Reply With QuoteI’m wearing a 20mm waffle on mine.
Apocalypse Now is one of my all-time favourite films, but there is no way this side of a lottery win that I will ever be able to afford a 60s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 (much less pry the bezel off!), nor even a late '60s Seiko 6105-8110
There's still the itch to scratch though, so to that end I have obtained a sterile dial Parnis GMT homage, and a sterile dial Steeldive 6105 homage - both are remarkably nice watches in their own right, especially the Steeldive:
While I'm waiting-on a bezel-remover for the GMT, I'm wondering if anyone can help point me towards the rights straps for the watches?
Kurtz/Brando's looks straightforward - a cheap "Tropic" style rubber strap, but if anyone knows of a good affordable 20mm model with the raised edges, please sing out.
Willard/Sheene's though, I have no idea - anyone know of anything like this - again 20mm? I know a lot of people fit "chocolate bar"-type rubber straps, but this looks different. Any thoughts much appreciated
I’m wearing a 20mm waffle on mine.
Good chance that's where I'll end up too, but if the correct pattern exists anywhere (at a sane price for a £180 watch), then I'd like to find it.Originally Posted by TaketheCannoli
I’m wearing a 20mm waffle on mine.
Uncle Seiko do a chocolate bar rubber for £30 that looks nice.
Sure the Col’s isn’t leather? Edge stitched, “racing” perforations, curved ends?
Btw, anyone seen that new final final final directors directors cut that’s just appeared? Seems no time since I was sitting in the iMax, drinking in all the reinstated French colonial scenes... though it was prolly 20 years ago!
Also, this, though the strap is wrong:
More here: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ma...e-now-hands-on
That's not too bad, thanks; their Tropic is spot-on for the Kurtz, too
Could well be leather, I have no idea TBH, but such as the image is, it looks more like a vintage Tropic style.
Haven't seen the latest re-do, indeed, not re-watched the movie in a while - if the new reissue is 4K I'll be indulging!
$1.6 million iirc. I need to paint the lume on the £45 Parnis with a light wash - strong tea might do it!Also, this, though the strap is wrong:
More here: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ma...e-now-hands-on
All 3 versions now available in 4K . Final cut is 20 minutes shorter than Redux, 30 mins longer than original.
And why stop at two anyway? Surely a Kilgore homage would be worth the candle?
I'm happy with my WatchGecko, but IIRC it's a bit on a short side and may be too short for larger wrist. Will check tomorrow (well, later today).
More expense, Part 1...
More expense, Part 2! This forum is bad for my bank balance!
Thanks, I'll check that out.
Uncle Seiko sells a tropic, chocolate bar, tire tread and a waffle if you check out their UK web-site. Eddie also sells a waffle strap.
The Uncle Seiko straps are nice. You'll have to run the gauntlet of the fortnightly lottery if you want a TF strap though. I'd go for the Uncle Seiko.
I remember doing that too although my abiding memory was that I could see why they had cut those scenes as they were not really in keeping and stuck out.
That looks like the right one but unfortunately is sold out in the UK shop, as is the waffle one. I can wait! In the meantime have the Steel Dive rubber strap with large rally type holes which looks OK.
Exactly the same here! I loved the film, so was excited to see the extra stuff from a completist point of view, but it didn’t seem to add much.
Exactly. Also it made it so long and I had foolishly sunk a pint beforehand so it was a rather uncomfortable experience!Exactly the same here! I loved the film, so was excited to see the extra stuff from a completist point of view, but it didn’t seem to add much.
I'm starting to see how big, and how deep this rabbit hole is...
Seems I was wrong about the appearance of the strap (Me? Rong?!), the grainy image made it look to my eye as though the raised pattern covered most of the surface, but it seems the authentic original Seiko strap was nothing like that - great page on it here. So there you go, a BNIB example:
I found that "Cheapest NATO Straps" also do versions of chocolate bar and tropic at half the price of Uncle Seiko, but the choc bar is just a bit too far wrong (equal-sized blocks on the keepers Sir? I think not!).
Yeh baby! Instant Expert: just add internet.
As for the Kurtz, well, as the articles you lot pointed me at said, Brando deliberately toned-down the GMT, so can't see him using leather with it, hence I'm going with the U.S. rubber here, too. The U.S. straps have buckles which are way closer to the originals, too.
I'm gonna suck up the high prices (+Tax'n'Duty) because the watches are nice enough in themselves to bother (and I actually want to scuff them up with wear), and Uncle Seiko have obviously taken the trouble to rip-o... er... pay homage to the Seiko designs properly, and by all accounts are well-made:
OK, now I'm committed, this is the point a lurker posts another, better, cheaper option...
I am enjoying your posts, Earl.
Is it wrong that I enjoy your immaculate punctuation more?
I need help. Too much time on the forum.
An ellipsis does not terminate a sentence. Extreme prejudice or otherwise ;)
Yep, I remembered it well, here it is on my 6.75" wrist:
The 'upper' part is 7cm (excl the buckle), and the 'lower' part is 12cm. For comparison, the TF retro strap (whadda we call the style? ladder?) is 8 and 13.3 cm, respectively.
