I'm wondering if anybody knew a source for the rubber gaskets that sit inside the Juliet's orbitals between the frame and hex bolt, as well as the nylon washers inside of the hinges of the Juliet? I suspect Oakley themselves won't sell these parts seperately. I have a couple pairs of daily wearer Juliets where these parts are starting to break down, and would really like to be able to just replace these parts myself. I just got back a Juliet that I had sent into Oakley for a hinge retightening, and they did a horrible job putting the washers in place. The washers weren't aligned before they screwed down the hinge screws, and the washers are already cracking apart as a result...and I JUST got this pair back!

With Carbon, I can recommend Gold Iridium and Ice Iridium. With Polished, Ice goes really well with it...looks quite exotic and the Ice lens pop like nothing. It is a rather "young" looking combo however. Black Iridium is also awesome too with Polished and creates a really mean, ultra shiny combination, and yet is still classy and can go with everything.

Pretty much everything that Oakley makes will work for your wrist, EXCEPT the Time Tank. I have a 6" wrist myself, and can sport the Judge and GMT just fine...and I'm not just saying that because I don't care what other people think, it really does look fine. The Time Tank on the other hand looked ridiculously huge on me, even though it actually fits very well. The Time Bomb is a toss up, while I can get it to fit and look fine on me, it definitely overshoots my wrist height-wise because of how the links don't curve much at the lugs. The unobtanium grips on the underside never even get to touch my wrist. It's also pretty difficult to dial in a really comfortable fit because my wrist doesn't completely fill up the bracelet, rather it's just the watch caseback and clasp gripping my wrist. I love the way it looks way too much though and still continue to wear it as a weekend watch. Just keep in mind the Judge/GMT are EXTREMELY heavy, and with a thin wrist, you're going to seriously feel the weight. They both push 200+ grams, whereas the average stainless steel watch (like what Seiko makes) weighs around 100-120 grams.

I've been using titanium Why 3s for almost a year now as daily glasses and strangely enough, I haven't had a single problem with loose mountings. I was expecting to have to tighten screws now and then but I haven't even had to do that. These are by far the best glasses I've ever worn in my 15 something years of wearing glasses, they are really light to the point of not even feeling them on my face. Love them to death, if I had to get another pair of glasses, I'd very likely just go with a Why 4 next. I also love how they have the design cues of the X-metal series, they look like a work of art just sitting there in a case with their X-metal trademark gullwing earstems.

That's pretty much the case with just about any watch really, you immediately compromise the factory WR ratings if you open the caseback. Most jewelers that replace batteries will usually have a disclaimer that they don't guarantee water resistance. If you manage to find one that can also test for WR resistance, expect to pay about $30 to get the test done on special equipment.

Hey Vertigo, you really seem to know a lot about watches. How about running a step by step pictorial about bracelet sizing and battery changing for the rest of us? I'm sure that many of us would find that very helpful.

I think a step by step tutorial isn't quite necessary, as if you can't figure out how to use the tools...welllll...but I can point you to the right quality tools. For bracelet sizing, you can find them here: http://www.mywatchmaker.net/watchmakertools.htm . The Bergeon Spring Bar tool and the Bracelet Sizing tool are the ones I have. They're not cheap and may not be worth it if you only own one watch, but I've tried the made in China variations of those tools and they're terrible (i.e. the cheaper sizing tools have a lot of play at the tip, making it hard to aim it right into the bracelet's holes; the Bergeon one is much tighter and more precise, this is especially important when you're trying to drive pins back in), so it's worth paying the extra. For the caseback opener, that I just got a cheap one $15 one off Ebay, as there's a considerable price difference for a good one (~$45 for a good one). You'll also need a small hammer, the smaller the better, you'll need it to hammer pins back in before finalizing it with the bracelet tool, as well as a plier with teeth to pull pins out. I'm a watch guy and own multiple watches and am always buying/selling watches, so these tools are easily worth it for me. It's nice getting a new watch and just being able to adjust the bracelet VERY CAREFULLY at my own leisure until it fits. My friends all like to come to me nowdays to fit their bracelets as well.

Thanks guys for all the responses. I try to keep my 3 Time Bombs going as I've heard letting the rechargeable battery in kinetics drop to nothing is very detrimental to its charge capacity lifespan, as is just storing it in a stopped state long term. And I agree that with the amount of shaking I give them sometimes, it's disheartening to walk up to it one day and see that it still manages to stop. I don't really wear mine much during weekdays as it's just too heavy of a watch for a desk job (even the titanium ones, which really don't feel like how titanium watches should feel), so it only gets worn on weekend outings. I do also own a Seiko Kinetic Auto Relay watch, awesome technology. You can manually stop the watch to conserve power, and a few shakes will cause its hands to zoom to the correct time. Just imagine if Oakley would do a Time Bomb 2.0 using such technology *drool*.

