numptyj Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 Hooky says he spoke to Rocketeer last week, surely someone could call him up again to find out whats going on with your crystals? But it does seem like it has been forever that this run has been going on for, maybe the UK clan need to pay a visit... Hope it gets resolved whatever, having read about the K2222 fiasco it would be a great shame for that to happen again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arminvanbuuren Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 ok if he said "theres trouble with chief's ar and needs to be recoated in UK" then hes bsing.. coz i know chief, he checks out crystals before he sends them out.. and if there is trouble he offers recoating for free as what happened to mine last time.. so i dunno just my 0.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siesta181 Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 The issue is transparency and communication.... rather lack of both, and these are things that Rocketeer probably has to work on to improve his future service offerings. Now that this is in the open, an update by Rocketeer will save him the hassle of repling to the particpants individually. I would have to say that for AR coating, its should not take more than 3 months. with 2 months being the average. 1 month, outstanding. Chief has his AR system down to an art with his web-based updating system. And I have to concur with Lani about members having to learn to pop out crystals or finding people to pop out crystals for them. This will seriously reduce the heartache when things go wrong, and they almost certainly will. And of coz, some patience is needed in this hobby, lest one forgets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 FYI... I received a PM on one of the other forums today regarding this EU AR run. This member just the other day received his watch with installed crystal back from Rocketeer. It was a UPO, which I've coated many many times in the past. His crystal, however, looked like no UPO crystal I've ever done. It was extremely reflective and gave off green hue. Now anyone who has ever been a part of my AR runs knows that [a] the crystals will "disappear" after coating (see the hundreds of pics on this forum) and I have never used a green coating. There are two possibilities: (1) This crystal was not prepped prior to being submitted to me for AR coating. The customer was led to believe it was. If a crystal with an existing rep factory coating intact is coated, this will cause a color shift to green. The high reflectivity is a little puzzling though. It could be that the new coating applied over an old coating doesn't perform when the effective substrate is not the sapphire itself, or.... (2) This customer's crystal was coated with something other than chieftang AR. I do know Rocketeer had been in talks with a UK AR lab. So if anyone has heard from him that he's done a coating run in the UK with crystals originally planned to coated with my AR, please make this information public. I certainly do not want to be associated with an inferior coating, and customers absolutely need to know what they're getting. Now, let me just end this on a positive note... Because I've also heard from a few others involved in this run who have received watches back now, and everything went smoothly. So for those who haven't received theirs back, keep your hopes up. There is also good news coming in. And typically I only hear about problems, so this good news has been quite welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Only he and Chief can tell us. I'm not sure why you think I would know how many watches are in Rocket's possession. I don't have any visibility into his operation. It was supposed to be a batch of 20. Rocket once wrote that this was increased. The exact number is then pure speculation... I believe it was 32 crystals that I received from Rocketeer. Two had cyclopes attached and could not be coated. 32 crystals were returned to Rocketeer after being coated. (Two uncoated) When you play with such an amount of member's money, you're not allowed to act the way you do... There's always an excuse, never his mistake. Again, should I mention that Rocket confirmed to one member that most of the crystals that came back from Chief had troubles and he proposed to have them recoated in the UK ? Can you really believe that ? This is news to me. And think about this.... In recent previous runs of 50-60 crystals, I've had about 2 or 3 per run that have had problems and were recoated when I did the prep work. You do the math. I suggest getting your money and your screwed up crystals back from Rocketeer and passing on further work. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Again I point out that Chief is our man Rocketeer is not, I believe this thread is on the wrong board. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 FYI... I received a PM on one of the other forums today regarding this EU AR run. This member just the other day received his watch with installed crystal back from Rocketeer. It was a UPO, which I've coated many many times in the past. His crystal, however, looked like no UPO crystal I've ever done. It was extremely reflective and gave off green hue. Now anyone who has ever been a part of my AR runs knows that [a] the crystals will "disappear" after coating (see the hundreds of pics on this forum) and I have never used a green coating. There are two possibilities: (1) This crystal was not prepped prior to being submitted to me for AR coating. The customer was led to believe it was. If a crystal with an existing rep factory coating intact is coated, this will cause a color shift to green. The high reflectivity is a little puzzling though. It could be that the new coating applied over an old coating doesn't perform when the effective substrate is not the sapphire itself, or.... (2) This customer's crystal was coated with something other that chieftang AR. I do know Rocketeer had been in talks with a UK AR lab. So if anyone has heard from him that he's done a coating run in the UK with crystals originally planned to coated with my AR, please make this information public. I certainly do not want to be associated with an inferior coating, and customers absolutely need to know what they're getting. Chief dosen't need endorsing.. but for those of you who have not seen first hand his AR coat.. this was a rep xtal .. Chief