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Back from servicing... What a sight to behold--let alone, wear!! MMMMmmmmmmm, Flyback Mov't action!

Joining Jkay!

Since the diver came out I have been asking the dealers to rep it. A few months later news came that it was in the works. First we had the release of the Chanel factory, which I was not satisfied with. Then we had the supposedly 1:1 V2 diver from the Noob factory which I also was not satisfied with. Too many flaws while they could make some great other 1:1 watches with barely any flaws. I kept on asking and it finally came. Angus bought the gen piece for the Noob factory to get it repped and here we are! On Tuesday I got the message that I could go pick up the AP Diver at the local post office. That was the first thing I did in the morning. After opening the package Angus sent me I was astonished. I have been collecting reps for 4 years now and by each release I am surprised by the level of accuracy that these reps have obtained. Being a fan of Audemars Piguet in general and the ROO line I have owned many of the models being released by the factories. They were all superb, no problems but this Diver goes a bridge further. The level of details is stunning. As an AP horolofile I felt I needed to post another review. Since I the better camera is at home I have shot some pics with my iPhone. But keep an eye on this review as I will do a photoshoot, probably the upcoming weekend. Let's go! <iframe width="560" height="315" src=" http://www.youtube.com/embed/QlluIP-4sL0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> In 2010 Audemars Piguet has chosen to expand their Royal Oak Offshore line with the introduction of the new AP Diver. While other Royal Oak Offshore models were built to endure your sporty adventures, there hadn’t been one that could accompany you underneath the sea. With the Diver, AP’s remedies that situation. AP takes a cool, minimalist approach to its diver with just the essentials of time, date and a bezel to keep track of your dive time. They are quite capable of wowing us with complications but while you’re fish gazing and marveling at the wild plant forms swaying below, you don’t have a lot of need for those fancy extras. AP made the right choice in keeping this dive watch simple and functional. The baton hands are thick and prominent against the black “Méga Tapisserie” pattern that has become AP’s signature in the ROO collection. To ensure the visibility while diving the hands as well as the hour markers have lume applied on them. On the genuine item the hands are made out of white gold, what is worth mentioning. The majority of dive watches choose an outer unidirectional bezel to mark dive periods. AP went with an inner rotating bezel, which not only keeps the shapely octagonal case intact but also provides a more secure solution. You don’t want an accident or miscalculation when you’re a long way from a breath of fresh air. Unscrewing the crown at 10 o’clock operates the inner rotating dial ring which can be set on each minute. Characteristic of the Offshore collection, metal - in this case, stainless steel - intermingles with rubber in the molded crowns and strap. The black and gray color combination also gives it a versatility that can wear from completely casual to looking right at home in a more serious setting. picture from Patrickm500 In order to maintain water resistance, dive watches of necessity need a solid case back. On the genuine item Audemars has chosen for the 21,600 bph 3120 caliber with full gold rotor. The Diver meets all the international requirements for diving with a depth rating to 300 meters. Most people wear a dive watch for the sporty looks and because they have an appreciation of the technical achievement. They don’t often plunge to the depths of the ocean to check out the accuracy of the specs. However, if you want to test the Diver’s mettle, AP invites you to do so. On their website they show a world map of urban diving spots, helping you to plan your next underwater excursion. 1. Case finish Overall the case finish is superb, as with all the other ROO's available. The brushed and polished parts are excellent and well finished. As well as the bead blasted back of the mid-case (not the caseback). I can't really comment on any flaws at all concerning the case. The crown is made very well as well, not seeing any obvious flaws, size is correct, it feels solid and it has a rubber washer for waterproofness. 2. Caseback Great as well, the inner circle with the bead blasting is very very close but imo just a tad away from the gen finishing. Which is ... NOT that much noticeable. Engraving of the caseback serials could have been done a bit deeper and the font of the N° could have been closer to the gen. Thickness is perfect and inside finishing is great as well with the swirl finishing and Audemars Piguet Swiss Made engraving. Gen on the right, rep on the left Inside swirl finish & engraving, pic by Angus/Puretime 3. Crystal The gen AP Diver uses sapphire crystal with an AR-coating, after contacting AP I got to know that the gen had an AR coating on the inside only. Which is colourless. Angus passed this to the factory and tadaaa, here we have got ourselves a crystal 1:1 as per gen. <iframe width="560" height="315" src=" http://www.youtube.com/embed/MAXlH-7Roeo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> 