freddy333

I just hope we are not all being snookered.........

I think the era of the big power watch is coming to an end. As most of us know, these things tend to go in cycles & when the economy slows down, jewelry, especially watches, tend to shrink back down under our (buttoned) shirt cuffs (where they belong anyway). Although 'big' then did not mean what it does now, the big power watches of the 80s slid as the 80s came to a close only to grow even bigger following the dot com boom of the late 90s. And I keep reading (& seeing threads on TZ) about the end of the big watch fad being upon us. In fact, I recently picked up some men's magazine in an airport that opined something to the effect that big watches are now looked at with disdain, similar to the big shouldered 'power suit' of the 80s. Who knows, but I think there is a reason why Rolex has been the king of the hill for nearly 100 years & they did it on their own terms.

Exactly my thoughts & why I pulled the trigger on a rep (the 1st in more than a year) of a watch model that I am not even that revved about. Go figure.

Back when I was close to getting a 5555 (still have not done so), I located a Bergeon catalog (since lost) that listed a 10atm WP tester in addition to the 5555, but it did not have a picture & I do not remember what the model number is? If the unit you have pictured is a 10atm model, then that may be it. But I am not sure. Have you checked any of the parts house catalogs?

Looks like I put my order in just in time. I received notification that my watch has been shipped along with my tracking number this morning. Half of me says you are wrong (which is why I impetuously placed my order yesterday), but the other half says you may be right -- even if Andrew/Josh do not offer more, the same watch (with correct hand stack) may appear in the near future from other sellers at varying prices. It is difficult to believe the factory would tool up to produce such a high-demand model & then stop producing it. The Chinese rep makers are not generally known for allowing profitable opportunities to slip through their hands.

Click me 4 more

I think he is referring to the bezel's 24-hour time scale, which would result in 24 1-hour jumps. I know the poster, Sheldon, & he is pretty knowledgeable. But, obviously, his kitchen scale may not be.

Interesting project. Wish I had a CNC. I would lume all of the numbers. Hard to tell from the pictures, but if this is a wrist watch, then I would consider some other hands. But if it is a pocket watch, the hands may work.

Care to elaborate?

Wait, not funny......true. And speaking of reviews, try this one.

I am noting a curious thing happening with this watch that happens only rarely. Alot of members (myself included) are purchasing a rep they would not normally buy. Like Delta, I have not purchased a rep in many months (probably more than a year -- concentrating my efforts on vintage frankens). And although I read the initial reviews in magazines & on TZ when the GMTIIC 1st appeared, I have since always either ignored it or consciously passed over those articles & threads (on TZ) that discuss this watch. Such was my disinterest in it. Until today. There is just something about this rep, probably its overall accuracy & the technological feat of faithfully reproducing a reasonable likeness of the gen's ceramic bezel, that seems to be drawing buyers like moths to a flame. And I cannot quite put my finger on what it is, even though I am 1 of the many moths that have been incited (& hopefully not burned) by its charms. Very curious indeed.......

This might also be of interest (a gen from TZ)

It seems that the GMTIIC rep is not only a potential super rep, but it is also a good luck charm. At least, for me. My bank was having some problems with their system when I tried to buy this watch. In fact, it took me about 3 hours of failed attempts before the sale would go through. Because of this I had to phone the credit card company & the problems turned out to be quite fortuitous, because it seems that a couple of payments for ebay purchases I made a few months ago were apparently declined by my bank (they were having problems then, too). And both declined payments turned out to be to Mr. Slime Ball, the crooked parts seller in Texas who sold me a bunch of rubbish & then gave me the only bad buyer ratings I ever got after I posted my (negative) experiences with him. So the GMTIIC may have cost me $400, but the satisfaction that I got upon hearing that Mr. Slime Ball got his just rewards is PRICELESS. Maybe I should get another GMTIIC & then buy a lottery ticket...........

