yellowaudi Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 well I've had my noobmariner for an entire 4 months and I think I've had it all when it comes to luck with the damn thing. first day I had it, I took it to a little jewelry stand to have the band adjusted. The moron stripped and messed the watch all up, and I ended up having a piece of a lug stuck in end of the connector that puts the clasp to the band. I rigged it so it would work when I got home - I didn't have time to mess with the watch and I figured I would just take it to the mall down the street to just have it done "right." boy was I wrong...guess it's my fault for even trusting someone like that who couldn't even speak english. Then the pearl fell out a month later. I got another insert from my dealer, and that one fell out again. And the gorilla glue stuck the bezel shut. So there goes the moving bezel. frustrating - took a few times to get it in there right and by the time all was said and done, the damn pearl fell out agaaaaain. ugh!!! and here's the killer. i'm outside and the lug that's shoved into the lug hole fell out. watch lands on the pavement. no visable/noticable scratches. few days later, i notice the watch completely lost 4-6 hours of time. now when I adjust my watches time to catch it up, i notice it hits spots where there feels like theres no resistance, and the minute hand "hops" forward. i'm assuming the impact stripped a gear. so, is it game over for my sub? should I just get a ceramic asia movement GMT2 and call it a day? i really liked my two tone sub, but she's hurtin right now... maybe someone on here would be interested in making a few bucks on the side fixing it up? you tell me, i'm kinda irritated, and no, i know it's not entirely the watches fault. just bad luck IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hambone Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Sounds like you pretty well self diagnosed this one. It is a hit and miss game, so just but another one and try again. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolexgermany Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Hi Guy, were is your Watch Dealer??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaron Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 It is really a good idea to buy a new GMT IIc (maybe ETA and not Asian to minimize the risk of bad luck?) and give up on this one. You maybe luckier next time. Try to resize the band by yourself, for rolex it is quite easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 buy a cheapee $25 DG4813 movement from this forum, and a new insert off ebay. no biggie. : ) or sell your existing watch for parts...case, dial, hands, crystal etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fauxlex Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Chalk it up to experience. If you have the patience and desire to learn, you could try taking apart the bezel to get it rotating again, upgrade the pearl, shave the CGs, put in a 4813 movement, and she'll be better than new. Or you could always enlist the help of one of the resident experts here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquid-air888 Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 I actually had the same experience with the stuck bezel. I didn't realize we were only supposed to glue the "outermost" part of the insert or else we'd end up with the bezel not rotating. Fortunately I used the glue sparingly and caught the problem early next morning. I used a needle tip to get inside of the bezel and scraped off as much glue as I could. Then I carefully pulled out the insert, sanded off all the glue residues (using 150 sand paper) and started the gluing process all over again. It actually worked fine after correctly applying glue (very sparingly) using the tip of a toothpick only to the outer part of the insert. When the glue dried, the bezel on my sub rotated perfectly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corgi Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 buy a cheapee $25 DG4813 movement from this forum, and a new insert off ebay. no biggie. : ) I'm sorry, highoeyazmuhudee, but this to me is not a constructive post. Do you know how much work it takes to learn how to swap movements? The skills necessary are gigantic and many people just don't have the patience for it. The tools are also expensive and he just mentioned he's a noob so what do you expect? Furthermore, it is near impossible to find a qualified watchmaker to work on reps. Buying a faulty watch happens to all of us. Aside from choosing a dealer who will do quality control you can't really protect yourself. Unfortunately for you it happened to be your first purchase, I've seen it happen before. Your choice to bring it to some crappy shopping mall jeweler to do something simple like re-size the bracelet was the first error and I'm afraid your fault. Obviously one of the pins was stuck and needed a gentle touch of WD-40, but the "watch repair specialist" at SEARS just tried to muscle it out and broke it. Tough cookies there's nothing you can do. Busted insert... once again this is a very common problem. Normally I would recommend you buy a new one off ebay but given the movement is totally ruined I would just write this watch off as completely dead and start from scratch. Luckily this was not a $1000 tourbillon and only an entry level beginner watch. I have a $228 President rep sitting dead because the hands slipped... unwearable. So it would have happened to you eventually it just happened now. My recommendation: buy yourself a new watch but this time buy from a trusted, quality controlling dealer who personally checks each watch before shipping (the big checkout express websites DO NOT). If you want me to be more specific you can send me a PM about it. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowaudi Posted August 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 I'm sorry, highoeyazmuhudee, but this to me is not a constructive post. Do you know how much work it takes to learn how to swap movements? The skills necessary are gigantic and many people just don't have the patience for it. The tools are also expensive and he just mentioned he's a noob so what do you expect? Furthermore, it is near impossible to find a qualified watchmaker to work on reps. Buying a faulty watch happens to all of us. Aside from choosing a dealer who will do quality control you can't really protect yourself. Unfortunately for you it happened to be your first purchase, I've seen it happen before. Your choice to bring it to some crappy shopping mall jeweler to do something simple like re-size the bracelet was the first error and I'm afraid your fault. Obviously one of the pins was stuck and needed a gentle touch of WD-40, but the "watch repair specialist" at SEARS just tried to muscle it out and broke it. Tough cookies there's nothing you can do. Busted insert... once again this is a very common