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Trusty Time is the best. I'm fairly new to this myself, but I've bought 4 watches from him and each one has been an outstanding experience. Here's his website : www.yourtrustytime.com The guy who runs it goes by the name of "Andrew" but I doubt that's his real name. Despite that his English is pretty good and he always responds to emails very quickly. When I find the model I want, I do a search by price (highest on top). Once I find the one I want, I'll do a search for posts on that watch. I find out whether it's a good replica and if there are any issues. All four of the ones I bought were highly reviewed. Instead of doing a search using the forum's search engine, I do a search using Google. If you type in "site:www.rwg.cc" then the search criteria, you get way better hits than if you use the forum. For example, type "site:www.rwg.cc Omega Planet Ocean" into Google, and you will get a ton of excellent results. Type the same search in the forum and it's pretty weak. Once you find the watch you want and decide to purchase, here's what you can expect (purchasing through Trusty time): ***************************************************************************************************************************** 1. Place an order through the website. It's a very simple process. I've used the PayPal option every time so I can't speak to the process for paying with CC. 2. I receive a confirmation email within a few hours informing me my order was received. 3. Using PayPal, I then receive another email with instructions on how to pay through PayPal. This email instructs me to send an email letting him know after I make payment, which I do. 4. Andrew responds to that email thanking me and letting me know I will receive the QC email with 24-48 hours. 5. The QC email arrives with photos of the watch from the front, back, sides, bracelet and clasp. There's also a shot of it hooked up to the timegraph and another with it sitting on your shipping form with your address on it. Take a good look at the pictures and make sure you like the way everything looks. He asks that you not post QC pics on the forum, but if you've done your homework on the watch you shouldn't need to. Every watch I've received so far from Andrew looked really nice in the photos, but I've heard other members ask for another watch based on something that didn't look right (pearl alignment, etc). Keep in mind that the photos are very close up so you will see every little fleck on dust or lint. The photos are also taken with a bright light and with a white background so everything looks a little washed out. Don't get wrapped around this. Try to keep your focus on the way everything on the watch itself looks. So far in my experience, every watch looks way better in person that they did in the QC pictures, and the QC pictures weren't bad! 6. Once you decide you are happy with the watch, reply to the QC email letting him know you accept the watch. If he doesn't hear from you within 24 hours he will send the watch without your approval. 7. He then replies to your QC acceptance email letting you know the watch has been shipped and you can get your tracking info off the website. To find it, log on at the Trusty website and go to 'My Account'. There will be a list of your orders with the most recent at the top. Select 'View' next to it and then look down the verbiage (which is usually a copy-paste of the text in your emails). At the end of the latest email, after his signature will be the tracking number. Every one I've gotten has been through EMS so my number always looks like this: EMS: EE123456789CN. This number is also at the top of the shipping form in the last QC pic. 8. I then go to the EMS website to track (http://www.ems.com.cn/english.html). However, it will usually take a day or two for any info to be posted here. There's a little trick with the verification on the tracking page though that took me a little bit to figure out. There's two boxes; the first is 'Shipment Number' which is obviously where you enter the tracking number Andrew provided. The next one says 'Verification' which would normally lead me to enter a CAPTCHA code from some kind of small photo of numbers or letters, but there's not one there. The trick is that you have to click the mouse in that box before the code will pop up! The EMS site has good tracking through China, but will post less detailed information once it leaves the country. If you are in the US, you can enter the same tracking number into the tracking page of the USPS website to get good tracking info once it reaches the US. 9. My experience so far has been really good with shipping times. Usually 7-10 days from the time I replied to the QC email. I once had the package stuck in customs for 5 full days, but even then it still got to me in 13 days total. It's hard, but this is the time to be patient. The watch will show up. ***************************************************************************************************************************** That's the process I went through on all 4 watches with Andrew at Trusty Time. There is another dealer who goes by "Joshua" from a website called "Perfect Clones" who is as highly reviewed as Andrew. However, once I found a reliable dealer who sends me good watches reliably, I don't see the need to go anywhere else. If you do decide to try Perfect Clones, check out his section here on RWG. I've heard that there are a few scam websites of his. They're called "Perfect Clones" and look identical to his, but are not the same URL and will get you ripped off (yes I see the irony in the fakes of the fake). But Andrew has been solid and reliable, so he's the one I recommend.

