Ever had an just walk up out of the blue and slap ye upside the head?

Ricky Lee
July 31, 2011 07:17PM

Registered: April 2005
Posts: 14,265 (2011-09)

That was pretty much the case here!

This watch came to Tom Swift's Watch Repair Shoppe as part of a rare (for TSWRS) online job involving battery changes and misc. general attention to a dozen+ lot of watches. Well, long story short, I was so taken with it that I Made An Offer, hammered out a Trade, and now it's mine. Mine mine mine! WIS Honeymoon

Can ye tell I'm stoked? Wink

Now, fair warning, when you see it you'll think I've gone all Paul December on ye. Eek!

Sure, it's a bit "out of the box" for me, and far 'dressier' than my usual cuppa.. Well, heck, here's a photo:

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
But it checks a lot of boxes for me. I'm fond of Mother Of Pearl dials, blue is a favorite dial color, so how could I resist the combination of the two? Yes, there was a time when 2-tone was anathema to me, but I've long since gotten over that. But this is not just any 2-tone, but rose gold 2-tone, and as such pushes my personal envelope a bit. Wink

The watch abounds in small details that make it seem Very Rich Man's Watch!

Very nicely..

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..executed screwdown crown, which - wonder of wonders! - happens to lock with the signed logo being being perfectly oriented. Likewise..

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..the caseback is quite crisply executed, with this example being #356 of 500. Yes, the strap contacts the case diameter a smidgen, and there's a bit of flaking going on at that specific point. Oops!

But it's quite a nice strap, and the deployant..

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..is a Thing Of Beauty, pure and simple. WIS Honeymoon

Fully machined, nicely plated, and operates like Buttah! Clapping!

I wish I had a photo with the protective film removed, but the watch wasn't officially mine when I shot these pics, so at that time I dasn't remove it. Wink

It's a nice size, at 40mm X 48mm X 13.5mm thick, with 20mm lugs. Purrrrrrfect! Thumbs up!

The movement is a beautifully-plated ISA 8172, marked "ISA PACIFIC CO. LTD. CALIBER 8172 3-JEWELS". It fired right up with a new SR927SW cell (Energizer #395). Though I did have to do the "Short to AC" thing, plus the Dreaded Quartz Chrono Reset Routine, it weren't no biggie. Note that this is a 1/5th-second chrono, and the central chrono seconds "sweeps" at 5-ticks-per-second, functionally indistinguishable from a mechanical movement.

All in all..

Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo
..I can't think of a single thing that

could have done to improve on this one. Not one thing!

Unless.. Innocent

Well, if pressed, I confess that I find the 'RACER PEARL' marking on the bezel to be redundant. I could have lived with that on the dial alone, and might prefer the bezel to be marked 'UNITS PER HOUR', like my Daytona. But that's a nitpick of such picayune proportions Oops!

that I hesitate to even mention it! No! Make no mistake, I am in loooove with this one! WIS Honeymoon

Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

T'anks for readin', y'all!

Cheers!

-Ricky

"A man, like a watch, is to be valued for his manner of going." - William Penn

Messages In This Thread

Ever had an just walk up out of the blue and slap ye upside the head?	Ricky Lee	198	July 31, 2011 07:17PM
Enjoy it, Ricky! (n/t)	IF	16	August 02, 2011 10:03AM
Sweet RL, Congrats! (n/t)	jeremd676	14	August 01, 2011 10:37AM
Re: Ever had an just walk up out of the blue and slap ye upside the head?	deepak_vg	17	August 01, 2011 09:03AM
Great catch (n/t)	JP	20	August 01, 2011 08:53AM
Wow. Beautiful. I think I'll check out the Alpha site and ease my eBay losin' blues. (n/t)	SAH407	28	August 01, 2011 08:21AM
Good luck wi' that. Yeah, I checked. Apparently..	Ricky Lee	26	August 01, 2011 09:22AM
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."	SAH407	23	August 01, 2011 09:38PM
Well blow me down!	Ricky Lee	21	August 02, 2011 05:53AM
Quote SAH407 I contacted Alpha via their website with a simple inquiry. --- 2011年8月1日星期一，Steve 寫道﹕ .. Alpha's response: WHY NOT ! In my defense, it never occurred to me to check the Alpha site directly. And their site did not come up in a Google Shopping query! It certainly is.. ..the same durned watch, though! And at that price it's a helluva deal IMHO! I recommend that you order one straightaway. Thanks for the help wi' me Homework, mate.. Quote SAH407 So I'm calling shenanigans on Alpha's Limited Edition claim. Oh, Alpha plays fast and loose, no doubt of that! And sure they'll 'spin' you in a heartbeat. In the case of this specific model, the L.E. claim may well be a steaming pile of cabbage fertilizer. However, in other cases their L.E. claim seems to be accurate. Take my all-time favorite , for instance: Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for Never mind finding one for sale, simply google me up another photo of that exact same model (other than one of me own ) and I will concede that you are a Googlemeister First Class, WIS Division. -Ricky
Re: I recommend that you order one straightaway.	SAH407	20	August 02, 2011 07:41AM
That IS a pretty watch!	Ricky Lee	13	August 02, 2011 09:04AM
Congrats Ricky. Looks great. (n/t)	Mark C.	17	August 01, 2011 07:49AM
Congrats. I'm sure the dial isstunning in person. (n/t)	Adam in NYC	30	July 31, 2011 10:59PM
Good on yer, Mate! Congrats!	Flasharry	19	July 31, 2011 10:12PM
Even a big old paw like yours is light as a feather with a new watch strapped on it!	itschris	18	July 31, 2011 10:10PM
Congrats Rickey! (n/t)	DRFP	20	July 31, 2011 09:59PM
It seems it was meant to be! Congrats Ricky! (n/t)	Timemiser	18	July 31, 2011 09:49PM
Wow! Very nice score there ricky.....and....a bit of a rarity too!!	dano0	29	July 31, 2011 08:37PM
Congrats Ricky! (n/t)	Jimmy50	24	July 31, 2011 07:34PM
Bro. Jimmy! The ironic thing is..	Ricky Lee	29	July 31, 2011 07:43PM
..it's not a watch that I'd have given a second glance, if I'd just seen photos. But, in person, it grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go!
You're preaching to the choir Ricky! (n/t)	Jimmy50	21	July 31, 2011 08:36PM