I used to keep the watch I wasn't wearing on a winder. The power supply on it started to whine and drive me nuts and unplugged it. I honestly don't miss it, I tend to wear the same watch for months, so it's really not a big deal to wind and set the date when I switch to the other one (I go back and forth from my Speedmaster to my Aqua Terra for the most part).

That multi bank winder looks pretty bad ass though, no doubt!

How about these remakes? Sacrilegious?

http://www.perfectwatches.cn/

The pocket watches with the key to wind them are really cool. I need to look into those.

Most definitely.

Those aren't remakes.....they are flat out fakes....and poor ones at that.

I'd MUCH rather wear a Timex than wear a fake.

On the other hand homage watches are generally considered okay as long as they throw in some their own touches like this: http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/OCEAN-one-Vintage-Military,909.html

The Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military is a homage to an early 60's Rolex Submariner. Not many of those Rolexes were made and very few exist today. A mint condition one would run you over $50,000.

The difference is that the Steinhart actually says Steinhart on the watch......not Rolex. It also has unique style touches that are it's own. It harkens to the Rolex....but does not copy it exactly. It also uses a real Swiss automatic movement.....not a cheap Chinese quartz or Chinese auto.

Ugh agree . If you want Rolex quaoity for less ou can also look at Tudor watches .

Those pocket watches are magnificent. I wish I was knowledgeable enough to better appreciate them. But you can almost feel the histor flowing thru them.

The winders are a personal preference, but if you have more than a couple of watches, and you don't keep them on a winder, your always resetting the time, date, and other complications if your watch has them.

There is endless debate on the watch forums about keeping on a winder or not. Aside from the outliers who freak out for or against I'd say it's 65/35 for using a winder.

Modern watches, especially with "bread and butter" movements form quality manufacturers can run almost indefinitely nowadays. On the bottom row in my pic is a no date Rolex sub on a black strap that was my dads watch. It was serviced ($650.00) 5 years ago. Other than that one service period where it had to stop operating, I t has been running, 24/7, since 1997.

Is there any downside to buying from davidsw.com or another place like that on the internet? Do you still get the warranty if something happens to the watch?

I have thought about going that route in the past but have always ended up going to a dealer.

A lot of swiss watches use movements made by a swiss firm called ETA.

Tag Heuer, Breitling, Tudor, Hamilton, Tissot, etc etc all use ETA movements.

Some of the companies take the ETA movement and pretty it up or replace some parts.

Some competing brands are actually made by the same company, like Tissot and Hamilton

You can find all this information at the various watch forums.

I researched this topic pretty well last year when I was buying and found out some very interesting information about the different brands.

A lot of these watch aficionados on the watch forums are sort of "value shoppers" in their own way, so they do a good job of picking apart all the components and build quality and so forth.

Sounds like some of us Pinball aficionados

Depends. There are now a few nice remakes that cost about $300. My friend bought a "Rolex" a few years ago and the watch still looks and runs great. Many of the old ones used to run on batteries, but the "expensive" ones now have real autowinds. And they weigh the same. That always used to give it away as the repros were lighter.

How is any of that even legal?

Not legal in this country and they are also garbage.

The new fake Rolexs now have all of little subtleties, nuances and so much fine attention to detail that it's hard to tell the difference without a microscope.

As a matter of fact, some of the parts & material suppliers for these name brand companies also sell to the knock-off companies.

There are no ethics in Asia, it's all just business.

They are not legal here, but this site is in China.

I will need to stay away from the debate of the "Quality" because there are crap and really high end
quality too.

I am prejudiced because I am a cheap bastard, and have had boxes of watches, Rolex, Longine, Bulova, Piaget, Doxa,....etc, in front of since I was 5. (4th Generation of Watchmakers)

So I see the Beauty, I respect that others enjoy them, but personally see them for its art, and a stunning piece of machinery, with its purpose as something that tells time.

The key word being "Luxury" and everyones personal choice. The Industry of Luxury Products, behind the scenes is quite different, then consumers perception, and needs to be kept that way. (Look at Diamonds...its still a Rock)

After getting mugged Twice because of the Rolex watch I was wearing, I also just see whats right from me a little different......no offense meant to anyone.

