deltatahoe

i definitely think at the very least that for new watches created / posted, the dealers should comply with the decided upon standards. i think an effort to comply with the most popular / top selling watches would also be appreciated by the members, regardless of when they were posted. i also understand the logistical nightmare it would be to update every single watch on their sites -- it's just not a good use of their time.

nice post; i'm glad you like the watch. hang on to your wallet, it looks like there will be a bunch more of these 'made from gen' watches coming out this year...

same with my white dial. they are there, but don't show up well in pictures...

everyone will have a different opinion on this. i'd say just go with what you think looks best. if it were me, i'd go with the 112h -- it's a simple, classic design. or possibly the 212 (everyone needs a stopwatch, right?). wait....what about a gmt function? go for the 063. but then there is always the 183, which is really only 1mm bigger than your 44mm requirement. and once you get comfortable with 45mm, why not give a 47mm pam a shot? next thing you know you'll own 6-8 pams -- they are extremely addicting. consider yourself warned.

great first post. welcome to RWG! hold onto your wallet; my bet = you will spend that $900 you were going to spend at idealwatches in the first three months, but you will get a lot more for your dollars. deltatahoe

good idea pugwash. i'm curious -- is there anything you need to do to make raw picture files wallpaper compatible (i realize this is a total noob question)?

well the only trouble with the coffee table is that the ideal photo-taking time is during the day (my living room gets great light during the day), and i'm at work till it gets completely dark most days, so my picture taking is confined to the weekends. i did realize last week however that the lighting in my kitchen is pretty conducive for taking pictures too (all of these breitling chonomat evolution pics were taken in my kitchen), but i haven't quite figured out how get my coffee table in my kitchen yet deltatahoe

seriously -- there is no better feeling than finding the perfect strap for a watch. the black europelli shell cordovan w/ gold stitch on my 217 is a perfect example. the gold stitching looks amazing with the gold hands -- i can't imagine a better combo (many thanks to subzero1 for thinking of it first). btw, thanks pugwash for your picture taking tutorials....you really don't need a bunch of special equipment to get decent photos (all of my photos were taken with a $200 sony point & shoot (dsc-w50)). i've found lighting, angles and composure are the more important variables. and of course a decent background. while my coffee table isn't too exciting, i think the nice wood grain has a classy effect on the photos. who knows, maybe i'll eventually be known for my coffee table wood background similar to ubi's granite background (a guy can have his hopes, right?)....

thanks guys for the nice comments -- i'm glad you enjoyed it. i think for most watches, straps can make the difference between a good looking watch and a great looking watch. i've gotten to the point where aside from my 112h (which looks good on just about everything), each watch has found an ideal strap counterpart.