For what it costs, you may want to consider just picking up your own caseback opener...they run for about $15 off Ebay, a battery change will cost as much easily if not more. I'm very hesitant myself to let any jeweler touch my watches as most of the monkeys treat watches very poorly when sizing bracelets or changing batteries. They'll happily scratch to hell a brand new watch you may have even just bought from them and chalk it up as a "sorry, can't help it". I have a complete set of watch tools myself now and can deal bracelet sizing or battery changes quite easily.

Something wierd just happened with mine. I had recently bought a X-metal/CF Time Bomb off Ebay, and spent a few nights after receiving it trying to give it a good charge by swinging it about 15 minutes a night. Much to my dismay, by the end of the week, the thing still managed to stop. Considering I did get an earlier generation Time Bomb without the large O clasp, I chalked it up to maybe the rechargeable battery being near shot and not holding a good charge, so I let it go. Tonight I pull it out to fondle it a bit ;-P and was trying to be careful not to power it up since I don't intend to use it for now. Imagine my surprise though when the hand starts moving...in normal single ticks. I probably moved it enough to rotate the rotor exactly half a turn, which I know normally would not be enough to get it to do single ticks. If it were completely drained, it should be doing the two ticks per second thing. Does the Time Bomb actually have sleep capabilities then? Pretty much all of Seiko's kinetic movements have this capability for instance...and I've always suspected that the Time Bomb could actually just have a Seiko kinetic movement inside of it despite all the gibberish Oakley marketing says about it. Just like how their Judge/GMTs have a outsourced Swiss movement.

I am seriously hoping these come out soon...they clearly seem to be a new two tone Juliet with golden earstems with matching brown earsocks and what looks like either an X-metal or Plasma nosebridge. I've been getting all bored with my prescriptioned Juliet combos and my RX dealer has been getting pissed off that I've been bringing in frames only for him to RX. At least this would give me an excuse to order a frame from him finally.

Cleaning: Liquid Dawn, the butt plain variant that's blue in color. Some soaps have moisturizers and extra stuff that can cling to your lenses and smear all over later when you try to dry them. So far haven't had this problem with plain Dawn. Rub it over the lens and rinse with warm water or cold water. I also carefully clean the Earsocks (and Nosebombs if applicable) with a very small amount of soap and water so that none of it gets inside of the Earsock. Leaving oils or liquids on Unobtanium rubber for too long can cause it to absorb it and then expand over time, a common sight on used Oakleys.

Drying: I use a Crizal lens cloth, which is the best microfiber cloth I've found so far...yes it's much better than the Oakley bags. Oakley bags are in reality pretty cheaply made and have a tendency to start fraying if you use them enough for cleaning. And then it just simply smears water everywhere instead of absorbing it. Crizal cloths are built much tougher and do not fall apart over time, and are very good at absorbing and drying without smearing or streaking. You can feel the difference in the cloth at first touch. Pack of 3 for $6.00 on their website.

Storage: when I'm out and about, I hang it on the front of my shirt. Sticking Oakleys in your hair is just asking for oils and scratches to get all over your lenses, especially since Oakley's Iridium is not a very tough coating at all. And you're also stretching the frame out. Otherwise when at complete rest, always in a microfiber bag.

I am really, honestly amazed that some can handle a C5 frame for 12-14 hours a day. Everytime I put on a C5 frame or X-metal frame for that matter, the most I could honestly wear it for is about 4 hours before its weight starts to get to me. Like I said, I can see C5 being used for a sunglass frame where it won't be worn for 10+ hours, but its weight practically speaking makes absolutely no sense in a frame meant for clear RX lenses.

Anyways as for the RX lens themselves...they're very, very good. I have four pairs of RX'ed Juliets and every pair of lens has been finished off very nicely. The edges are polished extremely well (especially on my Why 3) and the optical clarity is razor sharp all the way to the edges. My Spoke 2.0 I had prescriptioned with Crizal clear lenses, and the quality difference is surprising compared to Oakleys. Crizals cost more and yet the polishing job on the edges is absolutely HORRID, very uneven. Not only that but the first time around, the lens had a huge circular smear of some sort right smack in the middle of the left lens. I had the shop send it back and the 2nd time around, I still see what looks like slight cracking of the plastic around the edge of the lens. But at this point, I give up on them. These are problems I didn't even have with generics! Oakley's quality control is considerably better, and one reason I stick with Oakley frames is so that I can get Oakley lenses.

I can tell you one thing, if you want an Oakley RX frame I'd HIGHLY suggest going for only the titanium ones. My first Oakley RX frame was the O2 and the C5 alloy was very uncomfortable for all day wear...you start really feeling the weight on your nose by the end of the day. Another thing to consider is going for the frames that have the thinner styled earsocks (Thread, Spoke, Why to name a few), as they aren't wedged as tightly between your ears and head, another issue that I've had.

