HemiSam

I was only there two years...almost to the day. Bailed in 1981. Went to Palatine HS for freshman and part of sophomore year and then relocated to Texas. I don't miss cold weather.... HS

Nice Omega! I lived in Paletine for a couple of years as a pup. Been a long time, but great experience coming from the Southeast originally. HS

Lovely dress watch. I'd take the Santos in gold with alligator band first though... I've owned a watch of that shape since 2004 or so. Not nearly as nice but I've enjoyed it over the years. Baume & Mercier and quartz...it was what I could afford at the time. Been good to me over the years. Don't wear it much anymore. HS

The new Pepsi with the jubilee bracelet is surprisingly light on the wrist. Wears very comfortably. HS

I do dig the Batman. The darker colors on the GMT II are pretty sexy also. I've had a de Santos on the brain also... HS

There are some Speedys that have gone haywire. My estimation is that the watch market will go the way of the stock market...just like vintage autos. Folks get spooked and feel wealthier after a good rally and begin shifting money into hard assets. I don't know what good / too hot looks like with watches. What I do know is that drunk men at the Barrett Jackson auction overpay for vehicles HS

LMAO. HS

err...in the eyes of the beer holder in my college experience... But I ask that we keep that in the Cone of Silence. HS

The Batman is a great looking watch. Wears very nice. HS

RIP, Dick Dale and Rankin Roger. Both had an impact on me. We were in Paris in 2010 and stopped by to take in one of humanities grander accomplishments. Crushing to watch the spire fall... HS

Yes, honestly. I get the fetish with "tool" watches. I simply think the watch in yellow gold with an alligator strap or the TT with the bracelet reminiscent of how I think about the Santos from years past (and will come back as history repeats itself) is where my preference lies. Having every watch I own in stainless would be dull... HS

Stunning work, especially for early in your journey. Congrats! My first proper humidor was made a long time back for me of birdseye maple and Australian paduk. Something about wood boxes that makes me smile... HS

You, sir, are bad for my bank account...LOL. Yes, I've looked at those more often than I'd like to admit. I'm afraid to go try one on for fear of leaving with it. I think it would be a TT or the gold...I like the gold with the alligator strap other than the price tag. Perhaps the TT would scratch the itch as I have both the Speedy and the 39mm Oyster Perpetual in stainless and I'm hoping for a Daytona in stainless. Given my car fetish I hope I exercise some self restraint... HS

I simply suggested it for the build out tool...visuals given several varying options, Dave. HS

I agree. Looks great. Dave - if you want to play around a bit on a site, check out ABPconcept.paris. I was doing so yesterday and I found it an easy site to use and useful for some context / visuals. Best of luck. HS

The red on the bezel in the metal was darker than the photo above. I liked that. HS

Well, I've held off on posting this one. Thought the 300mph barrier deserved its own space. Also, I've been to busy and or lazy. Weekend is finally here and I'm kicking back in the backyard after way too much foot traffic through the house...LOL. My daily was my beloved 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. Creampuff with only 26K miles (I work a couple of miles from the house). All wheel drive, 392 cubic inch motor that made short of 500hp at the flywheel (i.e. not the wheels...I'd guess 10-15% drivetrain loss due to torque converter, etc...), 8-speed transmission with paddle shifters, big Brembo brakes, a lot of suspension flexibility with a dial...and a hilarious but beloved launch control should one ever need one. The wifey borrowed it a few weeks go to pick up her dad from the hospital and take him home as her coupe sits quite low. She got struck by another driver on the way home (fortunately she was perfectly fine) and the damage while not huge was enough for me to call it a day after 4 years with the big girl. It was days before the Texas Mile and my tow vehicle was down... I did not make it to the Mile with my Demon. Don't get mad, get even. After scouring for a similar vehicle I concluded there are not many and certainly not in the shape I'd be happy with. So..... 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with the Hellcat motor and some nifty gadgetry was acquired. Traded in my 2015 at full trade-in value and handed over my insurance claim. The 2018's on the lots were discounted more, but I still managed to get a good bit of the 2019. Way to expensive a vehicle, but I have to admit I'm a sucker for the power, leather, and technology. vroom vroom... HS

I'm way behind on this very cool thread. This one hit the sweet spot for me on a lazy Saturday catching up on some reading and with friends. Very cool! HS

My ideal watch would have an easily exchangeable bracelet/strap system like Cartier offers with the Santos (QuickSwitch). Dave - you do you. I think the watch could look good with the correct hide strap and I think black alligator in a semi-matte/gloss would be lovely. I do agree with the others that I prefer the bracelet. I can honestly say mine is sooooo comfortable. Love the 39mm size and feel. Putting a strap on it has not occurred to me as I love the brushed oyster bracelet. In unrelated news, a gent at the office was contacted by his AD indicating he had a new GMT II Pepsi in hand with the Jubilee bracelet. The gent bought it at the risk of divorce...quite the watch habit he has. Wife agreed he could keep it if it went in the safe until his upcoming birthday. He busted it out of the safe and brought it to the office the following day at the request of his fellow watch geeks and I was allowed to don it. A few things jumped out at me. First, the blue and red were darker than I expected and, for me personally, more tasteful. The brighter colors are a bit much in my eyes. Second, it was lighter and wore much smaller/comfortably than I expected...by a large margin. Third, the cyclops date window wasn't as bothersome as I expected although I only sported it for a few second. I think I could own one...LOL. Very nice piece that had me thinking on it the rest of that day. HS

Not my thing, ER, but I'm sure many Rolex aficionados were pleased. HS

Yes I did, ER. HS

LOL...your friend is a wise man, mikey! That's a great response I might have to borrow. I have run just short of 212mph but in a much heavier car. Never liked using my chute, but I can tell you the molecules I was shoving with my poor coefficient of drag on my 4500lb + Challenger were a lot. Your point about "dancing" is well taken also. I recall one time I left and apparently a strong crosswind hit me near the top of the track and at about 180mph I had little if any steering. Didn't realize what happened until my friends told me this big wind came in after I left. It's a crazy hobby but boy what a thrill. There are only rumors about what the Ford GT makes at the rear wheel. We are thinking somewhere between 3000 and 4000 rwhp. Nuts. HS

I experienced something pretty phenomenal yesterday afternoon. I was hanging out with friends on the last afternoon of the March 2019 Texas Mile watching the last few racers remaining make passes. The conditions were good....very good. Steady tailwind and the temps were dropping. The current record holder, a last gen Ford GT that's been Gulf Oil colors (my personal favorite livery) beat his prior record over the weekend...went 297 over his 293mph. Ungodly speeds for a standing mile (and lets not forget there is the whole stopping thing over limited real estate). Well....the team ticked off a 300.4mph pass...HOLY COW!!! The crowd was a bit thin but we all lit up. My friends and I were watching mid-track and listening to the announcer as the marker speeds were called out. Absolutely thrilling moment for me personally and I think for many of the mile racers there. vroom vroom... HS

I have to say the GMT II looks very nice also in Batman livery. I got to sport one recently and I prefer the Oyster bracelet over the newly released Jubilee bracelet combo. It'll be interesting to see if my tastes, particularly in colors...more bold or where I am now, shift when I retire and I no longer think about office garb. Rolex's releases for 2019 seemed a bit underwhelming to me. More a mix and match than anything new IMO. HS

It is watchable... Sorry...had to. HS