removed the rep AR coat before it went to his coater.. let the images speak.. in full sunlight and the worst reflective glare.. afternoon sun through a window sill. the green on the lume is because this is a genuine dial and the sunlight has the lume charged to the max. it has nothing to do with the coat.. you see it true.. due to the invisible xtal. this is the harshest glare you could want.. look at the reflection off the hands.. the lightly Plume hue is the most you will ever get off a Chief coated xtal. I do not like to give out how many watches I procured over the last few years.. not my style.. but I will say that almost every valued rep that I have that is supposed to have AR.. has been recoated by chief and not ONE.. has ever come back discloured.. he would not let it leave back to the owner.!! that is the Pride he takes in his coating. as a side I hope you all get your issues resolved as much for the money as for the love of your watches.. that may mean more than just dollars and cents.. but to have an enormous amount of watches for this service go to one person ... this may need futher looking into.. We have been warned time and again about modders by our own top Horologist... I trust everyone that is designated as providing a service on RWG ... maybe it's time to take a look.. because this is not an RWG issue.. RWG would not let this happen.. jus ma .02 A~C Lani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 sorry guy's, but to get the big picture clear... did this originate on RWG ( rocketeer??) .. and if not where ??? Again I point out that Chief is our man Rocketeer is not, I believe this thread is on the wrong board. Ken Rocketeer was introduced by Chief here on RWG, originally as a support for E.U. members who wanted to apply for Chief's AR run. Probably on RG too, I'm not there enough to know it. Not on RWI, as Chief is not acting there as a modder. I feel bad, having to publicly start such a negative cruisade : but enough is enough. There is no way we can let such a disaster take place without saying a word... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I'm not sure why you think I would know how many watches are in Rocket's possession. I don't have any visibility into his operation. I believe it was 32 crystals that I received from Rocketeer. Two had cyclopes attached and could not be coated. 32 crystals were returned to Rocketeer after being coated. (Two uncoated) This is news to me. And think about this.... In recent previous runs of 50-60 crystals, I've had about 2 or 3 per run that have had problems and were recoated when I did the prep work. You do the math. I suggest getting your money and your screwed up crystals back from Rocketeer and passing on further work. Just my 2 cents. Chief, it is obvious and was not meant that you know his operations. But you are the one who knows how many crystals came from him, right ? Why reading always the bad thing in what I'm writing ? Thanks for confirming there were 32... And yes, I cannot believe that most crystals failed in coating... except those having not been prepped correctly. It's the principle of pointing others for a problem which is his, which I do hate and simply cannot stand. Here's one UPO crystal that came back. It was posted on RWI and I do feel it makes sense to show how bad it is. I'm afraid the theory of a simultaneous local AR coating might be right... It's not the first time I hear this possibility. That's not honest, we signed for a Chief's run !! (on the left...needless to confirm) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Well the good news (and difference to K2222) is that some people here have spoken to Rocketeer, and know where his shop is. He is not dedicated to this game - he's offering services complimentary to his gen watch works. So at least he's traceable and findable. I think this is a case of good intentions that got out of control. I'm sure it's different to J (K2222) who simply SCAMMED people out of some 30 watches (so a lot of cash)...... Or maybe J had to leave Poland, and invested his winnings from the RWG scam in setting up a watchsmiths in the UK..... We'll see how it pans out.... I contacted R but decided not to send anything at the time. Looks like a good decision for now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 This is speculation.. but if I were guessing I'd say Rocketeer has damaged the chief coating on some crystals due to poor installation technique, and has had them recoated locally.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I just read through this loop and was actually wondering who Rocketeer is because he certainly isn't someone who offers modding here. In any case, it looks to me like his last check-in was a week ago or so which times out with the phone call a member received so hopefully he will reappear and deal with whatever issues remain outstanding. But I have to add - there is a good reason why we are so slow to add modders. they are the bane of an admin team's existence. Nine times out of ten they blow up whether due to skill-set, over-promising or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Rocketeer was introduced by Chief here on RWG, originally as a support for E.U. members who wanted to apply for Chief's AR run. Probably on RG too, I'm not there enough to know it. Not on RWI, as Chief is not acting there as a modder. Yes I offered to coat crystals that came from watches collected by Rocketeer, after a lengthy discussion behind the scenes and seeing pictures of previous work of his. It was a mistake. And one that I won't ever be making again. Another mistake made was by yourself, however. And you need to accept that. As I've pointed out, I told everyone in early February that my agreement to do an AR coating on batches of crystals received from Rocketeer was not an endorsement of Rocketeer, of his business, nor of his capabilities and I warned everyone to do their own due diligence more than once before watches were sent. Now, I certainly hate to see this happen. And I feel your frustration. Believe me. But I think you need to try to relax just a little, and give him more time to return your property. You've only given it two weeks so far. And yours might be just fine. Lastly, that green crystal is the one I received a pic of in PM on RG. That is not a chieftang AR coating on that crystal. At best it is a chieftang AR coating on top of an existing coating, but even that looks extremely unlikely. This customer was led to believe he had received chieftang AR, and it looks as though he has not. This is a problem that he and Rocketeer need to sort out. There is no possible way for some crystals in a run to turn out perfectly, and others to turn out defective unless the defective ones were not prepped correctly. All crystals are always coated in the same chamber, at the same temperature, using a PVD process. All things being equal in the prepping of each crystal, all crystals turn out identical every time... every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 In defense here, I seem to remember Rocketeer was becomming known through member posts BEFORE the idea of an EU AR run with Chief came up. And I remember Chief's post over no endorsement etc as he's mentioned here..