As for myself, I currently have the Thread 2.0, Chop Top 2.0, Spoke 2.0, and Why 3. My daily wear is the Why 3, and despite reviews about the screws loosening up practically every week, I've never encountered this problem. Mines have been rock solid sturdy and I only bother checking the screws once a month, if even that. One thing you may need to get used to with Oakley's rimless frames is that you'll have the screws by the nosepiece floating in your vision all the time. It bothered me at first but not anymore.

For rougher times I use the Chop Top 2.0s since they're spring hinged and have a good grip and also are a full sized frame (not designed to be thin or anything). I love the fins on the earstems, looks really awesome when somebody's looking down at you from above. I had to change the earsocks to the thinner ones though, way too much grip against my head with the normal sized earsocks.

To be completely honest though...while the frame styles are awesome, I don't really find Oakley frames to be very comfortable for *all day* use. Since Oakley uses straight earstems, the frames all rely on pure grip against your head to stay put, and this starts to really hurt by the end of the day. This is versus your typical generic frame with hooked earstems which don't need to be gripping anything at all. C5 alloy for all day use is also pretty grueling...it's ok in a sunglass frame and makes it feel strong and sturdy and where you're only using it for a few hours, but I would NOT want to have a C5 frame on my nose all day long.

My very first pair of Juliets eventually had their nosebridge loosened up quite a bit after 5 years of using them with the size 25 temple shocks. I took them in to my local Oakley optometrist and had them send it back in for a tune up. Came back practically the same, still loose. Went back in again, came back a second time a wee bit better, and was told it was the best they could do. If you want it to be tight enough to not move at all, then don't expect the tune up to solve that problem...you'd just need to buy a brand new pair. Since then, with all new Juliets I've bought, I've stuck to using the size 15 temple shocks, so that the frame doesn't have to stretch as much around my head. And that's really what you have to do if you want to preserve the frame's tightness.

Does anybody out there have any idea as to what pricing is currently for Oakley's RX lenses? I was looking over the prices at a site called sportsvisionbend.com I use as a reference to see what type of Oakley RX lenses were available and their prices seemed to have jumped tremendously. I know that I personally paid $180 for clear RX with A/R and $250 for polarized RX lenses as of November last year, which was in line with what Sports Vision Bend listed on their site. But now they're listing $315 for polarized lenses which is quite steep. I had been sitting here casually thinking about prescriptioning some of my Square Wire 2.0s to have something more dressy than my prescriptioned Juliets, but $315 is making me do double takes. Did Oakley raise prices on their RX lenses?

When I got my Chop Top 2.0s prescriptioned at Oakley, I never did ask for AR coating, but I believe they gave it to me anyways. I too see the faint green shimmer at certain angles. Thank god they gave it to me though, up to this point I had never experienced a pair of RX glasses without AR coating, and I recently bought a pair of Half Jacket clear lenses without AR coating to use with contacts. The difference is HUGE. I think your eyes would notice it immediately if you didn't have AR coating.

As an Oakley nut myself that hates wearing contacts, I pretty much have to prescription all my Oakleys that I want to wear. Which, so far, has been 5 pairs of Juliets, and pretty much nobody but Oakley is going to be able to handle that crazy of a base curve. ;-) Which in turn meant big time $$$$$. But it's sooo worth it, especially since my prescription seems to have settled, hasn't changed in 6 years. Also have a Chop Top 2.0 and Why 3 with Oakley lenses, and a pair of Thread 2.0 with generic Walmart lenses and a pair of Spoke 2.0s with Crizal lenses.

What most people don't seem to consider is that all lenses are NOT made the same. If you need to wear glasses full time and are going with an Oakley RX frame, it is WELL worth spending extra to get Oakley lenses. Between Oakley, Crizal, and the Walmart lens, Oakley lenses are noticeably clearer and sharper. Crizals are supposed to be a premium lens brand and their clear RX lenses cost more than even Oakley's, but surprisingly, Oakleys lenses are sharper. It's noticeable to me as I have to stare at monitors all day long, and it was while looking at text on the screen that I started to see the distinct differences. So visually, Oakley lenses are better for your eyes. You're also guaranteed a perfect fit to your Oakley frame...Oakley's edge polishing is extremely good and absolutely perfect. My Why 3, which is rimless, shows off just how incredibly well Oakley does the edge polishing, it is absolutely smooth as butter and straight as an arrow, and the shape of both lenses is perfect and matching. This is something I could not say about the Crizal lenses where the edges were terribly polished and totally uneven, and one lens is slightly larger than the other. The Oakley AR coating also seems to be incredibly tough.

As far as adjusting the frame goes...yeah, I never let the optometrist try to do it, exactly because they just try to bend it any old way. I always just tell them it fits fine and go home and do some minor hand adjustments here and there myself.