Hi mate, First noob replica advice (too almost all of us) - stop coming into the rep world and having such respect and craving for something that can be tracked back to that small alp state! Sure, people there are OK, but asian movements are actually great for a fraction of the cost. Sure, you could hunt down an ETA 7750 for some $400 and asks someone to help you install it. But I don't think it'll make you a happier man. Just my 2 cents

Here are pics and specs from my IWC Portuguese Chronograph 3714-01: - Genuine cal 79350 movement - Genuine Dial - Genuine Handset - Genuine Crown set - Modded Case - Single sided AR (Thanks PBdad!) - Genuine Baume & Mercier Dark Brown Alligator strap - Rep IWC buckle Big thanks to Texski for getting all the parts and putting together the watch. Tex is great to work with and did an amazing job with the watch. Enjoy the pics (although i'm not much of a photog).

@cougar1, yes I agree, I've got 6-7 different pin removers and the plastic one in your picture is by far the best if you use it carefully.

@Jkay, The punches which come with one of these blocks, have piss weak punch pins in them. With some heat you can pull the old pins out. Then go to your local tackle shop, with a pair of callipers in hand, and measure the diameter of the shank on various fish hooks. Fish hooks are case hardened AND tempered, and will stand more "punching" than the soft things initially supplied. The reason you have trouble however, is explained in this tute I did some time back. Anyone who has owned and used a pin press to push pins out when adjusting bracelets, will know that the pin portion of the press is very susceptible to damage; they are very easily bent! One of the main reasons these pins get bent so regularly, is that when pushing a pin out of a bracelet, much attention to where the pin coming out of the bracelet is contacting is needed. This also applies with a bracelet block and punch set. If a bracelet is at all off centre the pin coming out will meet up with the other side of the press, and the push pin will bend. (I have deliberately set this up to show the offset issue!) Bracelets need to be lined up so that the pin being pushed comes out in the gap or hole provided. I use a diamond wheel on a Dremel to open this gap out, Not the tidiest of jobs, but VERY effective! Another problem is that the actual pins, whether they be in a screw in or fitted and in a screw press or in a punch being used with a bracelet block, AREN’T ALL THAT TOUGH. If you can remove the old bent pin, consider measuring the diameter and length needed, and going to your local fishing tackle shop, and purchasing a few hooks of the correct diameter material, with enough length in the shank to cut a new pin from. Fish hooks are highly case hardened and tempered, and prove a great replacement for pins which really aren’t all that durable. Try those tips and see how things go, but a hardened punch will make life a lot easier. O/S

Andy, I don't want to discuss anymore about it. I own several of gen vintage watches and every month also a lot go thru my hands for overhaul. Use the upper side of the drill and try to put it in the hole. If it works your holes are dead!

029M today

I agree. Only builds putting a gen movement is to match a gen watch selling over $10k. (Daytona, DRSD, Red Sub, Comex, Milsub, 1655) After that, it's just too close in price. My 2 cents, at least.

Well, that's where the value is for me anyway - but not for everyone. There's a lot of people on these forums that send their watches to someone else to do the complete mod. The value for them lies elsewhere. Another thing about a rep - franken or not - is that I'll wear it without being too worried. When I owned a Speedmaster a few years back I was always worried I'd scratch it or lose it. And yes, no matter if you are buying gen or rep - there's always a new update of the series around the corner.

The value in it is always the build, come to sell it on though and youl be lucky to get a third of the cost back-despite all the effort and parts...definately franken if the watch is a keeper long term.the thing is though with the new style planet oceans coming out, the older original versions from 2006 onwards may come down in price even more on the used market...bringing them closer still to a quality franken. When you consider on some occassions you only have to maybe go 2 or 3 hundered quid more to get a used gen in the current market is a franken of this watch viable anymore? Don't get me wrong though, I have had 3 frankens and 4 oob over the years, so I'm not anti-franken! But ive spent enough money on them to have bought a gen!

Nice! Here it is, in its natural setting on Portage Glacier a year ago.

Your wish is my command M! Vintaged gilt hands...actually it does look a whole heck of a lot better!

I'm carefully biding my time until the original thrill subsides... then I'm gonna make my move. Perhaps a trade offer. Maybe a trade for a vintage MBW from 15 years ago. ........with a gen Triplock, gen T-39 Superdome, gen insert, and (get this) a movement from an original Paul's Red Sub, ca. 1997, with the silver date wheel. Of course I'm just pondering out loud...