kramerica2

You're being way too gentle with him.

I get it, he's reliable and delivers - no doubt about it.

There's also no doubt that he's confident about his business, and allows himself to charge more than other reliable dealers. That's fine, as long as you deliver the extra value. Now that all dealers send QC pics, he can't be the only one complaining about public dissecting and still charge more than others. What good reason do I have to deal with him? I had excellent experience from all dealers I bought from. Including getting a new watch when necessary free of charge. The last one was Tony, but Narikaa and watch eden were great as well. With that attitude, I see no good reason for dealing with Josh, and crossed out his website from my list...

I don't care for such messages..

Lucky for us, there are plenty cheaper, as reliable and much less arrogant dealers out there. Tony from asian7750 or Narikaa to name a few.

Ordered from Tony, shipped on Jan 12th, entered customs in my country yesterday - Jan 18th.

Small advice, don't check the chineese ems website, but rather you local one. It's usually synced, but I got better and more accurate info on the Israeli post website than chineese ems.

So, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a gen, and after much considerations, I decided on the moonwatch. I looked for a watch that I could justify buying a gen instead of settling with a rep. A watch that hasn't been replicated very well, and would have a significant history and a soul. Oh, and if possible, that wouldn't cost more than 3000$.... The moonwatch, with the classic hesalite and manual winding was perfect for the job.

So, after that short intro, a short wrist photo that doesn't do justice with the watch, but for now, it will do:

I finally got it! The classic speedmaster 3750.50 moonwatch:

Thank you all again. It's a beauty.

Definetly, ask for another one due to the date.

Other than that it's a beauty. If only a black version was still available..

I believe that what these people are missing about rep people is the fact that most of us are avid watch lovers at least as them, and even own some gens. For me, the rep world is another very interesting aspect of the watch hobby. I would even say the most interesting aspect, since gens are the destination, but reps are the journey...

PO with new gen crystal. Love the blue-hue!

Gen crystal, gen dial, gen bezel, anything else?

Looks great, this is basically a gen watch...

Inside the tent during camping outdoors (warning: real time phone pic)

Nothing like a simple Tag quartz chrono for such an occasion:

Amazing. I remember when I first searched the web for a rep, and found this place (not easy to find), I was certain that members of a forum that deals with reps would be of the questionable sort... I was pretty amazed to find such a great community, with honest and kind people that are truly passionate about this hobby and are willing to help.

Every now and then, someone raises the bar, and the so called super reps don't seem that accurate anymore.

Now, obviously no rep would ever pass an expert extreme close up check, but there are some that at real life situations would fool anyone at any case, and there aren't a lot of them around. AFAIK those answer that demand:

New PAM 288

Ebel 1911 discovery

Swiss fish (impossible to find nowadays)

Omega Aqua Terra

There are probably more. Those jump to my mind at the moment.

I think I lost around 400 euros overall. That's not too bad for being able to examine all those watches in person me thinks... and other hobbies are expensive, too...

Not too bad at all, for such a crazy list...

Actually, if you're just a bit patient and know your ways around, the only money you should lose is for shipping charges.

Wow! There are a lot of nice options you brought up. It's certainly a fun journey.

About the eBay or sales forum suggestions, they are almost irrelevant since I don't live in the US nor the EU, thus even if someone is willing to send the watch over, I would have to pay customs tax, making it too expensive.

The Doxa does seem very nice, but the brand has a bad (although wrong) reputation around here. Back in the days It used to be the watch that parents gave their children as a "bar mitzvah" gift at the age of 13, and that reputation stuck with Doxa, so you rarely see them these days.

I'm checking out every suggestion, but I realize now, that it would be hard for me to pass on the Moonwatch.

Thanks again, hope to close the deal soon, and I promise to post some wristies for you guys....

In the meanwhile I've been walking in and out of ADs, looking for a nice price for the mooney. At the moment the lowest I managed to get is 3300$ incl. tax. When I'll be ready to buy I'm sure I'll be able to close the deal at 3000$, maybe even less than that.

As for your nice suggestions (please keep them coming...), I kind of dislike Tags, and Ebels are replicated so well, that I rather get a gen of something I know is hard to replicate. If at some point the gen I'm getting would be replicated well, I'd probably sell it and buy another one.

The broad arrow is unfortunately out of my budget...

Thanks again everyone, love this community...

Actually not looking for an investment right now, and I prefer getting a new one.

I like different kind of watches. you can check my sig and see some examples.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions so far.

Looking for a gen, and would like to hear suggestions.

As mentioned, the budget is ~3000$, and I'm looking for a watch that isn't well replicated so far, would be from a well known brand and assuming (or rather fooling myself) that its the last gen I'll ever own.

At the moment I'm leaning towards an Omega Speedmaster moonwatch, buy would love hearing more options. What would you get for that money?

It is a shame that these are not as good as they once were a nice watch never the less but for the crown and seconds hand

Tell me about it.. I had a very nice one, until it was stolen. Couldn't replace it ever since. It looks like this is the only version currently available.

thinking in absolute silence ( I vote for a better version of 42 ... if it ever comes out )

Enjoy your first rep, it has many flaws compared to the gen, but a great watch nonetheless.

Wear it well!

It's not a movement problem, but gen parts problem...

If down the road, you'd want to get gen dial, hands, etc. you would have a problem with the cheap movement, but with the ETA they usually just slide in perfectly...

I guess that's the price we pay for reps getting closer and closer to perfection...

Those brands (especially Rolex) have a hard time justifying their insane prices with all those super reps coming out, so they do what they can. Can't blame them....

Talking from looks perspective only (meaning not concerning issues like brand, movement, history, etc..), there are some watches that most people like instantly: PO, SOSF, Daytona and pretty much most Rolex, Omega and Breitling watches. It's a beautiful design, not very unique (doesn't necessarily mean simple), and 99/100 people on the street would like it.

Then you got the watches that you somehow learn to like. Most people won't like them at first glance, but after some experience with watches, like good whiskey, they suddenly look pretty good, and after a while they even seem like the best looking watches out there.

It happened to me with PAMs, APs and to a lesser extent IWC.

I remember when I came upon RWG for the first time, looking for a PO. It was the first time I'd truly noticed PAMs and APs. They looked odd, I would even say ugly. What's the deal with the unproportional CG on those PAMs? How can anybody relate to the octagonal shape of those APs? And people are paying for them much more than for Omegas and Breitlings? What's wrong with this community?

But then you start getting into watches, you're entering ADs to see the gens, and you start to admire the weird design. It doesn't take very long, and you're even considering getting one of these all-of-a-sudden beauties..

Two years ago, I wouldn't believe myself writing here that my next watch would be a PAM 288, and an APROO would be the next.

Thoughts? Did you have a similar ride?

It's a beauty... I want (and sometime will get) them all!

I was about to pull the trigger on the watch (I currently own a POrikka), but the more I look at it, the more I dislike that pearl. To me, it's the key factor for a good PO rep, and it seems that this one screams fake. Now, don't get me wrong, the POrikka's pearl is anything but accurate. In fact if you compare accuracy, the 5th gen is much better. The thing is that on the POrikka it's almost un-noticeable since it's very recessed, and on the 5th gen it looks like its popping out and demanding the unwanted attention....

I'm gonna wait and see what people think of it in real life. Pics are known to magnify these flaws, and I could be (and hopefully am) wrong.

Thank you all, I'm now pondering between the PAM 250 and 288.. I have a couple of questions, but I'll ask them in the Panerai forum.