Remembering 2008 with RWG .. Time Capsule ~

[lanikai]

THE YEAR THAT WAS ~ 2008

REMEMBERING 2008 THROUGH THE EYE'S OF RWG

As we wind down 2008 with RWG, I thought it would be a nice finishing touch to the end of the year.. by posting your fav memories of 2008 through the watches.. Replica or Genuine that gave you the memories that make us what we are ..

That would include Factory Reps ... Franken Projects.. we have members with awesome Franken's that were really a labour of Love and Passion

Add your thoughts ! of how you felt.. what inspired you .. etc. .

Post as many times throughout the remainder of 2008 .. let's build a thread that we can look back on in time and say WOW.. remember that !! .. Or Shit !.. Remember that !

and since RWG is "Much More Than Just Watches !" .. Post memories of your Newborns .. Marriages .. Divorces (humor.. Not) .. or what ever thrills you.. your New Car ..

And a "Request" .. let's keep it COOL .. take it outside if ya wanna spar

New Members and Tell us how you came to find US ... and Old Crusty Vets .. Tell us newer Members how you came to be.. whatever you want to remember !!

Cause this will be "Our Time Capsule" for 2008,... Pics.. Pics... and more Pics..

Aloha ~ Cheers ~ Shalom ~ Ciao ~

I'll start us off ...

the latest release November 2009 .. another rep we all were waiting for.. and our first Community Review .. Andreww ... DBR.. Dave123 and myself.. it was fun .. and rewarding to work together on this one.. http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=87368

[JoJo35]

Isn't still 2008?

[lanikai]

Isn't still 2008?

Really .. ?? wow.. better edit.. hmm.. could of sworn..

[KB]

For me the one event that truly defined who we are as a community for 2008 is the PTOR fund raising effort.

So many members showed during those auctions that they had big hearts and a real social conscience.

There has to be something special here to have made it work, and although POTR himself has thanked everyone to his fullest I just want to commend the members of RWG once more for rallying to his aid in the manner you did.

RWG....Really Wonderful Guy's

Ken

[coolfire]

For me the one event that truly defined who we are as a community for 2008 is the PTOR fund raising effort.

So many members showed during those auctions that they had big hearts and a real social conscience.

There has to be something special here to have made it work, and although POTR himself has thanked everyone to his fullest I just want to commend the members of RWG once more for rallying to his aid in the manner you did.

RWG....Really Wonderful Guy's

Ken

In the heat of all the great watches being released, I'd have to completely agree with ken on that!

[FxrAndy]

Me too, when I read the title that was what filled my mind, the sence of comumity and freindship, the willingness of people to help others. yes there have been memorable watches that we have lusted and waited for, such as the Ap ROO, skyland and blacksteel, non of which i have bought! (bigger things to do woith my cash right now) The big thing i have found is the Community its self!

[RobbieG]

2008 was an interesting year for me here and elsewhere. I guess being that I showed up in '06, I'm kind of part of the OG crowd - at least here if not to the industry, but I never really was a big poster until '08. I would only post pictorial threads really back then. So this was the year for me. I went from under a hundred posts to nearly a thousand now and I have to say this place has become very dear to me.

I enjoy the many personalities (and have at least three of my own depending on the thread, LOL - hopefully people know not to take me too seriously!) and the opinions and the dedication of others which always keeps mine in check. There is always someone here doing more or going the extra mile a little more than the previous guy. The bar is just very, very high.

I am a proud workaholic (no kids yet, so I still can!) and have a job that involves a lot of sitting and waiting for a lot of hours and RWG is pivotal to fill the hours all day and half the night sometimes for me and I cherish my time here. I want to thank all those that truly contribute here and taught me the value of that. You know who you are. Now for some watch talk:

2008 was also a year of some other changes settling in for me watch wise. Before this year I was a pretty ravenous rep guy, always surfing and looking for the next thing to feed the need, but I discovered that for me personally I could get more enjoyment out of replicas in another way. Mindless buying every new watch was just not filling the void and I found myself standing at the box confused each morning as I didn't know what my collection was really all about. I decided I most wanted to be a watch owner as opposed to a collector and it was a big step for me.

