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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/16/2014 in all areas
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5 points
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How about this? Maranez Bangla with brass daytona plate dial on Heroic 18 brown shark:3 points
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Dear fellow RWG members, Before I start, I would like to thank all of you who participated in this thread http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/162344-sick-of-tcs-subs and pushed me into purchasing TC Sub. You did a good job I finally placed my order at the end of the august 2013. After numerous considerations about which TC Sub to choose I decided to order classic 16610. At that time Thomas started a new thread on his blog about new KH dials, so my choice was clear. I asked him if he could build for me V5 16610 with KH dial. However he had no idea about turnaround time and said that the wait will be longer compared to usual order. On the other hand the new KH dials were looking so good from the initial pics that I wanted to give it a chance. The wait was on and after nearly four months I finally received a nice small box There were many unpacking/unboxing photoshoots, but I have to honestly confirm, that this packaging is just perfect. Sorry for the pic quality, they were made by a coconut. My first thoughts after unboxing this little piece were WOW. Even if there were crappy lowlight conditions in my room, I could clearly see the stunning level of detail. Only think I could think of at the moment was that the wait was worth it. Overall build quality is just awesome. DWO is perfectly aligned with cyclops, SEL fitment is nice imho, there were no scratches on the bracelet or case, crystal was bearing protective film as well as the caseback, bracelet and clasp. I remember some threads over on RWI where some guys were complaining about some dings, scratches, dust under the crystal, dial tilting to either left or right, misaligned DWO and some other things. None of these happened with my piece and Thomas did a really good job on this one. I have nothing to complain about. My only disappointment came when I tried to install gen insert. Gen insert is a piece of craftsmanship itself if you take into consideration that you need no glue because insert is hold in the bezel thanks to its shape that provides tension that holds it in the bezel. However I could not persuade that small piece of s**t to click in even if I used the edge of the table. Bezel press was needed so I had to ask my local watchsmith to do this one for me. If you are interested how much he wanted for just pressing the insert in, he charged me 25 EUR which is about 30 USD (I hope he dies in a terrible longobongo death). Now let’s go to the details. TC Sub is not a gen, but it is very, very close to it. Dial: KH dial is awesome, but there are few differences compared to gen. Almost everyone knows, that TC Subs are based on V Series case, but with rehaut engravings sanded off the case is closer to Z or Y Series 16610. If you compare gen Z Serial dial to KH dial, you will find the first difference in “1000ft” script as number 1 is different as well as the “ft” spacing, which bring the dial closer to pre-2008 models (according to Submariner Story book). However I did a little research and found out that there are variances in Z Serial dials and most of them look exactly as KH dials. But you can make your own idea: (from top: first three are Z Serial dials, last two is my KH dial. If you wonder why the font is bolder on one pic, Nr. 4 was made with ISO 400, Nr. 5 was made with ISO 100) Swiss Made script looks good itself, but I see that it should be positioned little lower. The two on the top are Z Serial dials; the last one is my KH dial. I would like to point out also the difference in positioning Swiss Made script between the two gens – the first one has more space under the script. From this pic you can also see that Z Serials have LEC crown on 6 and no AR on cyclops. You can also see that minute markers are correct – bolder markers on the left, middle and right and thinner markers under W and A. The difference is not that noticeable, but you can see it. Also there is nothing like “slightly grayish colour” of the minute markers between 5-min markers. They are just thinner. If you have ever seen how a dial is printed, you know, that nobody would care to print it with two different colours. They are all of the same white colour all around the dial. Here is another one: Finally Rolex logo looks the same to me as well as OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE spacing. No problem here. (gen Z Serial on top, TC KH under) So in my opinion KH dial looks with no doubt very gen like and even all those indices are just perfect. Forgot to mention that lume is strong and evenly applied all over the dial, so no problem (and it looks amazing). So all in all maybe the only thing that would make it different from gen lumi dial is position of the Swiss Made script. Also I do not recommend comparing the placement of indices at 6 between LN and LV dials as LV is not only bigger but always placed significantly closer to Swiss Made script (please refer to Submariner Story book). Crown: Crown is OK. No need to write much here. I did also 0 shots of it as I could not get a single satisfactory photo of it. But there is no need to change it. Bezel: Bezel teeth need some wear to be more gen like. New TC Sub bezel is also very stiff and is not very willing to turn. You have to use significant force to make it turn. After 5-10 circles it turns like a charm. But the first turn is pain in the a**. You need also bezel press to install gen insert in it (at least I did, but many other members