dovo1695

@ Bytor and Plaifender, Thanks for the feedback, it's greatly appreciated. I emailed Silix and let him know that the Swiss SOSF is not what I ordered and asked for a refund. We'll see what happens. I'd like to reiterate that I'm not knocking Silix here. He's been a dealing honestly on this board far longer than I have been a member. As I said in my review, it is of a single watch at a single point in time. For all I know, someone picked the wrong watch out of the wrong bin to fill the order. Mistakes happen. My opinion of Silix as a dealer will be formed based on how he responds when a mistake has been made. @ Woody, Don't give up yet. There have been quite a number of second hands out there, even on the best/ultimate version. With luck you'll get an Ultimate version and my experience was just a one time event. The biggest tell is the crown guard. If you're worried about it, you can post the picks or send them too me and I'd be happy to take a look and let you know. -Dovo

@ Bytor, It really does look like it lacks AR in most of pics. I didn't really have the lighting to bring it out. It has AR that's lighter and much worse than single sided AR that’s on my POrikka 42mm Planet Ocean rep. These pictures don’t really capture it but the coating winds up being reflective at almost any angle in almost any lighting. I'm going to start calling it "ER" (Extra Reflective) coating instead . There's some kind of coating on there allright...the pic below should highlight it a bit better. -Dovo

@ Plaifender, I requested an exchange from Silix originally because it had the wrong dial color while the watch was still in transit. Silix told me that the best he could do was to send me a black dial for replacement. I have been starting to seriously think about sending it back again now that I know the extent of it's defects. Do you think it would be possible? I thought you could only do that if the watch had a mechanical failure of some kind and didn't work. This one works, I'm just unhappy that its a cheap knock-off of a great knock-off ! I've never sent a watch back before and I'm not sure what the "rules" are. Thanks, Dovo

@ Lanikai, Thanks for posting the pics of the white dial SOSF Asian vs SOSF Swiss! Those were the very pictures that got me thinking about the SOSF and whether or not I should go with the Asian version. I guess now I know for sure! Thanks, Dovo

@ Cougaree, Bytor, and Plaifender, I agree. I got a bum version. The best SOSF version is definitely among the best reps out there as your pics make evident. In the future I'll won't be buying a $300 watch sight unseen. With Silix I feel like you can really get lucky sometimes and get some great deals. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Thats half the fun of this hobby. Another part of the fun is sharing the results of such gambles with fellow watch enthusiasts! Although I'm a little disappointed with the Swiss version, I'm actually really, really happy with the Asian one. Silix is selling it for about 50% less than other dealers ($100 vs $158). It's far and away the best rep I've received for $100. It's even better than my Porikka, which heretofore was my daily beater and favorite rep!