So how to go about that and what changes might I make? I started asking myself a simple question and initially had no intention of acting on it. The question was this: Of all these replicas I own, which of them do I like enough so as I could actually see myself buying the gen? WOW. Amazing what happened. At that time my answer was none of them, despite a substantial collection. Pretty sobering really to know that you wouldn't even like them more if you had the gen instead! Then I asked the same questions about a few gens I had at that time. Same deal. Wow again! So I sold off all my watches and started over making a pact to start with reps and only keep a watch if I could justify getting the gen because I loved it that much. So from this point on the plan was to own a rep long enough to know whether I really loved it enough to justify getting the gen if I felt like the modding process was something I didn't want to bother with.

Many, many watches failed that test, but I got to have fun with those reps just the same for cheap without blowing money and taking a bigger loss on a gen if I wasn't going to love it. But the plan wasn't to buy the gens at all - it was supposed to just be a way to evaluate which reps I would keep.

A funny thing happened which was totally unplanned though. I realized I loved the first watch so much that no rep would ever do. I knew that I was going to have to do some mods to get it right and wasn't really up for the project. Usually to be truly happy I will need to mod the rep or even turn it into a franken - don't we all, right? But I'm just not a guy who ever liked that process like many here do. So for me, since I'm not realistically going to do the mods, sometimes the gen is my only option to get what I really want. Anyway, the watch that started it all was the Planet Ocean and before getting the gen I had owned the best verison of the 42MM and eventually the 45.5MM verison before getting the smaller version of the gen. But I would have never even known about the watch if not for RWG and this one was the first gen that grew out of my love for a rep...

Other watches followed. Next up was the venerable Rolex Datejust. I had owned several reps with a few different dials and again I just knew that I wanted to have the "ultimate" version in my collection when I asked that pivotal question once more. The franken route seemed too daunting and since I couldn't live with a stock rep, I was off to gen land once more. Ultimately this is what found its way into my collection, and like the PO I couldn't imagine not having it thanks to falling in love with the rep...

Next, it was the IWC Aquatimer - or "Slevin" as Pug coined it. I was always a fan of this watch and when it was repped I loved it instantly. There wasn't a second of hesitation on this one. I considered getting the gen right away and had a good justification for it - they didn't rep the Ti version which was my favorite. The biggest issue was whether or not to keep the steel version rep. I decided it was overkill and just kept this which like the others fills a void and I will always have it...

Then there was another that was practically instant, The mighty SFSO. It was Bytors review that sent me to the rep. That rep is so nice I almost didn't get the gen on this one, but I did after all - in the blue dial just like his reveiw. In this case I mostly only got the gen because I got an amazing deal on a grey market one and I had sold the relumed version of the rep to a local friend. The gen is of course a amazing, as is the rep in every way and the best value for the money in a lower priced sports watch IMO...

Next up I had to deal with my arch nemesis - the PAM's! What to do? Love them. Hate them. I was never a died in the wool PAM guy (you know who you are) but I felt I wanted to have one piece because of the iconic design. I knew it would be a standard 44MM Marina style case. But which one? I had them all. 111, 177, 63, 009, and others for only a day at a time sometimes. Finally I realized it was too much of a struggle to land on something and live with the flaws, but I really didn't like any PAM enough to justify a gen if I was being totally honest. I decided to ride the fence and build an homage watch instead. The cost of that represented my level of love for the design. Just perfect. I also already had plenty of great straps! Anyway I finally settled on this, which is I suppose a gen after all...