4. Dial & Inner rotating bezel Dial appears to be 1:1 with the gen imo. Datewheel cut-out is fantastic as well as the batons applied. Lume is not that strong for this kind of super rep. It's good but not as strong as the gen. So for nitpickers I'd count in the cost of a relume job. Wonderful thing with the dial and the combo of the AR on the crystal is the look of the dial with direct sunlight, the mega-tappiserie dial really gets popped up. Also the markers give some reflection, which makes it a bit of a bling watch. Subtle but it's there! The bezel is well made, the turning mechanism is copied from the gen and clicks in on every minute counter. It has the correct satin finish as per gen. One thing I should mention is the lume, imo the lume on the rep is somewhat thinner than on the gen, the gen appears to have slightly thicker applied numbers on the bezel. Which makes them look closer to eachother compared to the rep. As for the lume, same as with the dial, nitpickers, count in a relume job. IMO it's great out of the box, remember what we pay for this watch compared to the gen price... The bezel crown feels very well made and has got the rubber washers on the tube for waterproofness. Gen on the right, rep on the left. 5. Strap & buckle I have never been a great fan of the V2 strap as it was wrong in every aspect. As well as the buckle. With the strap of the V3 they did a great job. There is a minimalistic difference as per gen (texture), the buckle shape and the buckle engraving are on par with the gen, but the gen is a bit more brushed. The gen strap is stiffer as with all the gen AP ROO straps. The strap wears very comfortable. I have a 7" wrist and it's not too big. However, if you have a 6,5" wrist I'd advice to get a short gen strap. The endlinks are great as well and stick a tiny bit out above the case though I find that the gens stick out a tiny bit more. There are no pics of a bracelet on the Diver, I have tried this but I could not manage to do it. Torobravo has posted some pics of the Diver with bracelet where he claims it fits. Let us know how, I'd love to have my bracelet fitted as well! . buckle shape as per gen buckle engraving as per gen, "acier inox" & stamping at the correct position Correct engraving, pic by Angus/Puretime Correct stamp & position, pic by Angus/Puretime 7. Movement The V3 is available with 2 types of movements, the Asian 2824 and the Swiss Sellita SW200. I have chosen the Asian 2824 as I won't be using the movement. I will swap mine with a genuine ETA2846 that has got 21,600 bph as per gen (yes I am an "AP" nitpicker) . The current datewheel is on par with the gen, differences are not noticeable with the naked eye. As for the movements whether or not I would have changed it, I'd pick the Asian over the Swiss as I have owned bothe and I do not see anything why I should pay $90 extra. Both movements work fine. Save the $90 for an upgrade or your next rep! antimagnetic shield, picture by Angus/Puretime Asian ETA 2824, picture by Angus/Puretime 8. Cyclopse Better than I've expected. It is AR'ed which is wonderful but imo it's a bit too blue. Does this bother me? No, not really or maybe it's better to say not yet... It's only visible at some angles but during the day being outside it's ok. The gen HAS GOT blueish AR, but this only visible from certain angles. And honestly it looks more colourless than blueish. AR on the cyclopse, picture by Angus/Puretime 9. Hands Hands are shaped as per gen. Gen hands are white gold as previously stated. 10. Bezel screws Bezel screws are a tiny bit recessed, hard to see from the pics. On the gen these are white gold. Nitpickers, the screws are not uniformly recessed so you know what to do . -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall impression: Wonderful value for the money The best AP rep available Astonishing quality/finish compared to the genuine article Nitpickers, count in a relume and a re AR'ed cyclopse For me this is the nicest rep I have owned FLAWS (guys, you should know that I am a real pain in the *ss nitpicker, most of these flaws can only be seen up close): Bezel numbers should be closer to each other, but this can be modded, it's due to the lume. Cyclopse is too blue. [*]Caseback engraving should be deeper + font should be a tiny bit different. [*]Bezel screws should be uniformly recessed. [*]Strap texture is a tiny tiny tiny bit different from the gen [*]Buckle is more brushed on the gen [*]No superlume GO ORDER IT! Thanks for viewing my thread. Please feel free to post your AP Diver pics and impressions! Allthough pics do not do this watch any justice. This watch was ordered via PureTime. A true asset to this community. It was a pleasure working with you Angus! Links to the watch: http://puretime.co/product/royal-oak-offshore-diver-11-v3-noob-best-edition-on-rubber-strap/ Can also be ordere via ToroBravo, another trusted Dealer, and another true asset to this community! I'd like to specially thank "repitup" as well for helping me with the comparison pics gen vs rep! Thanks T.! Some VIDEOS: <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24743422?byline=0&amp;color=ffffff" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> Now, did I just had you all?! * Book by Audemars Piguet for the 40th Anniversary of the Royal Oak. Can be had trough an AD.

