jeff g

Absolutely brilliant. The BEST photo comparison - rep to gen - ever. Looking at the difference of the FINISH alone, much less, the accuracy of the rep to gen in these photos is amazing. To me..although the rep looks good... as a copy of the original design...it looks like a copy of a master. Really makes me want to buy the gen, if that is a watch I wanted to own. Although the rep is an accurate copy...it is no way compares to the beauty and craftsmanship of the gen in this case.

Best 'Out of the box'...no mods...Got to be this one.

Nothing changes around here but the date. And often that date is misaligned. Pay what it is worth to you...or not.

Perhaps the cost of some reps have gone up. So what? If you don't want to pay the cost of the 'Super reps' then don't. As I have stated before, the costs of new releases always seems to be higher when initially offered, than they do after a month or two. If you don't want to pay the higher prices then don't. Wait. Purchase it later. If the cost doesn't come down to a place you feel comfortable with, then don't buy it. 400.00 for a 112 back in 2004. Was I crazy or what? No, I wanted IT. I haven't purchased a Big Bang...want to know why?...didn't want to pay 600.00 or 800.00 for it. TTK is absolutely correct in his assessment of the dealer situation on these boards. Our dealers are trustworthy for the most part. Cartel bashers will of course disagree, but nevertheless, the dealers on these boards offer the best product currently available for the best prices, and guarantees. How can you beat that? Watch too expensive in your estimation?...don't buy it.

I agree and I disagree. I too have paid over 400.00 for a rep watch. But only twice. Once, for the original EL TW Pam 112 - 400.00 in 2004 Second, for the MBK Nautilus 430.00 in 2007. The other 20 (+) reps I have purchased have been between 100.00 and 350.00. I would NEVER pay 600.00 - 800.00 - 1000.00 for a rep watch. But 250.00-300.00 for an eta watch is reasonable in my estimation. Biggest problem I still believe, are the cost of most 7750's. in the high end reps. No matter what the fit and finish is like on those type watches they still have suspects movements. Money is a relative thing in purchasing reps. I mean, 430.00 bucks for the MBK Nautilus was WELL WORTH IT. On the other hand 108.00 for my Omega GMT, was well worth it too. You get what you pay for, and what IT is worth to you. Go to Canal St. and see what you get for 200.00 I guarantee it will NOT be worth the money. No whining.

Comparing a rep to a gen is like apples and oranges. It stands to reason that the rep is sub par comparing to a gen of almost any watch. Period. However in the case of the 3717, I must say that the earliest models of this watch that were purchased thru EL, were far and away better watches in almost all regards compared to the current batches of the CN 3717's. Eddies first 100 were superb. TW not CN. Like many products available thru the CN dropshippers these day. QC is definitely an issue. That is the reason that so many different reps of the reps are failing the test. I doubt that much can be done about it at this stage of the game. Dealing with someone who personally inspects all the watches he or she sells is a tough deal. I would definitely return it to the 'collector' you purchased it from. IF they will take it back. Returning product to CN is a pain. And there is no guarantee that the second watch will be any better. In the case of my 3717 purchased from EL, the dial, and date wheel were pretty much perfect. Sending the watch to The Zigmeister for lume and movement swap has satisfied my tastes, but no rep will ever be perfect. I must say however that I have seen more than one photo of the gen 3717, with a misaligned day/date wheel. Many of us on this forum have been accused of being a bit anal retentive.

George is an Omega man.

Indeed impressive. I still ride a hardtail, but single speed? The guy is obviously an animal. Ride on.

A very comprehensive review Pix. And of course nice photos too. One point... the 5711 gen does have a sapphire caseback. The original Jumbos 3700 and 3800 series did not. So the rep is more similar to those models. Another basic diffrence is that the original jumbos had no center seconds hand. One could custom order a center seconds in the jumbo, but the 3800/1A had seconds hand, but were smaller case dimension at 38mm instead of 42mm. The new 5711 is actually 43mm. Your photos are interesting to me, because for the first time seeing the CN model, the watch for all intents and purposes LOOK the same as the MBK. Quality and finish may be suspect compared to the MBK, but the CN seems to look pretty good. I paid 400.00(+) for my MBK Nautilus, and 280.00 for a CN seems like a pretty good deal, I'd say. Since receiving my MBKN, I have quit wearing all other watches. For some of us it has become the literal 'daily beater'. Thanks for the great review.

Nice looking watch. Sportster...but Elegant. Would be good looking with Black alligator strap, I am sure. Good choice. Wear it well.

Actually I'm not really wearing my 3717 this weekend, but I had to add my photo of this great watch in this thread. There sure are a lot of members that are sporting this beautiful watch these days. Wear them well!!!!

I used to rotate my watches. Although of course I had 3 or 4 favorites that got the lions share of wrist time. 6265, Omega GMT, 3717, etc. But that was then. Since purchasing the MBK PP Nautilus back in early August the automatic movement has NEVER stopped. Now that would have to be considered a 'Daily Beater'. I wear it every damn day. For me it is the perfect watch for all occassions. IMO the most beautiful SS sports watch ever. 42mm x 9mm - Black dial - correct minute marker dot pattern on dial - and without doubt the most comfortable SS bracelet on any watch I have ever worn. Beauty of course... is in the eye of the beholder. I be hold'n this one.

You can say that again.