I had another dark period though no so long ago. I had been doing fairly well and had some extra money burning a hole in my pocket and I got foolish. I deviated from my plan to only buy gens after falling in love with reps and went on a buying spree mostly on impulse while traveling. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. And a funny thing happened with all but one of them. They sat in the box collecting dust. It cost me alot of money in losses but I took the hit I deserved and sold them off - an AP, a Droz, a Sinn, a Rolex, another Rolex, a Big Pilot, a GO, ridiculous. All gens. I got absolutely killed financially for being so reckless. It probably cost me nearly twenty grand between them on the arbitrage between what I paid and what I ultimately sold them for. It pisses me off to even have to admit that to myself, let alone all of you. There has only been one watch that I still have to this day that has nothing to do with replica collecting and that is this one, which I have talked about so much I need not describe. But I hear told at least one great UN rep is coming soon. These watches are simply - amazing...

So in closing, 2008 has been a great year for me watch wise and otherwise. I have learned alot about myself and my true wants and needs. The biggest change has been "Less is More". That concept has crept into every corner of my life. I'm not wasteful anymore and it is because of watches. Less watches, less clothing, less cars, less crap in the houses and garages and offices, everything. I have learned to appreciate all that I have. I'm sitting looking at my watch box right now and there are only 7 pieces in there and one of them is sold and waiting to ship out when funds clear. And the 6 that remain I am honest in saying I couldn't imagine not having them. I literally stand in front of that box now and most times I can't choose one to wear. I have to close my eyes and grab randomly as I love them all that much.

Before I go, I would like to answer once and for all a question that seems to get put to me alot here lately and that is, "Being that your whole collection is genuine watches, what the hell are you doing here?" I'll tell you. The answer is because I love watches, not replica or genuine watches - just watches. And this is where the TRUE watch lovers are. Sure, I'm a member on TZ and I do post my pictorials there also. But it isn't a community of passionate people in my experience. Most are snobs if I am to be truthful. They buy watches for status and not because they like to just sit for hours and stare at the dials and cases like us nuts do! RWG isn't a replica forum. It is a forum of good people who have a common bond in that they all love the mechanical wristwatch and that is why I am here. Plus, there is still a method to my madness. I still buy replicas and I'm very much on the hunt for the next one always, just like everyone else here. And if I like it in pictures, I'll buy the rep. And if I fall in love again as I have with these few watches here, I just might be getting another gen - we shall see how it moves me. But you can rest assured that I will be giving it some thought, and that is what I feel is the greatest gift that this community has given me. Life for me is about learning and growing. I have learned here to be a more thoughtful consumer through this process I describe and for that I am forever in it's debt. I have also made many great friends in the process. Thank you RWG, and happy 2009!

[Pugwash]

2008 was the year of the Breitling.

[ryyannon]

2008: the year that ryyannon finally stopped posting his crappy RWG1 Christmas banner - and just about stopped posting altogether

2008 was also the year when misguided souls stopped posting in The Shortest Thread Ever!

Check it out for yourselves:

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...mp;#entry572572

[RobbieG]

This photo is baddass!

2008 was the year of the Breitling.

[Dave123]

2008 was the year of the Breitling.

And who called that in January?.....

Hmm,i can see Pug running off to 'factcheck' now.....

Well said Ken,the POTR auctions were a great moment for RWG,i was happy to be apart,a highlight for my year....

[lanikai]

2008 was the year of the Breitling.

I'm thinking of replicating this shot with one from Kahuku where we have the wind propellers too... just to convey that though we are oceans apart and have out differences..in culture and what not.. we are here for the same "love" .. or obsession Although it won't be as awesome as yours Pug.. ..

2008 was a "living lesson" in compassion fo sure..!!

@Dave123... the Prophecy lives on..

[RobbieG]

Bump for a really good thread. I don't do that much but I think Lani really had a good idea here. I keep checking back to see if more posts have come in but it is a little thin still. I hope more will post their favs or timelines or thoughts about 2008 soon. Hint, hint. I would hate to see this great idea buried and look forward to hearing what all of you have to say...

.02

[lanikai]

common guy's .. don't tell me all of a suden everyone turn shy.. .. wazzzup ??? 2008 was a great year for reps.. no ?

