mrboombasteke

My DSLR is gone, but I just had to post pics of the new black croc straps from the AD on my Santos. So I borrowed Mrsboombasteke's point-and-shoot and went to town. The new straps make a HUUUGE difference in presentation! As far as I'm concerned, it makes it look 10x better! It's been on my wrist since the swap and has gotten quite a number of compliments from the ladies. Might have to tone down the charm tonight and wear a PAM.

Now for the pics...

Sweet Mother of pearl! Talk about watch pr0n!!! That is one helluva watch! Wow! Hats off to you Eton. You my friend are my idol!

+1 for the 3717

Welcome to the forum!

Beauty! So is this one with the upgraded WM9 superlumed dial, or is that the stock TW dial?

I'm curious about this too. Title says WM9 dial, so I'm guessing it's the prior.

I'll do a side by side comparison of the dials. The gen is silver and changes color in different angles. The rep (apart for the difference in printing) has a beige darker hue all around. It's almost like the dial is "dirty".

Looking forward to seeing this.

I've got them sussed out. I'm 95% sure I can get them. I'll keep you posted.

Keep me in the loop, if you don't mind. I can't find anyone that can source that dial+hands.

Finally got a chance to take some pics of my Santos with the stainless steel bracelet. No pics of the swiss 2824 movement...yet. And sorry about the dust. My gen strap from the AD should be coming in tomorrow.

Now for the pics:

Aww yeah! It's wrist watch tiiiiiiiime!

My SS/SS Santos 100 arrived today...along with another super-rep. And I couldn't be happier. I used separate dealers and they both came through. The watches are absolutely stunning!!

I love my Santos...A LOT! But I love this other super-rep even more. Any guessers?

I think it's because my Santos looks a lot bigger than I expected. And maybe also because of all the stainless steel. I'm ordering a gen black gator strap from my local AD. I think the strap is going to be more expensive than the watch!

I'll post pics soon.

If you can get your hands on a movement, I have all the parts you would need for a 3717.

Vly, the OP is looking for a Europe source, but since you're in CONUS, there may be some advantages (for me). What parts do you have and what would it run me? BTW, your mailbox is full and I can't msg you. Feel free to PM me.

Where might I get one of the reps to use as a base for modding? is this a standard cartel product?

I believe that to be true, but will defer to Concepta.

Thanks Tom. I like the watch, but I'd like to make it a 3717-01. I can order an ETA movement for this project, but I just wanted to make sure the dial/hands along with the movement would NOT require any special mods to fit.

BTW, I just removed the movement and took out the crystal. I'm trying to figure out how to get the hands off now. I'd like to get AR for the crystal and I've heard chief's AR is at times better than gen AR. I suppose I could just send it to chief while I wait for my ETA movement. Do I need some sort of press to get it back on??

I think the 3717-01 and 3717-04 dial are the same, so the question above applies to both. Will my Laureus take these dials?

I've only had the Laureus Chronograph (3717-12) for 1 month and it's already dead. No clue what's wrong, but it wasn't purchased new. Noticed running seconds at 9 stopped and chrono pushers don't do anything either. Regardless, I always planned to mod it and I'm wondering if I can do a direct swap with a swiss eta 7750 without any special modifications. Also, is it possible to change the dial entirely to a 3717-04 dial (the black dial with red second hand)...maybe gen. Since I've never done this before, I'm looking for advice on whether to even consider this undertaking myself or whether to just cut my losses now before I F something up. Here are my thoughts for sourcing the parts:

1. ETA 7750 movement from ebay ($300)
   
2. Black 3717-04 dial and hands ($???)
   
3. ETA or gen day/date wheel ($???)
   

Anything else I should consider? Thanks in advance.

borrowed pic unknown source

wow. i hope mine looks as good as this!

Red--awesome review. I just ordered one of these bad boys. Now, time to pick up a gen strap.

Here is another solid review on another Santos. If I could edit my original post, I would've added it:

JAN 2011

Cartier Santos Franken by txcollector

Conclusion: BRAVO! This is a work of art that will likely never be duplicated. Hats off.

EDIT: added to original post

txcollector--you got a pic or a wrist shot?

I bought the ultimate and made a franken with a gen dial and crown. So I was able to analyze the most important parts side by side, outside of the watch.

http://www.1-pc8838.com/cars00048bk-santos-ssle-white-swiss-2671-p-9586.html

1. The ultimate is by far the best Santos out there. You won't regret getting it.
   
2. I have never seen the bracelet version but I find it strange they would do a new case/dial for it.
   
3. The older models are not as good (that includes the PWC, WBK, etc.) in relation to dial, case, crystal or crown.
   
4. The main issue with the ultimate Santos is the dial color. The gen is whiter than the rep. No way to fix that. However you probably won't see it unless you have the gen side by side.
   
5. The ultimate dial print is actually different in size than the gen so the bevel on the face of the crystal seems larger than it is.
   
