy SEAL in the Vietnam War. His SEAL training lasted through Christmas, so he had a week leave in the middle of it. During that week he flew from San Diego to San Francisco to visit his family, buying a black dial Doxa diver (were they called Sharkhunter then?) at a SCUBA shop. He wore this watch through the rest of SEAL training and a year in Vietnam. His BUDS class photo shows him wearing it. Sometime after that he was doing a jump, during which the famously crappy rice bead bracelet broke. He was able to track the watch with his eyes and follow approximately where the Doxa fell. Thirty minutes of searching got the watch back, but it had taken quite a shock and was running about 5 hrs/day fast. The watch spent the next 35 or so years in the sock drawer. He finally dug it out and auctioned it on ebay. It generated enough interest for more than one bidder to physically visit the watch during the auction. It sold for about a grand. Steve finished telling me all of this and then said: "If I'd known you were into watches I'd have given it to you."

True dat. Someday I'll have to post the story of how I wound up driving a couple of hookers around the Mission District waiting for the cops to leave.

This guy did: Man With Complete Mama's Family Video Library Never Going On eBay Drunk Again http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39045

I'm not sure they're aliens. The design of the spacecraft appears Swiss.

That wood DD is SWANK!

Outstanding! Thanks Lanikai. This is the best watch forum around!

Yeah, Seiko has the mad factory lume for the price.

I just went from orange to platinum for the raffle, but I guess I may be too late.

I think the issue most Americans have with international football is that we like it when there's a plan. Before every play of American football, they have a meeting and obviously have a plan. With international football, it's impossible to tell if they have a plan or are just running around.

Someone needs to tell them that Liberace has been dead for some time.

Think of being a rep connoisseur as like being a CIA agent. You don't put on a trench coat and take the Orient Express to Istanbul with a briefcase handcuffed to your wrist.

Wurd! The information density at this site is like a neutron star.

Flux capacitors are notoriously difficult to rep.

What a great thought experiment! The answer depends totally on what the rest of your costume is going to be. Me? I'm a gambler, so I like this one from GP:

You will, however, not find any that are CONUS based. Unless of course it's just other guys like us thinning their collections in the sales forum. Customs from China is usually not an issue, although others may have had bad experiences. Welcome.

Not to get too far off the subject, but.....Don't forget, it IS possible to buy pharmaceutical quality cocaine from real drug companies.

I live about 15 miles from Ofrei's warehouse (I won't call it a store). Sometimes I go there to get a tool or strap or whatever. Dealing with them in person is only marginally better than the stories I've read here. Getting in there is about like getting into a speakeasy. They have an outer door, an small entryway with a doorkeeper, and an inner door. As far as I can tell, the only way for a nonprofessional like me (who does not have an Ofrei account number) to enter is to go to the website, print out the catalog numbers of the items I want, and show this to the doorkeeper to prove that I know exactly what I want and won't waste their time. I've been to whorehouses that were more accessible. Anyway, after entering, I can make some changes to my wants on the fly with the counter staff if I need to. A non pro definitely gets the feeling of being tolerated, rather than welcomed. If you've seen the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld, then you understand this place. If it weren't so geographically convenient, I'd never buy from them.

I'm reminded of the episode of Taxi where Louie, Jim, and one of the other guys can't agree on which emergency they should imagine is happening to drive them into their fallout shelter. As a compromise, Louie says "Ok, it'll be atomic war that starts an earthquake that sets off civil rioting."

As you may be able to tell from my avatar, in my youth I did sign up to be a blunt instrument for Uncle Sam. I served during the first Gulf War. They had their chance to use me as such, they won't get another. Young men are often ready to experiment with homicide. In mature societies, there are enough older men acting as control rods to hold the young ones back. At this point, it would take an actual invasion to get me to shoot someone now (either of my personal home or of my nation). I have no desire to help enforce US hegemony on the world. It only harms America in the long run. I also repeatedly advise all young men within earshot--including my 2 sons--that there are better ways to serve the nation. In line with TeeJay's comment, now I'm a scientist doing pharmacological research. Disease is a much bigger threat. For a comparison, malaria kills 1 million humans/year. Osama bin Laden could never do 1% of that damage.

That looks straight Seal Team 6. I love it.

Ok, I know it's actually from the weekend, but I only just got back to internet availability today. I may wear it tomorrow also. Seiko Orange Monster on an extra long Maratac Zulu worn over cold weather gear for snowboarding. I love the OM, these things are bulletproof.

He looked exactly like I'd want a watchmaker to look: mature, but not ancient. I'd place him btw 55 and 60. His shop was plain and utilitarian, but there were a couple dozen watches in his display case. I didn't ask about whether they were for sale. I saw no elaborate old tools, but wasn't looking for them.

I was having difficulties with my 1yr-old UPO. It had stopped one day, and I didn't do anything with it except sticking it in the drawer for a month while I dealt with non-watch-related stuff. I finally got around to looking on this board for a rep-friendly watch doctor near my home (Hayward CA, working in South San Francisco). Chieftang mentioned "a guy in Union Square who is said to be excellent." but hadn't used him personally. The place is called Downtown Watch Repair. I took my UPO and an old non-functional Titoni in for a look. Fittingly enough, his shop is almost directly above Shreve (purveyors of Panerai, IWC, and Patek Philippe.) I could see the Rolex and Omega certifications on his wall. He first told me that my Titoni was too far gone to fix economically. I then showed him the UPO, telling him it was a replica. He was impressed with the quality of the rep, and opened it to check it out. It was a relief to hear him tell me "It's Swiss, I can work on this." He checked it out and, like an auto mechanic, couldn't find anything wrong with it. He set it and wound it, and it worked fine. He handed it back and said "Looks like I can't make any money off you today." I've been wearing it for a few days and it's given me no trouble. I don't know what my problem was.....brainfart? Although, he didn't actually repair my watches, he struck me as honest--turning down work on watches that didn't need nor warrant it. He was also willing to work on reps if they are the Swiss movements he is comfortable with. Hope this info can be helpful to someone.

That agrees with the story I heard. I personally wouldn't choose a quartz chrono to be my main watch. However, since the secret service gave it to him...I'd wear it too if I was in his position. Wouldn't want to miff my guys.

Really clear, beautiful pictures. Well-done.