[Toadtorrent]

Interesting reflections their Robbie.

2008 has been the year I felt I had accumulated enough knowledge from all the stuff I've read on this board, that I felt I actually had some real meat and potatoes to give back to the community. Before I had found RWG, I had always liked watches...but after spending a bit more time here than I wish to admit, I'm amazed at how exciting it is to learn so much more about them...how they work...how to take pictures of them, etc.

This was the year I started taking them apart...playing with the movements...and resulted in something I never thought possible...actually being able to figure out how an unusual movement works - Toad's Guide to the Franck Muller Jump Hour Movement...all thanks to contributions of some of the amazing posters out there!!

I also picked up my first Breitling...the Skyland...and love it. Breitling has never been a brand that I had really had much interest in, thinking them to be too "blingy" for my tastes...but now...I'm all over them.

One of the more rewarding things for me was putting together my Noob Guide and realizing how much I still refer back to the links there...movement maintenance...whatever! The biggest payback to know that spending the time to write up a post based on all the links I had saved for myself, was how often I can refer people to the guide to help answer questions, and watching what I think to be an increase in the Noob Love out there...and all the different new and old members writing really encouraging, helpful and welcoming posts to those just getting started in the hobby.

Things I remember about RWG are definitely the PTOR benefit auctions. Wow.

I have been continuosly amazed at all the notes of the acts of generosity users like LordRasta, Offshore and tonnes of others have bestowed on other members (myself included) really showing what a community this is.

RWG Raffles with booty from our collectors? How good is that! Awesome work there Lani, Andrew, King, Josh, TWP and others I might have missed!!

I also remember the disappearance of Victoria from the forum. I always thought her to be one of the most positive, encouraging and prolific posters on the forum. Too bad she's not around anymore.

[KB]

Ok two very big highlights that I forgot (mainly because it was back in January) and that was when I bundled my family into the car and set off North, first to Sydney where we met up with moderator Cornerstone and his family and then on to the Gold Coast to meet moderator offshore and his lovely Mrs, no pic's, because we're top secret , but both (and families) proved to be great people (of course, we're Aussies ) and we do look forward to the day we can meet up once again.

Ken

[dluddy]

2008 holds a number of memories for me:

• My first full year as part of a terrific moderating/admin team
  
• The POTR Auction and our community pulling together like I've never experienced before
  
• The addition of our Raffle-Meister Lani and the wonderful work he is doing for the community
  
• The number of quality reviews and contributions added this year was staggering
  
• A couple of great GTG's in NYC and getting to meet some more members I now call friends
  
• The year I finally got around to modding most of my favorite PAM's with the help of some great board friends & contributors and a sudden supply of gen parts
  
• The year I finally got serious about starting a vintage Rolex collection
  
• The year I finally finished my Franken Explorer II
  

Thanks to all the contributing members and supporters for another great year - we continue to grow and set the quality standard for watch talk and passion

[robertk]

2008 was the year of the "one/one" rep. At least they keep trying. For me, Breitlings finally made it into the "Accuracy" place that it lacked in previous years. Same for IWC, so many "perfect" forgeries....the Big Pilot (V1) being the latest. Chopards. B&R, Dewitt and on and on......

When I look back 3-4-5 years ago when we were thrilled to get a rep that looked "pretty damn good" to the stuff were now seeing it is a quantum leap. I think we are about to see some incredible stuff coming out of these "factories".

For me, 2008 is the beginning of the modern, accurate rep that even AD's are beginning to have a hard time spotting. I suspect that the next advancement will be more variety of movements and more reliability.

For me, personally, I'm having great fun watching the new stuff come almost every week. The most important thing is the camaraderie of these boards. You're a great bunch of dedicated enthusiasts and I'm happy to be part of it.

What's next??

