calatrava

You'll have to ask specifically for the Timegrapher photos, and be a bit persistent.

Very nice Akira, where did you get yours from?

Yeah, the gold rotor is cool, and is a decent approximation of the gen's. I got this from Mary, after seeing it first on Watcheden: http://www.watcheden.net/vacheron-constantin-classic-swiss-eta-movement-with-white-dial-i-39429-p-1.html

These are QC photos I just received of a Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine with a Asian 2836-2 clone movement, and a nice custom rose gold rotor. The caseback also appears to be mercifully free of typos, and the watch seems to be in good shape to me. I wanted to share the wonderful photos, and to see if there was anything I missed which is apparent to the eagle eyed members here. Thanks.

Thanks for the update, I'm now even more confused about which Pam 111m to buy. It seems like the perennial curse of replicas, one step forward, two steps back.

This is certainly a discussion that's of interest to me. I do agree that Alex Ghotbi seems to have been the sole corroborating source of the Hysek attribution for the VC 222 design, and it's interesting that Vacheron hasn't said anything either way officially.

I'm on the market for a homage or replica of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and I was wondering if people have any alternative suggestions or opinions about some of the watches I've identified as possible options. For reference, this is the look (of the gen) I'm trying for: Now for some of the contenders: Yobokies Fifty Fathoms Mod of the Seiko SNZH57 $295 Davidsen Fifty Fathoms FF95 - $330 Davidsen Fifty Fathoms F28 - $330 (I assume) drudy Fifty Fathoms Homage - $425 Helson's Fifty Fathoms Homage - $649

I know the gen 5711 has a display caseback, but the SW-200 is clearly not a Patek movement. There are older variants of the Nautilus with solid casebacks.

I think the entire displayed movement is a big tell, if you're going to examine the rotor enough to note that the Calatrava cross is a sticker.

There is an article about the co-axial escapement on Timezone: http://www.timezone.com/library/horologium/horologium631670193290479607 In essence, the geometry of the co-axial escapement is such that it minimizes the dragging of the pallet stones on the escapement teeth, thereby reducing wear and the need for lubrication.

It looks like this watch has three retrograde subdials, for the day, date, and moonphase. The closest movement to that is the Seagull ST2504, which has the retrograde day and date, but with an open heart balance wheel in place of another retrograde subdial for the moonphase.

Well, if it's chronographs you want, this is part of my collection. I also have a Alpha Paul Newman Daytona homage, but don't have a photo handy. Seagull 1963 Airforce chronograph Patek Philippe chronograph (incoming) Vacheron Constantin chronograph

By the way, this video might help you understand why Pateks are so expensive. Mainly, it has to do with the hand finishing steps for the movements. Some photos of the genuine Patek 5127. This is a photo of the 315SC automatic movement in the Patek Calatrava 5127. as compared the 3135 movement in the Rolex submariner.

zaza, if you're not a fan of dress watches, have you considered these dressy sports watches instead? They are the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus, and Vacheron Constantin Overseas. While I was originally going to get the Rolex GMT IIC in gen form, I decided to go with the Vacheron Constantin Overseas first, since it was comparable in price, and a much nicer watch (in my opinion) for the price. The photos below are of the replicas though.

I don't think that the Aquanaut was directly designed by Genta, rather it was strongly influenced by the Nautilus that Genta designed.

Wearing a dress watch while playing tennis would be like wearing a dive watch to a black tie event, just a bit silly, and quite inappropriate. In any case, I don't think it makes a difference what an ETA movement is encased in inasmuch as its ability to withstand shock and vibration. I suspect that the Calatrava and Nautilus cases will do as good a job of protecting the movement as a Rolex submariner case.

Wow, I don't know where to begin. Patek pioneered the wrist-watch (1868), and received patents for the keyless watch (1845), perpetual calendar (1889), double chronograph (1902), gyromax balance (1952), first quartz watch (1959)... the list goes on. Look Rolex has its own share of horological achievements, most notably for the first truly waterproof and dust proof watch, but both Patek and Rolex are unjustifiably overpriced, and much of this is driven by marketing. It's fine if you think a Patek is overpriced, but most watch experts would consider the Patek Calatrava to be the quintessential dress watch. By their very nature, dress watches are supposed to be understated and elegant. The price is in the quality of the finish of the case, and the movement. Maybe in your social circle, the Rolex is the undisputed crown of achievement, but there are many who would consider a Rolex to be declasse, and this is why Carla Bruni gave Nicolas Sarkozy a Patek Philippe to replace his gold Rolex Presidential when they got married. Look, it's clear from each of our respective avatars where our tastes lie. I'm willing to concede that a Patek is overpriced but I don't think it is any more overpriced than a Rolex. I think you're primarily responding to the genre of dress watches in general, and I assume they don't appeal to you. But not every $20K watch has to be a 18K gold watch and bracelet, or something studded with diamonds, to justify its cost. The reality is that all luxury watches are overpriced in their own way, and indeed, this is part of their appeal.

What would you consider to be an example of a watch which justifies a MSRP of $20K? Do you consider the $8K MSRP of a Rolex Submariner to be reasonable?

I'm not sure if it's possible to just swap over the bracelet, since there is apparently some difference in the construction. Another possibility is to see if some solder to cover up the holes, followed up by some sanding and polishing does the trick. The main issue is probably the color match between the steel and the solder, but one could probably try this on a spare link to see how good the end result is.

Good question. The short answer is no, since the top few links do not have screws which would allow you to remove individual links from the top. Even if it was possible, by destructively cutting away the top link, you would still be left with a link which is 2mm narrower than the original top link, which would make for a rather obvious gap where the watch head and bracelet meet. I wouldn't do it if I was you. If you're really looking for the ultimate Nautilus replica, then you should do what I'm contemplating: a hybrid of the 1:1 cartel version with the MBK Nautilus. Case set from the MBK, and and dial and datewheel overlay from the 1:1. Potential issues: thickness of the movement (2824-2 (SW200-1) vs 2836-2)?

auctionpwc.com still seems to carry it in limited quantities.

This is a photo of the display caseback and movement. I removed some of the decals, as they were a bit too gaudy for my taste.

The group shot. Patek Philippe Calatrava 5127 (Asian ETA 2824-2 clone) Patek Philippe Calatrava 5127 (Asian 21J Automatic) Patek Philippe Calatrava 5119 (Asian 21J Manual) Patek Philippe Calatrava 3520D (Quartz)

I just received my Glashutte Original Senator Sixties in Gold from Robert (PWC), and wanted to share a wrist shot. It is approximately 42mm across, which is larger than the gen's 39mm, but it's quite nice, with a beautiful sunburst dial. It feels quite substantial, at about 2.3 oz. The included replica strap in light brown wasn't that great, with the top layer delaminating at the edges, and the two layers (which sandwich and keep the first keeper stationary) came apart as well. I swapped the strap for another replica strap which I bought, which I think is an improvement, since the gold goes better with a black strap.

Sorry to hear that, their responsiveness does seem to be on the decline. I'm been having a bit of drama with a Pam 111M that I returned for service. Hopefully that'll be resolved soon.