used just their fingers). Bracelet: Bracelet is one of the things to improve. With no doubt V4 is currently the best one available on the rep market, but … There I thing I like, and also few that need to be improved. I like V4 clasp, as the coronet is nice, nice stamping on the blades and also the diver extension looks great. The brushed finish could be slightly better imho. SEL need some work, shave it a bit. And also 93250 number on the back of it may be missing. I understand that maybe Chinese are not willing to stamp it, but it surely is one of the things that make it easy tell from the gen. Everything other is spot on. There are so many details like diver extension circle marking on the bracelet link, clasp holes on the side of it, nicely brushed caseback, clasp blades are the work of art itself, TC 2824 movement with H4 cannon pinion that makes the gap between the hands more gen like, Cyclops magnification, DWO print, dial print quality, so many details. You have to see it in person to know what I am talking about. It is few days since I have it and I am getting still blown away by these little things. I had no problem with movement as well and it is running at +1 sec per day (real average rate after 5 day testing – dancing, jumping, running, oils, sweat and watter ). Good boy. On the last word, for those, who are picky about crown guards. There are so many differences between them, that nobody can tell if it is gen or not. All of them are 16610 and there are many differences not only between M, V, Z and Y case but also between the same Serial cases. Whatever you think the look OK to me. But feel free to discuss this and maybe we will find out something new (from top: 1-3 are Z Serials, 4-5 are M Serials, 6 is Y Serial, 7 is V Serial and 8 is TC reviewed here) That is all folks. TC is king. Bracelet needs some work. And I hope you enjoyed this little review and maybe it will help somebody. And big thanks goes to TC for this wonderful piece.2 points
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A salute to you sir for all that you have gone through to keep us free. I agree with Daz, there are lots and lots of nice sturdy quartz watches around, Tag's, Seikos, etc. Problem to me is most of the boutique watchmakers (genuine) are producing great mechanical watches, but for some reason are not too interested in building really sturdy quartz watches. Check out this link, Ocean7 makes some really nice watches at a very good price point. I have three of them, and I have used the two Ploprof models on numerous Scuba trips. Very nice, sturdy and not expensive. http://www.ocean7watchco.com/store/lm-5ad-quartz-chronograph-dress-diver-with-domed-sapphire-bezel.html2 points
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Received a package from UK today then spend the night building this piece. A step closer to the goal. Finest print quality I have seen. Gen print job, I would call it. Gen hour markers, gen lume job. Gen Super luminova C1 lume. Gentlemen, TC 16610 Sub V6 TC 11/20/131 point
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Wanted to share a shot of the family before they get split up. Moving a few out to make room for some newbies.1 point
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Just got this one in the mail from BK. Set the time and date and adjusted the bracelet. Looks good so far. What do you guys think?1 point
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Happy friday to everyone! I just wanted to share a few thoughts, comments and photos of my newly finished franken PO 42mm. The only reason I've started this project in the first place is because I had a broken ETA 2824 movement inside a rep PO. So it all started when I accidentally dropped the watch on the floor at the pet store when one of the strap pins came undone and the watch just fell of my wrist. Obviously there was nothing I could have done do catch it or to save it! After couple of months of thinking about what to do with so much loved but not running Omega I've found a local watchmaker who looked at the movement and said that there is a mainspring broken but the movement could be overhauled and running as good as new. His price of repair was a lot less that buying a new eta 2824. At this time I thought: "what the hell, new year is coming, lets add some genuine parts and build a nice looking Omega". Since the watch and the movement was all taken apart it will be easier to swap the parts. So I ordered gen parts from ofrei and here is what I got: Gen Dial Gen Hands Gen Crystal Gen Bezel Gen Crown Gen Tube The only issue was the Bezel - ofrei did not have one in stock so I had to wait 3extra weeks for the entire order to come in. Crown and Tube I installed myself as the watchmaker did not feel comfortable installing one because the parts were not original and would not fit. The old tube came out of the case like a charm. It was screwed in, so after filing a nice deep groove I used a flat screwdriver to unscrew the tube and the gen tube was epoxied in the place. There is plenty of instruction on this forum so I can say it was pretty easy to do and made a nice improvement. The rest of the modifications were done by a local professional watch maker and it came out rather nice. There is a HUDGE improvement in the lume of the hands and dial. The rep may look right but the difference is day and night! Same thing with the crystal and bezel. I've also decided to add a genuine strap instead of a rep bracelet because the quality of the bracelet was not there. So I ordered a ten strap and the buckle along with a pair of swiss made spring bars from ofrei and installed it right away. One thing I should mention is that compared to swiss springbars, the ones that came with the watch originally is garbage. The are very thin, not sturdy and the spring is very weak. New springbars is a big difference in quality and I am confident that the strap will stay in place. So for the price it is a great investment in safety as they are only $2.30ea. Looks like I've covered everything, so here we go, enjoy the pictures and let me know what you guys think!1 point
