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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/22/2014 in Posts

  1. Guys, the Rolex tap is 3.0mm x .35. This is for the 6mm and 7mm tubes. .35 is a somewhat oddball thread pitch BTW. Also, old GMTs took the smaller crown and tube- the 5.3 mm crown- those holes are 2.5mm x .25. Ofrei and Jules Borel sell these tools and well as the wrench to install the 7 mm tubes.
    2 points
  2. Cartier Tank Anglaise, Medium size, Stainless steel The Cartier Tank is one of the most iconic single watch designs in history. First released in 1917, its Art Deco styling was inspired by the Renault tanks that saw battlefield use during the First World War. Louis Cartier created a watch that was both square and rectangular by incorporating the lugs into the case in what are the model line's signature "brancards" (French for "stretcher"). Over the years, Cartier has tweaked, refined, and just toyed-with the Tank formula, creating dozens of different variants on the theme. At SIHH 2012, Cartier introduced a new Tank: the Tank Anglaise. Like the Tank Américaine and the Tank Française, the Tank Anglaise is named after a country which hosts a significant Cartier boutique. (New York, Paris, London) The Tank Anglaise differentiates itself from its cousins by being flouting the traditional Cartier thinness, being nearly 11mm thick, and by continuing Cartier's obsession with streamlined design by incorporating the crown into one of the brancards, which now resembles a wheel in a battle tank's tracks. Personally, I had always admired Cartier designs and have owned some gens in the past. I always sold them off because they were always too dressy for me. The Anglaise's increased size and heft, though, made casual (or, at least, business casual) wear more possible. I tried this (and the large size version) on at a Cartier boutique and loved it, but wasn't quite in the market for a new watch at Cartier's prices. When I saw this on Toro's site, I had to order it. Hereby follows my review of the replica of the Cartier Tank Anglaise, medium size, in stainless steel. The Case The case is chunky for Cartier and wafer-thin for nearly everyone else. It measures 30mm by 39mm and is less than 11mm thick. The case is a nice mix of highly polished and brushed surfaces and, in this, the rep maker has been very diligent, finishing the area between the lugs as well. The caseback is solid, secured with 8 screws. It is waterproofed via gasket, though Cartier has never been well-regarded for their water-fastness. The engraving is deep and crisp, with accurate markings. The sapphire crystal is clear and free of AR, as per gen. The unique crown is probably the most talked-about feature of the Tank Anglaise. It's a two piece crown. For lack of better terms, I will refer to them as the "rim" and the "hub". When the hub is in the standard "in" position, turning the rim winds the watch. When the hub is pulled out to the first or second positions, turning the rim does nothing, but turning the hub sets the date and time, respectively. However, actually using the crown is another matter. Even the gen feels fiddly since the rim does not extend over the top of the brancard, so winding it can be a chore. The rim is highly polished and slightly dished so that when the hub is pressed all the way in, only the Cartier-signature cabochon extends beyond the brancard. The synthetic spinel cabochon of the hub is nicely faceted is the dark-but-not-too-dark blue of the gen. The Dial The dial on this is excellent. The silvered dial is a mix of opaline and flinqué textures, crisply executed. The traditional Roman numerals and the Tank's chemin de fer chapter ring are on separate opaline rings. The enameled numerals are glossy and ever-so-slightly domed. The Cartier "secret signature" in the VII is clear and legible. The date window aperture is nicely beveled. The hands are traditional blued sword hands. Obviously, there's no lume anywhere on the dial or hands. The Movement The movement in this is an Asian 2671 movement. The gen has a Cartier caliber 077, which is just a Cartier-finished ETA 2671. It is a simple, robust and veteran movement. The plates and rotor are decorated with Geneva stripes, and the rotor is signed Cartier. It keeps excellent time, so far. The Bracelet I will be honest: I do not like Cartiers on bracelets, excluding the go-go 80's Santos. I bought this fully intending to buy a nice Cognac-brown alligator strap for it. (20mm lugs) However, for the sake of the review: the bracelet is very good. It is thin and low-profile for slipping under a fitted shirt cuff. It is 18mm wide and non-tapering, composed of two-piece links, secured via double-head screw bars. It has a simple pressure-fit butterfly clasp