TomBombadil

Looks awesome! Very classy watch.

They keep inching their way there, but still have a ways to go...

Since the finishing on these reps are so good and they use the same base movements as the gen watches, I can see how this would happen. Makes you wonder what you are getting when buying a gen like this. IMO, buy gens that have more than a pretty face.

I had been eyeing this one too. This is a sweet watch! The alarm is probably a vibrating mechanizm that is wound with one of those crowns. It isn't a pretty sound, but functional. I think this watch would look better in black, but that is just me. I agree that the bracelet looks really nice.

Awesome watch! I'm glad they have fixed the hands issue (although I like the silver ones better!)

You're kidding, right??

Guys, Keep the flame wars down please. There is no need to degrade anyone because of a difference in opinion. Stick to the facts and the issue will be resolved. Thank you.

I am curious, how is the book against us? I have read it, and never had that impression. Does he bad-talk replica owners? It may have changed since I read the first version. I think this is a good book for people who want to learn about the rep world. There are way too many scammers on eBay selling rep watches as gens. And, there are a lot of people who do not have time to keep up in these forums. The book fits a good market. None of us appreciate the scammers who are passing replicas off as genuines. That to me is what this book is all about.

Great post! Doesn't get much clearer than that!

This is an old post from RWG/TRC that I decided to bring in over here. I have been working on this project for some time, and it is finally complete. It all started about 6 months ago. I was able to acquire an OEM Big Pilot dial from a seller on eBay. Since I loved this watch so much and there were no good reps out there, I decided to try and see if I could piece something together. OEM Dial from eBay: I was able to find a Russian watch (Poljot Aviator) which had a case that matched the Big Pilot very well. It has a screw down crown and a solid case back. The back does not say IWC of course, but has a cool looking airplane engraved on it. Poljot Aviator: Once I had the case and dial, my next challenge was in the hands. This is why this project too so long and I almost gave up many times. I had no idea how hard it would be to find hands that would fit this watch. I looked everywhere and almost resorted to getting some custom hands made. It would have been pretty expensive, but I almost stepped up. Then, I found a rep dealer in Amsterdam who had a Big Pilot rep with the same dimensions as the real one. At the time, none of our dealers had this rep, so I jumped on it. This is the same one that Andrew, King, and others sell now. The great thing about this rep was that it had the hands I was looking for with the exception of the power reserve hand. That one was way too small on the replica. It took me awhile, but I was finally able to track down something that would work for the power reserve hand. It is a faux power reserve. BP Replica: Next, it was off to The Zigmeister for some magic. The Zigmeister cleaned the dial (there were some scuff marks on it) and was also able to substitute an ETA movement for the crappy asian one that came with the rep. The movement was basically dead when I got it. I had the OEM dial put on the new movement with the rep hands inside the Poljot Aviator case. I wanted the Aviator case because I liked the screw down crown and non-display back. Also, this case does not have an extra push button on the side which is used for a day sub-dial on the replica. I also had to put a faux date in the window since the date window would not have lined up and the font is so much bigger in this watch. Thanks for the help The Zigmeister! Finally, the band that came on the replica was very cheap. I had our friend HKTan create an exact copy of the original OEM band. This worked out well because he has an original band that he used for the copy. It looks great! Some more pictures:

Great post By-Tor! Moved to Breitling Photo Gallery.

Mods are great if there are things that bug you about the watch that you want updated. If you think Joe is charging too much for a service, then you should not order that service. Its a simple as that. Complaining that Joe is a scammer because he charges $40 to clean your dial just doesn't make sense. You could argue that is a reasonable charge if that was the only thing he was doing to your watch. If I recall, Joe has package deals that offer substancial discounts over everything. Also, IMO, he has better communication than many of our favorite dealers. But, don't get me wrong. I am not defending Joe. If he messed up your watch you should absolutely send it back and get the issue resolved. And if these are the results he is providing, we should all know that. namor, I am sorry to hear that your watch was not done right. I hope Joe resolves this issue for you. I know that he has redone watches for customers in the past who were not happy. You should be no different. If you are, then we need to know that. I would also recommend anyone to have him take pictures of your watch before having him return it to you. It will minimize surprises and decrease chances of having it sent back (which is especially important for someone in a different country.) For example, if you get the crown guards milled, have him take a close up shot of it. If you don't like the results, have him fix it. To everyone, you should be doing what namor has done. You should report EXACTLY what you think of Joe's (or anyone else's) services once they are completed. Comments like 'the oiling of the band is a waste of money, but the crystal realign looks great' or 'although the crown guard was milled, it still doesn't look anything like an original', or 'everything is perfect, check out my sweet modded watch!' will help this community as a whole dramatically. Pictures are extremely helpful as well. I applaud namor for stepping up and expressing his feelings. We need to understand people who were happy AND unhappy with services and dealers so that the rest of us can know what we are getting in to before we step up. I would just prefer the comments to be made in a manner that are productive and informative rather than calling out 'scammer' until all of the facts are known. If 'scammer' is proven, well then, let it rip! I'm looking forward to the outcome of the unfortunate circumstance.

RIP RWG. You will be missed...

Great work admin! On a side note, in the My Controls area, you can select to not see anyone's signatures. Personally I have them turned off because of this reason.

Awesome watch! and great photos! The asian 7750 seems to be more accurate in some aspects. Too bad they don't put the 28K movement in there!

PAMs, I can take your point, but the IWC big pilot is a different animal. The Panerai reps have the same movements (pretty much) as the gens, but the IWC BP has a 7 day power reserve pentallon movement. Not sure its worth 11K, but I'll take that all day long over a Panerai. Much better bang for the buck. It's hard to understand why people pay 10K for a basic unitas movement watch... especially in SS. All in the marketing, I guess.

I would recommend the Swiss 7750 version. It is closest to the gen and works like a champ.

People are still posting on replica watches guide?

Agreed!

It would be a cool watch if they had used the right font and made it a manual wind watch.

You may want to ask The Zigmeister about this. I had the movement swapped for an ETA automatic for the BP. He didn't have much good to say about the russian movements in general. The ETA manual winds are definately superior. Also, you cannot put a BP dial on this movement because there is no date function on that movement. The best thing to do would be to get an ETA Valgranges movement and put it in there. The date would line up. I should have done that on the BP.

Faber, Did you change the hands on that watch? They hour and minute hands look similar in length. Also, they look much larger than the one I purchased which is one thing I really didn't like about the watch. The hands were too small for the watch, especially with the black outlined hands on a black face. It was hard to read.

That is the same watch I had used to make my IWC Big Pilot (except in the non-PVD version): With an OEM dial, HKTan strap, and special hands, I turned it in to this: If I recall, I think I paid around $200 for the russian watch. It has a Poljot manual wind movement in it.

Cool! (the link is bad)

... and why doesn't she have a ring on her finger, yet?