jdavis

In my experience, sending watches back to China is an expensive PIA. Most of the time it takes months to get things repaired and shipped back and even then repairs aren't necessarily completed properly. I think that if you are into this hobby, part of it is developing basic watch making skills. This leads to more involvement and enjoyment as well as saving the aggravation of returning the watch to the seller. There will be cases where the watches must be sent back for major problems but, for minor things, get it done locally or DIY.

There is a new Tag Aquaracer that is really close to the gen. Photo borrowed from Joshua's site.

The A-7750 movement is an Asian built chronograph movement that is a copy of the ETA 7750 Swiss movement The Asian 21j movement is the same as the Chinese DG2813 movement (Looks like a copy of Miyota) The Asian ETA clone is a direct copy of the Swiss ETA 2800 series movements (made by Silleta.) *Check out the forum section ..Movements Q&A, plenty of good information there about this. Full service of an ETA 2836 can run over $100 US

The Asian 21J movement has proven to be reasonably reliable but, it is generally agreed that the ETA Swiss movement is of better quality and will serve you better in the long haul. This Asian movement is the Chinese made DG2813 and should it fail, a replacement movement can be purchased for less than $20 US. As to the quality of the PO Lite, I understand that there have been a few issues with the crown and tube but, you should query the Omega section of this forum for more expert information.

Tourby has a valid point. When the economic conditions change there is a level of financial discomfort to be felt and we are seeing the effects of it. Consider that we all demand more from our repicas with adds to the manufacturing cost as each new version is produced in a never ending attempt at perfection. Also, we should understand that manufacturing cost are rising for the ETA suppliers. A new ETA 2824/2836 will set you back for over $100 and a 7750 is $450 from Offei or Borel and is destined to rise higher as the supply diminishes. We are not privy to all the inside costs, overhead, and profit required to produce and distribute the replica products particularly when combined with current economic trends so, I find it hard to call foul. Ajoesmith has one thing right, if you don't like the price...don't buy. Now that I think about it, this might have something to do with the reason that I am reluctant to replace my car this year

Getting spare parts can be difficult. Replica watches are prone to have problems from time to time and many of us like to experiment with or modify our watches so, there is a need for this service. The problem is no dealer is going to stock the thousands of parts that might be requested. IMO, the best approach to the problem of getting your spares is to establish a good long time relationship with one dealer. If he knows that he will be getting your watch business, it is more likely that he will help you with your spares. You will benefit by knowing that the spare parts will fit because they were supplied from the same known source. Spare parts do not offer the dealer much in the way of profit and are often a PIA to locate so there is little incentive to supply parts to those that aren't loyal watch customers.

Caddys have come a long way in the past decade. The CTS-V is a pretty hot sedan with performance figures equal to the best from Europe and Japan. It does have the 400 hp LS-1 Corvette engnie (not the 505 hp Z06 engine). However, in the opinion of many it still falls a bit short of its more established competitors. Still it is a fine automobile at a nice price point. The perfect watch...has to be a Rolex. A 16610 sub for the man or a 179174 Datejust for the woman.

I would try a damp microfiber (lint free) cloth first if that failed, you might try a light application of lens cleaner on the microfiber and apply to the spot.

The good side to this is that if you do open things up a bit too much, it is on the back side of the watch and it will be unseen while wearing it. Some of the cases that I have seen have the crown hole so close to the back edge of the case that it is impossible to countersink them without breaking it through the rear. There simply isn't enough material there to allow the countersink to stay within the case wall.

Silix Prime sells about 20 different subs. By and large they are decent replicas. His subs that sell for around $150 appear to the be same ones that several of the larger dealers are now selling for about $200. In my experience, Silix Prime offers good products and has been most accommodating. I am certain that you will be pleased also.

That is good advice, a small amount of money spent for a lot of piece of mind!

You have an interesting take on your approach to getting involved in this hobby. Your choice of watches is a personal choice that only you can make and there is certainly no fault there. The one thing that I would caution you about is your "adventurous" selection of dealers. In my experience, you can expect to have good and bad experiences with the same dealer. Often watches are "drop shipped" and your dealer never sees them restulting in a less than well made watch arriving at your door. Sending a watch back to China is a real PITA and the end result is frequently less than satisfactory. There are several dealers who claim to inspect each watch prior to shipment which might be worth your consideration. Establishing a good relationship with a particular dealer can have it's advantages.