which is bead-blasted. Its engravings are deep but, like you see so often, also has "Acier/Au750" (Steel/18 karat gold) engraved on it. I wish someone would tell the rep makers what this actually means because there is no gold to be found anywhere on this piece. Oh, well. The bracelet is completely (and very well) polished and looks quite flashy. Also, because it's completely polished, it will get swirl marks like nothing else. The clasp was very tight and required a little sanding down to open and close with a reasonable amount of effort. The end links fit very well, without gaps or play. How it Wears My beef with previous Tanks I have owned (Tank Louis Cartier, Tank Solo) have always been the stubborn insistence on being completely flat. However thin the watch was, the perfect flatness made it uncomfortable. This case is curved and is far more comfortable. It is only 39mm by 30mm, but before you think that it is a small watch, it is not. It wears considerably larger because of its square shape. In my opinion, the larger Tank MC and large-size Tank Anglaise are too large and look slightly ostentatious on me. However, I have a small wrist (6.5") and will admit that the larger size Tanks are probably suited for gentlemen (or ladies) with...ahem...girthier wrists. Since the watch is made of steel and is not dress-watch thin, wearing it with a polo or even a nice t-shirt in a more casual setting doesn't look as odd as wearing a traditional Tank does. However, I don't know that I would consider this a full-on dress watch in the same way as the traditional Tank is, because of its larger size and thicker profile. (Here's a comparison between it and the IWC Pilot Mk. XVI, which is considered a reasonably thin watch.) Since it's steel and not gold, it is a great "stealth wealth" watch. If you're not the kind of person who wears a lot of gold for whatever reason, This does not necessarily seem gaudy. Rather, it's the sort of watch where someone asks you the time or to just see your watch and you get a "Geez. That's a Cartier!" I feel obligated to wear a clean shirt and good shoes when I'm wearing the Tank. Final Thoughts This is a piece I'd been anticipating for a long time and the rep does not disappoint. For people who've been longing for a good Cartier Tank rep, this is it. Its accuracy with respect to the gen is spot-on and a lot of work went into this. Cartier may not be known as paragons of haute horologie, but they are definitely known for their flawless finishing, so this rep had a tall order to fill, and I believe it did. Toro was, as always, excellent to deal with. Completely painless and very fast. Full rose gold or yellow gold and two-tone versions are available through all TDs. As is typical for Cartier, they can (and will) make a piece in all combination of all possible metals; nor have they ever met a watch they won't ice out with pavé precious stones. The larger size Tank Anglaise rep looks similar from the front, but unfortunately has a open caseback and a new in-house movement, so it will never be as accurate as the medium size rep. Thanks for reading this if you made it all the way through. This turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. Sorry for the picture quality. tl;dr Synopsis + A truly great Tank rep + Solid movement + Beautiful dial - Bracelet is a swirly magnet with too-tight clasp - Crown design is incredibly fiddly - Large size rep has an open caseback and inaccurate movement
    1 point
  3. Decided (again) to go for the Patina look on the Bronzo. This is a 30 minute deal you simply immerse in Oven cleaner and watch! AJ
    1 point
  4. Yuki 7206 just arrived and has hopped onto the 6541, will need to work on the endlink fit
    1 point
  5. 1 point
  6. Wrinkle face Bonita says hi My girl ♥
    1 point
  7. Even though I did not lose anything in the fraud. I feel for you guys that did. However, I don't think anything will ever happen to md 2020. Even with the amount of valuables being in excess of $25,000, It will probably be up to each guy to file a civil suit for their stuff. Sometimes it's just not worth the effort. We really do "live and learn" Im also convienced that what goes around, comes around, is not always the case Good luck to all you guys involved.
    1 point
  8. You can pm member SSTEEL . He is a watchsmith based in Finland and can help you for the best solution.
    1 point
  9. Thanks http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/165793-mid-70s-5514-comex-with-5513-dial/#entry1296922 with revised insert
    1 point
  10. Some very impressive collections gentlemen!
    1 point
  11. Well this certainty got the pimp package going on! Seriously, it is not for me but your friend sounds like he can pull it off so to each is own...............