Definitely a tough call, Jetzeus. My guess is that the movement will prove to be problematic over time (similar to the 'mystery movement' in some early DW Daytonas). But if you click that Buy button on the basis of a potential collectible, I would click away.....& sooner rather than later.

I agree. It could be the angle of the watches in the picture, but, even as they look in the picture, I would be hard pressed to ID the rep based on the CGs if I saw it on its own. And the differences, if they exist, are so marginal that it would take more time to remove the movement than to mod them. But with a rep this good, a gen crown/tube is mandatory.

Excellent work, Sylar. Obviously, the missing AR on the cyclops is a give-away, but is the cyclops a bit larger on the rep, or is it just the way it looks in the pictures? Other than that, the most obvious difference to me is the finish of the polished sections of the bracelets. Rolex watches are always mirror smooth, while the polished sections on reps always have a bit of texture to the underlying metal. Sometimes, this can be improved with a bit of rouge & dremeling, sometimes not. The only thing missing is a close-up comparison of the date fonts (days 3, 13, 23 & 31) to see if the fonts (& lens magnification) pass muster. The rep could definitely use a gen crown & a wee bit of CG work. But, as is, this rep is quite an impressive piece of work. And the photographer did a good job too. Minus the texture in the polished sections, I doubt I would be able to ID the rep on its own from the distance of a few feet, which meets my benchmark & the deciding factor for my hitting the Buy button for a model I do not particularly like that much. You just cannot argue with quality.

Lani - I have to be honest & say that whatever 'crossover' I may have experienced is due more to my expectation of this rep's future rarity & potential iconic status than to any specific attraction to the model design. Although I can appreciate the mechanical artistry that went in to copying the ceramic bezel (quite a feat), the overall design of this watch leaves me lukewarm (like most modern watches). But who knows, it may change my mind once I get it on my wrist.

The Rolex pictures are all gens.

Based on the picture, I am not impressed. It does not look like what I would expect from MBW. But more & better pics may change my opinion.

I just returned from my 2nd reconnaissance trip to my local AD to see & try on 1 of these GMTIICs, and..... Now I may very well be proven wrong, but something tells me that the (correct hand stack) version of the GMTIIC Anniversary may turn out to become a classic rep that attains iconic status in the future. And 1 day many of us will think back on this weekend in time & thoughts of self-flagellation will creep into our minds as we admonish ourselves for not jumping on the bandwagon before it was too late. So, with that in mind & even though I remain thoroughly unmoved by most modern Rolex watches (including this 1), I just bought 1 of these GMTIICs reps. May the good lord have mercy on my vintage soul. Others have posted pics of the gen version of the GMTIIC recently, but none of those, to my eye, truly portray this watch correctly. So I perused my hard drive archives for a couple of good, clear pics of the gen GMTIIC. Here they are (note especially the effect of the AR coating on the underside of the cyclops & the way the detail below it is revealed) Those of you who just received the rep version, how does it compare?

Click here for TT Daytona pics

The Vietnamese case is the closest to the gen, but it is designed to fit a gen movement. So if you are going to use an ETA, you will probably need to use a spacer ring & I do not know if any of the existing spacers will fit those cases without some modifications???????

I just saw this thread. The crown & date are the give-aways. Never seen a rep that came with a gen crown & correctly serif'd & centered date font. Nice catch.

I am completely with Nanuq on this 1. The case is Vietnamese, the crown (yes, too wide), bezel & insert are wrong (poor aftermarket). However, the dial almost fooled me, because it is the same 1 I have for my next DRSD franken (the slightly too-narrow 6 & 9 index markers are the give-away) But I think I like their lume better (they relumed it to match the Mark I on doubleredseadweller, which I would like to do as well).

Yeah, I re-read the original post a couple of times & still was not sure whether he was posting pics of his gen or his rep. My mistake I guess, which explains why the 'rep' pictured above looks so much like a gen (because it is).