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Some wristies from tonight, pardon the poor light! First on Donerix leather: Then on gen 93150:1 point
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The dealers and factories are recovering from the multiple-week Chinese New Year holiday. There is a big backlog of work to clear.1 point
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Very nice!! Matt does super work. He's done a bunch of projects for me including service in some genuine Rolexes. If you are looking at anything along the lines of Rolex watches, Matt is the man to go to. He can source the parts and he does great work. He is a super nice guy as well. By the way, you need to invest in a better camera, as well as a tripod. Having a tripod to hold the camera steady will make a huge difference in the quality of your photos. My Day/Date says hello1 point
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That's deep. Would u help me dig some wealth or maybe u could find a spot for me to start digging. Nice to meet u. Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk1 point
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After seeing a few of Matt's great work popping up on RWG, I have dug mine out. I've forgotten how nice it is.1 point
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Dig a little deeper and you will find wealth beyond your wildest imagination! Oh, and welcome to RWG.1 point
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Damn There are Always those who ruin it for ohters hobe you get it sorted out kb If you tell me where he lives i can drop a bomb in his doorstep if im flying by (just kidding )1 point
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You are right about this one. I forgot to do my homework, so here is a little update to correct my previous statement. It is known, that no stamping on the first link is common for 93250 bracelets featured on modern models. TRF resources state that post 2007/2008 Subs do not have their 93250 bracelets stamped on the first link. Actually, this seems to be not true. I started my own research over the internet and I narrowed my search to 16610 and 16610LV Subs only, to find out since when they stopped stamping their 93250 bracelets on the first link and moved numbers on the inner side of SEL’s. I came into conclusion, that 93250 bracelets featured on 16610 or 16610LV Subs were stamped on the first link until year 2005 – F Serial. 2004 F Serials are bearing these stampings and even some early 2005 F Serials have stamped bracelet. However they have stopped with this somewhere in the mid 2005 as early F Serials are stamped and later 2005 F Serials are not. D Serials do not have 93250 stamping on the first bracelet link as well as later Z, M or V Serials. 16610LV – 2004 F Serial – stamped 16610 – 2004 F Serial – stamped 16610LV – 2005 F Serial – no stamp 16610 – 2005 F Serial – no stamp 16610LV – 2005 D Serial – no stamp 16610LV – 2005 D Serial – no stamp 16610LV – 2006 D Serial – no stamp 16610LV – 2006 D Serial – no stamp 16610LV – 2006 D Serial – no stamp 16610 – 2007 Z Serial – no stamp 16610 – 2010 V Serial – no stamp So missing 93250 stamping on bracelet is correct for any 16610 or 16610LV Subs issued after 2005, which means it is correct for late F Serials, and all D, M, V and Z Serials. Based on the fact, that TC Subs are based on V Series case, bracelet without 93250 stamping on the first link is correct for this one (or any post-2005 Subs even if rehaut is shaved just like on Z or Y Serial case). Once again thank you for your contribution. I hope that my previous statement is correct now1 point
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Hi Paul, take a look at this review http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/166427-tc-sub-v5-kh-dial-review. It covers all aspects about TC's sub perfectly. While $560 might seem a lot to you, especially if you're just getting into watches, you will have a hard time finding high(er) quality gen watches (mechanical) at this price point. TC's subs are actually pretty good value.1 point
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Congrats on your finishing product! Let us see how it looks at the end. BTW, i thought that the bezel is a straight fit w/o any modifications needed. Or is it true only for the 42mm PO?1 point
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congrats. i finally finished my 45.5 po a couple of weeks ago. I used soder to take up the gap on the gen bezel and used the rep spring. it was a pain trimming back the solder with an exacto knife and cutting a groove for the spring but well worth the effort. I went with a used 2892 movement I got off another forum. I got it years ago and put it in this build last year. the only thing I have left is the caseback and maybe a gen bracelet. cheers to going above and beyond and taking this hobby to the highest degree!!!1 point
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Well that´s quite something of a project You have going there. And a lot of expertise for putting it together and modifying the bezel fittings. Great. Have a TC since yesterday and the movement is fantastic compared to the standard Asian ones, quite another class. Assume that I could (let a specialist) replace an Asian or Swiss ETA with that one but would it work on a watch with former 2813 too in case it breaks down or I want to improve it? Wish You to successfully finish it soon so we may have some pics of it. Good luck.1 point