problem. Normally I would recommend you buy a new one off ebay but given the movement is totally ruined I would just write this watch off as completely dead and start from scratch. Luckily this was not a $1000 tourbillon and only an entry level beginner watch. I have a $228 President rep sitting dead because the hands slipped... unwearable. So it would have happened to you eventually it just happened now. My recommendation: buy yourself a new watch but this time buy from a trusted, quality controlling dealer who personally checks each watch before shipping (the big checkout express websites DO NOT). If you want me to be more specific you can send me a PM about it. Good luck. Thanks. I feel the same way and I guess aside from someone on here repairing it, I had already chalked it up to a loss. I have the "swiss" movement in this watch, do you think downgrading to the Asian to save money will be a bad idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 my bad Corgi. i was in the same boat with a marred dial i got, and had to learn from a newbie status, as it was my first rep purchase and i also knew nothing but really wanted to fix beautiful watch. so i did some reading, headed to ebay to get right tools: spring bar remover, jaxa wrench, case vise, 1.2mm screwdriver, hand remover/hand setting tool, and rodico. well i guess my point is, necessity is the mother of invention. if i can do it from being in the same posistion im confident you could as well, no time like the present, and a 100$ investment in tools which you'll then own forever is worth it, plus the knowledge youll gain, you just have to be willing to learn. we have a wonderful forum here so learning isnt so hard... ajoe has written a wonderful tutorial step by step with pics on how to swap a movement. if you feel this isnt something you could do on your own then your only option is obviously to repurchase the same watch this time from a trusted dealer, i know eurotimez provides pics of the exact watch he's about to send you, so you can try him. but if youre serious about this hobby the day will come when you need to learn something more than how to buy a watch, and investing in tools is never a bad idea. you could also always sell your existing watch for parts or to someone willing to repair it, so it's not a total loss to you good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTimez Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 @ Higheoyzm... sent you a PM... @YellowAudi, sorry to hear about your misfortune, I had some experiences of mine in the past or some of my experimental fases.. where I thought I could do some reluming, some CG modding, some taking apart etc... haha, I wrecked quite a few subs, maybe a dozen but they were the asian version noobmariner tho. And thankfully I'm a dealer so can get them at any time at cheaper rate However I don't want to just say I feel sorry, I think I can help you out... First off you need a new case with bezel and possibly a new strap... I got both for you... You want to have that movement serviced because if you dropped it... that's that and its not keeping good time... you want to have that checked out. So if you get that movement serviced you can (since it has to get out of the case, you can put it into a new case which I will provide for you)... For the strap you could polish it and brush it back to original state, but if you like wrecked the strap and it is not really usable then... you can also get a new strap from me. I got tons of cases... I'll give you one FREE OF CHARGE from me (for your misfortune, maybe this will bring you good luck), if you just pay for the shipping. The strap I would have to charge alittle if you need it 40 usd as I need to order one for you. Or if you cannot find a watchmaker, I'm willing to help you... ship it to me (TH) and I'll refurbish it like new! Put new case in, new strap and service the movement... however altho chances small you would need to assume responsibility for customs seizures or losses when shipped back. Let me know... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Nice gesture, Chris! Very generous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Nice gesture, Chris! Very generous! Ditto that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4GTR Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 should I just get a ceramic asia movement GMT2 and call it a day? No. Stop buying the Noob mvmt A2813. Wrong beat, choppy sweep.. pieces of [censored]. The new era of copy ETA.. We will see whats to come of it. In the meantime, my suggestion is to stick with them, in a non-complicated form (no GMT, chrono, etc.) Sorry about your luck. Chris (Eurotimez) your dedication to us has not gone unnoticed, at least by me. I look forward to working with you sir. It's nice to see a collector actively participating in our community. It speaks volumes, and your offerings look better and better each time you update. Now find me a great SMP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowaudi Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) @ Higheoyzm... sent you a PM... @YellowAudi, sorry to hear about your misfortune, I had some experiences of mine in the past or some of my experimental fases.. where I thought I could do some reluming, some CG modding, some taking apart etc... haha, I wrecked quite a few subs, maybe a dozen but they were the asian version noobmariner tho. And thankfully I'm a dealer so can get them at any time at cheaper rate However I don't want to just say I feel sorry, I think I can help you out... First off you need a new case with bezel and possibly a new strap... I got both for you... You want to have that movement serviced because if you dropped it... that's that and its not keeping good time... you want to have that checked out. So if you get that movement serviced you can (since it has to get out of the case, you can put it into a new case which I will provide for you)... For the strap you could polish it and brush it back to original state, but if you like wrecked the strap and it is not really usable then... you can also get a new strap from me. I got tons of cases... I'll give you one FREE OF CHARGE from me (for your misfortune, maybe this will bring you good luck), if you just pay for the shipping. The strap I would have to charge alittle if you need it 40 usd as I need to order one for you. Or if you cannot find a watchmaker, I'm willing to help you... ship it to me (TH) and I'll refurbish it like new! Put new case in, new strap and service the movement... however altho chances small you would need to assume responsibility for customs seizures or losses when shipped back. Let me know... Chris Damn. I couldnt have dreamed of a better reply... I've read a lot of your posts and I always say to myself when I buy another rep its going to be from you, well that's a given now. Check your PMs Edited August 5, 2008 by yellowaudi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.