Todd Caldwell---as equally at home...

[jtbenson]

...in a business suit as he is in a dive suit.

I have to publicly thank Todd for his absolutely over-the-top customer service.
Disclaimer: I did not purchase my CD-2 new from Aegir, I bought it secondhand.
Soon after which, I contacted Todd with a few questions: 1) what was the other rubber strap on the cd-2 in the pics on his web site? and 2) could I purchase a metta strap and ennebi buckle from him?
Given that he's on the other side of the world, and has a full time job that is not related to the business of Aegir, his response times are incredibly quick. He helped me with measurements to ensure I was purchasing the correct of the two lengths of metta straps he had available and provided me the info I wanted about the rubber strap, as well as a few recommendations of where to purchase one. The metta strap/buckle arrived very quickly and the price was larcenous.
I was aware of the issue with screw-bar to lug tightness on the cd-2 and that some straps may rub the case. On my particular watch only one side was tight. I was able to fit the isofrane no problem and oem panerai straps also went on with relative ease, with only one side binding slightly. Results were the same with the metta strap but I expected this and it was not an issue in mounting the leather straps nor in wearing the watch.
Fast forward to the arrival of the BC rubber strap. This one proved to be more difficult to mount, mainly because the screw-bars were a tight fit in the strap itself. a little mineral oil helped but since it didn't pass through as easily it was difficult to tell when the screws were engaging in the threads of the case. the looser side of the case was fairly easy to mout, but the tighter side proved damn near impossible. instead of taking a deep breath and walking away I pushed on determined to make it work. After a few screwdriver slips that scratched and marred the case, I was angry and more determined than ever. A few tries more and it seemed more impossible than ever. Deflated, I removed the screw-bar from the strap and was devastated to find it would no longer engage in the case on its own. My deduction: I've stripped the threads in the case. Defeated, I go to bed.
Next morning I pm Todd with my tail between my legs asking for his advice. Perhaps there is a way to re-tap the case, can I get the specs and take it to a local machine shop?
Todd gets back to me straightaway and says he will contact his US service contact to see if he's willing to take a look at the case for me. A short time later Todd gets back to me to say the US contact is happy to look at the watch, and will either retap the case or swap it into a new mid-case Todd can ship to him. Or, if I prefer he can ship me a new mid-case and I can either take it to a local watchmaker or he will walk me through transferring all the parts myself. OR, I can send it down under and he will evaluate the damage himself. Feeling more comfortable with the latter, I agreed to ship the watch back to Todd.
As soon as it arrived and he had a chance to check it out he got straight back to me. Good news/bad news: the case wasn't stripped, but all the screw-bars were, and the case was now pretty well hacked up due to my strong-headed, ill-advised persistence.
Todd offered me a few alternatives: 1) he could install new screw-bars and send me a few spares at no cost (save for shipping) or 2) he would swap the watch into a new, spare mid-case with new screw-bars for the cost of the mid-case only, no labor. No brainer, right? So I went with the new mid-case and thanked him profusely in advance.
A few days later he informs me that there was a problem with the spare case and he wasn't happy with the results, so he moved everything into a new spare LE case (with the increased lug to case tolerance). He goes on to say that he noticed the crown had been scratched or dinged at some point and a previous owner had had it polished to cover up the flaw, so he went ahead and installed a new crown also. He went on to share that his trick for getting the BC rubber strap mounted easily is to dremmel out the holes in the strap for better tolerance for the screw-bars, and since I sent the strap with the watch he went ahead and did that for me while it was there. Also, while he had it apart he replaced all the seals, regulated the movement to .4 seconds and tested the WR after reassembly. (Now while I realize many of these things are necessary as part of the process of reassembly as the "while you're in there" stuff, I would fully expect to be charged for them, regardless of how nominal the cost.) Todd refused to accept any additional monies in excess of the cost of the middle case, and I know he charged me less than his actual cost for that.
Todd, while I realize you've publically stated you do not expect to make a profit from Aegir, I hope you don't allow your generosity to do the opposite. I'm thankful for your attention and service. This perfect specimen of a cd-2 you've returned to me now has a story---a sad, somewhat funny story, but with a very happy ending thanks to you---and a personal connection unlike any piece in my collection.
Chapeau mate, to you and Aegir!

[BSears]

Outstanding! And yes Todd is tops and am asset to our forum.

[Joeprez]

This is awesome

[toxicavenger]

Amazing guy all the way around!!! Now I don't feel guilty about sending him a pair of my dirty panties.

[jtbenson]

[matt.wu]

Is that a black CD-2?

#8 was my original.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15765

(It wasn't me who marred the case/crown )

[jtbenson]

Is that a black CD-2?

#8 was my original.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15765

(It wasn't me who marred the case/crown )

now it's even more special than it was in post # 1

[justsellbrgs]

nice all the way around....

Todd is aces...

[homathetes]

Amazing customer service!

[CGSshorty]

I can't wait to buy a watch from Todd. Soon.

[andrema]

Todd is the Godfather to my children...that is the kind of guy he is!

[kfalk]

Great story. Todd FTW!

[toxicavenger]

Todd is the Godfather to my children...that is the kind of guy he is!

I thought he was your sugardaddy

[andrema]

Todd is the Godfather to my children...that is the kind of guy he is!

I thought he was your sugardaddy

No, that's Adam.

[dosei]

That's great CS, talk about above and beyond! Todd was great when he helped me with issues for my CD-2 as well.

[jimyritz]

just plain awesome .

[dukerules]

That is the definition of awesome