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Thought I'd drag this old-timer out for some exercise...

It was suggested that I repost this for the knowledge base so I have revised it a bit. Before we start, this is a bit complicated and people may choose to weigh in with different opinions and explanations. If you choose to invest the time and effort necessary to follow this, it is not wasted. I am a Dive Master with something in excess of 3000 HRs underwater, and my second academic pursuit was Mechanical Engineering. I understand Boyles Law perfectly well, PV=NRT is very basic to me, and I am perfectly well qualified to teach this. I say that because there were some differences of opinion last time this was discussed. Here we go. Understand that there is pressurized air inside your watch. If you are standing at sea level, it should be at about 14.7 psi - but we will say 15 to keep the math easy. It doesn't seem pressurized to us because everything is at 15psi - standard atmospheric pressure. If you took that watch into outer space while stuck inside a skin tight balloon, and popped the stem (or otherwise compromised the structural integrity of the case), air would come rushing out to expand the balloon. If you can understand that -- everything else that follows will be simple. Personally, I have no use for a watch that isn't genuinely water resistant. I test all of mine: I think I can say with some confidance that the prevailing belief that reps are not waterproof is a holdover from the old days when they came with cardboard spacers and Timex movements. To test a watch, you put the watch in the device - feel free to use paperclips, or whatever you need to help suspend the watch if you prefer to leave the bracelet on. To start with, there is no reason to go overboard, so pump the pressure up to TWO of atmospheres. Now, if you are really following along, you would know that you have added two atmoshperes worth of pressure (30 PSI) to the cylinder outside the watch for a total pressure outside the watch of 45 PSI (since everything started at 15 psi). Now, LET THE WATCH HANG THERE A FEW MINUTES TO EQUALIZE IF IT IS GOING TO (Hopefully, it won't) If the watch equalized while up in the air, that means it is not airtight. In other words, and this is the part to understand, there was a small volume of air at normal atmospheric pressure inside the watch going into the chamber (say for example purposes on cubic inch of air at 15 PSI) If you add two atmospheres of pressure, you have tripled the pressure from 1 to 3, but if the watch is airtight, NOTHING happens inside. That's why men can spend forever in a submarine at significant depths with no decompression issues, but if the watch was an airtight balloon, you would watch it shrink to a third it's size which is exactly what you do see if you take a balloon down underwater about 66 feet. If the watch is not airtight, the pressure will equalize inside the watch and that means that the amount of air inside the watch will triple - three times the pressure means that three times the volume of air fits into the same space, so what we need to know is, do we have one cubic inch of air inside that one cubic inch case at 15 PSI, or three cubic inches of air at 45PSI. Lower the watch into the water. SLOWLY release the pressure -- did I say SLOWLY!!!!!! DO NOT - NOT - NOT dump the pressure. SLOWLY releasing the pressure releases the pressure on the enitre system - the air, the water, and the watch. As the pressure releases, NOTHING happens inside the airtight watch - like the men in the submarine, they don't know the difference. On the other hand, if our little experiment packed three cubic inches of air into a one cubic inch space, releasing the pressure makes that air want to come right back out. At this point, let me focus you on something - think about the inside of the watch case - including the space between the dial and the crystal. Even though the watch looks like it is pretty much filled up with a movement, there is still a LOT of airspace in there. If you take that volume and add twice that volume to it - twice the volume of airspace inside that watch is a LOT of air. When you release it, it isn't going to be a few bubbles. More on that later. If air come's pouring out of that watch as you are SLOWLY releasing the pressure -- DO NOT STOP. DO NOT STOP, but even more importantly, DO NOT - NOT - NOT let the pressure go to zero. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Pull that watch up out of the water while the pressure is slowly dropping and before it hits zero. IT MUST NOT GO TO ZERO while a leaky watch is under water becasue once the positive air pressure bleeds out, water can get in. No water can get in that leaky watch while the air pressure inside is bleeding out. Now, back to my point about volume. If you test your watches with bezels before reading this, you will report back that they all leak. Not so. When you pressurized the system, you did that by pumping in air. You stuffed three times the air into that system that was originally there so you pumped three times the air into the space beneath the bezel, where the lug holes are, etc that would be there without all that pressure. That little airbubble trapped under the bezel, or inside the lug hole, or wherever, is going to expand to three times its size as the pressure released and as it does, it won't fit there anymore. In other words, a few little bubbles are perfectly normal. Remember, when you pump in six atmospheres of pressure, you are compressing all the air inside that cylinder, forcing every space to hold seven times as much air as it held to start with. That is a HUGE differential. Watch the springbars and you will see bubbles coming from them, as well as from under the bezel, lug holes, from the underside of lugs . . . anywhere a tiny bubble could cling. When that bubble gets seven times as large, it will float up. Believe me, when seven times the vollume of air normally inside a watch case comes rushing out, nobody will have to tell you it leaked. If it passes just fine at two atm, repeat the process at five or six. You will find that any of the better quality reps does just fine. Good luck, Bill