Wow!!!! There are some VERY nice watches and photos displayed in this thread. You folks seem to love beautiful timepieces. Well me too! This one is still glued on.

OK, as I stated earlier, I agree with your comments concerning the idea behind a 'Best' rep. But I do not agree with the HBB being the 'Best' rep. For many of us with sub 6.75 in. wrists... the BB is too damn BIG. Wears much larger than the average 44mm Pam. And although I agree that the quality of the watch is very good.. there are better reps out there quality wise as well. However, if it makes you feel good...I suppose that is all that matters. For me spending 600.00 for a 7750 is not worth the potential problems to swap out or service the movement. Eventually it will be a 750.00 or a 1000.00 watch. How much is a rep worth? You make the call. I say there are 1000.00 gens that are more worth the money. That being said...I think my 400.00 MBK PPNautilus requiring little or no future modding is a much better investment, and it fits my puny 6.75 wrist. FWIW. Beauty (and value) is in the eye of the beholder.

Second that..Welcome to the 3717 club. Believe it or not, after EL first offer, I was the 1st member to receive this watch. Was I a happy guy, or what. I have to say that with the SS bracelet, I think it is a true sports chrono. With leather strap, brown or black, it has a different feel. Whatever floats your boat. I have to agree that after The Zigmeister mods, it is the BEST rep of the year. Wear it well.

I bought a rep Roadster for my wife. She hates it. Cheesy. On the other hand of the 4 or 5 other ladies reps I have purchased for her, for the most part she likes all of them..to a certain degree. Her favorites are the Cartier Tank and the Santos. Omega Constellation (gold) as well. For sports look... the Tag Link (black dial) seems to get more time than the Rolex's she wears. Do not buy her the ladies Yachmaster...you cannot read the dial.

The MBK version movement is eta 2824-2.

Good action. Not an HBB guy myself...but I fully agree with your ideas. I feel the same way about my MBK Nautilus.

My MBK with black dial I had a similar experience to TTK in a local AD with my MBK Nautilus. While in the shop that carries many high end watches including PP, a sales member noticed my Nautilus, asking me simply how long I had owned it. Without close examination of it, she asked me whether it was a 3800. My reply was simply yes. She then went on to ask if I had seen the new 5711? Yes, I replied, I had seen them on line. She then went on to talk about the relative unavailabilty of the 5711 for most AD's in our area. When more closely examining my Nautilus (while on my wrist), she stated that the watch was really handsome, etc. I felt fine showing it to her, without close examination of course. I do not recommend wearing rep watches necessarily into AD's, but in this case I felt no trepidation. The shop had a new model of the Nautica with the rubber strap and checkered dial. I don't particulaly care for that model, and at retail (in this dealer) at 16,500.00, I told her I felt as though it was over priced. Her comment then was...'Well if we are able to offer the new 5711, it will retail at around 22,000.00! For my 430.00 and the presence the MBK Nautilus has on the wrist...much less its comfort and quality of finish, I think that the 400.00 bucks is certainly worth the money. In many recent auctions 3700 and 3800 jumbos are selling for in excess of 50,000.00. And, by the way, TTK is also correct in saying that the center seconds hand has been ordered on past jumbo models since the mid 1970's. A jumbo with seconds hand is not all that a rareity. Although I have not attempted removing the movement for the MBK model, I assume that it is the same procedure as a gen, i.e., open the top of the case, remove the sweeping center seconds hand, and dial, to work on the movement. Perhaps a member like Euno or Ubi have performed that operation.

The most money I ever spent on a rep is the MBK Nautilus...430.00 shipped. I, however have spent more money modding my 3717 including the cost of the rep from EL. By way of comparison however, I need spend NO money on the Nautilus to bring it up to gen standards as I had to spend on the 3717. Date wheel change...movement swap and service... and relume included. The MBK Nautilus is without doubt the BEST watch I have ever purchased. 430.00 is nothing when considering what I got for it. Comfortable bracelet??? The MOST comfortable SS bracelet of any watch I own, without doubt. I have been very interested in the CN Naughty comparison...sounds as though I made the correct decision in purchasing the MBK. [censored], 3 years ago (or 4) I spent 400.00 on the first 112 PAM ever released, and it had no blue screws. I guess the money is immaterial, if you get what you want, when you want it. Especially if you don't have to wait two or three months to get it. How about 600.00 for a BB? Or how about 645.00 for modding a Seadweller??? MBK RULES!!!!

What a bummer. After nearly 5 years on these forums, this is the worst example yet I have seen of exploitation of fellow members on this or any other forum. Joe is a total scammer. It certainly makes me grateful to have a member like The Zigmeister part of the day in and day out of RWG. If one can afford the indulgence of modding, then good on him/her...but getting ripped is not cool...even if you can afford it.

The 3717 looks great with any of your choices. Personally I prefer the ss bracelet on my watch. I actually put a kevlar strap on it at one time, and didn't really care for it. Your Black alligator gives the watch an elegant feel surely...but the white stitching on your black strap really does highlight the most beautiful chrono dial on the market. Nice choice. Could be next for me. Wear them well.

Creative marketing at its best.

I have only these 4. All Asian movements. The two Seamaster Pros are older TW best. The GMT is the asian that was available last year with the correct white border on the date window. Of course we all agree that the Seamaster is the perfect daily beater.