so i've been collecting replicas for nearly six years at this point, and boy has it been fun. initially when i started collecting reps, i was relatively new to watches. i didn't have any gens, so to be honest i didn't have much basis for comparison -- these were watches that looked, worked and felt like the real thing to me. since that time i've added some gens to my collection, and while gens are undoubtedly hard to beat, i have to say -- some of our reps are truly incredible replications of some very fine timepieces. furthermore, while everyone goes through different stages in their watch collecting, i think there is a place for both reps and gens in every watch enthusiast's collection. i think one big question most people ask have to answer when they start collecting replicas is whether or not to pay up for a "swiss" movement or go with the cheaper, asian alternative. my approach is generally to buy watches with asian movements (assuming the beat rate is the same as the genuine) and spend the difference that i could have spent on a swiss movement on nice straps. i've found most of the asian movements have help up pretty well, and i always figure worst case scenario if a movement dies on me in a watch i really love, i'll swap it out with a real ETA or other swiss movement at that point. anyways, enough about my philosophy on collecting replica watches and on to the actual watches... i'm going to start with my pams. one of the great things about panerai is the variety of styles that all have a distinct, unique look (well, at least to those of us obsessed with watches). combine that with the variety of straps out there and you've got quite a few options. each watch/strap combination serves its own purpose; there is nothing more satisfying than finding the perfect strap for the right watch and/or occasion. the 111h was my first pam and started the madness. however, over time as i got several other pams, i sort of fell out of love with my 111h. i figured i would eventually give it to a friend, but over time i realized it had some sentimental value as my first replica panerai. so when i saw that rbj was offering a relatively inexpensive pvd service which no one had tried/reviewed at the time, i figured i would give it a shot. here's my 111h pre-pvd coating on mario paci xi ambra tan here's my 111h after pvd coating by rbj on angus ultimate rubber strap then after getting the pvd coating done, i decided to take it to the next level and get a pvd movement installed. then to top things off i got the crystal double AR coated. here are a couple quick pics of the final product (on greg stevens crazy horse ii). next up, what i consider my dress panerai -- the 183h. believe it or not, it looks good with a suit. 183h on the watch boys black alligator before getting my first pam, i would have never guessed that i could pull off wearing a 44mm watch. so with all the hype around the fiddy (which was everyone's favorite new watch about the time i got into reps), i was curious how ridiculous a 47mm watch would look on my wrist. inspired by subzero1's pics of his 217 on europelli shell cordovan and intrigued by the fact this watch was a destro, i picked up a 217 for extremely cheap from sichuan while he was still around. i have to say, i would have never guessed how much i like this watch. i eventually got a single sided chieftang AR coating, which made it much easier to take a picture (previously, pretty much everything reflected off the domed crystal). 217 on europelli black shell cordovan w/ copper stitching [need to add 243] [insert picture of 243] [need to add 036] [insert picture of 036] many months ago, V posted an unbranded california dial radiomir, and i was really surprised by how much i liked the california dial. previously i felt like something was missing with these, but i eventually came to realize that the california dial was both understated and classy -- a timeless design. so i managed to source one of these non-branded versions from davidsen, and had V make me a custom vintage strap for the watch, which i think sets the dial off perfectly. the dial and hands were also relumed with a tritium look by the master ziggy; his special touch is clearly present in the final product. unbranded california dial on V custom vintage strap after getting hooked on big watches from wearing my PAMs, i decided to give the square face bell and ross watches a shot. given my wrists are only seven inches around, i opted for the b&r 03-92 versions to keep from looking totally ridiculous. i got the stainless steel version first to test the waters, and was really surprised by how much i liked it. this is a really unique watch and a great value. stainless steel b&r 03-92 given how much i liked the stainless steel version, i jumped on the opportunity to get a real PVD coated version from ajoesmith when he was offering these for sale. the real PVD coating makes a huge difference -- it has a nice matte finish that really looks great. DLC coated b&r 03-92 [need a new picture] [need to add BR02] i've always been a fan of breitling watches (i actually found RWG looking for a decent breitling rep), so of course my collection wouldn't be complete without a couple breitlings. but unfortunately when i got started on the forums there wasn't nearly the selection of breitlings compared to pams. so i had to make due with the two decent breitling reps at the time. i feel like navitimers are pretty much analagous with breitling, and for a long time i felt i pretty much had to have a navitimer in my collection. but after a while i decided it should go to a better home -- it was literally getting zero wrist time. navitimer on BOB black calf many people say that the breitling chrono avenger was possibly one of the first "super reps". another breitling rep that clearly falls in that category is the skyland avenger. the case construction, the dial, the AR coating, the case, the bracelet -- this watch is a pretty remarkable rep; one of the best of 2008. i went for the grey dial version given i have more than enough black dials in my collection. skyland avenger blue dial on genuine blue calf [need new picture] [text about yellow seawolf] [picture of yellow seawolf on genuine rubber strap] i think deep down i must be a sucker for big dates, because one day for no apparent reason, i decided that i really needed the breitling blackbird. anyone else ever had that happen??!? anyways, i paired the blackbird on a genuine rubber strap, and i really like the result -- aside from the slightly off-center pearl (which you don't really notice unless