Saw this fantastic thread over on the other RwG and asked semaj if he minded me posting it here too, it's a great place to read up on the current 'Super Reps' that are available, enjoy Ok, let me start off buy demystifying the term “super-rep” because it’s banded about on the forums waaaaaay too much. The only way IMO it should be used is to describe a rep that is 99% 1:1, no rep IS 1:1 or they’d just be gens. This is instead, more of a list of “super good looking and quite close to gen” list. This list is the cream of the crop, the best of the best in terms of accuracy and also as a direct result, popularity. I don't want members, especially new members, thinking this is a list of all 1:1 watches, no, instead this is a list to help guid you to the cream of the crop but always remember that a rep watch will always have its flaws. I have used MemberX’s original list as a base point and built on it. I have included the majority of his original choices, especially those which I’m not familiar with such as Concord etc I have NOT included modders builds such as RA/Phong. I have only included those who only specialise in one brand, BK/TC/Concepta etc the watches listed are for the most part “out of the box” Movements; Asian 2836 or swiss, unless the case back is see-through you get the same thing. All watches advised would contain either swiss or asian clone movements unless specified otherwise Cases: I have included a few watches with gold/white gold/platinum cases in the gen. Obviously, the weight of the rep and gen will not be the same so keep this in mind. I don’t profess to know this stuff as well as some other members, this is just based on my 2 years collection and reading online. If you have something to add or think something shouldn’t be there, shoot me a PM and I can update the thread. NB some are better than others in terms of closeness to gen, however all are recognized as being very, very good and close to gen. Small differences from later versions may improve the overall 1:1 propensity of the watch but the earlier version, if applicable, should still be considered very good and accurate. Small differences to the gens such as the placement being off by a few millimeters of the “Swiss made” mark etc are inconsequential. please note: Those marked *under review* are on the cusp of being removed from the list due to popular consensus that they may may not/should not be classified with the rest of the watches listed. This is a peer reviewed list and majority rules. The more people we have here giving input the better the list will be and more accurate. The "list" Audemars Piguet (AP): All the AP chronographs advised have seconds at “12” unless specified otherwise AP ROO Diver V3-3.5 AP Montauk v2 & v1 AP Safari (updated version with silver outlined numerals and rounded pushers) AP Rose Gold Rubber Clad (updated version with gold outlined numerals and rounded pushers) AP Stainless Steel Rubber Clad (Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP silver theme (Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP chronopassion (Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP White themes (Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP grey themes (Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP black themes ((Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP Rose Gold Don Ramon de la Cruz (Updated version w/ rounded pushers) AP Royal Oak Jumbo (current new version) *under review* Breitling: Seawolf v2 all colours Super Ocean Steel Fish (SOSF) v2 Super Ocean Heritage non-chrono v2 Skyland Avenger chrono v4 Super Ocean Abyss 44mm Super Ocean Abyss 42mm Super Avenger chronographs v4 Cartier: Santos 100 ultimate chronograph and chronometer Ebel: 1911 discovery chronograph white panda & black Rolex: Anything from TC and BK Rolex explorer II – N factory Ceramic sub –BP factory Sea Dweller - BP factory Ultimate DSSD Ultimate “Super” sea-dweller (SSD) Day-date 2 – N factory Date-just 2 – N factory Current versions of explorer 1 both 36 and 39mm MBW/MW9/MBK sub Panerai Too many to list, see below link for an in-depth model analysis done by Ale on RWI http://www.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/reference-pam-review-107365.html?t=107365 Chopard Chopard Mille Miglia GTXL Chrono – grey IWC Ingy Laureus (blue) N-factory Portofino Ultimate Version (all colours) Mark XVII v2 Mark XVI v2 Big pilot 5004 *under review* Pilot chrono 3717 latest version Top gun chrono 3789 latest version Aquatimer Cousteau diver 2006-08 versions 3707 Ti Chronograph ingy (old version) w/ lello DWO Anything from Concepta Patek Nautilus 5711 ultimate SW (blue and gray) Nautilus 3711 ultimate SW (black) Omega Ultimate Planet Ocean (UPO) 42mm PO (latest ultimate version) Planet Ocean Professional (Ploprof) v2 Ceramic Planet Ocean (latest version from N-factory)*under review* JLC Navy Seals Diver (NSD) Concord C1 Vacheron Constantin Overseas (latest ultimate Swiss ETA version w/ correct date wheel window) Sinn Sinn U1 Sinn U2 Sinn UX Sinn U1000 SoleBox U2 Graham Chronofighter Dewitt Academia Chrono Bell & Ross Bell & Ross BR02 Bell & Ross BR03-92 Bell & Ross BR03 type aviation swiss quartz Tag Heuer Tag Heuer Aquaracer Chrono TAG Heuer Link Calibre 16 Chronograph Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5 Hublot Diver 4ooo – v4 ultimate caviar v6 hublot Big Bang stainless steel I’m sure there’s more but I know very little about HB’s, others input is needed. Montblanc Montblanc timewalker chrono (new N-factory version) These are available from our trusted dealers subject to availability and continuing production. Some are no longer being made. Do NOT PM me asking where you can get blah blah blah etc, ask one of the Trusted Dealers. You can buy these reps here http://www.rwgforum.net/links/category/3-dealer-websites/ Your input on the content of the list is greatly appreciated guys and I will try to keep it up to date with semaj thread too, thanks and a big shout out to James for getting this list going it takes time and effort to do it