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Another mistake made was by yourself, however. And you need to accept that. As I've pointed out, I told everyone in early February that my agreement to do an AR coating on batches of crystals received from Rocketeer was not an endorsement of Rocketeer, of his business, nor of his capabilities and I warned everyone to do their own due diligence more than once before watches were sent. This cannot be denied, we all fell in the same trap, at the same time. And it's not all related to your AR coating run, but to all services that were proposed by mail after we contacted him. I do regret I have learnt Rocket's name (and services) through you, but it could have been through anyone. That's a fact. But the blame is not on you (I'm not sure I made this clear here or in the few PM I sent you already on that matter) The problem that has to be solved is not Chief's AR run, even if all the problems are related to this transaction, but the way it was (and still is) managed by Rocketeer, who is misleading some (or maybe all) of us. Did anyone try to call ? He's on answering machine... I hope nobody's going to point out that "it might be to have more time for our 32 watches/crystals)". Chief, of course we (and especially I) should relax. 2 weeks might sound acceptable. But it's all the preparation before the run which already cannot make anyone relaxed, and the very precise feeling that these 2 weeks will be much more (let's talk about this end of June) : all other elements we get (greenish crystal, lies about the place where some of them were coated, excuses some members get to make them wait more, screwed watches) do not make me confident AT ALL about this matter being solved neither normally nor quickly. Appointment is taken on 30th june, here, in this very thread. We'll see then who still feels relaxed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialvat Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I have been trying to contact Rocketeer for a couple of days, just want a time frame of when to expect my watch back. As yet not had any response, I m being patient and hopefully everything will be resolved for all. I used Jacobs services before he disappeared so I dodged that bullet, maybe its like the film final destination but death is just waiting to nick my watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmarin.72 Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I am also waiting patiently for my two breitlings... We will see how this will turn out eventually ... I have not tried to contact him since i know there is a good chance that he will not answer to my e-mails... i have already tried to contact him for a project but he never replied back. We shall see my friends... John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 PATIENCE WILL BE GRANTED A GOOD OUTCOME. .... TODAY I RECEIVED MY CRYSTALS BACK FROM ROCKETEER. ALL LOOKING GOOD...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Just read this loop for the first time this morning and I'd like to make a few comments... First and foremost I am impressed with the tone and professionalism in the conversation... Especially between Pix & Chief... Thank you both for this... Secondly, it needs to be noted [again] that the Admin Team of RWG has not endorsed Rocket on any level... Chief has indicated that he did at one point, but with a very clear disclaimer... However, that does not represent RWG... As you most probably already know, we are very cautious on the whole modding issue here on RWG... We truly feel that it can be the Achilles Heal of any forum if not managed properly... justmy2cents Double T . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 .... TODAY I RECEIVED MY CRYSTALS BACK FROM ROCKETEER. ALL LOOKING GOOD...... Hooky, please keep us posted once they're installed. If we can see some positive coming from the chaos, that would help hoping... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therooster Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Did anyone try to call ? He's on answering machine... Land line goes straight to answering machine. Mobile phone remains unanswered and rings out. Text messages on mobile phone are ignored. Emails have not been successful either. I'm going to try pigeons and smoke singnals tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMK000 Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Land line goes straight to answering machine. Mobile phone remains unanswered and rings out. Text messages on mobile phone are ignored. Emails have not been successful either. I'm going to try pigeons and smoke singnals tomorrow. Now I start to worry. Can understand to a degree nor replying e-mails (maybe too many ??) ... but not answering phone calls ?? I have two watches (crystals incl) with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Land line goes straight to answering machine. Mobile phone remains unanswered and rings out. Text messages on mobile phone are ignored. Emails have not been successful either. I'm going to try pigeons and smoke singnals tomorrow. Sorry to laugh in such occasion but that is a great post !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I wonder if Rocketeer is even aware of this posting here on RWG. Has anyone let him know to see if he is interested in posting an explanation on his own behalf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 There's no way to let him know apparently, he's not answering phone calls and he has not been online either here or RG (I checked) for the past week. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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