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While the debate may rage through a thousand posts what the best replica watch is for under $150, I doubt few could argue that the funkiest movement for under a $150, or even three times that price, has to be the Franck Muller Crazy Hours. This watch, available in a variety of strap and bracelet options, dial colour layouts from sophisticated black on white to the playful Color Dreams Technicolour Rainbow is limited to a real working Jump Hour movement using a basic manual wind Asian 21J movement. What does this mean? Stay tuned...and read below for my review of this great rep that can be had for just over $100 including shipping. Franck Muller Who is Franck Muller? And what has he done with my sequential ordering of numbers? While noble Swiss watch companies like Breguet and Patek Philippe may have Royal histories dating back over 150 years of horological mastery, Franck Muller's (who was born in 1958) watch house was not established until the early 1990's. In spite of this late start, Muller through a combination of equal parts marketting and mechanical wizardry has been able to achieve tremendous respect for his innovative mechanical and stylistic innovations so much so, as to truly earn his moniker of the "Master of Complications". With a string of patents for such things as design elements like the Curvex Diamond to tourbillon movements, Muller has been able to make such creations that have earned him the title of having the "most complicated wristwatch in the world". A look at the tri-axis tourbillon of the Evolution 3-1 pictured below is an example of this. While there is no hope of ever having a Chinese rep factory make such complicated precision timepieces as the Evolution 3-1, it is surprising that something like the non-sequential jump hour movement of the Crazy Hours watches can be replicated, and at an extremely low price point. The Crazy Hours I had read about jump movements ages ago in various watch magazines as movements that create a binary type of time display by not gradually having the selected number be determined by a gradually moving arm, but an arm that "jumps" from number to number, or a displayed number that flips at a precise point (like the date flip on a Noobmariner vs. an Asian 7750 movement). Muller has taken this idea to the next level by printing his dial to display the hours non-sequentially going around the clock from "midnight" as 8-1-6-11-4-9-2-7-12-5-10-3 instead of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12. Because of this unique order, the hour "jumps" around the clock at the turn of the hour, while the minute hand rotates gradually as normal, so the time is read by looking at the actual number the hour hand is pointing to, the position the minute hand is pointing to and not the actual number. The big question that everyone has about this replica is: Does the jump hour movement work? The answer is: YES!! The movement is a modified Asian 21J manual wind movement. I have not opened the case, so I can't tell you any more than that. It is a hoot set the time and watch the hour hand jump around the dial as the minute hand sweeps midnight. It is a favourite pastime of children who can tell time to gather around the watch and see the hourly jump. This feature alone I think, makes this watch a must have for any rep collection. When viewed from a distance, the watch will appear to tell the wrong time, but when viewed up close, it will appear to in fact tell the right time, just not in a conventional manner. Let's take a look at the watch in closer detail. The Case The watch arrived in the requested stainless steel Curvex case, measuring about 42mm high, and only 30mm wide. The sides of the casae have a nice polish to them and there were no sharp edges. The relief FM logo on the crown was nicely printed, and deep. [The Caseback] The caseback is joke. Although the 4 screw pattern matches the gen as pictured below... ...there are so many things wrong with the caseback that came supplied with this watch. - Spacing of the letters in Franck Muller at the top is inconsistent and much wider than the gen - Engraving is very shallow...so much so that the last "s" in Complications is cutoff - Missing jeweller's marks - Spelling error "COLORDRBAMS" instead of "Color Dreams" If it's possible to get the standard Crazy Hours caseback, that would be an improvement to at least get rid of the spelling error. The Dial The watch I ordered was from Silix and was a special item Jay had to find for me. It took about a week to source before he had it in the post. There are many dial options, but I chose the Color Dreams, given that if the Hours are Crazy, the colours should be Dreamy. As you can see by the angled dial pictures, there is a guilloche style concentric floral pattern which allows subtle numbers to appear all over the dial when viewed in certain light. This makes for a great look to the dial and adds an extra bit of zip and hint of quality. The dial printing is crisp and clear, and coloured numbers have a nice vibrancy to them. The crystal is supposedly sapphire according to the sticker, but I have no means of verifying