The outsanding weaving pattern that forms the square and lozenge motif of “Grand Tapisserie” is decoratively engraved in a remarkable way thanks to machines that are half a century old. This highly intricate guillochage captures the light and accentuates the timepiece's geometric relief. I really wonder how the rep industry are able nowadays to replicate this so accurately !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0uW37FnCLM The brass dial is engraved by a burin (a precision metalwork chisel) that reproduces the motif on a disc attached to the machine, like a pantograph. A pointer rotates across the disc from the periphery to the centre. The system is combined with a tool that forms the little lozenges between the squares,” explains engineer Nicholas Prost, who heads the decorative engraving project. The process takes between 20 and 50 minutes, depending on the dial's diameter. It's a delicate operation. A mere skip is all it takes to damage the piece as the slightest impact is as visible as dust on a mirror. As the 'piquetage' gets closer to the circle's centre, the rhythm gets faster and hails the birth of a brand new dial, ready to be sent out for the finishing processes. Since the birth of Royal Oak in 1972, the guillochage work had been exclusively subcontracted to a dial-work artisan. In order to produce this element in the workshop, the horology brand recovered 40 year old machines in Canada and the United States. The machines were then completely overhauled and improved over the period of a year before they took their place in the manufacturing process 3 years ago. Impressive ! @ all the lucky Royal Oak Rep owners (esspecially the new 15400) Please, feel free to share your expercience .... Enjoy your day ! Xel

Welcome aboard, and greetings from Finland Great intro my friend

When I say it went flying into oblivion, I was being conservative.... I was working over hard wood floors and I could hear it land quite some distance away and then slide on the floor for several seconds before it stopped. So no clue where it went and it is one small screw, I was just hopping for help finding the part number at Ofrei's as I find their web page challenging to navigate.

Welcome to the community. I think you'll like it here.

111 today

Welcome aboard you've kind of hit the jackpot of replicas here but it's as much as a curse as a blessing. Have fun

It's great to have the TC back. Thanks for the great work, J!

Clearly some sort of ban is in order here. This is much too nice!