PeteM

Thankyou my droog for your messels. Took a bit of a tolchock but having peeted plenty of vellocet me is skorry getting choodessny and will soon be back govoreeting chepooka. Real Horrorshow my bratty!!

Not yet mate! I am planning to have the case professionally brushed as gen. It wasnt my intention originally but having seen the real thing a few times now and with the possibility of getting an ex OP guy to do it I think its worth the wait. Unfortunately circumstances meant I still havent done that but hope to soon now I am feeling better.

Hi D, Thanks mate. Good to be back Always good to have a few spare, I had 2 but for the life of me I cant find one of them!! The one in the pics is the better one so it could of been worse!!

Thanks Blane, I appreciate your words mate and your support when I was under the weather Cheers mate

Hi D Nice to see you again mate. That brushed cup always confused me as like you said some pics it looks brushed like DSNs but I did post a link a while ago with some great macros which show, to me anyway I was wrong. Holding the gen crown now just proves it to me. And yeah as I say overall the CG is very passable to even the keenest eye... Heres that link in case you havent seen it... http://forums.watchn...to=357443&rid=0 In one of the pics in the link you see a clear reflection of the lever in the cup so I think what threw me alot was the fact the cup was reflecting the brush work of the CG body rather than being brushed itself as it is very highly polished.

Totally agree the other big difference is where the feet of the CG meet the case, I think I would find that the easiest tell at a distance (as in across a table etc) The EL is head and shoulders above the cartel and DSN versions, those are a definite easy tell at distance. Aagh now thats a question only him up there can answer... just like "why am I so good looking?"?!!!

Heres a pic of the old school CG I have on my 253. Just to highlight the REG TM position

I thought I would post some pics of the gen CG next to the EL. Unfortunately I no longer have the DSN version to put it next to also. But I can say the DSN is completely inaccurate and really doesnt warrant comparison to the gen or EL regardless. The gen is bigger than the EL, it is longer, wider and thicker. The REG TM is positioned differently, this is the case in the other EL versions I have had. The pin is slightly off on the EL and thinner. The lever is close in shape (Not size), but is slightly different although the way it sits in the body and against the case makes this difference greater in appearance. The edges of the body where it sits against the case are also off in terms of the chamfering and 'squaring off' This is the biggest flaw in the DSN which has none. The depth of the engraving is much deeper on the EL and does stand out. Overall these CGs are very close at a distance but do not stand up to close scrutiny, as most rep parts, though it can be used with relative confidence, IMO. The EL in the pictures has been rebrushed and repinned as any EL CGs I have seen that came direct from Eddie were not finished completely. The OEM came direct from OP and was sealed in the box though I have not put it together yet. Having also seen the 127 CGs I would suggest a lot of the same comments can be made as stated above. The brush finish on the gen is much more subtle than a lot of the rep ones I have seen, I think this is because that in pics on the gen the brushwork seems much more pronounced than it is in your hand so this tends to be copied as the pics rather than the real thing. Similar to the way the shape and distortion is recreated in the crystals including the AR which is a strong purple blue though we as collectors tend to think its more like the pics we see which doesnt show the hue in many of the pics. I have taken a few pics as my photography skills aint great!! The gen is on the left. I also took some pics of the gen crown for 127/217. I have these along side the EL and DSN sprung crowns. The gen is in the middle. The closest match is the EL. This is because of the overall finish the EL is polished like the gen the DSN less so. The width and edging of the face of the crown which the lever pushes against is also much more accurate on the EL and when housed is iMHO noticeable. Overall the EL as we all know comes out on top compared to the gen noticeably more than the DSN and given the inaccuracies of the DSN case. I would never suggest it worth modding a DSN version better to start with a correct EL or build your own using EL parts from different versions. Though some EL versions will require further modding on certain parts. Some EL CGs have been modded further so be careful these havent been over modded if you find one. I saw an EL 127 CG posted here yesterday and its been overdone to the point it is more inaccurate than the original CG especially fitted to the case in the pics posted so just because its an EL doesnt make it accurate or correct for the watch. So make sure you are happy with the part before you buy and dont just buy it because its an EL.

At last the shape of the CG is sorted but would it of been too much effort to sort out the position of the REG TM or pin while they were at it. The Old school 212's had the same shape CGs but bettter stamping though the lever is a bit better than those ones had. Nice watch mate look forward to more case profile shots....