Breitling Super Ocean Steelfish X-Plus Replica Swiss vs. Replica Asian Disclaimer: I’m still a bit of a noob myself so I want to make it clear that review is just the opinion of a relatively inexperienced Rep enthusiast. I would actually appreciate it if more senior members could point flaws in the watches themselves that I have omitted or flaws in my assumptions/reasoning. I’ll be more than happy to update the review so that future readers can have the benefit of their experience. I can also appreciate the absurdity of posting my first review ever only days after Bytor posted his amazing rep vs gen comparison of the SOSF; he's a bit of a hard act to follow!!! Executive Summary: I suggest that you heed Bytor’s recent advice that if you want a genuine super-rep you’d best go to precious-time. The Swiss version that I received from Silix is inferior in every way to the Silix Asian version with the exception of the superior movement (and even this assumes the Swiss Eta is the real thing). Most interestingly, the double AR on the blue Swiss watch made it dramatically more reflective than its AR-Free Asian cousin. Since for me, AR was the only reason that I would be willing to pay a 250% premium for the Swiss version, I can assure you that I was sorely disappointed. That said, both are very nice watches and cost aside, I’m relatively happy with them both. The build quality on both watches is exceptional; you really have to hold a SOSF in your hand to appreciate it. Context I recently purchased an Asian SuperOcean Steefish and a Swiss SuperOcean Steefish from Silix. After reading Lanikai’s superb comparison review of the white dialed Asian SOSF vs the Swiss SOSF I was inspired to write up a short review myself. I’ve been enjoying this community for two years and I have had a great deal of fun, learned a little bit, and managed to avoid some bad purchases. This is my humble attempt to give a little bit back. I was also very curious to see how much of a difference the double AR made on a black dialed watch. Conventional wisdom dictates that on blue or black dialed versions of this watch, double AR is a necessity to avoid undue dial reflection. Additionally, the SOSF is intriguing at the moment. Since its super-rep days of a few years ago, multiple inferior versions have started to enter the market that are priced comparably to the original super-rep. Without getting an advanced photograph prior to shipment, there really isn’t any way to be sure of what you will be receiving. Unfortunately for me, I was mailed one blue watch and one black watch which rather undermines the spirit of the review. Just the same, I think that my findings, though restricted to only a single dealer at a single point in time, might be interesting to others. Before I begin, I’d like to add my name to the chorus thanking Pugwash for his terrific 3 part series on watch photography. I literally spent 3 hours taking pictures of my watches with abysmal results before I had the sense to use the search function to find a photography tutorial. It took me 15 minutes to read his tutorial and 30 minutes to take the pictures thereafter. I’ll be the first to admit that at best they represent a humbling first attempt, but they’re 1000 times better than the best I managed in the 3 hours prior to reading his tutorial (the originals were that bad!). It gave me newfound admiration for guy’s like Pugwash, Lanikai, Bytor and Pix. I still have no idea how they do it. With preamble out of the way, let’s get down to business. Swiss SOSF in Blue, Asian SOSF in Black Gen (Photo by Bytor) Asian SOSF X-Plus Swiss SOSF X-Plus Bezel: This is one area where the Swiss version is actually superior to the Asian version. The Asian version has relatively shallow engraving. The Swiss version has much deeper engravings that appear stamped rather than etched. Case: The case of the Swiss version is actually smaller than that of the asian version! If you look at case at the 9 o’clock position on the Swiss version, you’ll not that the case is almost flush with the bezel. On the Asian version it actually protrudes a good 1.5mm. Viewed from the side the Asian version is actually thicker. The case forks (not the actual term) are also about 20% thicker on each side. I noticed this in the pics that Silix sent to me (after he had shipped them). I thought it was just an optical illusion!!! Crown Guards: The crownguards on the Swiss model are nowhere near as good as those on the Asian version. The crown guards on the Swiss protrude only 25% of the way into the crown vs 50% for the asian version (and the gen). This constitutes a significant difference visually even from a few feet away. A big argument in favor of the Asian version. Hands: The hands on the Swiss version are completely different than those on the Asian version. The box on the seconds hand is about 30% larger than on the asian (and gen). The minute and hour hands are about 20% wider with more metal on the framing skeleton around the lume. The caveat I would add to those looking for a SOSF is that its not whether or not the watch has box second hands or arrow second hands, it’s how large the box on the second hand are. The second hand should be the same width as the number 15 on the dial (at the 3 O’clock position). Another tip off is when the red paint on the second hand extends above the box by around 1.5mm. Dial: The dials on the two watches appear nearly identical to my eye with respect to fonts and printing. The big difference is in the concentric guilloche, which is far more pronounced on the Asian version (it’s really quite beautiful). On the Swiss version this guilloche is invisible unless viewing the dial at a <15 degree or greater than 160 degree angle (you can’t see it unless you look at it from the side when it’s almost level with your eye). Reflectiveness: The Swiss version with double AR is at least twice as reflective as the non-AR asian version. It was extremely difficult photographing the dial of the Blue Swiss in any lighting. The black dial with no AR was considerably better. Lest anyone ask, I’m positive that the blue dial has the AR because it shows that tell-tale blue sheen when viewed at an angle. Interestingly, the AR is somewhat similar to the AR on my Narikka PO (Porikka). Having seen the three side by side, I can easily say that I won’t be buying a watch with factory AR in the future. In fact, I’m trying to figure out how to strip the stuff of my crystals now that I know how much less reflection is created when there isn’t factory AR. You’ll note in the photos that you can typically see the reflection of the camera in the dial of the blue Swiss SOSF. You can just barely see it on the Asian black dial. It’s even worse in real life since I was trying to minimize the reflection in the pictures to show dial details. In real life you could get a pretty good shave using the dial of the Swiss with “double AR”. I might be sending my first watch to Chieftang to see what real AR looks like! Bracelet: The bracelet of the Asian version is also superior to the Swiss version. Note how much of a gap there is between the end of the first link and the end of the case-forks (not sure what the technical term is). In the second set of pics you’ll notice that the Asian bracelet says “Registered Model” whereas the Swiss Version says “Modele Depose”. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can say which is more appropriate. Asian SOSF Swiss SOSF Asian SOSF Swiss SOSF Pearl: Here the Asian version proves superior. Note how small the lume portion of the pearl is on the Swiss Version ( I had problems getting the focus right on this pic