you're looking for it), this watch really has a genuine feel to it. breitling blackbird big date on genuine rubber strap to be 100% honest, omega just doesn't have much brand appeal for me. however, there are a couple omegas that seem to be 'must have' reps. the first one that received a lot of discussion was the famed 4th generation 42mm planet ocean. i got one, and for whatever reason, it didn't really do it for me. i kept it on the stainless steel bracelet, and i always found myself reaching for something else whenever i went to put on a watch in the morning. you can check out a picture of this watch in my new "previously owned watches" section at the bottom of my post. however, once the 45mm ultimate planet ocean came out, i decided to give the PO another shot, and managed to find a really cheap ETA uPO on the trading board. given i had decided early on that the PO wasn't for me on the bracelet, and i picked up the genuine rubber strap with stitching. i had double AR coated to finish it off, and when you combine the AR coating with the genuine rubber strap, this watch really sings. omega 45mm ultimate planet ocean on genuine rubber strap [insert ploprof here] before i came to RWG, i had never heard of iwc watches. the iwc gst ti chrono definitely caught my eye (in part due to pugwash's great pictures), and i always figured i would pick one up, but i never could get that excited about a titanium watch on a titanium bracelet. maybe i'll eventually get one, but in the meantime, there have been a couple iwc watches that i just couldn't resist. and the more that i think about it, iwc has probably become my favorite watch brand. first off is the iwc pilot's watch (3717), originally offered by EL when he emerged from his hiatus as the dealer 'unicorn999.' at first i didn't understand the hype of this watch, but then saw a someone wearing a genuine 3717 and it was really striking -- the white markers and simplicity of the dial really sets the watch off -- it has a presence that is difficult to capture in pictures. so i figured i would give it a shot, and am really glad i did. generally i am not a huge fan of watches on bracelets, but this watch is an exception -- the bracelet is first rate and i love it. iwc pilot's watch 3717 from unicorn999 on ss bracelet while i do love the 3717 on the bracelet, it's easy to forget that this is a pilot's watch, and putting it on a strap is a good reminder. iwc pilot's watch 3717 on hktan pilot strap (after getting relumed, a double AR coating & ETA datewheels) at first, i really didn't see what all the fuss was about with the iwc ingenieur. however, once seeing pictures of the watch with chieftang's double AR coating, there was no debating the beauty of the unique dial and classic gerald genta design. it's a pleasure to wear (aside from the rough edges of the caseback that i've been too lazy to sand down). iwc ingenieur on stainless steel bracelet [concepta portuguese] [insert picture of panda dial portuguese on watch boys black gator] next up is the audemars piguet royal oak offshore. i got this version well before the new seconds at six version was released, and am still very happy with this watch -- it is force to be reckoned with. i felt the watch on the stainless steel bracelet was just too much steel, so i paired it with a kevlar oracle strap, which i think is the perfect compliment to the dial (and MUCH more comfortable than wearing the watch on the bracelet). mbw audemars piguet royal oak offshore (seconds at 9) on black kevlar oracle strap so when they finally released the seconds at 12 royal oak offshore, i debated for a while as to whether or not i should add another offshore to my collection. after seeing that the movement got a relatively positive review (despite having some concerns) from ziggy, i kept an eye on the trading boards and managed to pick up the white dial version for an absolute steal. i just couldn't help myself. this one is still in transit; i'll post a picture of it when it arrives. [add custom case royal oak] [add custom case royal oak pic] [add patek nautilus (including details of modding)] [add patek nautilus pic] whether we like it or not, rolex is and will continue to be the most recognizable name in watches. there are good reasons for this; rolex has made watches that have stood the test of time. initially i picked up a modern sub, but then became interested in some of rolex's vintage watches. a quick warning to everyone -- these watches can be absolute money pits -- it is amazing how much you can spend to mod a vintage rolex. i was really fortunate to pick up a vintage dw daytona 6263 from twotone when he posted it on the VIP sales forum; immediately after purchasing this one i picked up a genuine T-21 crystal and sent the watch off to ziggy to install the new crystal and a genuine crown and tube. ziggy took a look at the mystery movement and made a couple minor changes to get it to run better; in the meantime i'll keep an eye on ebay for genuine V72 movements just in case the mystery movement decides to die on me. dw daytona 6263 after receiving my dw daytona, i was a basically hooked on the notion of vintage rolex watches. so once TTK started offering the heralded MBW watches for sale, i decided to go for a rolex seadweller 1665 great white. after a long delay in getting my watch from TTK (mine was one of the ones snagged by thai customs), i decided to buy an already modded great white from eunomians, who had installed a genuine T-39 flat crystal and genuine vintage bezel insert (which were the two mods i had planned on making to my TTK great white). the genuine crystal makes all the difference on this one; it brings out the dial in such a cool way -- it is hard to describe / capture on camera. given how much i liked the watch, i decided to have ziggy relume the dial with a tritium look; i think it turned out really nice and completes the watch. MBW seadweller 1665 great white [add picture on black calf strap] [add 5514 comex] [add picture of 5514 comex] [add 5513 3-6-9] [add picture of 5513 3-6-9] while i'm much more of a vintage rolex guy, i picked up a correct hand-stack rolex gmt master ii for a good deal a while back on the trading forum. i didn't realize how crappy the dial was until i received the watch; however, one of our trusted collectors was kind enough to send a better, updated dial with one of my watch orders a little while ago. so i sent the watch off and had ziggy transplant the dial and install a better bezel insert. after taking a picture of the watch i realized that my gmt master ii had the wrong