I just wanted share a couple of recent interactions I had on OF to demonstrate why OF is the best damn watch forum out there. A few months back I offered to pick up and ship to any OF members that won the flown NASA items at a local auction. A member won an item, and while he worked out shipping, we corresponded about me possibly helping. That connection led to him helping me get the extract for my 14755. That offer to help ship started a conversation with another member about me receiving a watch the seller would only ship in the US. I said sure, as I thought it was a $3-4k Speedy...needless to say, when a $20k+ watch arrived, I was shocked! I ended up keeping the watch for a month in my safe and then shipped when the member got back from a trip. The level of trust on here is just awesome! And today I received an extract for my Ed White...the thing is that I had not ordered one! A fellow member had a deal fall through on a watch where he had already ordered an extract...he saw my thread on the new Ed White and swapped my serial into his request. Wow, just wow...how damn cool is that? Of course there are all of the great daily interactions, but these select experiences show what a special group of people we have here.
The levels of trust among our members is something that makes me feel good to be a part of this community. I've had members in Europe trust rare and expensive items to my care for postage in plain brown envelopes, or waited for me to carry them in my baggage and deliver them, all the while knowing that they had paid for them and only mutual trust would assure that they would be received. I've also been the beneficiary of generosity after mentioning an incorrect bezel on one of my watches. A PM enquiry for my address was followed a week later by delivery of a NOS correct bezel from Europe. Payment was offered but politely refused. I hope it continues to be so.
I have to agree with you, have had great interactions with fellow members and heck, forged some great friendships across the globe.
Totally agree. I bought a watch through a member here. The watch was offered in a store local to this member and not posted anywhere. I sent money to said member who traveled to buy the watch, and send it to me. Pure awesome. I cant think of any other place I'd send thousands of dollars to a stranger on the other side of the world with not much more than a little PM conversation and some trust.
OF is just a fantastic community. I've learned so much, made some new friends, acquired some great pieces and try to give back in my way as much as possible. Thanks to the staff who make it all possible and to all of you...yes even you @efauser for filling an all important ecological niche previously occupied by a certain arboreal rodent.
Being not a native English speaker it's sometimes difficult for me to participate to debates where you can't just comment but automatically need to elaborate but I try to spend more and more time here. Have also made some awesome experiences here and besides the best GUI ever, this forum hosts a lot of great people, indeed.
Love this place too. When I told people that I was buying a watch on behalf of another member, a lot of them thought I was daft to put a large amount of money at stake by trusting someone I had never met before. When I told them that the member in question had already transferred the money to me in advance, they thought HE was daft! Just yesterday I purchased a part for a watch that is intended to go to another member who was unable to purchase it from the seller at the moment. Not for one second did I worry that I would get cheated, nor did I think it was a hassle. I have also had members from other countries help me out without batting an eyelid at my request. Funny thing is that I usually hate asking for help, requesting favours and such. I feel uncomfortable and insecure and usually just refrain from asking others to help me out. OF has helped me combatting this
What he did is very cool. Often, you witness acts like this on a forum where people share a passion and are thus "connected" on some level. I do not know why, but OF is the only forum I'm drawn to as well, almost daily!
I AM WITH YOU @watchknut (invoked mental images of you fisting yourself wearing the Bond Commander LE watch on and all)
Agreed but not just here. Did a deal 10 years ago with a lovely Italian dealer for my 2998 FAP and an Omani engraved Speedy, got spooked at Milan customs and i did not want to take cash back. Long story short he got another UK based dealer (who I had never met) to UK bt me the cash, I in turn hand carried an extremely rare Submariner to the UK for him and hand delivered it. My deal was £12k or so, the watch I carried was £75k! Probs double that now. This is what we do, civilians just don't inderstand it.
+1 ! I've had such great transactions here with trusted members (including @watchknut himself), and the level of helpfulness with several longstanding and trusted members is just amazing (you guys know who you are - thank you!)
The forum and members who very generously share their knowledge have helped me avoid idiocy on a few occasions already. Grateful its around and hopefully get stronger as collective knowledge grows.
@STANDY , 100% correct sir, I guess its hard to get the context or the intended message. So to restore dignity I shall be less obtuse and spell it out : on top of all the honesty and general positivity and good things mentioned by the good folks in this thread which I whole-heartedly agree with, there is also a wicked sense of humor (if one is that way inclined) ... context being what OP said he would rather do to himself than wear the 'commander bond LE' watch, which naturally in my semi-demented-mind invoked pictures of some bloke with big hairy wrists (and a commander watch on) ... ... say no more... https://omegaforums.net/threads/new-seamaster-300m-commanders-watch-le.60290/page-2 Thanks OF Awesome being a small part of you ...
I was one of the members @watchknut mentioned in the OP. It was only the other day when we were discussing something or other that the subject of OF, and the trust that it instils, came up. I honestly never thought twice about getting a high value watch shipped to Matt and then forwarded to Simon Freese and then me. I will be eternally grateful to Matt as he helped complete my Speedmaster collection and I hope, one day, to be able to return the favour. OF really is an outstanding forum especially with people like Matt around .
I'm glad my friend referred me to this forum. He mentioned Gator was the one who helped him look through his UG Polerouter Date before he purchased it. I hope that some day and some way i can contribute back to the forum too.
