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I just bought my first rep and wasn't used to the whole idea of reps.One day, as I was roaming between meetings I stopped by a local Omega AD to have a look at some of the Omega offerings and, you know, to have some fun. Unfortunately I totally forgot about wearing my rep IWC Spitfire. As I approached the counter I suddenly realized that I was wearing the watch, but what could I do? So while looking at some PO's I took the my watch off, and the shop owner instantly recognized it. She said "they just never make those IWC dials right, do they? but I love the job they've done on the case". I was a bit surprised, not because she bluntly called me out, but by her keen eye. I said "yeah, wish I could find a cheap dial to install" or something along the lines. "So you've got the bug too", she laughed and we went on talking about reps gens etc. Really cool lady and funny as hell. As it appeared she was quite a watch expert and rep collector with over 80 watches in her watchbox (all men's watches, btw). A couple of weeks later I stopped by and she showed me part of her collection: from cheap datejusts to really high end 1:1's. It was like GTG at Christmas on steroids. We are still in touch, but I learnt my lesson: never visit AD with a rep.

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.

I've mentioned before how I never used to understand the appeal of the Rolex Submariner. I would read about guys obsessing over the inner surfaces of crown guards, or pulling out micrometers to measure crown-to-bezel distances on WM9s. I'd read the comparisons and the extensive, expensive mods, but... nothing. The Submariner had a common and familiar shape that failed to excite anything in my brain. Then, exactly a year ago, I got my first Sub: a gilt MBW 5512 that ChiMan12 put together. Now, the 5512 is one of my favorites, and the it led me back through familiar territory that I'd ignored the first time round. So why the TC Sub, and why now? As stated above, it was partly because I hadn't been turned onto the Submariner prior to that 5512. But my buying one was largely because of the excellent photos and terse descriptions that TC produced to sell the watches. TC let his photography do the talking, and the quality of the pieces was obvious. Also, in the months before buying the TC Sub, I'd made a couple of big orders that didn't go through: First, I missed out on the first batch of Noob PAM127s, and didn't want to wait 3+ months for the next production run. Later, I'd gone as far as sending funds for an MBW AP Royal Oak Jumbo, only for the seller to nix the deal at the last minute. I got my money back on both occasions, but I was starting to feel like Gregory Peck with that million-pound note. (Why is it sometimes so hard to spend?) And that's when I started to notice a whole lot of chatter on the forums about yet another high-end Sub... There's not a whole lot to say about the build, as this watch is nearly an out-of-the-boxer. It's a stock V-Series, sent without an insert. I was lucky that the only one TC had in stock was a watch that had already had its rehaut obliterated. I've never liked the RER, so a watch with an untrimmed rehaut would have definitely gone to Texas for a shave. alligoat kindly provided me with a genuine Luminova insert, so I thought I was all set. And then this happened: AUUGH! Commenting in my tragic thread, sneed12 said he would fit a new insert onto the watch for free, and he wasn't kidding. I was so upset that I immediately ordered a new insert and sent it, and my poor Sub, to sneed. He worked quickly. A few days after receiving both packages, the installation was complete and sneed sent me a photo of the finished watch. It would be several more weeks until I got it back on my wrist (via vlydog), and I've been loving it ever since. Note that, genuine insert aside, this is an unmodded Sub. It has the older datewheel overlay and the V2 (?) bracelet, both of which I'm pleased with. For now. So here's my first modern Submariner--assuming "modern" applies to a design that was introduced in the the tail end of the 1980s. Onto the rest of the pictures: Quick review: I like it a lot!

Didnt find anyone else post this, so after getting a v3 head w/swiss mvmt at a steal price i decided to make a side by side review, comparison. The following are the only improvements i know of. Be kind and let me know if there is more. First, date window, date font, cyclops, oscillating rings. All in one shot: V3 V2 Cyclops has got the annoying blue AR, other than that, everything improved verry well. Next caseback texture. Also improved, more defined/rough. V2 V3 Serial font is more gen-like V2 V3 Numbers font on bezel is smaller and sits closer to the dial. V2 V3 Bezel triangle mark at 12 smaller as per gen: V2 V3 Lume is way better, but still not superlume as promised: V2 V3 rubber gasket on v3 protrudes more than on v2 (not sure whats closer to gen) V2 V3 "SWISS MADE" font is corrected, not as thick and heavy as V2 V2 V3 Cutouts in case for crown are rounded V3 on the left, V2 on the right. Crystal sits higher on V3 V2 on the left, V3 on the right: Caseback profile is changed v3 on the right, has a smaller bevelled edge but thicker look, compare to V2 on the left. Crownguards are thinner on V3 on the left, than on the V2 on the right. Bezel screws are sunken in: V3 V2 This sums it up so far. I am still waiting on the strap with buckle and links from Toro. Here is a few more side by side shots. Hope some of you find it usefull/interesting. Serge.

If you wear a 6542 with a white dial and walk in the streets in Paris, especially close to collector shops area, people will make fun of you but in Disneyland Paris the watch will sublimate and impress crowd of tourists who puff out popcorn just kidding, in fact, I dont really care, The only thing I remember from PanAm is the menu choice on a Paris/San Francisco flight : Paris/NYC : Chicken or Pasta.... NYC/SFO : Pasta or Chicken...

I am new to rep world so maybe I did not have enough time to get called out, but last week I was travelling and this other guy that attends the same events and is always bragging about everything was wearing a Rolex YM 16622, I have a TC YM 16622 and it looks very close to a gen to me. So this other guy saw mine and immediately was like hey he has the same watch as you. The guy with the other YM looked at mine and started to hide his, I was like what is going on here, then he quickly showed his and pulled the shirt down again, I could notice that his was a bit bigger than mine (fantasy maybe), the fonts were not accurate and the color was very pale. I assume his was a replica and as soon as he saw mine he decide to not compare the watches. I was baffled as this guy drives a Porsche Carrera and is always bragging about his stuff been better and what not. Go figure.

wow - a perfect review if you ask me - great quality pics, to the point, and very informative i don't think most people have any idea how long it takes to put something like this together - fantastic job deltatahoe

really great job!! thanks the triangle on the v3 looks way off at 12

Great comparo! Bookmarked for future ref! =)

Awesome job S.. Thanks for sharing

works for wives some times as well!!

Nice photos!!! Well done!

I've been called out for wearing GENS.

hello. can you verify if the claimed OEM parts are authentic or not? some questioned whether he was using OEM parts like he claimed?

you could buy a preowned gen for the money of your parts list. I got a sean as well and without the gen bezel and dial it costs nearly a fortune. And to me, the TW is not that bad

The Wise old man speak gold again --- I think I am rep to frankens. Just going and buying a gen from a shop is not a fair deal!!.. the pleasure of wait and the journey of making a franken step by step would give more pleasure. And I think it doesn't stop there one still keeps getting the juice of the hard work in the form of compliments and appreciation when one wears the watch.

What will be interesting to see is which way your horological interests steer you. Over the years many of us have gone from gens to reps or reps to gens or reps to frankens, etc. And of course the amusing part is that if you do this long enough life is always a big circle. I am at the phase where simply buying and owning (whether rep or gen) is not particularly exciting. Been there and done that. I get more pleasure out of the projects and the friends who you do them with. The projects just happen to be watches.