Just out of curiosity, what watch did you buy? My first rep was an 42mm Omega PO; I don't think I'll ever part with it. Be sure to post pics when it arrives! Welcome aboard!

I'm running Internet Explorer 7.0 and I see the same thing you do DeltaHoe. Likely its just a IE issue (among many) Dovo

Welcome Bill! Glad you were able to make it over from the the RWI. BTW WTF is OCDW? Dovo

Welcome from a fellow Bostonian! I'm more of an Omega myself, but my first Breitling (Superocean Steelfish) is in the mail even as we speak. A word of caution: stay away from the Panarei area. This area seems particularly dangerous to Breitling fans. From the stories I've read there, it starts out innocently with a PAM 111, and by the end of the year your selling your clothes to finance crown guard mods, gen movements, and superlume . Enjoy the forum! Dovo

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the feedback. -Dovo

I have been planning to do a review of the Black Dialed SOSF ETA Version vs the Black Dialed SOSF Asian Version. I will be receiving a SOSF Lite from Silix in the next few days. Unfortunately, it looks as though he's sent me one with the wrong color dial (blue instead of black). I asked that he send me the black watch that I ordered as a replacement as soon as the New Years holiday was over. He countered that he would be willing to send me on a black dial so that I could fix it myself. Question 1: Is this reasonable on his part (sending the dial only) or should I push to receive the watch that I ordered? I lack the tools necessary to swap the dial, and am loath to pay a watchsmith $50 to do it for me since the mistake wasn't mine. Assuming I am foreced to change the dial myself, I would obviously need to take the crystal off to do it. This got me thinking that if I'm going to go through the trouble of taking the watch apart, I might as well replace the mineral crystal with a sapphire crystal while I'm at it. Question 2: Has anyone ever transplanted a sapphire dial with AR (like the one that comes on the ETA version) on a SOSF Lite? Would this actually work? Thanks in Advance for your advice, Dovo

Congrats on a beautiful watch. I really enjoyed reading your review, I'm considering picking one of these up myself and it's great to know exactly what to ask for and look for. Thanks for taking the time to write this up! Dovo

If you figure out a way to do it, be sure to post the results. I've wondered about this myself...

Congrats on at great watch and a pretty amazing job with the relume. One of the nicest "non-professional" relume jobs I've seen. This is the first time I've seen a rep of this watch as I'm not generally a tag fan. I might need to revisit that position! Thanks, Dovo

It might be a little while. I just got shipping confirmation a few days ago and some pics of the watches that I'm being sent. Unfortunately it looks like they sent the wrong watch. As I said above, I ordered the black dial versions of the Asian & ETA SOSF. Looks like Ill be getting black and blue instead (which I'm sure was an honest mistake). (pic below). When I saw the picture I emailed Silix immediately to make him aware of the mistake. Unfortunately he put them in the mail before he emailed the pics. Hes told me that hes unable to do anything until after the New Years holiday (which I completely understand). I asked him to send me the replacement watch as soon as was feasible, which would be the last week in February. He instead offered to send me a black replacement dial. Im not really sure how to handle the situation. Im not incredibly picky, but this isnt a slightly misaligned bezel; the watch has the wrong dial color. I dont have any of the tools that I would need to replace the dial, and Im reluctant to pay a watchsmith $50 to do it. Should I ask for a replacement watch or just accept the dial that hes offered to send me? Ive never run into a situation like this before and I dont feel like I have much leverage. Not sure what to do. Please understand that I'm not bashing Silix here and I don't want anyone else to either. He's been dealing honestly on these boards far longer than I've been a member. I just need a bit of advice on what to do. I know its not a big deal, but its really bummed me out. I was really looking forward to getting these watches. Other questions: Is it just me or does the crown guard look off on the blue one? It also looks like the case size is significantly different on the two watches. Is this possible or just an optical illusion? I cant tell which is the ETA and which is the Asian (I can appreciate the irony ) does anyone know? Disappointed in Calgary, Dovo