Very nice mate wear it well. Hopefully you wont stop there and will sort the other bits that need it !! be worth it with that movement

Nice example mate. Whats the lume like? Congrats

Thanks guys

I bought a few bits sometime ago, hands, CG etc. Found them uncommunucative after they got my money slow to deliver and quality wasnt great for the money. I have heard good and bad about their 44mm crystals but I go by the poster rather than the comments themselves as you really need to have had a gen unmounted Xtal in your hand before you can really appreciate the differences to the available rep xtals Funnily enough I asked them a while back if they could produce a 217 Crystal they replied they could but after a few exchanges they then said it could only be done in mineral given its shape. I think they use an outside maker who they contacted after saying they could to me and he must of told them he couldnt also the dims werent enough they wanted a sample which was pointless as I didnt want a copy of a rep Xtal given the shape is different including thickness and internal angle of slopes, I guess the 253/212 Xtal will be the same.

I still find it hard to see why such a small watch was issue to pilots and navigators it must of been hard to see over all the kit. I agree on the strap it seems it came with 3 types, 2 metal and 1 material. It is a nice dial I would be keener to wear it if it was bigger.

Hi guys, Thankyou so much for your good wishes. I have only just read this today my first log in for a while. I am really grateful guys. I thank you all and this great forum or more accurately great community. It means alot to read this thread, I hope I dont owe any of you money A big big Thanks to Floyd, Bruce and Kris for your very generous gift, I have to say she was amazing!!! and her hands were very soft!! Seriously guys it really lifted my spirits at a very low point for me I will never forget what it meant and what you guys did, Thankyou. I am still recovering at home but hope to start spending some more time on here now and start annoying you all again

They dont do the 253/212 etc dome xtal and to be honest I have found them hit and miss on their parts and service.

Came across a Mark 11 so I thought I would post some pics, I am sure you know some of its history but here is a link for the HJ with an in depth history of the watch and its origins and variations. It still keeps great time!!! http://www.iwc.ch/lecture/library/_pdf/mark11a-en.pdf

Having owned a few myself and a few ELs, I would agree the DSN is the best of whats readily out there. But it is heavily flawed which can be worse depending on the particular DSN batch. As mentioned the CG is very wrong, so is the crown, the case (mainly the lugs), the crystal is OK but has a horrible rep blue AR though the gen does have a purplish blue hue, the dials seem to vary and the colour and position of font can be well off on some, also the shape of the 6 and 9 etc, the hands tend to be good, the bezel is also too low and lume tends to be bright but the wrong colour. As D says overall the EL far surpasses the DSN (heads up) though this is also flawed but to a lesser extent much the better option. Personally I wouldnt think of modding a DSN just enjoy it and as you learn more about the Fiddy either build your own using better more accurate parts or get an EL though the different variations mean you may need to swap out various parts. Heres a pick of mine though its still a long way off but a passable version

Thanks Plaifender and OS for all your hard work on this, its appreciated guys. Thanks for the update I look forward to hearing some good news soon

O mate!! Your such a tease!!! Sometimes I really hate you!! Its PVD heaven .... a preV MM dial and PVD now thats a combination -- Lovely Congrats mate

By 'the rest' do you mean light reflecting off the nipple tassles!!

My guess would be the ultra violet in the club lights...

From the links I can see a lot of differences from the pics mate. They are probably made by 2 different factories. But remember thats only going by the pics on the site the watches can vary depending on the latest versions or variations of it. The dial is different notice the 6 also the hands (the 6 is more accurate on the cheaper one!! though neither are good look at LSML!! etc) The CG is different as is the CG lever The Xtal has the better cyclops on the best version one. Date wheel font Different cases Different caseback Also the movements Not sure about upgraded bracelet thats not in the pics in your link just the old version with the CG shape links so you would need to check he can get it, I had one on a 250/236 which seemed to create a stir as no one could get that bracelet from the TDs except I think PWC. Personally I would see if you could source the better version from another TD or even try Vac or Sead or look for a better rep model with bracelet. Good luck mate

DSN is a very nice Fiddy mate but doesnt really compare with the EL Fiddy when appropriately modded. But as you are on a budget then yes the DSN is a great chance to own and wear a very nice rep of the Fiddy. I am not sure which ones you are referring too but yes I agree that some I have seen are over priced not by much but defintely too much, however the ones you have seen may come with straps that would add a large amount potentially. If you cant tell the differences and they dont bother you then get the DSN and enjoy it... Good luck mate