6. You will need a new strap regardless of model. Without a real croc strap it will look off.
   
7. I'm not holding my breath for the new A7753 chono Santos. The DW position on the A7753 is different than the ETA one so the dial is likely to have visible flaws. Also the older ETA 7753 based chrono had a yellowish dial (much like the ultimate) so I'm not 100% sure they will get the color right either.
   

I hope this helps.

I fell in love with this watch after crossbones posted a pic of his chrono and I've spent the last few days scouring the threads of all my favorite rep forums. Based on the 2 solid reviews below, I need some help.

SEPT 2010

Cartier Santos 100 XL (Gen vs. New Ult Ver 2824 vs. SS/SS) review by aanival

Conclusion: Best rep (excluding the $1500 version) is the Santos 100 XL with the 2824-2 movement stainless steel on stainless steel bracelet.

JUNE 2009

Cartier Santos 100 XL (Gen vs. WBK vs. PWC vs. Rocket) review by unregistered

Conclusion: PWC had the least flaws.

JAN 2011

Cartier Santos Franken by txcollector

Conclusion: BRAVO! This is a work of art that will likely never be duplicated. Hats off.

Now, based on this information and the fact that the Cartier Santos Chrono with A7753 is out, would you get the Chrono with the fixed date wheel or get the SS/SS based? If you have wrist shots of any of Santos, please post.

BTW, Gran's version is neither the CASABALANCA nor the LONG ISLAND. If you look at his dial, you can see that the hours are displayed non-sequentially. Sorry to de-rail the thread. My vote would be for a BR03-92 with a white dial.

boom

When Gran posted this photo 2 weeks ago, I immediately contacted mary@WatchInternational. Altho she does not carry Gran's watch, I scoured the Internet until I found a scam replica site that DOES carry it. I sent the scam site photos to Mary, and she confirmed that she can get the model altho it's 42mm Medium case size .. and I suspect Gran has the "Large" 45mm model. It actually arrived in the post today, one week after shipment.

The trouble with Franck Muller replicas is that often they are incorrectly named. You are looking for a Long Island style but it has CASABLANCA engraved on the back, so all the dealers sell it as a Casablanca. So you never find the watch you want on any dealer site! Very sad.

Anyway, be aware that the watch comes UN-LUMED .. Gran's watch has a full, immaculate lume job. You will receive a silver-dialed watch with black numbers. It's up to you to get it lumed.

If you still want it, tell Mary it's the same one she just shipped to John K .. Stainless steel FM Long Island Crazy Hours (says Casablanca on the back) with silver dial and black numbers. Ask for confirmation pics.

Last note .. Gran's watch has a custom double-hornback strap .. the watch is less than $140 but that strap is gonna COST YOU!!

edit: the WatchInternational version is 42mm, not 40. Just measured it.

Wow...that's onehelluva strap! Care to share where you got it?

What are the best pussy magnet watches?

and do women judge us by the watches we wear?

Reading a post about the Tigers tag I started wondering what watch is the best "pussy magnet watch"....What kind of women would a Tag Heuer Golf Professional attract (if it works that way at all)? Why wouldnt a AP ROO og a gold ROLEX be better? is it the watch or the confidence it gives?

So my question to you is what watches are the best pussy magnets? and in what situations?

I would presume what works in a nightclub would not work when playing golf..and how do women spot the watches?

BTW I met my fiancee on the internet and I do not think it was the RWG watch on my wrist in the photo that attracted her...or maybe

Here is my suggestion for best pussy magnet watch:

Wondering

Gunnar

Thanks for all the good info. I couldn't wait so I picked up a Laureus Chrono from the member sales forum and it arrived yesterday! What a beauty. The only thing that surprised me is how small it feels. My 43mm Tag Aquaracer Chrono wears much bigger than this. I shouldn't be doing this, but now I'm trying to decide what to get next I'd really like the Portuguese Chrono black on black, but from what I can gather, they're not very reliable. And I'd need to shell out $1k for a movement. Any members taken this plunge? Or would you get the rolex sub or dssd instead?

Help me before I go mad and buy both.

The non-working power Reserve Big Pilot rep's are fantastic - welcome to the madness

Just ordered my first IWC 5004 rep. Hopefully it's here before Christmas!

Very nice watch you have there!

Hi all. While enjoying a fabulous glass of wine at a cocktail party, I saw 3 angels come down from heaven and shone a radiant light at what could only be a Big Pilot. I had only seen such a glorious masterpiece behind reinforced glass (and magazines). I knew THEN I had to have one. But how...I needed a way to magically turn my Benjamins into Grovers! I searched high and low and came across what seemed like an honest review of multiple replica sites. Overjoyed with excited, I was about to pull the trigger until my wise ol' friend, Mr. Google slapped some sense into me...now I'm here soaking in as much as I can.

I'm an amateur photographer and I own a gen Tag CAF2010 (Aquaracer Chrono) and it's my daily watch. I'd LOVE to get a IWC Pilot super rep or franken or whatever it's called. I hope one day I can give as much back to the community as I plan to take. One thing's for sure...I'm going to have to regulate how much I can spend each year.