[RobbieG]

I think I speak for all the members when I say you put the "C" in contribution Toad. If there was an award for MVP for 2008 the list would be a short one and you would be at the top of it. I have been inspired by this and time permitting I intend to take the next step with that myself and try and do some more meaningful stuff in 09'. I think for many of us (myself included) the first big step is just to try and participate. That is take and post more photos, keep up with the wristchecks, etc. Once you have done that the next logical step is to do stuff on the order of what you have done - so hats off to you. It is certainly a goal for all of us to give to the community as much as a Toad or a Lani or a Bytor. Bravo.

Interesting reflections their Robbie.

2008 has been the year I felt I had accumulated enough knowledge from all the stuff I've read on this board, that I felt I actually had some real meat and potatoes to give back to the community. Before I had found RWG, I had always liked watches...but after spending a bit more time here than I wish to admit, I'm amazed at how exciting it is to learn so much more about them...how they work...how to take pictures of them, etc.

This was the year I started taking them apart...playing with the movements...and resulted in something I never thought possible...actually being able to figure out how an unusual movement works - Toad's Guide to the Franck Muller Jump Hour Movement...all thanks to contributions of some of the amazing posters out there!!

I also picked up my first Breitling...the Skyland...and love it. Breitling has never been a brand that I had really had much interest in, thinking them to be too "blingy" for my tastes...but now...I'm all over them.

One of the more rewarding things for me was putting together my Noob Guide and realizing how much I still refer back to the links there...movement maintenance...whatever! The biggest payback to know that spending the time to write up a post based on all the links I had saved for myself, was how often I can refer people to the guide to help answer questions, and watching what I think to be an increase in the Noob Love out there...and all the different new and old members writing really encouraging, helpful and welcoming posts to those just getting started in the hobby.

Things I remember about RWG are definitely the PTOR benefit auctions. Wow.

I have been continuosly amazed at all the notes of the acts of generosity users like LordRasta, Offshore and tonnes of others have bestowed on other members (myself included) really showing what a community this is.

RWG Raffles with booty from our collectors? How good is that! Awesome work there Lani, Andrew, King, Josh, TWP and others I might have missed!!

I also remember the disappearance of Victoria from the forum. I always thought her to be one of the most positive, encouraging and prolific posters on the forum. Too bad she's not around anymore.

[lanikai]

As Bette Midler said in ..THE ROSE .. " that's enough of me talking about me,.. now let's hear you talk about me ",..

But how about some of those past incredible reps.. like robertk states.. some incredible stuff !!

Remember the Chopard.. that definately did not dissapoint.. even the sub rings were replicated superbly !!

Or the Buzz over the Graham..

and Yes.. Stephane is now not a Rookie Mod anymore .. some leave some advance.. and some stay the same, a part of a wonderful community...

[ubiquitous]

2008, while a little slow for me with regards to watches, has been pretty decent. I've been able to build some nice pieces- Some of which I've wanted for some time, so it's nice to make those goals a completed reality

...Even if those pieces just sit in the watch box...

*sigh*

[lanikai]

2008, while a little slow for me with regards to watches, has been pretty decent. I've been able to build some nice pieces- Some of which I've wanted for some time, so it's nice to make those goals a completed reality

...Even if those pieces just sit in the watch box...

*sigh*

that is spoken with a lot of humility R .. your frankens are 5 stars dude !!.. but we need your pics posted here please .. your frankens are a must post on this thread..

[Toadtorrent]

I think you have to include classic first time mod jobs...well sort of first time...first time brutally tricky lume job on this watch by the Lume Master:

[Cucumber_Jones]

I am glad that Ken came back from the dead this year.

[ubiquitous]

that is spoken with a lot of humility R .. your frankens are 5 stars dude !!.. but we need your pics posted here please .. your frankens are a must post on this thread..

Big R... You're making me blush

As per request... My builds of '08 (even though you've seen them a bajillion times ):

Franken 9411:

16610 WM9- Modded with gen parts:

PAM002 Pre-A:

As always, I appreciate the kind words, Lani... And I feel the same about your projects and frankens as well! Now, if only I could do the reviews you do!