Leaderboard

Legend and nanug, very, very well said. I really don't think that there is any way that I could have said it as eloquently as you fine gentleman. You have summed up my feelings about this fine forum my friends. I suppose one way that I could compare RWG to the other replica forums, using the beach analogy, RWG to me is like you and your significant other sitting on a beautiful beach, watching a spectacular sunset sipping fine wine, the others are more like the beach during spring break, lots of bodies, lots of noise and certainly no peace and quiet. Sometimes the scenery ( bikini or less clad young darlings) is pretty interesting, but the cacophony of noise gets old pretty fast, and soon forgotten. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thank you @Legend for your kind words. RWG is my new home. I will do my part to make this forum a safe and interesting place. At least we can learn from the mistakes made next door. Integrity and respect will rule. Proud RWG platinum member.

My franken Rolex 1665 DRSD MK2 w/ JetBlack Insert I love this watch so much +) ... Vietnam Case, perfectly modded CGs, Gen Movement w/ Silver Datedisc, Tropic 39 Superdome, CWP Hands, Whoopy MK2 Dial, Fat font insert aged to jet black (!) It doesn't get much better than this (if you've seen a better one, please tell me so I can keep pace )

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi APlover, welcome to the forum. You will find a wealth of knowledge on AP here. Nobody here is going to make you grovel or hold a grudge, we were all new members once. However you have just walked into a clubhouse and without even saying hello you have expected everyone to drop everything and march to your agenda. I'm sure you did not mean to come across like this at all and would not do so in real life. Legend is highly knowledgable about AP, how to get frankens built and who can supply what. He is also an excellent member of the Crew (moderator or administrator if you like). To do this he gives hours of his free time without monetary reward. I also happen to know he owns several high end watches, AP, Rolex and probably others, so whatever he does for a living probably takes up a lot of his time. Please consider posting a new member post and say hello, then read a selection of threads, perhaps then you will find Legend to be the outstandingly helpful gentleman the rest of us know.

Safari, here is a Safari. Message crafted while riding a leathery juvenile T-Rex and charging toward the horizon.

APlover, welcome aboard! We try hard to take a more thoughtful approach to watches here, and if you stick around you'll find we really don't even talk much about replicas. Usually it's "franken" pieces being painstakingly assembled with attention to the smallest details. That means the boys here are a treasure trove of arcane minutiae. But remember to treat that information as the valuable commodity it is; the people that know it, have earned the knowledge the hard way. It's frustratingly common to have people flit in, pick our experts' brains, and disappear. Our effort is given to be good hosts, but no reciprocal effort is made to stick around and be good guests ... and eventually honored members. Yes, you've lucked upon possibly the most knowledgeable group of AP enthusiasts in the world. Make sure you're well informed so you bring something to the table instead of just picking brains, picking a watch, and disappearing. We'd love to have you stick around. Pull up a chair and introduce yourself. Make this place your home online.

Ah thanks kindly A! New guys should read and do their homework, instead of approaching me with a thousand questions, and at the end of the day, ride off thanklessly without a backward glance. This has happened enough for me to voice out against this frivolous practice. @APlover, approach me only when you have done your due research. I am NOT an information source for new guys, and I am NOT the RWG wikipedia. I WILL entertain questions if I know you, or have seen you around enough, and I do not dislike you. Thank you kindly for your understanding.

Guys, I tried to go onto rep geek today, and it wouldn't let me log in, along with this message., There is no genuine reason why, I can tell you that. RWG is my home, and I rarely visit repgeek. Is anybody familiar with any of the mods there, and would care enquire why? Thanks guys! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