huge chunky crown guards, so i sent it off to ziggy to have them reworked. however, i still haven't managed to take a pic of the watch since i got it back. rolex gmt master ii (before reworking of the crown guards) [add deep sea dweller] [add deep sea dweller pic] [add language re: wm9 seadweller project] you may have noticed that i don't have any tag heuer reps. well that is because i have two beauties that meet all of my tag heuer needs -- my first two reps (purchased while i was in high school). while these two belong in a 'horrible rep' museum, i don't think i'll ever part with them. black dial tag heuer rep with extra green lume white dial tag heuer rep with gold surrounds and finally, the centerpiece of my collection -- a limited edition mao zedong rep with an automatic movement complete with functional moving dictator hand. my brother searched the chinese watch markets high and low and hand picked this watch for me when he went to china for a trek along the great wall. mao zedong on black fake leather strap just like any collector, i've had numerous watches that i purchased and ultimately decided not to keep. so i figured it would be fun to add a new section to this post, which includes watches that i previously owned and decided to sell for one reason or another. i think this can be interesting as it shows the evolution of any collector's taste in watches, which is generally ever changing. i think it is only fair to start with the watch that i was most disappointed with (what was i thinking??!??) -- the titanium iwc ingenieur AMG chrono. it is an extremely accurate watch, but it was just too blah for me (too much titanium). titanium iwc ingenieur AMG chrono i mentioned earlier that i got the 42mm planet ocean on stainless steel bracelet; this watch was just too much steel for me. omega planet ocean (42mm) on stainless steel bracelet i grew up with my parents having matching cartier tank watches, so i've always had a soft spot in my heart for cartier. i started with the standard version of the santos 100; however, the light colored cabochon, combined with the really crappy strap bothered me too much to keep this watch. oh, and it was pretty much impossible to set the time with those thick crownguards. i always wondered if the genuine had the same problem. cartier santos 100 so when the extremely accurate santos 100 chrono came out, i gave the santos 100 another shot. i feel that with the white dial and black gator strap, the watch is intended to be a dress watch. however, i think it was much too large for a dress watch. cartier santos 100 chrono my first breitling was the old-version of the chrono avenger (with the infamous old asian 7750). i was really fortunate to pick up repaustria's modded chrono avenger when someone posted it for sale on the trading forum. this watch is a top notch rep -- quality AR, nice dial, great titanium case & details. i quickly found that i prefer the watch on a tan strap -- it totally changes the look of the watch. chrono avenger on BOB caramel sportivo many people say that the breitling chrono avenger was possibly one of the first "super reps". another breitling rep that clearly falls in that category is the skyland avenger. the case construction, the dial, the AR coating, the case, the bracelet -- this watch is a pretty remarkable rep; one of the best of 2008. i went for the grey dial version given i have more than enough black dials in my collection. skyland avenger grey dial on bracelet the next watch was one of my absolute favorites for a while -- it is a really beautiful watch. however, after a while i realized i enjoyed looking at it more than enjoyed wearing it, so off this one went too. chronomat evolution on genuine breitling crocodile strap first off, my surprise favorite pam -- the 112h. it is so simple & classic, in my mind it epitomizes the brand. i always thought i would like the 111h better, but i've realized that the 112h is my favorite. 112h on greg stevens historic brown once i realized i could pull off a 47mm watch, it wasn't long before the 187 started calling my name. at first i didn't see the appeal -- it's such a ridiculously large watch it is almost laughable. but i've found it is a great, sporty watch. i got the crystal double AR coated by chieftang and paired it up with a europelli vintage caramel strap that is thick enough to support the heft of this watch. every time i wear the 187, someone makes a comment on it, which is kind of fun. 187 on europelli vintage caramel shell cordovan i couldn't help but notice a lot of people spending a lot of time (and dollars) fussing about the 063. so when eddie lee had the 063 on his 10 days of deals (which by the way seems to have marked the end of EL on RWG), i went for it. i was surprised by how much i like the 063; after a new datewheel from finepics, cyclops from chieftang and a trip to ziggy for a relume, it's one of my favorites. i think it looks very classy on the prada strap. 063 on black prada strap by jose tan i fell for the 212 a while ago, and tracked the trading boards for one of the AR coated sapphire crystal versions (w/ new 28.8k bph asian 7750's) that joshua and andrew offered for a long time. however, i couldn't resist picking up a manual wind 212 (with correct dial) when it showed up really cheap on the trading board. a couple months later, i ended up finding a similarly cheap automatic version of the pam 212, so i figured i'd pick it up and transplant the correct dial from my manual wind version into the new case with the correct crown guard engravings and automatic movement. well that didn't exactly work out like planned, as the subdial spacing is different with the two movements, and it wasn't even possible to transplant the correct dial and handwind movement into the automatic case with the correct crown engravings. so with my original plan thwarted, i decided to i) get the crystal double AR coated by chieftang, ii) have ziggy relume the manual wind version with the correct dial, and iii) just imagine that i have one of the early prototype pam 212 versions without the crown guard engravings. 212 on mario paci 9 ruggine it's funny how watch collecting seems to ebb and flow -- both in terms of what watches that catch (and lose) your interest, as well as with regard to finding watches that you've been searching for. well there is one pam in particular that i've been hunting for a LONG time -- a brown dial pam 203. well the guy upstairs must have been smiling down on me, because after over a year of waiting i finally managed to find a great pam 203 from the one and only sssurfer. 