Dunno if it's going to be a factor for you, but the main reason I chose the Gecko over others was that it has two keepers rather than one. My previous rubber strap only had one keeper and it was problematic:
HTH.
Ah so the straps are in stock from Uncle Seiko in the US just not in the UK?
Here's mine, arrived this morning, obviously wrong on the thick leather strap but very pleased with it. Even has an engraved crown and the gold detailing on the dial reminds me of the limited edition MM300.
I occasionally find myself wondering whether a sentence with a fabricated smiley placed at the end can be considered as terminated.
Quite right.
*Columbo voice*
Just one more thing... would you say it is supposed to terminate a sentence?
I always thought it was an indication of something that is incomplete. Defective. That's what the Greeks thought. So, it gives you an excuse not to terminate...
...I see emoticons are fine proxies for full stops though. I agree. We are having fun, after all.
- - - Updated - - -
Damn it, PTG, you're too fast for me.
My sympathies, forums are where my time goes to die.
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I'll overlook your bad manners, and point out that supposed authorities cannot even decide on the correct typography for the ellipsis, much less agree on its use. Applying black-and-white rules to written communication is a mite daft too, especially on social meeja.
I will also accept the criticism - I do overwork the poor wretch, chiefly as a lazy signifier of an unfinished thought or topic...
In that case, AO, doesn't the above sentence terminates with the equivalent of a double fullstops?
...I see emoticons are fine proxies for full stops though. I agree. We are having fun, after all.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Actually no, not 20mm! I have decided - in the interests of expediency as well as authenticity - to buy 19mm straps, which are available.
The bronze/blue combo is lovely BTW, like that
A very good point.
And you are correct because to an extent, each of us makes up the rules relating to emoticons. They don't tend to feature in formal prose.
I should also say, I use a tiny phone keyboard to write on the forum as I'm sure others do. So it can be a bit of a **** move to criticise grammar or punctuation. Which is why I don't often do it.
If someone corrects someone else incorrectly however, then it's fair game.
To answer your question, I think JGJG is perfectly at liberty to terminate a sentence with an emoticon. When I use one, I tend to use a full stop too. Well, sometimes. So in that instance, the emoticon ceases being a full stop and reverts to its standard, puerile usage.
Last edited by AlphaOmega; 26th June 2020 at 11:54.
I wanted to add a wink smiley at the end of my previous post but realised my OCD would not let me finish the sentence without a fullstops.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I knew it came with a playful punch on the arm.I wanted to add a wink smiley at the end of my previous post but realised my OCD would not let me finish the sentence without a fullstops.
I think we are lucky that there are a few of us on this thread who actually care. Many don't. That's one of many things that I admire about the French - they care what happens to the language.
I do apologise for the manners; like Alpha Omega, I do very much enjoy your posts and thought a little pedantry wouldn’t go amiss if self-punctured by the double-whammy of content reference and a hypocritically unterminated sentence. It seems rather to have fallen flat. Forgive me.
What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin? A lie. A lie and we have to be merciful.
One I prepared today. The Seiko on the Bund, wears really nicely.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thank-you, rest assured no offence was taken - far from it, I enjoy a little forum banter, and you were fundamentally correct (E&OE...).
Seems we have proven today that these wretched smileys/emoticons serve a valuable disambiguatory purpose - had I used one, we could both have been spared our blushes!
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You. Jammy. Git.One I prepared today. The Seiko on the Bund, wears really nicely.
All the envy.
ALL OF IT!
That does help, my wrist 7.25", so not a chance that would work - appreciate you taking the trouble.
No trouble and no worries!
This should have been the easiest customisation in the World, ever. Change the strap on the “Seiko” stand-in (sterile-dial Steeldive with modern sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel) from stainless steel bracelet to rubber “choc-bar”, as per Sheen’s original 6105 ‘Turtle’, and remove the bezel from the sterile-dial Parnis GMT that would be standing-in for Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675, plus change the strap… Should have been…
The “Seiko” was a doddle - Uncle Seiko's brilliant rubber choc bar strap is the perfect style, all that needed changing were the fat, 2.5mm plain-ended springbars supplied with the strap. They’re top-quality bars, but the locating ends are just too big to fit into the sockets in a lot of watches. Plus, being plain, they will be a royal PITA to remove again if your watch doesn’t have drilled lugs… Instead, in went some Hirsch double-flanged bars. Mmmm... Who doesn’t like Double Flange? Job done.
The “Rolex” was all of the delay… First-up it took 3 different orders just to get one of the bezel removal tools that I'd been recommended. I always try and order from the UK, but no-one had one at a remotely sane price, and then the next two orders that I tried from China were both cancelled by the sellers after long delays.