IWC Pilot watch 3777-04 - GEN vs V6 vs ZF Comparison Following comparison are credited to author from Lingmuwatch . IWC Pilot 3777-04 need no introduction as a popular pilot watch among pilot enthusiast. Also with famous ETA 7750 movement in place is a bonus too if anyone wanted to swap to an ETA. Lets get start for the comparison between GEN vs V6 vs ZF Dimension 43 mm Thickness 15 mm Bezel Polished 316L stainless steel Watchcase 1:1 Solid 316L stainless steel case with anti-magnetic soft-iron inner case Dial Superlumed dial and hands (lumed with genuine Super-LumiNova C1) Strap High Quality 316L Stainless Steel bracelet Crystal Sapphire Crystal Glass with Double AR Coated (Swiss Standard) Back Case Solid Caseback with Detail Engraving Movement Swiss ETA 7750 automatic chronograph movement at 28800 vph with working regulator Function Hours, Minutes, Sub-Seconds, Day & Date Display Other Feature Water Resistance 10ATM (SEE GUIDANCE BELOW) General Impression In general both factory did a great job on this 3777-04 model. It looks very similar in terms of Case, Dial, AR, print, sub-dial etc. Dial : As you can see the blue tint on the crystal is an AR coating which same as GEN. The dial and sub-dial is in black colour. Sub-dial : Concentric circle present on V6 and ZF, number on sub-dial in GEN looks thinner than the REP. Number and Index printed are quite good in general. Hands : Sec and Min hands on V6 and ZF has bent inwards like the GEN. V6 triangle @ 12 looks stands out more than the GEN. otherwise both factory did a great job on Hands. Date : From the Font point of view, it's really spot on of the Days and Date. However, in picture below the Number "1" especially is NOT the same to GEN. Date frame window V6 looks closer to GEN as it has a deeper cut than ZF. LOGO/Fonts & Sub-dial : Sec @ 9 colour is the same but Font on both factory looks a bit bolder than the GEN. In general the GEN sub-dial print is more fine and details. Case : Case thickness on both V6 and ZF are slightly thicker than the GEN. Brushing on GEN is finer and and better looking. Crown / Pushers : Ignore the blue sticker on both REP as they are for protection purposes for scratches and can be taken off. In general pushers looks very similar to GEN. Crown wise V6 looks closer to GEN but still not as fine as GEN in details. ZF crown looks very poorly engraved as some of the logo/ words not stand out like the GEN. Back Case : GEN engraving on back case as always very fine and deep. V6 is Deep but not fine enough and ZF is not deep and too fine in fonts (especially spacing between words). Inside of the casing V6 has 3 screw fixer to the mid-case but ZF only has one, which means V6 is better holding the movement to the case than ZF. Inner case details for the GEN is not available and risky to scratches. Movement pretty much same as both factory uses A7750 and GEN used ETA / VX 7750 so no need to compare. Bracelet : Bracelet brush of both factory are quite nicely made and very similar to GEN. The only tell on bracelet is the "IWC" on clasp, GEN is deep and fine and both factory are not to that standard. TIPS: Little tips of how to remove the bracelet. TIPs on using 7750. 1) Between 8pm - 3am, do not adjust Date and Day. 2) Don't often use the Chrono function (If not an ETA) and use it properly. Start > Stop > Reset. 3) When adjusting Day/ Date or Hour / min, pull crown to the correct position gently. SUMMARY : As summary, I think both factory has it plus and minus. Both factory did a great job on this Pilot model 3777 and it's an 7750 movement so it is easy replaceable / swap to ETA. Well, swapping still not that simple as need a watchsmith to fit the sec hand which is 0.05mm difference.

I could be totally offbase, but this is honestly why I'm feeling like it is better to buy modern gen Rolex, but build frankens or at minimum work with one of those impeccable dealers for any vintage pieces. The chances are good that vintage pieces out in the wild contain aftermarket parts and are some degree of franken, anyway, so at least if I control the build process it is transparent and I am 100% aware of every part that went into it. If it is going to be a franken, anyway, then by golly I want to be the guy who made it happen. It is a heck of a lot cheaper that way, too. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Here is my pic..it's very high res...just looked and they're single. Your's is identical to mine and those pics looks like they're from intime which is where I purchased mine from.

Great stuff.. thanks for that.

They definitely look like single line markers to me. The res looks pretty good on my phone too... and yes, mine are single markers. I don't have the watch in front of me at the moment to double check but I'm 99 percent confident in my answer. I would've noticed it as I've been looking at the watch like a kid looks at cake the last few days...haa. I'll take another look when I get home in a few hours and let you know.

@APlover Welcome to this forum. Like yourself, I'm also a newbie to this site. But trust me, @Legend is one of the friendliest guy around with an encyclopedic knowledge about watches. If you want to figure out it works here, I strongly suggest you take your time to browse through the forum first. Just my two cents worth

5513 PCG today

Hand made strap on the PO 45mm

Wow, crazy. Lemons everywhere...not even good lemons. i can reccomend as my top five . tenpastten lunaroyster hqmilton hodinkee sheartime

[emoji632]

I have no qualms about what you are willing or able to purchase, please don't get me wrong. Neither have I judged you. I merely told you to do your homework, and don't approach me with questions that can be answered through research. This is my right. I do not make my money from making or selling frankens, so yes, turning away whatever amount for me is fine, I do not need that amount of money. And definitely I do not need that money from you. To illustrate my point, I would ask you to approach the franken owners here and try to buy one of their pieces. No doubt you might be able to eventually, but you can be sure that they would proceed with circumspect regarding communicating and dealing with you as the potential buyer when you are new. This is the natural way of trading in the community. You may not be new to the watch game, but unless you post your entire resume here, what do we have to go by in determining who you are except the join date and post count? Did you bother to give any introduction beforehand? If you are here to make enemies, its your call and I definitely respect your right. I stand by what I said about the new guys. I do not see anything judgmental about what I said when I was merely telling you how not to approach me, before you, like the scores of newbies before you, do it. You have a lovely day too, and its Friday here. I would gladly get you a beer if you are in my area. No need to get uptight, when an ice cold one would relax one very well.