The dealer that created and named the original the Noobmariner is TTK (Time to Kill) and hails from the UK. However, I am not certain that he is accepting orders due to illness and the resulting backlog of orders he must process. Narikka is also from the UK and should be able to fill your order. Look in the dealers section of the forum for contact information.

My experience with Andrew closely mirrors Predfan's. After experiencing the seemingly schizoid personalities of "Andrew" after a series of product difficulties, I also have become a Silix Prime customer. It is apparent that Andrew uses many people to handle his email messages 24-7. Otherwise, he could never be able to respond to inquiries and orders with the promptness that he does. I have found that Joshua is the more consistent of the two and I actually get the impression that I am dealing with the same individual. Therefore, I do not think that they are the same individual but that they do work closely together to control the product offerings and increase their market share. It is obvious that there are price controls in effect. Whether you choose to call it a "cartel" or not doesn't really matter. The replica market is serious business and the object is to make as much money as possible which is the reason people go into business in the first place. It is wrong to resent the taking of a reasonable and honest profit. It is right and justified to resent excessive profit taking or gouging your customers. On the other hand, we as consumers have only two real choices, buy the product or reject it.

I'm not Spanish but, I beleive that he is wanting to verify that the MBW Sea Dweller is genuine by the serial number. All MBWs use the same serial number which is 5790188 according to the information he got from Ubiquitous.

It isn't the bezel that is defective, it's the person that applied the adhesive that is a fault. The bezel fell off my rolesium Yacht Master within a few hours of it's arrival. Practically every sub that I own (five) has lost a bezel or pearl. It is a common problem with reps that is easily solved with a few dabs of glue. QC isn't part of the equation as far as the manufacture of replicas is concerned.

GW=great white....meaning white letters as opposed to the red lettering on the DRSD (double red Sea Dweller) As to the availability of a pre-modified watch, have a look at some of the Submariner offerings from Andrew and Joshua that go for around $500 You have to decide if the mods are worth the price.

Military strap....Ebay is a good source for them.

No that isn't right,.......a new Eta 2824-2 will set you back just over $100 and then you must purchase new hands. The Asian 2813 runs less than $20.

Bob, you must understand that the replica industry is shady and illegal enterprise. Factories are often back rooms filled with women and children that can be pulled up and relocated quickly to avoid detection by authorities. Quality control isn't something that can be addressed in the board room because it doesn't exist in a controlled environment such as a plant setting. You are dealing with a cottage industry where components are delivered to many small "shops" for final assembly. Your items 1 through 4 sound like a business plan to set up a replica manufacturing business. Sadly, as good as it seems, the plan will not fly because of the type of business that it is. I don't think that replica producers are worried so much about producing a quality product as are the dealers who must sell and provide some degree of customer service. Money is the primary concern, therefore, the more product and faster it is produced the more profit. In that this is a highly illegal industry and so much money is to be made, corruption also enters the picture. It has been suggested that there is a cartel that now regulates the price structure for many of the dealers. I understand that one of our respected dealers had admitted to this fact. The reason that you have discovered that the replica discussions center around China is because it is the giant player in this market. I would guess that China produces well over 90% of the replicas. There are other Asian countries such as Taiwan, that produce smaller quantities of watches and other counterfeit goods. In spite of what you may have read on the scam sites, no replicas are made in Switzerland or Italy. Generally speaking, a Swiss replica is an Asian replica with a Swiss ETA movement (ETA does have plants in Asia). These movements are of good quality and will last many years with the proper maintenance. Asian movements are also used in many of the same replicas as the Swiss movements allowing for lower cost to the buyer. I have no knowledge of Italian movements being used in replicas. There is no perfect replica, they all have their flaws. As a buyer, you must select the product that you want then seek a dealer that you feel can supply the best product to you. Ask questions and express you doubts and expectations to your dealer before you invest.

Yes, it does look a bit strange. It looks as if they changed a bezel from a Turn-O-Graph to a fluted one. When the first Datejusts appeared, they had alternating red-black date font. As I said, I think that Jay would get you one with the black date wheel and silver second hand.

Here is one from Silix that is somewhat cheaper. Notice the red date and second hand. My Rolex brochure shows this dial combination so, it is legitimate. If you prefer the black, I am fairly certain that Jay could source one for you if you will ask.

I just received an updated price list from Jules Borel and the ETA 2824/2836 are listed at $100 each. My guess is that either you bought old stock or the 2824/2836 Asian clone. The price for ETA movements is definitely going up!