this. The Color Dreams Color Dreams refers to the series of multi-coloured numbers. I picked the Color Dreams white dial: Other rep Crazy Hours options include: Color Dreams black dial: Black dial: Blue dial: White dial: The Strap The strap has the proper markings on the back, but the printing is not as deep. The gen is pictured below: The tang buckle is reasonably nice with laser etching of "Franck Muller" on the rounded top. The finish is reasonable, but lacks the quality smoothness and polish of the higher end reps. As well, the rep lacks the jeweller's marks on the bucket found on the original. Replica: Gen: The leather of the strap is real, but the printing of the crocodile grain is very poor making it scream fake from a distance. I would suggest an immediate strap replacement, even though finding a "Franck Muller" printed quality strap (outside of a gen) is likely to be difficult. SUMMARY The Crazy Hours jump movement makes this rep a very fun watch and I think a highly recommended watch for any collection because of the jump movement alone. The dial printing and design allow this watch to readily be a classy but playful dress watch. With such a bad strap, and terrible caseback, it does not rank high in the accuracy department, but these are problems that can be addressed through a caseback or strap upgrade...difficult decisions to make I think, given that the cost of this watch with shipping is less than US$150, there can be only so much quality. I hope you enjoyed this review and have found it useful.1 point
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Picked this up the other week-beauty!!! Specs- -SEAN SUBMARINER midcase with stamped serial between the lugs -GEN ROLEX SUBMARINER case back (2003) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER dial (2003) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER hands (2003) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER crystal with LEC at 6 and AR coating on the date -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER insert NOS (2003) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER 93250 stamps on bracelet -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER bracelet Clasp -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER divers extension The movement: -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 reverse wheels (3135-540) 2x -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 Mainspring (3135-311) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 barrel (3135-310) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 date disc seating (3135-600) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 hour wheel (3135-280) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 oscillating weight (3135-570) -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 automatic winding bridge -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER cal 3135 date disc (perfectly centered on all dates) -YUKI 3135 base movement with more than 75% genuine parts. -Gen ROLEX SUBMARINER click spring -Newly polished case -Rebrushed bracelet. Pics: Life's a [censored], then you marry one!1 point
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Like the 93150 too. However, build a couple more, then you won't need to change straps so often 5513 PCG on a Bulang & Sons1 point
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Good morning, I realized this morning that I have spent 1 year here at RWG. What a great year it has been. I have learned so much over the past year and have developed some great friendships along the way. I have determined that I am hopelessly obsessed with watches and this great hobby in general. I owe a great debt to the forum and to many of you who have helped me individually. Thank you. I have always loved watches, especially Rolexes, but never really knew much about them, other than I liked the way they looked and felt and that they had automatic movements. I have owned a handful of gens over the years, but to be honest I did not even know the model numbers just the names. I always considered myself a "watch collector" but the reality is that I was clueless about the details. I did read enough to know that Rolex was making a lot of changes to their product line over the last few years. I have told this story before. I joined the forum initially to try out some modern Rolex's as I was getting ready to buy a new gen. I wanted to try out the larger sizes and ceramic inserts. My last gen purchase was a Yachtmaster back in 2008 and I had recently sold it to a friend. I had a nice fund put aside for a new gen, but was unsure if I would like the new models, so finding this place would give me the opportunity to try out some new models to help decide what gen to eventually buy. I never knew this would turn into a full on addiction... My first purchase when I joined the forum was a BK Sub C, I ordered this within days of joining the forum--after much reading and research. I lost track but I think I went through about 30+ reps over the year. Most were modded or frankens, but also bought my share of OTB reps. Tried every modern Rolex rep I thought I might like.... As I spent more time on the