This is the best news I've heard all day. I can hardly wait to get my hands on one of these if/when they come out!

Hi Plaifender, Sorry about the pics. They should be working now. This does look pretty similar to the older version; probably the same thing. I'm having a hard time picking out any differences.

I was just poking around in Trusty Time's "new for february" area and happened to see a IWC GST 2000. This is the first time that I've seen one of these available. I know that this rep has been around for quite a while and though a pretty good rep, was never really all that popular. I'm wondering if this might represent a new version or if it's just some rep NOS working it's way through the supply chain. It seems odd that trusty would add an older/unpopular rep to his lineup if there wasn't anything new about it. I don't think IWC even makes this watch anymore. Here are some pics below: I'm guessing it's just the same version as the last one, but I'd be pretty interested if it they had corrected some of the earlier one's prior issues. Has anyone gotten one of these? -dovo

Just placed the order with Silix! Now I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight

Congrats on a truly beautiful watch! The GST doesn't get much airtime and I've always wondered why. I guess it's because there's been so many amazing IWC reps in the last few years. IMHO the GST belongs among the best of them. Truly a gorgeous and unique watch! Enjoy. -Dovo

I read your thread about the Lite vs the ETA a little while back. It was actually one of the key threads that got me so interested in the SOSF. I wasnt sure if the SOSF was right for me, but I figured for only $100 for one of the best reps around, I had an obligation as an RWGr to at least try it out for a few weeks! I really want to thank you Lanikai for all of the amazing reviews, posts, and pictures you contribute to this forum. I cant tell you how much Ive enjoyed reading through your amazing macro pictorial reviews and Im sure Im not alone. By way of update, Ive decided to go with a black dial and Ill be getting both the ETA SOSF and the Asian SOSF! I figure this will serve 4 useful purposes. First, Ive never seen double AR firsthand and Id really like to own a watch with double AR. Second, no review exists of the black dial Asian SOSF vs the ETA SOSF and I think the black dial will really show what a difference double AR makes in this rep. And third, Ive never posted a review before, and I think it would be a good way for me to contribute a review to the forum that might help someone else. And fourth, the Silix asian and ETA SOSFs are ~40%-30% cheaper than the others that Ive found and Id like to know if this represents a great value or a significant compromise in quality. Ill keep you posted. -Dovo

Thanks for the feedback; I was wondering this myself. My thought was to have it come on 8 times a day for 5-10 minutes using a $15 programmable timer. It is quite a bit of motion though. I wouldn't think that it would hurt a movement but I'm not really qualified to venture a guess. Not much point in saving a few hundred bucks on a winder if it winds up wrecking $1000 worth of movements . I’m open to opinions on whether or not the nutator provides too much/violent motion for safe watch winding. Thoughts? Link to Nutator below: http://tcssci.com/nutator/index.htm

I like this one even better. It's listed maximum weight is 1.8 pounds. It wouldn't be tough to build 2-3 foam lined oak trays that could accomodate 6-8 watches each. Now you've got yourself a 24 watch winder for <$300. Seems like it would work pretty well. Any thoughts? http://tcssci.com/nutator/index.htm

Whilst searching for an inexpensive watch winder, I came across this interesting website. It won't win any style competitions, but for the money I think it's a pretty good effort. Will a watch winder such as this that moves along a single plane (rather than "fuzzy logic" multi-plane movements)do the job? If so, I might give it a try. EDIT: Posted this before I had my morning coffee. The link is now below http://showcase.netins.net/web/patrickd/winder/Homemade%20Watch%20Winder.html