whitestripes

Congrats on one of the world's most desired watches!

So I was at a friend's college graduation today, and I was with another friend who had come along. He is probably not a WIS, because he is not wearing a watch 95% of the time, with the last 5% when he's dressed up and it's an accessory. Usually, it's a quartz fashion watch, so you wouldn't believe my surprise when I spot a black bezel Omega Planet Ocean on his wrist! We are in our early twenties, and still in school, so no one's got a well-paying job yet, and I'm pretty sure he's not a WIS so he probably hasn't been scrimping and saving for it. (I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I've known him for a few years now). I say, "Nice watch. Omega?" And he replies, "Yes, it's the James Bond watch." He mentioned he received it from his sister's boyfriend, who apparently was a "baller" and had five of them. That was a bit suspicious... someone having five $2500 watches and giving them away... not even to an in-law, but to a girlfriend's brother. I mentioned it was a very nice watch, and he told me it was worth two grand. Since I know him well, I asked him to see it, which he did without hesitation. Before I write more, if you were the one with the watch and are a member of RWG, that would be awesome, and we share a common interest! In hand, I noticed it was the wrong time and that the applied Omega logo was missing. The logo had fallen off and was floating around--it had gotten tangled with the hands and it was all stuck around 3:15. He said he was going to get it fixed. Anyway, my rep WIS-ness was now in full gear as I tried to examine it without looking too WIS, because I keep my WISness to myself (I think it's a bit weird for a young person to be so into watches). Anyway, this was in a dim apartment, so lighting was poor. It was a fairly large watch, and had the bezel of the 45.5. However, he's roughly the same size as me, and the 42 looks pretty big on the wrist, but not so big such that the lugs hang off. I'm pretty sure it was a 42mm size, so that was part of the tell. I shook it--automatic movement, but couldn't see it move because of the logo locking the hands in place. I should have unscrewed the crown to see if it had the internal crown threads (like gen) instead of outer threads, but I didn't think of it until afterward. In addition, the bezel teeth went from the insert to the rest of the case, instead of just having the bezel with a gap between it and the case for easier grip. The He escape valve was oversized. Last, the clasp had the slightly crooked "Seamaster" engraving and, the next day, I had a chance to see it in the sunlight. No double sided AR. If anything, the last few paragraphs just confirm that I am a WIS. I was pretty excited to see a peer with a nice watch, and I was hoping to examine a gen PO, which I have not yet done. However, I'm happy with the information I've learned here to be able to tell some common, pretty good reps apart from gens. I guess he was just unlucky to have run into a RWG member. I currently don't have any reps, and a big reason is that I'd feel weird passing it off as gen (in case I ran into a WIS) and equally as weird telling them I am into replicas. I've had a few reps, and I love the way they look and function, but I have yet to put one in daily rotation. I guess I'm just waiting a few years til I finish professional school and can believably afford a few gens. I'll stick to my Seikos for now. Just a little description of my first run-in with a rep in the wild. Never let on that I knew, though. It would be awkward, especially in front of the other guys.

OEM inserts are not sold by themselves. You have to buy the entire bezel assembly, which is VERY expensive. You can look at aftermarket inserts, but the pearls are never perfect.

Try the skx007's little brother, the skx013:

Check out the 40mm Omega speedmaster date, 7750 based chrono. It's a sleeper super rep...

Woman. I can do all sorts of things with a woman I can't do with a watch. The only thing the woman doesn't do is tell me the time or fit around my wrist. Actually, she could fit around my wrist. hahahhahaha

Well, [censored]. 44mm Speedy is too big for me. Here they are, have the perfect opportunity to make the perfect Moon Watch rep, an undeniable classic, but they must rep the big 44mm one. The subdial spacing of all the moon watch reps is garbage and an instant giveaway, imho.

The key for the moonwatch to be successful is to remove the autowinding module and have it handwind, like the gen. This would make the movement thinner, as well as eliminating the "7750 whir." Obviously the subdial spacing has been fixed. Oh yeah, if there's no acrylic domed crystal they shouldn't even bother making it. I owned the gen, but needed some funds so it had to go. Hell, even if there is a good rep I might hold out for the legend.

I can't believe this thread is still going! I was very vocal earlier in the thread, but I lost hope. I will buy this the second an accurate one comes out. Then, I'd probably get it superlumed/serviced/Double AR'd. Then it's a keeper.

Can a Rolex expert find problems with it? Obviously it's not a real model yet, but let's assume that the dial and case proportions will be the same as the solid WG one out already. I've got bk's SD coming, but that won't be for months at the least!

Hont doens't keep anything in "stock." I think he just goes to the factories to check up on what they have. It's a shame... I think I might ask him myself.

May be magnetized. Cheap fix at any watchmaker.

It is a common misconception that automatics wont work in space. That is simply untrue. The rotor is not powered by gravity, but momentum. If it's in one spot, the swing my wrist the opposite way is what makes it move. Not gravity.

Hey there, I sold my rubber strap, and the buyer had trouble putting it on, so I made this diagram. Hope it works for you. Post some pics!

I'd love a sinn.

More complications, more risk...

I bet they are all selling the same thing. Pick your dealer first, then the watch. I'd go through all the dealer sections and read reviews to see which you think you'll trust.

Narikaa 42mmPO on sailcloth strap in front of my favorite acoustic

It's soft and collects a moderate amount of dust. Looks good though.

Here's to hoping this movement is reliable!

The balance bridge is an obvious giveaway.

Moon Watch here we come!

I absolutely love the domed crystals! Reminds me of my sold Speedy Pro... Is there a good/decent out of box rep for any of these? I know all of you put good time and effort in sourcing all of the parts/assembling them, but I have no watchmaking ability and the worst part is that it seems like it'll take months to years to get it done. I've done some searching but it seems like they are all personal creations. I admire your hard work and love the eye candy!

Chieftang AR would really make that R2D2 pop, IMHO.

WOW. I thought 360K was a typo too, but it's a really light balance wheel that's going at 360,000 times/hour. I almost couldn't believe it. Two balance wheels in the movement--1 for the time keeping, 1 for the chronograph. AMAZING. I used to think Tag was mainly quartz fashion watches with Tiger for ads, but looking at this watch, perhaps they truly are "Avant-Garde!"