JoeyB Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Wow. 1991... I graduated high school in 1990. My 20th anniversary in the military was in 1990. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks for serving, by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks for serving, by the way. Thanks. Had I known I'd live this long I would have been more careful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Haha - words to live by. Thanks for serving, JoeyB! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) ^ No kidding. For me, my birth year piece is a little more interesting (sorry ww12345). 1972 puts me right in the glory days of the vintage pieces. The red 1680 was in its production prime and the 1675 GMT Master was showing off her moves in style. I was kicking around online a couple of years ago for my 40th and I saw a red sub from 1972 with all original parts. As tempting as it was, alas I was not in a position financially to make that kind of commitment. Plus it was for sale by a reputable jeweler over in Italy. I don't think I would do a sale like that outside of the US. So I'll just continue rocking my PT red 1680 and making mods to it until I can get to a place where I can pick up the gen, whenever that day may be. My grail piece is to build a gen parts franken big crown 5510 or 6538, but that is also going to be down the road. Edited February 10, 2015 by Mendota Explorer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Unfortunately the closest I can get to my birth year is 1953 (2 years shy, though publicly I will only admit to 1976), so I will keep my replica 6204 and 6542 rather than buy the gens and save $100K or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Haha - I guess being young has benefits and drawbacks! No cool vintage pieces, but no crazy price tags either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I guess being young has benefits It did, but now we have Viagra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Ok, long time before an update, but didn't want to jinx anything. I went with a birth serial N 16570. Tritium and lugholes all the way! Here's some pics. Writing a review that I'll post in a minute or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 So first off, I want to thank all the veteran members who were so helpful in assistance and advice. The advice was very, very helpful, and I'm grateful that there are so many members here willing to help out a relative "noob" member - thanks all of you; you know who you are! I decided to go with the 16570 because of the "tool watch" reputation - this model was used on lots of "real" expeditions - polar traversings, Everest climbs, geological surveys, and so on. It called to me because of the ruggedness and the hard working image it portrayed, plus the fact that it was "born" the same year I was. OK, now on to the actual review. Paid just over $4k for bracelet plus head, including next day shipping and insurance. Expensive? Yes, but so far no qualms. Since I know it was recently serviced, I'll have a while to go before having to have it properly serviced. It was also pressure checked at the same time, so no issues there either. I won't list the dealer, but curious minds I'm sure could figure it out. I have to say, they were very responsive and willing to work with me. Maybe gen owners aren't so bad after all! Anyway, onto the review. I never knew how close reps have come until I tried this on. I have to say that most cases are 90% of the way there. Is there a difference? Yeah, the bracelet is a bit smoother and the overall fit and finish is better, but overall the quality is not an incredible step up from our really good reps. The dial is another story. I don't know what it is, but this dial really pops. I know a lot of reps tend to be a bit "soft", but this is one where it is really, really crisp - almost 3d. The lume is nice and even, too (even shines a bit - at the tail end of the half-life) except for the tiny crack in the hour hand. Still debating what I want to do about it - I suppose the next time I have it serviced I can see if Bob Ridley or someone can either patch it or find a matching tritium hour hand. It doesn't bother me on the wrist, but I'm just concerned about tritium getting into the movement. The patina overall is pretty cool - stark white dial with slightly creamy markers... Mmmmm.... However, one of the things which reps will never match is the movement. I know automatico, along with a few other members, are deadset against using gen movements in frankens, and I have to say I totally agree - EXCEPT for this piece. One of the quirks of this watch is the fact that the GMT hand remains your "home" time, and the hour hand is what tracks your local time. I don't know how to describe it, except for that it is really tricky to get used to. I imagine it would be really handy for traveling - the hour hand is adjustable in the second position (in lieu of a quick-set date) and by moving the hour hand forward or backward in jump-hour increments you can very, very quickly change timezones. It's a little weird initially setting it, because you first set GMT and minute hand, synching the second with a known time source, then moving the hour hand through the cycle to the correct date/local time. The second thing I have to say about the movement is the accuracy. I know ETA can be close, but this is dead on. I've had it on my wrist for two days now, and it has not lost or gained one second - it's still exact according to the Big Clock in Denver. Also, the movement is incredibly smooth - even winding beats a lot of newly serviced ETAs, IMHO. Further, and I haven't tested this, but the movement seems robust. I guess this is the caveat to automatico's statement - for anything vintage (and anything modern 3 hand) use ETA. While there is a difference, it is totally not noticeable on the wrist. However, the fit/finish/feel of a GMT movement is something amazing... There's no lagging/advancing GMT hand to worry about, and everything is just dead locked in. Also, since there were about a billion of these movements made (the 3185) I don't feel like there will be a parts shortage anytime soon (like there is with the 1030 or the A200). Overall, it seems very durable. So, would I buy another gen in the future? Maybe. It would really depend on if I think the gen is worth that extra few thousand. In this case, it was - GMT movements have that ultimate tell of the IHS. Also, I was craving a birthyear watch. If those two variables weren't met, though, I don't think the gen is that much better than some of the higher-end frankens using gen parts and upper-tier cases. Also, I've not had the pleasure (read: extreme pain) of a Rolex service (which costs as much as a mid-priced rep...). I suppose I might change my mind toward no more gens in the future, but overall, really happy with what could be considered the last great Rolex tool watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Congrats, That's a very nice choice. it's definitely a keeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Thanks! I agree - I don't know if it's still the honeymoon phase, but I'm really in love with the watch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droptopman Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Awesome piece. I have always liked the white dials on these. Really happy for you. Enjoy her. Sent from my droptop using telepathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Thanks! Yeah, I figured I had a million black dials (slight exaggeration) but all my "exploring" watches were white dial, so that's what I'd go with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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