ubiquitous

Yikes!

Gen dials aren't too terribly difficult to source

Thanks much, P4 I've given this a lot of thought; replacing wouldn't be too big of an issue if I were to do another stainless 16520. However, if I were to do this again, I think I would want to do an 18k solid gold 16528 instead. Case sets are out there, but ridiculously priced. It would be sometihng I'd need to give some serious consideration to. At any rate... Nothing's moving or turning over just yet If anything I may just end up breaking my collection limit rule. My wife was giving me shit over all this the other day- She'd prefer I not part with anything. She made a good point- Why go through the trouble of building this stuff if I'm only going to turn around and sell or trade it?

Personally speaking, and in my own opinion, I perceive the terms as the following: Frankenwatch- A watch made up of genuine parts, of which the content must be around 40% or greater of the build. Personally, I feel that a genuine dial and hands are necessary parts to qualify, but each individual will have their own thoughts and opinion regarding this. I would also deem that a genuine or genuine equivalent movement is also a big plus (i.e. in the case of Breitling, a Swiss 7750 would suffice). Modified- A watch that is largely built of rep or aftermarket content but with fine details and features improved for aesthetic purposes. Usually with aftermarket or rep dial, and with the original movement as fitted (i.e. an A7750). The terms will vary depending on who you talk to, but that is how I would define each.

...almost 20,000 members later...

I travel pretty light... But will get a pic when I get home. Pretty much just my keys, DL and debit and my watch...

<- was here.

Whoa- That blue lume is just Zig never ceases to amaze me with his precision lume jobs. Always a work of art!

This is a fantastic review indeed! Amazing comparison... The RB2 is a fairly complex case design. The rep factories did an outstanding job in duplicating the details; the crown, the pusher base, dial grid etc. all look fairly difficult to replicate, and yet they did a great job. Great pics and break down by line item on each detail reviewed/compared as well. This was a very enjoyable read

I have to admit. Looking at this one more and more, I may give it a try... It's not exactly accurate (I don't think); I believe the gen is 41mm whereas this one is 44mm + change.

Uhhh, Thanks Gran... I think?

38mm works well on a ladies' wrist... Mrs. Ubi and her old 38mm J12 My wife now has a 33mm, and it's quite nice as well. A bit smaller than the 38mm, but still pretty decent in size...

9411 franken for me today...

Probably the easiest way to identify the 4th gen is to look for the following: -He Valve positioned slightly above 10:00 on the case. -He Valve is rather low/short in profile (more accurate with regard to gen). -Coin edged bezel (as opposed to the scalloped edge bezel on the 5th gen and POrikaa). -Minute hand slightly too short. -Date window position in relation to the 3:00 hour marker on the dial. To illustrate, take each of the aspects above and correlate to the pics below: Hope this helps... Cheers, R

Let me guess... The whole watch is a mistake? At least... I'd think so...

I always enjoy reading these topics... Interesting to observe the logic and rationale behind an individual's choice. Personally, I love watches; that's a general statement. I have great respect for genuine brands, and I believe that reps are only supporting proof that the watches and the items they are replicating are successful; otherwise, they wouldn't bother. I also enjoy reps, and I enjoy building watches. That's no secret. To me, it's a different facet to the hobby and one I enjoy purely for personal reasons. Some people build model cars, or do wood working or pottery... Or even build full scale driveable replica cars. I like to do the same except with watches. Of course, with a gen, you can't build a watch to look more gen like; it's already there. The challenge for me is to make a rep look gen... Not to try and pass of as genuine, but to see what can be done, and of course to enjoy. For the money I've spent in putting things together, I could have bought several gens, so that's certainly not the point for me. But I can say that building frankensteins has given me a greater understanding and appreciation for what goes into a mechanical watch. That is without a doubt. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We're all here for different reasons. As different individuals, that's to be expected. But at the end of the day... It's just a watch. No one is really going to care about what you have, except for maybe that one brief moment when they happen to catch a slight glimpse of your wrist as you're walking by and they wonder- Was that what I think I just saw? Does it matter what one thinks about another? If you care, then I'd argue that life's too short to worry about such things. If you like what you have, then that's all that matters. If you feel that gen is the only way you can go, then that's up to you. If you enjoy reps for what they are, even better. But we should all spend less time worrying about what others think and start focusing on more important matters in life... Like who has the best sexy avatar?

I've seen 17j'ers for as low as $180 - $220; 25j's can range between $300 - $425 depending The key is to find an older Navi rep with the 12/9/6 subdial config from several years back; those had hands that were a direct swap to the Swiss 7750 (which is what the gen uses). You can even fit a gen dial with a little trimming. No sunken date with the 12/9/6 either... Or get gen hands to go with a Swiss 7750 as those would be a straight swap since the issue is potentially with the newer rep hands (depending what specific rep movement you get). For the right watchmaker, modding the rep hands to fit a Swiss ETA isn't much of an issue, so that's another possibility you should consider.

Where's Hike? He's got a pretty good avatar... Capable of causing pop ups (even with pop up blocker on the web browser enabled)...

Jkay- yodaddynuka had a funny variation of that avatar second from left; some kids head copypasta'd to the groovin' chicks body... Made me chuckle every time I saw it...

Personally, I like earlgrey-erfurt's avatar... Think my desk rose up a bit and the pants tightened some when I saw that one for the first time

Yes- $300-ish will get you a true Swiss ETA 7750. Not terribly hard to find; Ofrei, JB are the parts supply houses that stock them, or you can hit the 'Bay (but you should familiarize yourself with what to look for to avoid paying Swiss prices for an Asian movement). As for hands- The subsidiary dial hands and center seconds hand will not fit if you currently have a quick beat. As I mentioned prior, the subdial hands need to be reduced and the center seconds needs to be broached. Not an easy task to do as it does require some finesse and accuracy to get them just right. If you've seen the tubes on these hands, you'll know exactly what I mean.

A little less aging...

Well, having two white dialed franken SAs might be a little redundant, but the arabic vs. batons dial might be enough to differentiate between the two. If you like it and will wear it, I say it can't hurt; if you find that you prefer one over the other, you can always sell. All the while, you can keep an eye out for a franken black dial to round out the collection

The vid looks like it was produced by the same firm that did the Urwerk and Hautlence video promotions. Very well done indeed...

Supposedly out of production... But if you look hard enough, I'm sure you can find one. I just sold an unmodded one a few months ago... And of course, I modded the one I kept...