hackR

the Blackbird...a pure sexy hunk of brushed metal...

oh yeah, can i see a profile of the crown side - shooting the crown side directly and moreover shooting the profile from the "6" o'clock view......thanks!...wondering about the crown guard flat and how it transitions to the case back...looks to be the same case as the best older models...the profile will tell a lot...it does look to be the same case as the v1s...which is excellent...the bezel looks a little different, but the numbers are nicely done and sized - notice how they extend closer to the bezel edge...that's a good thing!

@Snpr --> this new one is actually a nice rep - i'll still hold to the fact that the best early versions of the steelfish are slightly better...but this one is still very good...if you look at the Silix piece, you'll see how the dial is all wrong...the larger markers, the smaller numbers, and noticeably the date window...the date window should be much closer to the rehaut "track"...also the case edge should be visible next to the bezel...you'll see that the silix version's bezel extends to the watch case edge...lastly, the best versions of the fish have ar similiar to this new rep - not the ultra-blue of the silix rep's glass...lastly you can see how the bezel engravings are too small and scrunched compared to the new one...the bezel engravings are crisp - could be deeper - but nonetheless, well done...just pointing out a few of the diffs...also if you look at the crown guards, the good ones have a large flat then transitions smoothly to the back...stuff i've picked up over the years... i've spent far too many hours understanding the various nuances of the steelfish rep...i eventually picked up a gen black dial - making a franken with the best steelfish components...but having that only made me more interested in getting the gen...so a gen blue '08 is enroute as i type...there's nothing like the gen blue dial!...

the dial on this doesn't look too bad at all...the lume is applied rather well...would like to see a movement shot... re: my previous comment...these show a slight hue with the "colorless" ar...that is more like gen...so that's good...the dial color is still off - but only noticeable to breit freaks like us...i still stand by the fact that the older ones were as nice - and with genuine eta movements...if these are gen - then the price is warranted...but we all know that many are clones...all in all, a nice piece if you don't want to go the modded route... regarding "pre-owned" prices...you can get a pre-owned steelfish for $1500-$2000usd depending on condition and whether or not it's been sent for service or not...from what i've seen the blue "pre-owned" fetch more than the other colors...

looks great, Stace...wear it well...terrific pix, as always!!

it's been a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time since this thread was active...with the everchanging landscape of membership, why don't we resurrect this thread and see where it goes... if you haven't seen this thread, please go to page 1, post 1 for instructions... enjoy the thread - many have...and it's a good way for members to interact...and its ok to place a request to someone who has previously posted...lord knows, many of us have everchanging collections/tastes... i'll re-launch this thread with a request to.........drum roll, please........................................ mikellem

geez, N!...this waiting is a waste of time...

R-man...this is awesome...a great watch and a great story...super pix... wear it well and thanks for sharing...R

nice gesture...it's why RWG is RW friggin G... R-man...one of the best...

yup...i would pm him...i picked up a gen chrono avenger dial from him...here's another example: http://www.rwg.cc/to...en-b13-gen-pro2 also check with SMIDSY...i picked up a gen steelfish dial from him... ya never know... R-

hey S...have you asked Concepta about a B36?

gorgeous...i really like the dial... have you considered putting it in a v2 case?...the gen pro 2 bracelet seems to be slightly narrower than the lugs - or is that just the pix?... thanks for sharing and wear it well... Rob

colorless ar, lousy marker lume fills (very uneven)...and the black and blue do not have the reflective sheen of the gen...and the blue from the website pix, still seems to be wrong...case is same as the older reps...besides the use of superlume and the rehaut lumed markers, the only other thing that's nice about this new offering is the dw (the font looks to be crisp and thick)... interestingly enough, the silver (white/creme) gen's dial doesn't reflect the light like the black and blue...so the rep is close in that regard...but the color is off... let's do some math... 1) buy the better swiss v1 fish (similar to Jkay's) for approx $300...(yes they are rare these days, i know) 2) relume it for less than $200 (hands, dial, rehaut)... cost - $500....cost of new rep with shipping ($400)...hmmm.... btw - will be nice to know if the nickel-plated swiss movement in the v2 is indeed swiss/eta...can't wait for someone to shoot a macro of the balance wheel jewel on this one... all in all - if you're dying for a fish, this one's available...but at 1/3 to 1/4 the price of a pre-owned gen, i'm not so sure...

looks great Ray... i still think, tho, that these black dial watches would greatly benefit from a white on black dw over the current black on white...lessens the look of the sunken dw... love the rich texture of your piece...the hublots have nice texture with its various components and the mix of surface finishes/etc...add your strap and its perfect... well done - thanks for sharing... R-

what's the process of aging a pearl without reluming it?... the insert was aged via the bleach method?...what's the proper mix of bleach and water?

sweet...looks great...is the entire piece an MBW?...or did you add/mod the insert/pearl?..that's the kind of insert/pearl i think would make a difference on mine...thanks for sharing... these gilt pieces are sharp as the dial is class - but less bold with gilt writing vs white writing..

very cool...and noticeable - once you pointed this out...a simple mod that adds "character"... thanks, P!

any suggestions on replacing the insert and/or adding a pearl?...or should i just let it be?...

@Akira...Bill is a member here who had a significant collection of MBW watches...i picked up the gilt dial from him...best to keep your eyes open in the sales forums or post a wtb for a dial...good luck and thanks for your comments...R

thanks, guys...once i got the dial from Bill, it was just a matter of finding the other components...the brushed gold hands really make it... one more thing i learned here (from Ronin!) and forgot to mention: the hands came with white (very white) lume...the dial has creme lume...so i used iodine on the hands...after the first application of iodine, i let it sit for 15 minutes...i used small touch up brushes to apply it from a hobby store...i then brushed the iodine with water...that wiped off some of the yellowy look from the iodine and cleaned up the iodine that was on the metal...the result was creme colored hands...they match pretty well... R

I'm late, too...Happy Birthday, Val...

thanks, guys!...i just need to upgrade the insert/pearl...in time... @Ronin...i took some rodico and flattened it on a smooth surface...making it thin and even...i then put the flattened rodico onto a small rectangular piece of wood (1/2"x1/2"x2") so that it overlaps the bottom - this allows you to hold the rodico on the edge...i also used a slightly rough piece of wood so the rodico would hold better...i then pressed a hand on the rodico and pressed it in evenly...i then slowly - and i mean slowly so that they rodico doesn't peel off -- brushed the wood/rodico/hand in a single direction toward me, on a piece of 1500 grit sandpaper...worked nicely...

excellent pix, S!