Very true and in the long term I think well built, properly declared frankens and then replicas will become more accepted. Many a country house sold a valuable painting to pay death duty or finance new roof, then hung copies. As the price of early ferraris shot up to many tens of millions it became perfectly acceptable to own and race a replica, which are essentially frankens. The historic racing organisations changed their rules to accept replicas, because nobody is going to risk a 30-40 million car in racing. Bugattis are very muddy waters indeed. Is there and original car? I know of a couple that were rebodied in period and both versions now exist. A totally new one can be bought in Argentina. Some cars exist three or more times. All genuine of course. More and more manufacturers are reproducing their own past models. Factory fake? So as the price of more and more vintage watches reach the point where they live in bank vaults, I think slowly wearing a copy will be more acceptable. Certainly dispite fine words and sworn positions, all the high end watch dealers and auction houses are talking up watches they wouldn't have touched ten years ago. They are businesses, so are they really going to sit drumming their fingers and telling people all the good watches are gone or will they sell what is available and make it sound good? There is a world of diffence between selling a declared reproduction as an affordable way of experiencing ownership and selling a fake as genuine, ask Lord Brockett. Maybe in time Rolex will issue limited runs of "continuation" models. Stranger things have happened.

It's worse than that. Thanks to these scumbags our whole community are seen as villains. This despite the fact that the vast majority of members are scrupulously honest in their descriptions, probably more so than sellers of genuine watches which are not original, and would under value a sale rather than scam.

And so it happens that I was sitting down having coffee two nights back with a local friend and watch enthusiast, and who is also a member on both RWI and RWG. The conversation turned, after some perfunctory and bland comparisons of Rolex vs Panerai, Hublot vs AP, to the atmosphere of RWG. He cast me a snide glance and mentioned that RWG was where forum members go to retire, or after they become banned or ousted from RWI. We are, according to my loquacious pal, "too peaceful", and "too quiet", compared to the relatively rambunctious crowd at RWI, the conflicts between their moderators and wayward members, and the perpetual entertainment found at its brig section, where incarcerated members are bashed to a pulpy mess, revived, and the actions repeated to the amusement of the bystanders.. Ok I digress, but only a little. I told him, in the local lingo, that RWG is the home of extraordinary gentlemen. When I think of outstanding gentlemen that make up the community, stellar ones like @astonjenks, @panerai153, @Nanuq etc come to mind. Of course there are a lot more, but these are the ones I interact frequently with, sometimes over random salmon and moose pictures. The members here exude an unmistakable aura of poise, and many a times, money and watches are exchanged among us privately on the basis of mere unadorned words with not even a picture. And the watches and money invariably both arrive without fail, with unerring reliability. In the volatile world of superficial acquaintances and relationships, I do consider this level of trustworthiness among friends extraordinary, and superlatively valuable. Yes, you do not frequently witness exciting drama here, or the fuss and flurry of our neighbor forum, but here, we watch, listen and learn, more than shoot off our mouths like fireworks on the 4th of July. The quiet word can sometimes achieve more than the shouting and the banging on tables. We do not indulge in much vilification of members, or cast disparaging remarks on others for the slightest infractions, but we allow members to learn, and become contributors to the forums in their own rights. Yes we could be the sedentary river compared with the tumultuous torrents of exchange, and yes, we could be the placid lake with hardly any ripples. But hey, I am certain that RWG is what we like our own homes to be, metaphorically speaking. For those who crave the occasional action, it is always easy to hop out to the disco next door, where I concede to have the more exciting atmosphere. Knowledge, information and friendships are gained and forged in the undercurrents here, in steady and refined manners. We are not a pugnacious bunch, no, not even the outwardly tough but a softie at heart @nikki6 who is in a long term relationship with his infamous AP Marcus. Our strength lies in our dignity, and our ability to interact with one another with class and courtesy. Let us understand and embrace who we are, and the place that we have collectively crafted. I am also heartened to see stellar new members like @tango258 from some obscure, remote Island (which he has given up trying to sell me) join us, and of course, veteran dragons like migrating from next door, like @paristoto and @swdivad. We also have the skillful masters with the magic hands, like @SSTEEL, @misiekped, @Grimlocktime. They don't talk much, but they have saved a multitude of watches from death and breathed life and beautified several more, in their own ways. We have also the legendary collectors like @Daytona1984, @Waiwaiet. They like to let their collection speak for them. The people who matter, they are all here. You just need to know who to approach and what to ask. We are in a way like a uptown mall where the goods available are not openly on display. You just need to know where to look. There is of course the obligatory knitting lounge where pink yarns are handed out for the new guys. So Knitting circle? Yes maybe, but its a tight circle for sure. Home is where you come to have a tequila while looking at the sunset, while nibbling on slices of roast moose. (sorry for the moose reference, some member has been spamming me with moose pictures, alternatively as food and as cuddly animals, its disconcerting). So yes, kick off the shoes, and enjoy the pastures here. Take your time to explore and immerse yourself, and you will find delight and solace in the company of extraordinary gentlemen, and the wells of knowledge here. And welcome home.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité. [emoji632]

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

I followed that thread on TRF. The sad thing is that most of the "traditionalist" or whatever you want to cal it tend to view all builds in this category as some kind of scam and we know that is not the case. Guys like this that profit on being dishonest paint a bad picture of the "build" hobby. Just a bad deal for anyone that enjoys the hobby. There was another thread today of a guy who got scammed on a red 1680 from the same seller. Only gen part I think was the movement and he paid 7.5k for it. I just hope it is not someone we/I know....

The new QE II has arrived.... Love it

Those Bevels should be illegal.