203 on mario paci xi papaya brown when i received my pam 232, i was a little surprised at the color of the dial -- in direct sunlight it is much lighter in color than i was expecting. i had the dial replaced with a more correct darker version, but even still it didn't look quite right to me. plus, i used a local watchsmith to swap the dial and he completely destroyed the back of the case trying to get the caseback off, so the watch was never the same to me. 232 on mario paci xi papaya brown the first time i ever used an off-board dealer to buy a watch was to pick up the correct dial pam 252, when a seller on ioffer had access to these well in advance of our dealers. i was really excited about this watch and purchased a custom navy blue strap from greg stevens to go with the watch, but then fell completely out of love with this watch. oh well -- these things happen. 252 on greg stevens marina militare it's funny how some of the better replicas become way more popular once they go out of production, sometimes reaching cult status. there are a couple of these particular replicas out there, including the old-factory omega seamaster, breitling chrono avenger, as well as the omega speedmaster "moon watch" with the venus hand wind and domed acryllic crystal. in my mind the moon watch is one of those classic watches that everyone should have in their collection (either rep or gen), so when i stumbled upon a ziggyfied (movement serviced and 6 oclock subdial hand frozen) old factory moon watch on the trading post, i snatched it up as fast as i could. i put it on a custom velcro strap from a guy on TZ that i found; i really like it. omega speedmaster "moon watch" on custom velcro strap after seeing stephane's review of the omega railmaster, i jumped on one that hit the trading boards at a really great price. while this watch had a very genuine feel to it and was extremely well replicated, it didn't get any wrist time. i will say, however, that this watch came with the best rep strap i've ever received. omega railmaster i think one of the most anticipated watches of 2007 was the iwc aquatimer chronograph costeau diver's watch. something about this watch really got me excited; i think the history of costeau and the calypso, combined with the navy blue dial, the large size of the watch and the unique rotating bezel ring made this watch unique and interesting to me. while there were some significant quality control issues with these, i received a version that was in really good shape, basically perfect aside from some uneven lume in the hour markers. this didn't matter much to me, as i always planned on sending this one to ziggy for a relume (the lume on the gen aquatimers with the bezel ring is just incredible; i feel like this is a must-have mod for this watch). iwc aquatimer chronograph costeau diver (picture taken by chieftang) with all of the hype around the making and release of the hublot big bang, it was hard not to be curious about this unique watch. kudos for angus for enabling the boards to participate in the development of this (and many other subsequent) so called super reps; the fit and finish of this watch are truly amazing, and i can't help but believe that the forum helped contribute to the final product. the big bang spurred lots of discussion given its expensive price tag, but i have to say, it is probably my most 'impressive' replica. it is truly amazing that this watch is not a genuine watch. hublot big bang stainless steel eventually, i decided it was time to try some of the higher end brands. first up is the patek phillipe aquanaut. this is an extremely accurate replica of the old version of the aquanaut, which clearly has the amazing case construction that MBW became so well known for. the contrast of the brushed and polished surfaces really sets this rep apart. at first i assumed i would replace the rubber strap with something else (maybe a gator strap?), but in the end i think it is a key part of the overall design of the watch. mbw patek phillipe aquanaut i picked up repaustria's modded rolex explorer 1016 without even thinking about how small a 36mm watch would feel like. without a doubt, repaustria does some of the best vintage rolex work; his rolex explorer was no exception. complete with a 40 year old slow-beat handwind movement, this rolex explorer is pretty much spot on to the genuine article. as a lover of mountain climbing, i really like the fact that this watch was likely worn on the edmund hilary everest expedition. however, it was just too small for me. rolex explorer 1016 as far as vintage rolex goes, the comex is pretty much the holy grail in terms of rarity. so when i saw that former member repaustria had assembled all of the parts (except a movement) necessary to assemble a comex superfranken, i couldn't resist. the watch consists of a vietnam 1665 case, genuine crown & tube, genuine superdome, genuine acryllic tritium bezel insert & pearl, genuine tritium hands, redial on genuine base, rolex 1575 movement, 93150 bracelet and 580 end links. so pretty much the whole watch is genuine except the case, which is 1:1 to the genuine (with better crownguards & lugs relative to the MBW 1665 case, among other things). along with everyone else who had been waiting for a decent modern seadweller rep, i jumped on the "super seadweller" without thinking twice. too bad it didn't turn out to be everything it was hyped to be. rolex super seadweller when the new ceramic bezel gmt master ii was released in limited quantities of the correct hand stack version, this watch just had the feel of one of those watches that would likely become an out-of-production legendary watch. given it's been six months since these were released and we haven't seen any more stocks of the correct hand stack version, it looks like i may have been right. correct hand stack ceramic bezel gmt master ii lastly, like everyone else on this forum, i have purchased several rolex submariners. i think it is probably THE most classic watch of all time. the most recent version that i owned was andrew's perfect version. with the amazing out of the box submariners being offered currently (the wm9 and the euromariner both look pretty remarkable), i'm sure it won't be long till i break down and buy one. rolex submariner i hope you've enjoyed the tour of my collection. every watch has a story, and i enjoyed taking the time to write about my experience collecting reps. with the rate the rep factories are coming out with amazing new replicas, i'm sure there will be several more chapters to the story. deltatahoe

