dovo1695

Thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. Hopefully no one bids on that thing.

I found this Omega Seamaster Pro Chrono recently on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=260240290476 It looks like the real thing to me but I could definitely use a few pairs of eyes with more expertise than my own. For that matter I could use a bit of advice; am I crazy to consider buying this thing if its not even working? Even if it is real am I just going to wind up paying the price of of gen by the time I buy a new movement (assuming that this is necessary). The auction ends in a couple of hours so I don't have much time to do my homework on this. Let me know what you think: dumb idea/good opportunity? Thanks in Advance

I know, I know... it's question truly befitting a noob...but I have to ask. I was searching ebay for a gen Seamaster Pro and the only one's near my price range were quartz. I got to wondering whether or not it would be possible to buy a quartz Seamaster Pro, pop out that dreadful movement and somehow shoehorn in a brand spanking new ETA from Ofrei's. It seems like the case dimensions are the same for the quartz vs. automatic models. Is it possible? I'm guessing that it isn't but I have to ask. I can't stop wondering and I'm in need of some WIS insight so that I can finally put the issue to rest and get some sleep.

My family business growing up was called Portland Rubber Company, so although I'm may not be a rep noob I do know a bit about gluing rubber. Super Glue and LocTite both work well on most rubbers (even nitrile rubbers). There are two tricks to getting a really good bond. 1. Use sandpaper (carefully) to rough up the area where you intend to glue. Also use the sandpaper on the corresponding piece you intend to glue to it. A smooth surface has very little surface area; roughing it up increases the surface area by 10x. 10x the surface area = 10x the holding strength. 2. As soon as the the glue is applied and the two pieces are mated, apply steady pressure for at least 30 seconds. The pressure provided by a thumb and forefinger is generally sufficient, though not as precise as a vice. If you do put it in a bench vice, don't overdo it; a little goes a long way when a vice is involved. Hope this is useful to someone.

@ Omega Fan Thanks for the heads up. I guess you're right about the factory getting creative, although I think it's actually an very nice version that Omega should consider producing. I wonder if they're scouting the rep world for new product ideas? You've got yourself a really nice watch there. Wear it in good health!

I could never understand why the decsion was made to take a elegantly understated, rugged, amazing watch and then make a super-rep of the hub cap sized version. That 45" rep is the like the hot-chick in school that you couldn't take your eyes off but could never hope to date. I have an 7 3/4" wrist, which is by no means slender, and 45mm just looks silly. I'm not sure whether to take up weightlifting (with an emphasis on the forearms) or give up in dismay. If only we could get Daniel Craig to wear a 42mm PO in the upcoming bond...

Oh... I guess that does pose a bit of a problem. Thanks for the explanation.

If they can do the 3717, and the Slevin, the Big Pilot should be a cinch. I've read all the posts about the impossibilty of replicating the "zen like simplicity" of the BP and Mark VI, and frankly I think it's bunch of BS. The level of detail and accuracy of the current generation of reps is astonishing. Obviously the limitations aren't technical. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't see this coming out in the next year. I'll just keep dreaming until that day...

Welcome to the board Z! I feel like I should warn you about what you're getting yourself into; I'm not sure what's more addictive, rep collecting or this forum! I can see from the time of your initial post that I'm probably to late to warn you; you're probably already a rep addict like me! In any case, welcome to the forum and good with your next rep. Dovo

@ Pix Wow! What a great review. Thanks for all the time you invested in researching and writing this up. The pictures are terrific as usual, but you really upped the ante with the amazing videos. Great idea to link the vids, those tourby's really can't be appreciated until seen in motion. Bravo!

Wow! Thanks for all the advice; I appreciate the feedback. It seems like the general consensus is to haggle at the AD. I guess in the very least I should give it a try since I've nothing to lose. If I can't get a price that I'm happy with from bargaining, I can always just buy it online.

@Dave: Ever since I saw your post I've been thinking about this watch. I started trolling ebay about a week ago looking to pick one up. Today, low and behold I see the very watch that I was looking for. Then I realized how good the photography was. I thought to myself, wristshots this good could only come from one place! I checked back on this link and sure enough it's not only the model I was looking for, it was the actual watch and wrist that got me looking in the first place! I realize I've probably shot myself in the foot by posting this since now everyone else will probably go to the 'Bay and bid up the price; but I want to thank you for turning me on to this gorgeous watch. Good luck with auction mate!

Help a gen watch virgin out! I'm thinking about buying my first gen watch, an Omega Seamaster Pro 2220.80. Since I can't find a decent rep I'm going to bite the bullet and buy the gen. Since I've never bought a genuine watch before I'm not really sure how best to approach it. The watch is around $3000 at the AD and about $2300 at online stores. I'm trying to weigh the pro's and cons. On the one hand, there's no factory warranty if you buy from online discounters. There is also a higher risk of fraud. On the other hand, why pay $700 more? I've called several online stores to ask questions, checked their better business bureau references, researched their reputations online etc. However since you guys are the pro's I was wondering your thoughts on the issue. I'm thinking about buying from prestigetime.com, they seem reputable and have a decent price; if you've done business with these folks let me know how they were to do business with. If you've bought an expensive gen watch online in the past let me know where you've bought from and if the experience was positive. Thanks in Advance

I realize that I'm coming a bit late to this post but God Damn that is a beautiful watch. I've been trolling around for the past month or so; primarily looking at Omega's and IWC's but this post has turned me in a completely different direction! All I can say is that those straps absolutely make the watch. I don't have a clue how to source the straps but you can bet that the rest of my weekend will be devoted to finding out how! @Pamfried, Thanks for expanding this noob's horizons!

Nice Review, thanks for putting this up. I've got to say these speedmasters are really growing one me. Intially I thought they were a little boring; I'm starting to appreciate their simple elegance. I can definitely see myself picking one of these up!

Maxmillian, I actually came into the IWC forum with the intention of creating a post requesting pics of the blue laureus edition of this watch!!! Low and behold the first topic I see is this one! Thanks so much for posting these gorgeous pics. I have been on the fence about the 3717 but after seeing your pics I might have to buy one of these. Thanks.

Thats an awesome watch Jawo. After seeing the pics you posted I went out trolling on the net to see if I could find a used one for sale. No luck finding a used one, but in the process I found some on Overstock.com at the price I expected to pay for a used one! Thanks for posting the pic, I think I might be buying my first gen!

Good Point. It might be a little difficult to source a gen dial for a $45,000 watch of which only 50 were made LOL On the bright side, it's pretty unlikely that I'll run into someone with Gen to compare it against! @piratedzeus, I'm a bit of noob. What do you mean by "Wrong movement spacement I think?" Thanks

I came across this watch in one of the dealer websites. It was listed as a best seller for the week, but I haven't heard a peep about it here in the RWG. I did a search on this forum for "Dewitt" and all I came across were posts about the Academia Sequentiel. I've heard pretty good things about the Academia Sequentiel rep, but it's a bit loud for my tastes. This Chrono 1940- is a totally different story; this is an absolutely gorgeous watch and I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it here on the forum. Here are some pics: the first is a pic of the gen, the next three are pictures from the dealers website. I think this is a really nice looking watch. IMHO the movement looks absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't find a picture of the genuine caseback for comparitive purposes. If anyone has a pic of the back, post it up. Has anyone bought one of these; if so what are you're impressions of it. Stop me before I buy this thing.

Thanks Swisstyme. Great website! I couldn't help but notice that they also sell used/refurb movements. Are the ETA movements that they sell genuine, brand-new ETA's? After reading The Zigmeister's recent posts I'm a bit gun-shy. The Zigmeister: Do the movements from Ofrei's come like this? Sorry to be such a noob. This is my first rep and I want to get it right the first time if I can. Thanks

Thats a really good idea, particularly in light of what The Zigmeister said recently about the decline in "ETA" movements. Until I read his post I was naive enough to think that when the dealers charge $600 more for the ETA version vs the Asian version that I would be getting an ETA movement. Apparently this is not so. Where does one find a new, genuine ETA movement?

Thanks for the feedback guys. I had a feeling that it was going to be difficult to swap the bracelets . I don't relish the thought of going through 6 bracelets in the attempt! Thanks Logan for the heads up about the clasp swap. You say that the clasps can be swapped from the Chrono to the old SMP; do you (or anybody) know whether they can be swapped to the current generation of SMP reps?

The decline of the SMP "Bond" over the last few years has been pretty well documented here in the RWG forums. Nevertheless, it's still the watch I keep coming back to when I'm browsing the forums; it's such a beautiful, understated, perfect watch. I think I can forgive most of the short-comings of the current SMP reps, but the one thing that troubles me is that I've repeatedly heard that the current bracelet is junk. Life is too short for crappy bracelets. Unfortunately, the gen bracelet costs more than the whole rep and my searches of the "Bay" have come to naught. On the other hand, I've heard that the bracelet on the current SMP chrono is pretty damn good. I've consistently seen it compared favorably to the "old SMP" bracelet (which is saying a lot). I realize that it will still have screws instead of pins but this doesn't really bother me. My thought is that I could by an SMP Blue "Bond" and an SMP chrono bracelet and do a bracelet swap. The only difficulty is that the end-links on a SMP bracelet are different from the end links on a SMP Chrono bracelet. See below. SMP Chrono endlink in front Is it true that the SMP Chrono bracelet is as good as the "old school" SMP? Is it possible to swap the endlinks from the SMP bracelet to the SMP chrono bracelet; if so how difficult is it to do? Has anyone ever tried this, or am I just kidding myself. If it works, I can finally stop drooling over pictures of the "old" SMP and place an order. Thanks in Advance

Really interesting project; keep us posted on the how it turns out. My colleague has the gen SMP with the quartz movement, he swears he will never go back to an automatic!

You guys are absolutely right; I guess I didn't think this through well enough before I posted. I figured out how to edit my post and I have removed the contact info until I am able to confirm that the watchmaker wants his contact info posted. Thank you guys for pointing out my error; dumb move on my part. I have also added a warning that members should first obtain their watchmakers consent before posting to the forum. Sorry for the trouble...