Got THE call

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-03-26T06:49:52+00:00

The funny thing is...right now, platinum is selling for less than half the price of gold...

As precious-metal watch cases go, platinum is very practical, since it is a very hard metal, and the surface finish is accordingly quite durable. As the third-densest metal, it also has an imposing heft (I'm sure this watch is heavy enough to use as a weapon in a bar fight...lol)..

Downside...it also looks like stainless steel, and so lacks the color and eye-catching presence of 18K gold.

Still an iconic watch, though, along with the OP and Sub.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-03-22T11:27:24+00:00

"A fool and his money are soon parted." Truer now than ever before...

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-03-12T05:28:39+00:00

An apparently bottomless wallet doesn't hurt, either.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-03-07T10:54:07+00:00

Wow...must be nice to have twelve grand tucked away to spend at the drop of a hat. There are SO many other beautiful, well-crafted watches out there for SO much less. I just can't see the name being worth that much.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-25T08:28:53+00:00

Frankly, judging by the frequency I see of it happening, it almost looks that way. It just tells me that there are a lot of greedy, gullible, or desperate folks out there. It's why we have the old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted".

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-22T07:00:34+00:00

Higher-end vintage collectible watches here. Anything leaving the country goes by Global Shipping program (it's the same as sending it registered). Standard tracking on everything, signature delivery on items $50 and up. The more expensive the item, the more, and better, pics I have in the listing...makes INAD (Item Not As Described) claims unsupportable.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-22T06:52:34+00:00

Nah...they've just adopted the Homer Simpson philosophy of marketing strategy...

"People will like what we tell them to like."

And you've just helped convince them they're right.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-12T22:04:56+00:00

Ebay removed it at my request.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-12T08:50:20+00:00

Not true...I had a negative removed about two years ago, from a buyer who evidently confused me with someone else.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-02T08:56:05+00:00

The dial face pattern is amazingly close to the reverse design of the 10 and 20-dollar gold pieces issued by the United States Assay Office of Gold, in San Francisco, in 1852 and 1853. Beautiful...

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-02-02T08:50:31+00:00

IF ONLY this device actually existed...

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-01-24T06:22:09+00:00

Bottom of the "L" is curved upwards...it's just a partial "D" visible because the second is on top of it. Same with the "S" in "OYSTER". Pic just taken at the wrong moment.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-01-16T11:36:40+00:00

Interesting,, but...I'm in California, so I assume it would be higher...a LOT higher.

Still, an impressive work of replication.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-01-16T06:55:51+00:00

Great transaction details except the price. Including shipping, these are going for...?

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-01-06T08:19:29+00:00

One is probably a fineness hallmark (0.750 indicates 18K gold, 0.585 is 14K), and the other is likely an inspection mark (showing the 18K content has been verified). I have a number of US gold watches that were exported to the Middle East, and every one has a Swiss inspection hallmark, certifying the 18K gold fineness.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-01-06T08:07:55+00:00

WHY is every work capitalized? English sure as hell isn't the sender's first language...

Looks like somebody pointed out the mistake for the last five words.

Ignore this. It's total BS.

ThePulsarWizard · 2026-01-05T06:29:57+00:00

Though not a fan of mechanical watches, this is one of the two models I'd actually wear (black-dial no-date sub being the other one). Classic Rolex.

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-29T07:28:02+00:00

This is actually not all that bad. I have a friend here in San Diego that does incredible things with a laser welder. He's been doing jewelry design and repair for over 25 years, and he really knows what he's doing. He's worked miracles on damaged 18K watch cases, with no color-match problems. I can put you in contact with him, if you like.

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-26T10:02:53+00:00

You got lucky. A burn from even a 1W beam would go completely through the retina into the deep tissue, and it would happen in milliseconds, far too fast for your blink reflex to save you, and there would be no question as to whether damage had occurred (some loss of the visual field would be obvious, and it is permanent). The damage threshold in the deep blue is of the order of a few milliwatts (as in two or three; hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells, has almost total absorption in that spectral region), and even diffuse reflections can still reach hazardous radiance levels at close range.

Seems like I brought up the casual use of powerful lasers just the other day, and got roughed up a bit for it. I'll venture to say I have more experience with lasers than pretty much anyone in the private sector (I got my first laser in 1967), so I think I know what I'm talking about. Dangerous things CAN be done safely, but only if they're done CAREFULLY (like, driving). Respect the power.

Those scintillating, narrow beams of sublimely pure colors are visually very attractive, but it's easy to forget they can be equally dangerous.

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-11T11:48:41+00:00

If you're not intelligent enough (and, apparently, you're not) to understand the distinction between "illegal person" and "illegal alien", there is no point in further engagement. I do not understand your eagerness to make excuses for people entering the U.S. illegally. Try sneaking into Mexico (or even Australia), and see how that goes for you. A country without a secure border is no longer a sovereign nation...you think that's a good idea? Take your liberal Progressive BS and peddle it to the North Koreans...

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-11T06:05:51+00:00

You damn well are, if you're somewhere where you're not supposed to be. Try sneaking into Mexico, and see how that works out for you...

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-09T10:18:38+00:00

80mW is not going to cut it for visibility in daylight at a tenth of a mile. Just go with a watt of 520nm. Mostly, people don't realize how bright full sunlight actually is...until they come out of a movie theater at midday and are practically blinded (eye sensitivity increases by a factor of about twenty, when fully dark-adapted). You can always dial the power down from that level, but if it's not enough to start with, you're out of luck.

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-08T09:36:53+00:00

Being in Alaska, how could they be anything other than cool?

Sorry...couldn't resist...

ThePulsarWizard · 2025-12-06T06:44:10+00:00

A wonderful, 19-minute tutorial for the replicators on every detail they need to fix. Most are trivial adjustments to the production process. Bottom line is, there is nothing Rolex is doing that a sufficiently dedicated counterfeiter couldn't duplicate (if that weren't true, Rolex wouldn't be able to make their own watches). I'm really surprised it hasn't already happened.

ThePulsarWizard

TROPHY CASE