Reps have come a long way since I last played. What can $128 buy you? Lets take a look (Green arrow for Gen, Red for Rep): First Tell is the Pearl of the Bezel Insert. But to this day, it is the most common mistake on a rep: I bought a Clarks Replacement Bezel insert : http://www.ebay.com/...#ht_1240wt_1396 But I do not know yet if I am only taking the pearl or replacing the bezel. Because the Bezel Font is spot on: 0-15 minutes: 20 minutes: 30 minutes: 40 and 50 minutes: In fact, most of the watch face is spot on: Slight angle to show the Hour Marker Surrounds are correct thickness: Even the lume is accurate: Bezel Teeth is correct: Now on to the case: The second biggest tell is the Escape Valve. The Gen is polished while the Rep is dull: [bLINK]CORRECTION:[/bLINK] I have been informed that later SDs have matte escape valves, so this is accurate per serial #M of the rep. Crystal is just slightly taller: Crown position is lower than gen: Lugs are pretty close: The Caseback is the closest/ best I have ever seen, correct font and Rolex Crowns: On to the Bracelet: This is where it fails, but no one will see it: Clasp: Weight and feel is EXACTLY the same: Video of Movement sweep: https://vimeo.com/42226379 CONCLUSION: Overall a GREAT OUT OF THE BOX BUY FOR $128 + shipping from ANDREW of Trusty. I bought it here: http://www.trustytim...roducts_id=9252 With minor modding, Change the Pearl (or Pop it out) you have a great rep. I liked it so much, I ordered a 2nd one as a backup. I always have a backup to my favorites. Others have swam in the pool with it and have no problems. I have not tested that, yet. UPDATE: NEW PEARL ON FACTORY BEZEL I just changed the Pearl. Took the pearl from an ebay aftermarket bezel for my 14060: CHANGING THE PEARL I used an exacto knife to lift the old pearl out of the bezel. I chose to do this over taking the whole bezel out. I am really good at mauling inserts trying to insert them back. BEFORE: After "lifting" the bad pearl out and comparing to Gen and the New Pearl New Pearl sat too high, hand drilled with a drill bit, ONE TURN AT A TIME. Shave and test set the pearl, shave and test set. Try to shave while forcing more pressure on the BASE of the upside down triangle so you can keep most of the TIP of the triangle. Took me 2 turns only. You want the friction of the bezel vs the cup of the pearl as the main source of holding it in. I added a dab of crazy glue around the cup for insurance. AFTER: 5/29/12 UPDATE: POOL TEST Whats Memorial Day without BBQ and Pool time! I swam with the SD shallow and Deep End, NO PROBLEMS whatsoever. I just checked again (day after) and no condensation inside. BUT ALWAYS RINSE your watch (gen or rep) after going into the pool to wash off the salt or chlorine from the O-rings.

Today I'm testing a brand new Hirsch Gator strap + Gen Omega Buckle...mmm tasty double AR

I do love a seasoned redhead.

This is an i series and I've read that it was the year they transitioned from the open 6. Here are some pics of the movement I took a few days ago

Something new in the stable:

With a seller name like that I would not expect speedy shipping..

5514:

Stealth...

Thanks, Dave Both Forumrunner and Tapatalk are great alternatives for mobile browsing or browsing via your iPad. Not sure which one I like the best....

What I am wearing? Here is my selection for today :-)

My wifes gift to me for B-day;

I got this one from Nah-Piek earlier this year (big thanks to Cubeistan) and I am quite happy with it ( InGod dial upgrade and some mods): Also have a nice 1665 GWSD from him that I bought personally 2 years ago and it is still running like a charm. The little guy in the store was very helpful (despite obvious communication problems) and even brought me personally to a watch store to install my gen T-39 crystal that I had with me.

I have an AP CP coming in 2 days with some scratches. I have some scrap Ti bar stock that I will test blast. My wife has a 6ft. long blasting cabinet and I've bought 5 types of blasting media to play with, as well as smaller hose tips for small parts. I'll report back as soon as possible. Her blasting cabinet... Inside...

"I’m almost never serious, and I’m always too serious. Too deep, too shallow. Too sensitive, too cold hearted. I’m like a collection of paradoxes." —Ferdinand von Schrubentaufft

The Rack...

Awesome shot...

Toshi makes straps, i don't know if they're that good. you're better off getting an orloff imo

The who!

While nice-looking, your new watch is not an accurate specimen of a genuine Comex 1665. Read this.

Don't worry guys, I had plenty of replys on RWI. Why don't people reply on RWG anymore? It never used to be like this....