The diver reps, both stainless steel and forged carbon, and even the ceramic, have been touted as the best out of the box AP reps in the hobby.
And yes, that is true if you look at the number of flaws in the ROO chronograph series.
But yet, closely replicated as they are, flaws still exist in the diver reps. For the sake of brevity, let us run through the list of flaws
Movement:
The previous generation of reps uses the A2824 movement, which beats at 28800bph, but is better and more reliable than the current generation of miyota powered replicas. Miyotas can be noisy when the watch is shaken, and cheap looking/sounding. However they are fairly reliable too, and easily replaced. The gen uses a low beat 21600bph caliber 3120 AP movement. The beat difference is hardly noticeable on the wrist between 28800bph and 21600bph unless you have them side and side, and scrutinize closely. The beat of the rep movement can be modded to 21600bph as well.
Dial
The gen diver dial is glossy and more intricate in details, and the rep is somewhat glossed over, but not to the same extent. The difference is hardly noticeable again, but the rep dial can be gloss-finished by hand to look like the gen. Of course, dial print is sharper on the genuine diver, but not by much compared with the V7 diver.
Inner dive bezel
For the stainless steel, the lume construction for the numbers are significantly different, and this is a noticeable difference once pointed out to someone.
For the FC, the numbers on the inner bezel are closer to genuine.
Hands
There is a slight difference between the shine and finish of the genuine hands vs the replica ones. But not enough to warrant any modification.
Datewheel
The genuine watch (before the i series) uses a serif font which the Noob (first v4 batch and earlier) replicates well. The font is nonetheless slightly smaller than the gen one. This can be fixed by installing an aftermarket datewheel.
Case construction
No significant difference between gen and rep here for the recent models. Any perceivable difference would not be something you can spot on the wrist. The rep FC case can be polished and buffed a little to look better, but not necessarily closer to gen. The FC material is rather organic, and each case looks different from the rest. I have seen a variety of finishes for the genuine FC cases. The glossed up pictures on the internet makes us all paranoid at times, but if you have a chance to take a look at FC case finishing on the genuine, you will be surprised at how flat (little or no marbling) some will look.
Bezel screws
It is a myth that bezel screws on the genuine diver are always sunken and aligned. This is not true at all, I have seen genuine divers that look otherwise. The bezel screws on the replica can be carefully aligned, polished and sunken evenly for aesthetic purposes.
Crystal
Bear in mind, that the gen comes with a single AR crystal. Applying double AR on a replica does enhance the look of the dial, but does not make it more accurate looking. This is a personal choice for the owner, and nothing right or wrong about it.
Straps
The rep rubber straps are decent, but with the host of aftermarket straps available, many choices are available at the owner's disposal.
So when one mentions "best diver that money can buy", it is subjective to each owner with regards to what "best" means.
Here is a fully modded diver. I’ve converted it from a miyota movement to an ETA low beat one and retained the hands. Notice the dial finish, the case finish and the datewheel. I consider this a reasonable rendition of the stainless steel diver without going franken or gen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk