crystalcranium

This is a decorated 6498? It looks like the 6498 in the swiss versions. Maybe it has some machining but it doesnt look at all like the genuine. Your offer is intriguing and I would jump at it if the decorated swiss looks like the decorated asian.

Saw a genuine in rose gold last night in a Tournneau store and the wife just flipped. She promised me one for a 25th wedding anniversary present and, though it's still a few years away, she still winced at the $12,000 price. I told her I could get a rep for the interim and she liked Josh's rose gold decorated movement version. I, of course, have a few ruminations. Decorated asian Unitas vs undecorated swiss unitas? Rose gold plated, (her favorite) vs stainless (my reasoned favorite, no fading). I only plan on wearing this rep very lightly, say, once a week. Would the gold hold up for a reasonable amount of time? Where would be the best place to get a decent croc strap that would approach OEM specs? Any advice on the asian vs swiss vs stainless vs gold plated delima???

Much more silvery subdials than last year with a more pronounced contrasting metal ring arpund the subs as well. The font on the day date is MUCH bolder and darker than the model I looked at last year. I wonder if they put the changes in place in reaction to the GT clone that was so spot on . Date wheel font and subdials are certainly places where the replica police look to sniff out our pieces.

I saw and wore a genuine Corum AC Series at Tonneau in San Francisco over the weekend and I have to say, that the reps of the watches in the heavyweight division are just out of their league. This Corum was nothing short of massive and substantial and every part of the watch screamed quality. Sorry rep fans but I think the best replicas are of watches that are just easier to replicate, simpler and more lightweight in the details. I also had on an Oris Artillier Chronograph as well as a Zenth Chrono with the ultimate....an El Primero movement and I'm hopelessly smitten with both. The Oris, I might actually be able to buy. First store I've been in that I've actually been intimidated into not wearing my reps. I wore a genuine SMP Diver Chrono with impunity and a little bit of envy. Beautiful IWC's also. Sorry again rep fans, but the new Ingenuiner Chrono and the FA Jones reps aren't even close.

Just bought a Hamilton Dodson with a 21 jewel, 28,000bph automatic movement ETA base 2895-2 and when I looked it up in an ETA database, it has 2892-A2 next to it as a sub designation. Are they virtually the same movement? I think it said the 2895 was a year 2000 design so perhaps it post dates the 2892??? Thnkks C

With you EL. Titanium just feels cheap. I know it's anything but, but weight saving in a watch is a stupid pursuit in my opinion.

Want your sandwich on rye or wheat? According to the gurus who work on them here at the subatomic level, a serviced asian movement that is for the most part an identical parts copy of a proven ETA design is a robust and reliable movement. I'll leave the defense of our precious 7750s and 2892-A2 copies to the more knowlegeable. I, myself am a convert from a doubter of Chinese movement quality to a passionate believer.

'kinda of what it's all about. I don't collect reps because I love "putting one over on people". I collect them because a select few of these watches are so close to the genuines, that the differences in the details are negligible, and the price difference is staggering. When someone notices and compliments, I accept graciously. If they inquire curiously about the name and brand, I hand it to them. If they question it's authenticity, I look them in the eye and say "You think this is a fake?" If the response is specific to a detail in the watch, and they are right about it, an interesting conversation usually follows. If their suspicions are based in nothing more than a belief that every expensive watch they see is a canal street rep, I politely ask for the watch back and continue on my way. Interestingly enough, the discussions that continue about its' true origins are often the most satisfying. I get a chance to talk about what drives me in this passion. These are not cheap "knock offs", "copies" or "replicas". They are very high fidelity reproductions of mechanical pieces of art that are often well out of range financially from a large portion of the population that would otherwise appreciate them. They are rare and collectable in and of themselves.

Which ever one stops me from taking the plunge. So some of them are pretty pet peevy. I wanted a genuine Breitling Avenger Seawolf for years and was stopped by the 300M vs the correct 3000M depth maximum engraving on the case back. Chrono positions of Venus copy movements on Lemania based genuines kinda stop me from buying otherwise beautiful Vacheron and Breguet Chronograph replicas. I still can't pull the trigger on the Vacheron Overseas because of the small cross on the dial. I guess the one that sticks in my crawl the most is the Venus copy hand wound 6 o'clock subdial hand that masquerades as an hour subdial counter in replicas like the Moonwatch and Broad Arrow but follows the watch hour hand as a dead giveaway. Why not just freeze the hand at the 12:00 position as many owners have had their reps modified to. It's like a throwback to the day of the week subdials on chronograph replicas. And on the topic of this movement, there are BEAUTIFUL genuines that use the Venus 175 as a base caliber. Passing this movement off as a "Lemania" is a flaw that tweeks my nose. I wish they would make more "niche replicas" of genuines based on the 175. There is a Venus 175 Maurice Lacroix Chronograph genuine with a display caseback that the Venus copy would mimic seamlessly.

Not with these reps. Yes, several years ago, fake chronos, LV Subs with lug holes in the case, moonwatch replicas with permanantly ticking stopwatch second hands and day of the week subdials etc.. would have been spotted from the entry door at an AD but the selected replicas I have indulged in give just about every one hell of a challenge to identify. I have had no problem handing my GT over the counter for inspection and my Speedmaster Broad Arrow was pointed out to another customer by a sales rep saying "That gentleman over there has on the Broad Arrow on you were asking about". I love to take these high end replicas into the lion's den and emerge unscathed. The one rep I never try to pass off is my SS Submariner. Everyone just assumes it's a fake!!!

Tag Link Chronograph, Blue Dial, Polished bezel with tachy markings on the bezel side by side with the identical genuine. Here's a Josh link to the one I bought http://perfect-clones.com/tg10011-link-chr...aph-p-1073.html

Hmmmmm...so for a total of $600 invested in the watch, i could sell it on ebay for....... No No No ...I can't do that...I can't do that......

I wore my Tag Link Chrono to an AD Sunday, confessed it's replica status, and had 4 salespersons, including the owner in dropped jawed awe when we put it down, side by side, with a genuine. I think we all debate the "absolute" status of certain replicas and usually a top grade replica has a flaw that belies its' status in a side by side, but this Tag is nothing short of remarkable. The weight, quality of the bracelet, dial reproduction, subdial size and position, are all so spot on, that the only way to tell the difference would be with a magnifying loop. Under magnification, very small differences in the dial details and a few flecks of dust under the crystal were the only way to differentiate the two and I'm not sure, if we put two genuines side by side, if we wouldnt notice similar magnified differences. Even my Bentley GT, another remarkable rep, could not stand up under this comparison. There was serious, voiced concern on the part of these dealers that the potential for scamming with this replica was a very real danger and that opening casebacks would be the only way to sniff this one out. Any ideas on how the replica dudes got this one so right on the first try????

You forgot one Zigmeister: Tireless toiler in the world of replica watch and watch movement repair and servicing. Thanks for providing serious collectors with a place to go for maintainance and service without having to beg the haughty high and mighty "swiss trained" to work on their lowly reps. We (and you), know how good these things are and how much they are loved, valued and appreciated. Thanks Rob.

Where did you get a Swiss ETA 7750 for $200????? I would love to stock up on several as I now have 3 replica chronos in 12,6,9 original configuration and I want to have genuine movements in reserve for when they quit. The best price I have been able to find is Orfei and they are $300-$350 clockspares.com is off the charts at about $500

So on the genuine dial, the "S" in Schaffhausen" lines up more or less directly under the left border edge of the date window and in the replica, the "S" sits to the left of this border. Is this the only difference in the two dials?

That's not the Day of the week allignment problem I was talking about! Dont adjust the day/date or photograph your watch between 10P and 2A

Here are some quick and dirty shots Inside of the buckle, a little poorly satinized. A little fine steel wool should clean it up Inside the caseback. The logo at the very top is quite detailed.

Thank you so much for the heads up. How does one do this? Are they a friction fit on the post or do they screw on?

I thought the titanium version just looked granier/rougher in the pics I looked at. I figured this was just a characteristic of the metal but your post gives me pause. A few more thoughts. The dial has decently lumed marker dots but the hands, dispite looking like there is luminous material, do not glow at all. Also, the bracelet is not for the "large of wrist" Although I am not a small guy, I usually have to remove at least a link from most of my bracelet watches. This one is snug with no option for expansion. I imagine a good salty meal and I'll be bursting out of it.

I got my IWC GST Chrono in stainless with a white dial yesterday from Paul. Cost me $199. Although it took him a week to source one, once he sent it via DHL, it got to the east coast USA in less than 2 days. He also included a Mont Blanc pen to offset my $27 WU fees. The pen writes beautifully. The ink cartridge inside it reads Mont Blanc and looks original. I know nothing about replica pens so if anyone can tell me if this is a genuine ink in a replica pen body, I'd love to know. I gave it to my wife who writes alot and she said "OOOOhhhhh" when she used it,...a pretty good sign. As for the watch, I went with stainless because titanium isn't appealing to me. I like heft in a watch. This is a smaller chronograph at 40mm in diameter but it is thick at about 14mm. It weighs in at about 155 grams so not massive but substantial. I like the fact that it is not a hockey puck on a bracelet. The Bentley GT and Tag Link Chrono that were my last two purchases are both very large watches. This one I could wear with a business suit and not look like I was ready to go pearl diving. The gold tone hands and markers are very elegant. The crown is substantial and actually looks a little oversized for a watch of these dimmensions perhaps in service of making it easier to use. I am assuming the genuine has a crown of similar size. The satin stainless bracelet with polished middle links tapers beautifully from the widest point at the watch case to a very understated engraved clasp. It works on the same principal as the Omega bracelet clasp but it only has one button to release the clasp lock on the bracelet pin. This concerns me. It doesnt take much movement of this easily pressed button to release the watch and there is no substantial "click" when the clasp engages. The fit and finish on the inside workings of the clasp leave a little to be desired as they are roughly machined. The bracelet looks like it is held together by thick pins that have polished heads to match the polished sides of the bracelet. Most of them are set to an equal depth but about 1/4 of them are pushed in further than the majority. None of them are proud of the bracelet though. I took off the caseback and was very surprised that the gasket and the threads of the case were greased. It operated very smoothly. I was even more surprised at the level of detail inside the case back. It was engraved with "IWC" "Swiss Made" and had a serial number. It also had a very small but very detailed IWC trademark engraving . The asian 28,000 bph 7750 copy works well out of the box with it's typical quirks, The day alignment angle problem for Tue and Wed is evident as is the mechanical issue of the minute counter rolling over to the next minute when the chrono second hand reaches 58 seconds. I have this issue with all of my new 7750 watches and it looks like you can identify the movement from this characteristic without opening the case back. I made sure I wound the watch fully before attempting to re-set the chronos and they all work perfectly. As with most of the watches coming from our Asian dealers, it runs about +15 sec/day out of the box and once I get a couple of months on it, I'll adjust it. As By-Tor says, writing a review while the "glow of delivery" is still burning is not a great idea so I expect my impressions to change with time. I'm happy with the watch today but time will tell!

I checked the tracking a few minutes ago and the package is at my house!!!! Now how the hell do I leave work early????? Hmmmmmm....I don't feel so well!!!

Sorry if I seem amused. I'm not and I should probably not add anything but it occured to me, some of the great natural rivalries in Nature Ali vs Frazier Cobra vs Mongoose Sperm Whale vs Giant Squid Steve McGarret vs Wo Fat James Bond vs Spectre Yankees vs Red Sox Craytonic vs TTK I have never dealt with Neil but I think his very public campaign and open sunshine policy about his business practices probably suggests an honest dealer.

Can someone pass the popcorn down this way please

Take a look at this routing history for a watch I bought from Paul that shipped Sunday evening East coast of the USA time from China to my home in Pennsylvania,USA. It shipped via DHL. The history is in reverse order. 9/19/2006 8:53 am With delivery courier. 7:24 am Arrived at DHL facility. Lester, PA 3:35 am Transit through sort facility. Wilmington, OH 1:35 am Clearance processing complete. Wilmington, OH 1:22 am Arrived at DHL facility. Wilmington, OH 9/18/2006 7:16 pm In transit. Kowloon, Hong Kong 6:23 pm Arrived at DHL facility. Kowloon, Hong Kong 4:54 pm Temporary delay in transit Shenzhen, China 3:29 pm In transit. Shenzhen, China 2:49 pm Arrived at DHL facility. Shenzhen, China 1:56 pm Departing origin. Guangzhou, China 9:43 am Picked Up by DHL. So a package that was shipped at 10:00 in the evening on Sunday local time is going to get to my house on the other side of the world by noon on a Tuesday!!! In fact, it looks like it flew directly from Hong Kong to Ohio USA non stop. Wow! For all of us immediate gratification nuts out there....Thank You Paul!!! BTW, this is an IWC GST SS White dial for $199 with free shipping. Paul even included a free MB pen to offset the cost of a WU transfer. What a great deal.