tomhorn

PM Mike on a Bike.

Welcome to the world of reps. Every rep will have flaws. Some are minor, some are major. As for the power reserve ... you are talking about a gen in-house movement. With a rep, in order to have the same functionality, there would have to be a corresponding cloned movement. For reps with certain complications (like this one), the factories aren't likely to do it. If you want a PAM w/ working power reserve, you need to look for one (like the 27) where PAM used the Dubois Depraz movement. There are versions of that one available where people have swapped in the gen movement.

Wouldn't recommend buying reps of either of those models. They won't be very accurate because of the movements involved. There aren't any Chinese versions of the movements, so anything you find will either not have all the functionality, or will be modified and possibly unreliable as a result. IIRC, at one point there was a halfway decent version of the Yachtmaster II, but I'm not sure if they are even still available.

Yuki also sells hands, as does WSO on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WATCH-HANDS-FOR-ROLEX-SUBMARINER-3035-3135-SILVER-PART-/310304839505?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483f9c1751

Almost impossible to answer without seeing what you have to work with, and knowing your taste. Having said that, the simplest way to change any space is paint. Easy to do (just take your time, and buy good paint) and it doesn't cost a lot. The nice thing about paint is you can always change it back when you move out. I like this site for design ideas: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ I'm also big on asking for help if you don't have a good eye for such things. If you have a friend that has a place whose style you like, ask them for help. You can also get help from some furniture stores which provide design services if you buy something.

All of the trusted dealers can get their hands on the same products. They may not have one in stock (in fact most of them won't), but if they are available (meaning still being made by the factory) they can get you one. If they are telling you the factory stopped making them, then you aren't going to find one unless a dealer happens to have one left in stock. Try all the trusted dealers on the site (and check RG and RWI's trusted dealers also). If none of them have one, then you can also post a 'want to buy' on the boards and see if anyone will sell you one. The description of the watch on the site you linked to is utter BS. Reps aren't made with 440 stainless steel, and there is no Swiss movement with correct subdial spacing available in a rep (for this watch or any others). Assuming you get anything from them if you order, it would be the same rep you could buy from the trusted dealers for a couple of hundred dollars less. Or you could go with the two register model (I don't know the watch well enough to tell you how good it is). http://puretime-asia.com/product/seamaster-professional-chrono-ss-orange-bezel-black-dial-on-orange-rubber-strap-a9300/

I get that people are recommending the Phong setup because you're talking about using a gen movement in a franken, and as such, using the best parts makes a lot of sense sometimes. In this case not so much because by the time you add it all up, as others have said, you are close to buying a gen. If it were me, I would start looking for one of HH's 5514 cases which come up for sale from time to time, and build a Comex 5513. Use Yuki's 5513 dial and hands, and pick up a gen crystal and service insert. With the Yuki parts you'd be under $1000 plus the movement cost and whatever strap/bracelet you want to use. You could also step it up a notch by finding a gen dial. Not as high a quality as the Phong setup, and it's going to take a bit of effort to find the HH case. A lot less expensive though and you'll still have a fine franken that you could actually sell here on the board if you decide to part with it later. Several people have built them, and I'm in the middle of doing one myself with an ETA movement and Whoopy's 5514 dial (which is even less expensive).

No condescension and insult .... it's called SARCASM. For someone as 'enlightened' as you are, I'm surprised you don't understand the difference. Here, I'll put a 'rolling eyes' smiley at the end of this so you can figure it out this time ....

Can believe this thread has gone on this long ... oh, and Oswald didn't shoot Kennedy.

I'm halfway down your journey .... bought a few reps to get started, and now am occupying myself with building frankens ... next step will probably be gens ...

Good luck with that one .... He's definitely retired and out of the game. He's also greatly missed. Hate to burst your bubble, but I doubt that anyone here that is still close enough to the Zigmeister to have his current contact information would give it up to a new member with only one post. No offense to you, it's just that he was very selective in who he dealt with when he was actually doing work for members here.

My post of links wasn't meant to be a debate on whether or not you think they were for an "ultimate" Santos. As I said earlier I just posted a link from the only site whose URL I happened to know off the top of my head. Buy from whomever you like, but there is an "ultimate" version that came with a 2892 is all I am saying. Using it as a base is your easiest conversion.

The diameter of the two movements is the same, but the thickness and stem heights are not. The hands will 'fit' the movement without issue, but still may not work for your version of the Santos given the size differences between the two movements.Therein lies your problem. Nearly everyone who buys a Santos gets the Ultimate XL version, which is what I linked to. There are standard sized versions of the "ultimate" that used a 2892 as well. I have no connection to PT, I just happened to know his URL off the top of my head. You may be able to find the same watch elsewhere, this was just an example. You might try one of the TDs to see if they can get you the movement spacer from that version, which would (in theory) take care of your alignment issues. Not sure how easy it would be to get a part like that, but worth a shot. Otherwise, you likely aren't going to save any money trying to make it work yourself. If it requires a custom movement ring and new versions of the hands to make the height work, you'll spend more than selling your current watch and buying a better foundation to build from.