There is really no downside to buying from a grey dealer like davidsw as long as papers/warranty card are properly stamped and dated. Most dealers will also send you the card unnamed or with your name on it. You'll definitley save a lot over retail.

I thought that the whole issue with grey market items was that you would not get warranty service as they are being sold by unauthorized dealers?

Thats the salesperson spin, but truth is you bought your watch in Engalnd and moved here and Rolex will still take care of you.

Here's the deal - get an ad that will come as close as they can tithe black market price, match it or even beat it and buy from the ad and have no worries. That hublot Ferrari on the website is exactly what I'm looking for at my ad except mine is the more desirable red carbon fiber. The yellow and red have the same list. My ad is discounting at 25 percent which basically brings the cost to the same as the black market price.

Wow that is a good plan. Rolex has a 35% mark up. If you walk into an AD with a wad of cash prepared to buy a Rolex(just like we do with pins) and ask for 15% off I think most AD's will go for that in a second. You have to be ready to pull the trigger though.

If they don't give you at least 15% off walk out and call some other out of state AD.

What kind of discount do you think an AD will go to on a Rolex Sub or SeaDweller? 15-20%possibly. I would rather buy from an AD if possible.
Thanks

Interesting story I saw today and remembered this thread

http://consumerist.com/2015/02/18/goodwill-shopper-pays-6-for-rare-diving-watch-worth-35000/

Wow amazing story. Diamond in the rough.

Is Benepinballs banned for life?

Tune in to the food network tonight at 9 central time as Restaurant impossible will have Bene Pizza and Pasta for help with the noisy arcade

Seriously. That is Benepinballs? Going to turn on the DVR. Thanks for the tip.

So his restaurant was horrible? That's usually the case for that show. Failing restaurants.

Yup I guess you are right. The restaurant is in Omaha Nebraska. I just set the DVR. It's on at 10pm EST on the food network. I wonder if he has pins in the restaurant.

Will he ever be allowed back on Pinside?

yep the one and only Benepinballs with arcade games and lots of nice pins to play

What is his real name. I want to make sure I see him on the program.

He'll be the guy wearing the trenchcoat full of Rolexes - you can't miss him.

Too funny just checked the guide and it really is on.

One would hope.

Interesting topic. And feasible if done locally. I'd trade one of my watches for a pin +- cash. I think if done right, both parties could benefit.

Dont let that walking steroid 86 the pins Bene !
Your pizza looks good.

It was an interesting topic. The OP got banned from the site for it. I would definitely trade a pin for a Rolex. I wish I had BennePinballs email. I would see what he has.

Get your facts right. He was not banned for it. He personally asked Robin to deactivate his account.

I'm no defender of the OP, but he was not banned for posting this topic.

Edit:

See here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-twd-le-tron-swep1-iron-man#post-2198942

I thought it was at his own request?

Edit: Damnit Rob!

im surprised none of you fellows has mentioned richard mille.
if i had unlimited dispensable income i would be sporting a few of these, but they start around the 150k mark, always nice to dream though.

http://www.richardmille.com/watch/rm-50-01-lotus-f1-team-romain-grosjean/?collection=homme

I'll probably be posting an ad soon then.

Richard mille's don't have the same history and heritage of most watch brands. They started barely over a decade ago. However, I do like the look of the RM11.

I have really been enjoying these two lately.

image.jpg

I just don't get watches anymore, with a cell phone close by.

These watches are not for telling time. Just like the super restored and covered in blankets pins and ones still sitting NIB are not for play.

High end watches hold their values better than pins do, so I don't a lot of the hate here. It was a legitimate trade, if you like watches, or investments....

That's not true for me at least. My watch works great, I use it to tell time (and date) all the time. It's jewelry also, no question, but at least for me it being a functional object is part of the attraction.

I just don't like these HUGE watches. The first time I ordered a watch from a catalog without checking the size...what a shock! It was like wearing a George Foreman Grill on my wrist!

sent the guy my pin, can't wait for my new rolex

Let's see.......pulls phone out of pocket. Turns on phone. Sees time & date. What's that... both hands are full. Or your in the middle of a meeting.

or

Glances at wrist.

Sorry!