Furu

Sorry, so many things go wrong? No, the tube is not up to par with the gen. But there is not so much more that can go wrong, except the movement, but that is the same thing with all automatics, rep, gen, asian or swiss - they are delicate. With the quality of the case, bracelet and bezel, our UPOs will be the last man made things left on earth. ...and there's always a chance you might chip your crystal, but that can happen to all sapphire crystals, and the bezel insert will get scratched as would a gen insert. I think you get the picture. It's very solid. And since the price is so low, would it be a disaster if it did die? And to your last statement I'd like to reply that all the gen parts you see in frankens are purely for the looks, except for the above mentioned crown & tube. /Furu

Yes, quality wise the tube is inferior to the gen. Aesthetically, the new dials have a few blemishes and the pearl on the bezel insert isn't too beautiful. But everything else is just a unimaginably good replication for the money! Gen crown + tube at ofrei is aprox 45$. Don't know if you included some labor in those over 100$. Could be a nice evenings work to install it yourself, or a nightmare.

Perfectly normal, high end quartz-watches. Most of the money is of course in the brand.

I disassembled mine, lubed all the rubber gaskets and so on. I have not tested it but now it's waterproof enough for my daily life. Nothing for scuba diving i guess. Somewhere theres a guide for more extreme waterproofing, you could for example seal the helium escape valve with epoxy. /Furu

The UPO is a very, very well built watch. If you service the movement every 5 years it could potentially outlast you, no doubt about that. I've only had mine for about 3 months and i promise you I will never sell it!

Above link didn't work for me. Here is another one to the same auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDEMARS-P-ROYAL-OAK-OFFSHORE-VOLCANO-/130448378691?pt=AU_Watches&hash=item1e5f544b43

Narikaa is the best dealer I've dealt with yet. He's been around forever, carries good stuff to great prices. He replies very fast, and when he is in UK the shipment within EU is quick. My latest deal with him took 4 days in total. You'll find all info at his section here.

WM9 and Precious Time's Supreme are the same. Aren't Euromariner Noobmariners from Eurotimez? (some part of my brain says that noobmariners are hollow midlinks) I'm not 100% sure on any of the above statements. Maybe something of it can be helpful at least.

Good question!

Don't worry Angelina is fine here with me and my Daytona:

Nice. B&R 03 is a unique design, nothing you see everyday. I would react when I saw one the streets. I don't think most of my friends could identify a '(PAM,) Porsche, SD or Planet Ocean', but B&R 03 is something different! Except I think the panerais are very unique too. Sounds lika a great looking watch, especially with the orange lume!

Very nice!

Willkommen! This is a great place and yes, many good deals appear in the trade zone. Enjoy! What did you buy? Like it? /Furu

I guess it's really up to you to decide. If I had a cheap watch that I really loved and cared for I would absolutely spend the money. Even though it feels weird to spend more on reluming than the cost of the watch. Go ahead do it, and if the movement breaks - replace it, or transfer your relumed dial.

Haha +1, at least he's optimistic

Have done some more reading. The DG28 series is based on Miyota 8200-series, not on any ETA-product. In comparison to the Miyota movement it has a hack feature, you'd want that on most 'rolex' watches wouldn't you. A new DG28 would set you back about 15$ so don't waste any money ever servicing it. Now both you and I know more about our movements /Furu

Hi, that movement is made by Dixmont. A Chinese movement maker. I've got a pair of them too so i think they are quite common in reps. They are marketed as A21, but A21 could be any of many other movements. I'm a newb but from what I've found on the web that is a rolex-decorated DG2813 from Dixmont. A bit more info and a few links is avaible in this thread I started about a week ago!

Very nice, and really different!

One thing i think you should do is untighten the caseback and refit that sealing, it sticks out a bit right below the crown. An easy fix if you've got the tools.

Nice, learning by doing is the best way to learn. And with so delicate things it will take a few broken (watch!) hands... Looking forward to your next experiment, I really like illustrated modding threads, not just the final result! The gen crystal made a big difference! /Furu

I do agree! Most are only useful when you enter a dark room after being exposed to the sun... But very cool solution!

Much better! How good is the performance of one of them emergency exit sign thingys?

I can't tell from the pictures how your bezel was attached, but if it was with one of those multi-corner circular springs, i guess every watch smith in your city should be able to find something equivalent to replace it with. The other alternative may be as good, your watch is 7 years old, and the movement would need a service. That would cost a decent amount of money so maybe a mid range Submariner (or something completely different!) would be nice, the reps ought to be much better these days. The old one will look nice in your bookshelf Whatever you choose to do i wish you good luck!

Another version if the first one fails. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AA8gEokOhU