Anyways, don't settle for anything but Oakley lenses for Oakley frames!

The ability to get a simulation of a lens tint is EXTREMELY cool and useful I must say. OTOH I do hope they bring back a list of RX lens tint as it was a huge help in deciding what type of lenses I wanted before I hit the local Oakley RXer.

Ahhh yes that's the other thing, the HJ lenses completely clear my cheekbones, even when I try to pull a huge grin. I'm using the standard sized lenses. I still wouldn't mind larger nosebombs but for the most part the fit is pretty much perfect. I'm reaaaally happy with how it worked out in the end, giving me another X-metal option aside from the Juliets that fit me like a glove.

This thread pushed me over the edge to get a Romeo 2, after trying them on and seeing that they fit, and then finding out that they can take Half Jacket lenses to boot. I started with Polished/Titanium Iridium and proceeded to pick up a pair of G30 HJ lenses. It did take some extra work to make it fit, mainly had to file down the notch that goes where the screw goes in...it starts off blocking the hole that the screw goes through. But other than that it wasn't too bad, looks like I'm gonna end up going nuts with the Romeo II frames now. :-). One word of warning, be gentle with the screws, I freaked out because I thought I had busted the threads of one of my screws, and right now it still goes in slightly crooked compared to when it was new.

Well after finally getting around to trying a Romeo II out and seeing that it looked great on me, and finding out that Half Jacket lenses could fit in them to boot, I decided to finally pick up a pair. Just got it in the mail today, Polished with Titanium Ir. They look perfect on me but unfortunately the bottom edge of the lenses are always in contact with my cheekbones. I believe what I need are larger nosebombs than what comes with the Romeo II to push the frame higher up on my nose, so my question is, does there happen to be nosebombs from maybe some other series that might fit on the Romeo II? I tried the Juliet's and the nosebombs are too tall to fit securely. I was thinking perhaps the Half Jacket's? I remember them having a pretty chunky pair of larger nosebombs and it's also a short and stubby nosebomb like the Romeo IIs. Can anybody out there with both pairs give it a try?

I'm also somewhat hoping that once I get around to trying some standard sized HJ lenses, that maybe the lenses will finally clear my cheekbones if I can't find larger nosebombs. I'm reaaaally looking forward to the modding!

Interesting to know that alcohol could potentially damage iridium coatings...I'll have to think twice about using anything with it from here on out on my RX'ed Juliets. I had been using Bausch and Lomb's box of disposable lens cleaning tissues as I always had problems with sprays of any sort leaving smears. As far as using Oakley's microfiber cloth bag...it's great when it's fresh and new, but within a few months its fibers start to fall apart and before you know it, it becomes impossible to completely clean the bag. It just ends up smearing stuff around your lenses and loses its ability to remove anything.

A much better microfiber cloth that I've discovered is Crizal's lens cloths...definitely the best I've found to date. It's $6 for three and these truly pick up the oils and smears and are much more durable than Oakley's bags. It's a much tougher weave compared to most microfiber cloths out there, you can feel the difference the moment you pick it up. It makes you think it could scratch your lenses but that hasn't happened to me to date. You can buy them straight from Crizal's website.

What I notice though is with any microfiber cloth, it eventually gets to a point where washing it just doesn't seem to remove whatever the cloth's picked up, and you just end up smearing it around on your lenses. So at some point, you just gotta toss the cloth and start with a fresh one.

eyeyeye, thanks for the list! A few more options than the U.S. list, but it seems like the trend for even that list, like the U.S. list, is towards more conservative lens tints. None of the more aggressive, coveted colored ones make it on to the list like Blue, Ruby, +Red, Emerald Slate, 24k Gold, etc.

Well I'm glad at least Emerald Iridium sounds like a definite, all things considered I certainly wouldn't mind X-metal/Emerald Iridium Polarized.

Bong, yes it be me. :-) Can't believe it took me this long to figure out how to get into this forum too. Thanks everybody for all the info, I guess when I'm ready, I'll just give it a shot. Probably try to shoot for + Red Iridium first. From the list on Sports Vision Bend it seems at least Emerald Iridium Polarized is a sure bet, which I certainly would be happy with.

jumpman: Fire Iridium wouldn't be a problem for sure as it's on Oakley's RX lens list: http://oakley.com/technology/rx/. This is the list that I thought prescription lenses would be locked to, and that we couldn't choose from the full list of colors available. My optometrist is making me think otherwise though, which was why I was wondering if anybody else had any insider info on what lens tints are really available for RX lenses. So far I've gotten Black Iridium, Ice Iridium, and two G30s. I have one Juliet X-metal frame left that I want to put prescription lenses into, hence why I was really hoping either Emerald Polarized or Ruby or + Red could be done, any of these would look sharp with X-metal. If we could have been choosing from the full list all along, I would have done the red based ones LONG ago though.