txcollector

P, what are you planning for case and hands?

M, let me know when you get the crystal installed. I'm curious to see how they compare.

D, nice work. Do you have an estimate how much would be the street cost of a similar work (parts and Domi's service)?

232 on JV

it looks great. Now we just need a decent case I have the OEM mvmt for it already

Tag SLR today

I don't know if I got a good UPO but I've never noticed it before. I think mine look pretty decent. It doesn't help that I have the rubber on my franken and the gen with the bracelet. Maybe I need to mount the bracelet for a side by side comparison. Gen Rep

Legend has it that it was done before by a couple of very skilled folks but it requires so many case mods that nobody bothered posting any tutorials on how to do that. I think gen dial and hands are a must. The lume is so good that anytime you go from light to shade (indoors or outdoors) you will see the glow. It's my favorite part of the watch. PS: I'd love to get my hands on the OEM bezel insert for less than $100. Even $150. Do you have any idea how much those cost?

I have both bracelets and to be honest those details only come to bear if you are doing this type of review. On your wrist it's virtually impossible to see any of that stuff. I can notice the crown and HE finish before I spend anytime on the clasp. The overall brushed finish of the gen is better but nothing you can really notice without the gen to compare. Besides with wear and tear it gets even more difficult to tell them apart. To be fair I do feel the engraving when I put mine on vs the rep but I actually prefer the smooth feel of the rep clasp

I have both the gen and the rep bracelet. Not that noticeable. On the bezel, while you can't fit (well not easily) the OEM bezel on the UPO case you need to buy it to get the insert. You will toss most of it away plus it's a PITA to fit it. If you want the pearl to look right, that's the only option. The OEM dial is a lot darker than the rep. I think even with good AR you still lacking there. Plus you will need to spend at least $120 to get someone like Vac to lume your rep dial to match the hands (since the rep lume it pitiful)

honestly, if you are going to buy all the parts and pay someone to do it for you, I'd just buy a used gen. The PO franken is already borderline too expensive in the rep vs gen scale. Adding build expenses would put it over the top for me. Here's a breakdown of the parts from Ofrei Name SKU Each Total Omega Dial For Caliber 2500 OME-2500-DIAL#3 ................................ $242.00 Genuine Omega Cal 2500 Hour & Minute Hands Silver Arrow With Luminous HAN-4150 ................................$38.00 Genuine Omega Cal 2500 Second Hand Silver Arrow Luminous With Red Tip HAN-4151 ................................$17.60 Omega Stainless Steel Crown 42184 8100/3905W ................................$38.00 Omega Case Tube 090ST1232 OME-090ST1232 ................................$6.60 Omega Sapphire Crystal 062SB3063 OME-SB3063 ................................$169.00 Omega Bezel 082SU1703 OME-082SU1703 ................................$228.00 Sub Total $739.20 Shipping would be from $15 to $33 on the parts alone. UPO $260 So you are talking about more than $1,000.00 for the parts (considering you don't care about the HE valve. That would add $75 to the bill). Now add builder costs, time, shipping to and from builder and this project would cost close $1300. Considering you can find used gens for $1800-$2000, I don't really think paying to get a franken built would be a good deal. I've built mine myself and I did not add the bezel (bought a new gen before getting there).

I hope I'm not stealing your thunder here but I do think this model needs Chief's treatment. Here's mine after the awesome AR.

Arktos (186) for me

well, the gen doesn't have it and every time I have to look at the dial there's no glare. That picture is the worst case scenario that I can only see in certain angles.

They just don't tell you when the clock start counting the 2 weeks

I have a few Chief crystals. They are awesome (love my Tag SLR) but to be honest I would not do it on the black themes. I don't see enough reflection to grant that. Here's an unprocessed BT pic taken in daylight. I don't see how AR would make that much difference.

new VC dial, hmmm yes, I know how to be a dummy. I'll make it work somehow.

I can tell you that the updated cartel one looks just like the gen (screw wise). I'm glad I don't have that extra set of screws that. That looks sloppy. I'll post pics later.

Looking forward to get 2-3 of those.

1) Thanks for the best closeup of the gen engraving I've seen so far. 2) I don't understand this statement: "Many of the reps have 4 extra "accessory-screws" drilled into the bottom of the watchcase (2 on each side)" The screws on mine (cartel) look like the gen (below). The Silix rep case has the screws in the wrong position (close and opposite to the crown) but the number of screws is the same (8 to hold the caseback and 4 to hold the bracelet). 3) I'm trying to get those casebacks. Fingers crossed 4) I don't have a lathe but I'll give it try anyway Great write up George!!

Interesting. I was doing some research on TZ and that watch seem to have come from a power seller called Rene Rodriguez. Rene sells a tons of stuff on TZ and yesterday had an ad up for an MM20 with the same rep caseback. All those rep MM20 treads are now gone (not sure if deleted by TZ or the posters). I wonder how may reps get mixed up in places like TZ since many gen owners are usually clueless about the watches they buy.

fair enough but I don't think that would classify as a mint condition then like it's listed.

The caseback is still a rep and the crystal is flat. The dial and CG are strange. The crystal doesn't seem to have any AR at all either. Too suspicious for my taste. Why risk it?

111

beautiful. That one in the add looks nothing like yours.