freddy333

Thanks Lani. That helps -- it looks like the magnification is similar. A major biggie in my book. But I want to compare apples to apples. Could you shoot a '22' (on its side), so I can see how the font matches the gen in By-Tor's picture? Or, even better, in addition to the 22, pics of 3, 13, 23 & 31 would be spectacular. And, just so we are all on the same planet here, I am assuming the pic you just posted is the new rep & not a gen.........

UB7 - The watches just coming to market today began as designs 2-5 years ago (it generally takes Rolex about 5 years from initial design to market release), which is why the watch companies may be in for tough times ahead, regardless of what the general world economic conditions may be. A couple of the more knowledgeable Rolex mavens on TZ have been making predictions of dire times for many watch companies because of the fickle habits of the watch buying public. In the past, Rolex has been mostly insulated from downturns in sales caused by fashion trends because, until recently, they always tended to buck the trends sticking to their more conservative designs. But with their recent jump into the bigger watch arena, they may get stuck with alot of Deep Seas that they cannot move.

Great sighting, By-Tor. Any rep owner have a pic showing your rep's date window from this angle (dead-on)? That is the 1 view I have not seen yet & the main thing that concerns me about this new rep. A poor font (too thin, odd shape, etc.), inaccurate cyclops magnification or obvious misalignment in the date window can undo the best of reps. On the other hand, it the GMTIIC gets this right, then this may just be a 'super' rep.

So is RWG solvent again?

Went to a car show today with this A few highlights from the show Aston Martin Lotus Jaguar Sorry for not getting any wrist shots, but I was on 2 wheels today & it was beginning to rain so I had to rush.

7928 Oyster Prince Tudor Love

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.