forum, there was a paradigm shift from modern to vintage timepieces. After seeing all the beautiful vintage builds by members here, I found myself reading and studying vintage pieces more and more. I am fascinated with vintage Rolexes much more than modern ones. The thin cases, elegant lines, and simplistic beauty. Also really liked the idea of doing builds so I could pick my own parts and style to the piece. It seems that my tastes have changed considerably and if you look at my current collection, it appears that I really like no date, domed plexi, simple timepieces. First photo is from August 2014, as you can see the only vintage piece is the 16750. TC LN was on my wrist that day, but I have since sold it. The next photo was taken last weekend and is my current collection. Please do not make fun of my quartz row. Almost all of the modern pieces have been sold and replaced with vintage builds. The DJ and DD were build by Mymanmatt and have sentimental value, so not sure if I will part with them. The 16613 is an old rep that is not very accurate and is not gen spec, but has solid gold bezel and bracelet so not sure what to do with it. I really do not wear it anymore. I am pretty happy with the current stable. There is a TC LV on the way, but honestly do not know if I will wear it. Only current project going on is a real deal 6538 fraken build with gen movement and all the goodies. Just in the acquiring parts phase. That and sourcing more tools so I can do more work on my own. I really enjoy working on them. At some point will attempt a full disassembly and reassemble. One fact that I would have not expected. I joined other forums and some gen forums and the gen Rolex knowledge base here is quite amazing. Just blows me away at the knowledge and experience some of our members have. Like a Rolex encyclopedia. I have scoured the internet before looking for an answer, spend hours looking, then PM another member and they know right away. One of the great benefits of being part of this awesome community, the shared experiences and information. Been an awesome ride and I really find much peace, harmony and happiness from the hobby and this community. You have become part of my daily life. A part that provides me much joy. Many thanks to RWG and the great members of the forum. Mark1 point
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So After buying this watch from whoopy12, i just wasn't feeling the dial it came with. I sharked around for a while, and finally got around to buying this gen dial. It really makes the watch imo. Im super happy about it. Just felt like sharing my grail watch.1 point
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It is a long lasting issue with those over simplified Explorer dials. Prices are insane for genuine used/ old stock service dials. Aftermarket options are pretty good by now but not that close to the old service dials and still a tell for those who know where to look. And those gen dials at the upper price range tend to rest for a long time on the sales corner (Bay or elsewhere). Their extremely steep price is not being paid! That is for sure. But then some "gems" tend to pop up every now and then at a "reasonable price". Used genuine dials at the mid price range meaning 600-700 $. Now is one of those moments. We are talking about this tritium SINGER dial. Though, I seem to be a bit sceptical about some details! Meaning this dial might be a quite good redial? Let´s see if someone else would notice them?1 point
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lol. Not to get into a ridiculous sports debate, but American football is the most intellectual and demanding of all major league sports. The learning curve is massive (feel free to download the official rule book here; you'll note it's over 100 pages); the physical demands are immense; and most team's playbooks are the size of 2-3 dictionaries. You must realize that each play has 11 players on each team (22 total) and each player must generally perform their part perfectly at all stages of the play in order to be successful. Couple this with the fact that many offensive plays may be run very differently based upon how the defense is lined up (yet no word is ever spoken between key players, such as quarterback and receiver), and I don't think there's even an argument for calling American football an "attempt at creating a sport." I will admit that it has a very very high learning curve (try explaining to your wife that a player that has checked in as a receiver has to be covering a guard at the line of scrimmage, which is a line that you can't see, but trust me, it's there) and that it is immensely expensive to play. I believe that both of those reasons accounts for its lack of popularity in the rest of the world. By no mean is this a post trying to convince you that American football is the best sport or that only America can afford it. Neither am I implying that "real football" is in any way inferior to American football. I'm just trying to shed some light on the complexity of American football as I feel that most people think it's just a bunch of guys bashing each other around, gladiator style.1 point