Stem heights are different between the 2824 and 2892.. http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/100622-eta-2824-and-2892-compatibility-and-advantages/ Case won't need modification, but you're going to have to come up with a custom spacer to make sure everything lines up. You will also probably have to do something with the hands as well. You'd be better off getting one of the 'ultimate' versions that had the A2892 in it and use that as your base. http://puretime-asia.com/product/santos-100-xl-ss-ultimate-edition/ The other thing to be careful about would be the crown tube. Assuming that's a gen crown in your picture, you may need a gen tube.

This is an honest response, but I doubt you are going to find it positive. And before you call out someone for being patronizing, you might want to re-read your own post. Are there any honest rep suppliers here? Yes, they are called trusted dealers. They are TD's because the forum members and Admins have had extensive dealings with them to know that they aren't out there trying to screw the members. Are there any perfectly copied, 1.1, AAAAAAAA++++++, Swiss made reps? No. While some watches are made from gen samples, there are none that are perfectly copied. Is there "marketing hype" in some of the TD's postings? Yes. Get over it. The TD's here are not the a$$holes online that post pictures of genuine reps and send you canal street junk. Buy from them and you will get the version of the watch you bought in as good a quality as it comes from the factory. The TD's wouldn't stay TD's if they were screwing people that way. You would also see tons of negative reviews. Are there some reps that are more accurate than others? Yes. If you take the time to read the forum you will see plenty of people posting the actual watches they have received, with discussions about the relative merits/flaws of the watch. Use the search function and read. The Milgauss pictured in Trusty's video looks like the pictures I have seen posted, so I'll assume it's of the rep and not the gen. Who's the best TD? There is no one "right" answer to that. Most can get any watch you need, but some are better at certain things than others (like communication, shipping to your particular location or updating their websites). There are many reviews of actual transactions with our TDs. Read those and you'll get a feel for who you want to deal with. Am I a good customer for rep watches? Based on this post. No. Your attitude is completely wrong, and I hope you lighten up if you want to enjoy this hobby. It takes a lot of research, patience, and putting up with things that happen (lost or damaged watches, time it takes to ship them, flaws you can't deal with, deals gone bad). Sh!t happens, and you'd better be able to deal with it without being stupid. Don't expect a lot of hand holding, and don't think you can throw down a rant like this with your 7th post and expect dealers to flock to you wanting to do business. They don't even flock to those of us that have the aforementioned traits. We have to seek them out, not the other way around. By the way, the member you just trashed is one of the most respected builders of Rolex frankens on this, or any of the other message boards. If you wanted something like a DateJust or DayDate, he would have been your guy and the watch you received would have been amazing.

Service the movement, refurb the crystal and maybe search for a new caseback (based on your description of a screwdriver opening) is all I would touch. Leave the rest as-is. I wouldn't do it (as others have said), but if you feel you have to update dial, hands and crown, make sure you keep the original parts.

BK = a trusted dealer. Listed here as BK's Watch Garage. MBW = aka Maria's Best Watch. a manufacturer of watches. Primarily discussed with vintage Rolex's. You will also see MBK in conjunction (or sometimes interchangeably), which is where the MBW's could be purchased. GEORGE = aka WM9. Another manufacturer of watches. Famous for his Subs. Apparently died. TC has managed to find some of his parts suppliers and is building similar watches now. AD = Authorized Dealer (of gen watches) Of course you'll now ask who TC is .... TC = aka Thomas Cadell. Another trusted dealer. Listed here as TC Submariner. I've now spoon-fed you enough information to get you started. All of which you could have found yourself using the search feature or looking at the forum's home page. "Earning your stripes" is all about using the search function.

Yep. I was amazed to get the gen Tudor hands for my DateJust build at a good price, but could never find a Sub set that I could justify. My Explorer build is off with PBdad now ... can't wait for it's return.

It's not our TD, if that is what you are asking. His new web address is in the other thread where you posted.

I'm in the middle of a similar project and used TC's handset. I also bought one of Clark's, but TC's looked better when I had them both in front of me. You'll have to get them re-lumed of course. You could also search for a set of gen Tudor hands. I tried looking for awhile and gave up without success, but it's another option as Tudor used ETA movements.

Can't be a Swiss movement at that price. Also, the B1 would be using the newer A7753 which cures the sunken datewheel issue. If you like the B01, it's a better rep.

MOB = Dog with bone ...

Why would you ask this after purchasing? The TC LV Sub last sold for $495. Add a gen crystal and crown and that's about $400. So brand new, it's about $895. You get no value points for service, and a deduction because it's not new. There are no movement pics so there's no guarantee that it's a gen ETA movement as opposed to TC's clone. You have posted no details about which version it is, or which version of the bracelet. Might have a slight increase in value based on that. You didn't specify if the insert was gen, but if so that's another $400. If you bought it for less than $800 you did OK. Below $700 and it was a good deal.

Will be interested in the Stasis chip results. I hated the standard 2.0T engine when I drove one, so I went back to the 2009 model year to get the 3.2l v6. Hope the 3.0T of the S5 is better. I actually want to upgrade myself at some point. My wheels are the 19" titanium rotors. Interesting that the new 'facelift' model doesn't have a black grille. Mine certainly is.

That would be a terrible choice .... Just kidding ... my 2009 s-line coupe says hello ...