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Smqsub

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Posts posted by Smqsub

  9. Watch servicing UK?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    If you're close to London, I have a guy in the city that works on mine for me - rep and gen. Has never gone wrong, is cheap as chips and is quick to turn things around. He can also source gen bits and pieces - he got me gen crystals for my Explorer I and DateJust II and has serviced most pieces I own...

    I have mentioned him before on RG and provided details in a thread. His name is Sean and he runs a permanent mini-shop front in Piccadilly Circus, it is called 'Watches 2 Go'.

    NOTE: I am in no way affiliated with him, just a very happy customer.

    S

    Is this the chap in the tube station?

    Sent from TK-421's comms using Tapatalk

  14. Breitling SA for Franken'ing

    in The Breitling Area

    Posted

    This is brilliant advice. Thank you.

    Here's the humble opinion of someone who has already built two Franken SAs. My advice would be to buy one of the current, upgraded V3 SAs. Be sure to get it on the bracelet. Then stop right there. You're done. Going Franken with one of these is far more aggravation than you're anticipating, and the "improvement" from adding gen parts will be far less noticeable than you think.

    First, the current V3 models have upgraded dials that are much closer to gen. The baton markers on the upgraded V3 models are two pieces, just like the gen. The original V3 used one piece markers, and that's the reason everyone was going ga ga over gen dials. The current rep dials are fine, and gen dials sold on eBay are a complete rip off. They're overpriced, and most of them arrive with scratches on them because whoever removed them did a half-assed job.

    Second, swapping dials on an SA rep is a nightmare. The problem is the hands on the rep. They're garbage. You cannot get the subdial hands off without breaking the pinion off. My watchamker did my two SA dial swaps, and even he managed to break a couple of them. Then you're stuck either gluing them back on, or trying to hunt for replacement parts. The chinsy hour and minute hands also picked up some scratches during the swap process. After it was done, I wished I'd never bothered changing the dials.

    Third, there is no reason to buy a gen Pro2. You would never be able to tell the difference between the new V3 rep bracelet and a gen Pro2. They are almost identical. I compared two gen Pro2s with a V3 rep Pro2. There were more differences between the two gen bracelets than there were between either of them and the rep. The biggest difference is that the quality and finish of the link screws on the rep is not as good as the gen (obviously). That said, the rep screws are more than satisfactory. Note that I'm not referred to the old rep bracelet that came on the V2 SAs. That bracelet was nowhere near as good as the V3. There - I just saved you $500. You're welcome. :)

    Fourth, installing a gen bezel on a V3 rep is NOT something that just screws on. It's a nightmare to do it. It's a nightmare getting the rep bezel off, and a bigger nightmare trying to get the gen to fit on the rep. The only person I know who has ever done is successfully is Smidsy ,and he works in a watch repair shop. There is nothing wrong with the rep bezel either. Again, save your money.

    The only real issue you will have with the V3 is that the movement is not the most reliable. I have no idea why. With this rep, it is best to NOT run the chrono. Some people will tell you this is true of any A7750, but the V3's chrono mechanism seems especially sensitive to mis-alignment when reset. I just wouldn't use it.

    Last but not least, I would avoid V2 SAs entirely. Some people like that they're more water tight, and the bezel may be a bit better quality. However, the crown tube on the V2s is a disaster. EVERY one of them eventually get stripped and you can no longer screw down the crown. I've never seen one that didn't develop this problem eventually. I wouldn't even consider one.

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