When one did eventually arrive it was then that I discovered that the forty-quid Parnis had a bezel designed to withstand nuclear impacts… I watched a whole slew of “how to get yer bezel off” YouTube vids, and sought various hidden releases, to no avail. Part of the problem was that the jaws of the bezel-remover were slightly too long and slim and so were pushing the bezel up and then closing on the surround that held the crystal. Not wanting to crack that, I grabbed the Dremel and reprofiled the jaws to be a bit shorter and rounder, but still the c*** would NOT budge…!
That’s when the red mist descended and I stupidly decided to come at it from the inside out, “reasoning” that there must be something within the case stopping the bezel yielding to the insane force I was applying… So back to PooToob for more how-tos… “Press tiny button VERY gently to remove crown and winding stem”… Pressed gently: won’t shift… Pressed a bit less gently: nothing. Pressed harder: still nothing. Pressed really quite hard: button depresses, crown + winder then slips gracefully out…
Out comes movement + dial to reveal it was all a wasted effort… Oh well… As per instructions, I gently eased the winder back from whence it came - it slips gracefully into its former position with a tiny, neat click… Gently move the crown: horrible graunching sensation - everything on the dial all moves at once, exactly like it shouldn’t… Go away and read more about this - and that’s when I discover that pressing too hard on the stem release will horribly kerf*ckticate the keyless works, requiring a complete strip-down and rebuild…
With nothing left to lose I put the accursed thing back in the bezel remover and finally got that off - in the process ruining the bezel and damaging the case... Neither would have mattered - it’s supposed to be a >50 year old watch, but in other cases it would matter, so I spent a fair bit of time modding the damned bezel remover itself to give way more clearance…
The murdered Parnis in happier times:
Treated myself to a good cry and binned the watch. It cost £40 - any kind of repair will cost more, and the winder was always graunchy and a sod to get to latch on to GMT and date adjustment positions, even when new. What You Pay Is What You Get.
At this point I considered abandoning the whole half-arsed Apocalypse Now tribute thing - the Parnis had never looked at-all like Brando’s vintage GMT, being a copy of a much more recent Pepsi model, meaning every detail was wrong. And it was shown-up by the Steeldive which is an incredibly nice quality watch for the money AND a really decent repro of the vintage 6105…
And it was that fact which made me go back onto ebay and see what else was available - and on there was the almost-prefect watch: “fauxtina” printed indices, correct lugs and crown guards, better hands, proper GMT bezel. Its only real fault was its lack of a cyclops on its acrylic crystal. Arrived this morning, and to my wry amusement, the bezel came off using fingernails alone! I said a rude word, the Anglo-Saxon one.
Popped the Uncle Seiko “Tropical” style strap on - style as per the film and not as per the strap Brando’s watch was auctioned with. £75 well-spent for the second watch, 'cos I’m chuffed with the final result. Neither watch is perfect - but I couldn’t afford the commonplace vintage Seiko, never mind the through-the-roof Rolex, so these will do very nicely, and I'm not scared to wear 'em -
A most enjoyable write up, and the fruits of your labours look very impressive.
If Coppola Is reading your thread (and I assume he prolly is), I can’t be long before your last pic there inspires yet another director’s cut, reinstating the fabled climax where Willard and Kurtz go head-to-head over a game of One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four.
Never get out out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were going all the way.
A fun and interesting read. Both watches look great!
Any idea what the watch was that Kilgore was wearing in the film?
In My humble opinion the Baby Willard produced by Eddie is a great watch and a fitting tribute to an iconic movie how on earth the movie got made with all the illnesses awkward actors and drug taking is beyond Me!
The documentary of the making of the film is almost as good as the film itself.
I had one of the Seiko watches and too be honest found it to be very bulky and a really odd shape, not the most flattering watch at all. One of those steeldiver watches for 100 quid for a bit of fun fair enough but paying the silly money the Seiko's are currently going for seems a bit OTT.
No idea TBH - in the publicity pics it looks like late 1960s PP Calatrava, but then so did hundreds of other watches...
Not much prop-continuity, so, like his hat, he may have worn more than one:
Someone out there must know, but it's not jumping out of google...
Last edited by earlofsodbury; 10th September 2020 at 23:34. Reason: spolling
Well done that’s a great help, I have wondered for years!No idea TBH - in the publicity pics it looks like late 1960s PP Calatrava, but then so did hundreds of other watches...
Not much prop-continuity, so, like his hat, he may have worn more than one:
Someone out there must no, but it's not jumping out of google...
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Thanks for the heads up.
Started watching a background series on YouTube last night, and will watch the official version tonight.
Have managed to avoid the Willard hype thus far. Will probably own one before the weekend is out.
You can buy the Cyclops separately on eBay if it's needed.
Saying that I actually like the look of that Rolex thingy. Looks rather cool without the bezel for some reason.
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Just upgraded the strap on my recently accquired Seiko 6105 8110 mod with an Uncle Seiko "Chocolate bar strap" (still £30) which arrived next day from Uncle Seiko UK, can't beat that for customer service.
As the dial has the "Water150mResist" text, I will probably pick up the "Tyre tread" strap from Uncle Seiko Uk also as this is probably more accurate for this dial type.
Uncle Seiko, can't fault them....
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