the old version of the breitling titanium chrono avenger (w/ old asian 7750) has quality AR coating...

hmm.... if i were to narrow it down to five, it would be: i) pam 112h ii) pam 183h iii) pam 187 iv) breitling chronomat evolution v) rolex submariner

i'm selling a DON 24/22 tobacco lambskin strap for cheap at the moment see my signature for the link...

if you wear your watch relatively snug on the wrist and sufficiently far away from the break in your wrist, you should be fine.... i do love my pam 217 though

thanks ubi. this one definitely wears larger than a submariner -- given the thickness (approximately 16.5mm), it sits higher on the wrist. the bezel and chrono pushers also add to the heft. given you wear daytona's most of the time, i would think about it like a slightly larger, thicker daytona. the watch is from angus (puretime) -- top notch service and fast delivery from china. in terms of feel and quality, it is definitely the best replica that i own.

today's my first day wearing the new chronomat evolution white dial...

i just ordered one of these carbon fiber watch boxes from the watch prince here -- they are 'factor irregulars' (very minor flaws) and look pretty nice for $59. i'll post some pictures and a review when i receive it... also, there is always the big panerai box from homer. deltatahoe

couldn't agree more w/ the other comments -- put the watch related stuff aside for a while, and enjoy your gf while you can. have fun in nyc.

welcome pugwash! i know you'll do a great job; have fun with it. deltatahoe

thanks for the compliment. i went with the asian version -- i've had good luck with asian movements in my reps (knock on wood).

i was able to find the genuine crocodile strap on TZ for a (relatively) good price; i actually bought a black crocodile strap as well, but like the brown better for the white dial. i think the black crocodile strap would look awesome on the various black/graphite/grey dial versions. i'm going to post the black strap in the trading forum in the next couple days (once i have a chance to take some pictures).

there is definitely AR on the white dial BCE rep....in my mind when you're taking pictures you shouldn't try to show the AR -- you should showcase the dial, etc. the whole purpose of AR is so you can see the dial in various lighting circumstances...if you look, in the pictures it almost appears like there is no crystal; from my understanding, that is a result of quality AR.

the strap is 22mm (lugs) / 20mm (buckle)...

i've been waiting for a good white dial watch to add to my collection for some time now, so needless to say i was pretty excited about the new breitling chronomat evolution. i can't seem to stop taking pictures of this watch; given there aren't very many pictures of the white dial version here on the forum, i figured i would post some of my pics here. i'm still learning on the picture taking front, so please bear with the amateurish photos... finally, a couple wrist shots: thanks for looking, deltatahoe

nice review seadweller! your side-angles close up pictures are really great. EDIT: to remove reference to bracelet not fitting my 7" wrists...i was fiddling around with the bracelet tonight and realized that the link closest to the clasp will actually come out -- you have to use two screwdrivers to be able to get it to unscrew though (otherwise it just spins). brad