    1 point
  12. First row: I like each and every single one - none You could let go 2nd row: I like each and every single one - none You could let go 3rd row: You guessed it........................... - lol Nice collection, the only thing that comes to mind is what could yet be added:)
    1 point
  13. Not to worry Marti you will catch up! Droptopman have a Pam around but not basic at all, modded to hell and back!
    1 point
  14. I'm 35 years old and wearing a 1665... Anyone seeing it who know what it is, will immediately know it's a rep... But I'm not going to let a minor detail like that make me take off a watch I love... I've read on here before, that you have to wear the watch, you can't let it wear you -- that's what gets it called out as a fake... The red-hand looks sharp, if you like it, go for it and enjoy wearing it, that's what this hobby is all about
    1 point
  15. Very nice collection Marti. I have yet to branch/brand out...Rolex guy but lately been looking at a basic Pam. They just look comfy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  16. Very nice and diverse collection mate!
    1 point
  17. Phew, I thought it was only me. That's a nice (start to a) collection you have there. Long may it grow.
    1 point
  18. As my 12 year old daughter always says 'YOLO' Martijn (you Only Live Once) that is true apart from reincarnation AJ
    1 point
  19. Are you seriously asking why its wrong to trick people into spending thousands of hard earned dollars on something that is worth nothing? "Why get in such a huff over somebody trying to sell a rep as a gen?" How about because its not a gen.
    1 point
  20. From my viewpoint buying M2M is a no brainer. Practically all of the reps as well as gen watches I own have been bought that way. Here's why I buy that way. First you can usually save a few bucks as most will be a little cheaper than brand new. Second as you said, no customs drama. The first guy took the customs risk for you. Shipped quickly USPS Priority and the watch is on your wrist in three days. And very important, most reps that develop problems will develop them pretty quickly, so if it is running OK, unless it gets messed up in shipping, which is possible ( tangled hairspring, or magnetized), for the most part they are good to go. Also, with AP ROO's I factor in a service, as they definitely will benefit from a good service, so if a watch has a known but fixable problem, I'm going to send it off and have it serviced, lumed ( if applicable) and the crystal and cyclops AR'ed anyway. By and large the reps today, especially the high end ones are pretty well made watches, they don't "fall apart", but most will definitely benefit from a movement service if you plan to have the watch perform well over a good period of time.rep watches are well constructed, the weak point is the assembly. The rep factories are not like the genuine in Switzerland! The watches are assembled by folks who have minimal training in watch assembly, the environment may be dusty and dirty, the movements are usually dirty and dry, or over oiled with improper lubricants. In a lot of the rep factories, the guy/ gal that put your watch together may have been assembling IPhones, computers, or toasters last week!!They are not skilled watch technicians wearing white lab coats, operating in a "clean room" environment like their counterparts in genuine manufacture's assembly areas. If you realize this, and take it into consideration, along with the idea that the AP you paid 500 USD for is NOT the same as the 20k genuine, you will be fine. Reps are great, most of mine, especially after a movement service perform as good or better than my genuine watches. But, you have to remember that even though your AP ROO looks 95% like the genuine! it is not a genuine. If you want to take them several steps further, for another few thousand, you can have a rep that is 99% of the genuine. Welcome aboard!! Do a lot of reading and research and you will be much better for it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    1 point
  21. Installed a gen AR LEC crystal last night. Can't believe what a difference it made. I had the big crown AR crystal before and the clarity difference is unbelievable. The AR cyclops is also way less purple. Love the way the dial pops now.
    1 point
  22. Helson Blackbeard on the wrist today!
    1 point
  23. JLC for today. Very seldom wear this one!!
    1 point
  24. 1 of my fav watches ever,you can always get 1 from Tag on special order for about £130,000 lol
    1 point
  25. i have back my barrichello from domi wonderful work
    1 point
  26. To be fully honest, I am very dissapointed with Domi his behaviour. I have pointed out multiple times that his CDG is totally wrong. I even sent him a message on whatsapp about this matter. I told him the correct angle, width and colour plating. It has to be rhodium, not silver. I even offered my help in plating them. All of the help above was ignored. It seems he knows best. I'm sorry, it looks ok but it's completely wrong and it was probably an expensive mod. I feel if you go this far in modding and spending much money that it should be perfect. Also posted this on repgeek: I have used the pictures provided by Domi and added some lines on them in Autocad. I scaled and rotated each image to the correct gen dial size and added the lines. The angle is about 42° and distance between the lines is about 1.35mm. This should help. I also added some pictures of an already modded AP ROO RBII with correct to gen spec CDG. I hope this helps. It's also important to drill out the screw holes to a correct diameter. Also, Rhodium plating will give the best results instead of silver plating, see the pics below.
    1 point
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