mezzanine

I'm not in Europe, but the dial on my PP Nautilus is so beautiful that I'm thinking I want it AR'd to take it to another level. Maybe I could ship my watch to The Zigmeister for the crystal removal and re-seating, but I'm not sure if he's back on the job at this point...I think he might still be on his deserved vacation.

I could've sworn I remember reading that they're not going to do the ceramic Ingy because it has a display back, and the guy that does the 'super-reps' only wants to do watches that can be 'perfect'...the ETA movement would be a giveaway, so he isn't going to do it. The power reserve model doesn't have a corresponding rep movement that could work with it, so I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, either....

italiano, you got a great deal on that Cousteau- congrats!! I had an Ingy and liked it...but it really needs double-AR. I love the chrono versions of the Ingy's, but with the seconds @6, they're not a great investment IMO. I'm still holding out hope that they're going to rep the '07 Ingy with the ceramic bezel. Unlikely because of the display back, apparently. Who cares about the display back!!!

Nice laz....that's the combo I thought I was going to for with my SFSO- but decided to go with the white dial. Good thing is that I've got a modded Evo coming that I think might actually look alright on the gen rubber..... The black SFSO doesn't get enough props around here!!

Thanks guys- laz, don't worry, I haven't listed the GMT II yet...uPO is probably not going to be around long though- I almost forgot...I've got an ultimate BCE coming in as well. Unfortunately, it's not B16a2's!!! The dial choice on the BCE has been eating me alive. I have been trying to determine whether the slate-grey with black subdials has been improved to the degree the graphite dial version has been...the colour of the grey still looks too dark to me, even the revised one, but there are very few members that I think own it to be able to say. If I was smart, I would've just gone with the graphite, but I prefer the grey- at least the gen grey.... I just got the PP Nautilus today through a trade. It's a really nice contrast with the HBB and Cousteau, which are really big and thick watches. The Patek is shockingly thin and light...the pics don't really capture just *how* thin and light it really is. Wearing a 42mm takes some getting used to after getting used to the big boys...stunning watch though. It's actually kinda funny how it grows on you. Still debating whether to try to get the crystal AR'd if that service should become available again. I think that Patek may have actually done the faded dial colour with the idea that there was no AR on the watches available during the time it came into production. It's pretty unreal how differently the dial can look depending on angles and lighting....

Here's a few shots of my current collection. It's going to be improved upon relatively soon- Planet Ocean is on it's way out, as well as the Rolex GMT II....gonna have a Chopard GTXL and SFSO coming in...

I personally don't love the uPO. I would say it ranks behind *any* of the 'real' super-reps. It sits so big on the wrist that it's appreciably bigger than a 44mm Pam or the Cousteau or HBB- at least in terms of my own subjective size assessment. It isn't really ergonomically big...it's like a hunk of steel...which is great for those with a wrist that is 7.5 inches or larger- but for those of us with anything smaller, it's not great. I have a SFSO on the way and I only hope that it sits better on the wrist. The gen planet ocean has AR that is double sided and sooo strong, that the single sided AR on the rep, while better than previous iterations, is still less than convincing, IMO. I know some gen owners buff off the exposed side- but still....

Ohhhh boy....I'm calling a 10+ pager right here, right now!! I'll try to contribute something useful with regard to the topic later on......

It's funny what you said about the uPO, because I decided today that I'm selling mine. It's just too big. I have the Cousteau and the HBB, and both of those watches are similar in dimensions- but for some reason the uPO just sits SO big on my wrist...it looks a little ridiculous. I love the Seamaster. That's a rep, not unlike the SFSO, where I don't really care how much the gen is necessarily, I'd love to see them do it properly. Maybe add a wrinkle like repping the updated model or GMT maybe...but something about that watch is timeless. It was my first rep purchase. I ended up selling it to a buddy who was absolutely mad about it, but I still love that watch... Check out the latest addition as of today. I know you're more into the sports models....myself, I'm more into the sports chronographs- but consider this one as a potential 'dressy-sport' possibility. It has a weird-as-hell effect, whereby you're a little on the fence when you first strap it on....and then it starts to gradually work it's magic and put you under it's spell. I now understand what others had been referring to...

Here's the latest addition as of this afternoon: Sorry for the poor quality pics...still learning my way around a camera....

I truly think I could be happy with three reps. For me, I would pretty content with a HBB, Steefish and a Cousteau. I feel there's a law of diminishing returns. You have to look at it in terms of the wrist-time that each additional watch takes away from your other watches- that was the round-about point I was trying to make in the other post, but it didn't really capture that aspect. You have to consider that each additional watch actually takes away from your 'best' watches. Something Sql said resonated with me, on that level, and I think it applies to the super-reps. He said that once he got the HBB, he didn't buy any more reps for 6 months, and I'm guessing he also probably sold some of his other reps. If you have one rep that is well-above the rest of your collection, what's the point in wearing the inferior ones? That's the way that the super-reps have changed my collecting- and I think that they've changed all our collecting in that sense. When I got my HBB, I seriously considered selling the rest of my reps and just wearing that one watch. That would go against the grain of most collectors, being that it runs counter to the very idea of 'collecting'....but collecting reps is not the same as collecting gens. Although gens differ in quality- they don't differ to the degree that the super-reps differ from some of their predecessors. Now, I could sell every one of my reps other than the HBB and the Cousteau, and be relatively content. Even watches like the uPO that are still really good...or the Tag Link Chrono, don't really do it for me. I can see if you have broad tastes, and you want to have a diver, a chrono, a dress watch, etc... But why on earth would I put my Tag Link Chrono on, if I have a HBB and a Cousteau sitting in the watch box?

By-Tor, I've started moving in the direction of keeping fewer watches too. For me, there's no point in having more than maybe 5 watches. I could justify having a couple more for specific purposes- a dress watch, or something in a different 'niche' than the bulk of my collection. But otherwise, I feel my ideal number is around 5. Having any more of that would require me to sacrifice quality in the other watches. If you figure it in terms of a fixed budget (something I do very poorly with), if you only have $1000 to put into a collection, it makes you have to make certain concessions. For example, I could get one super-modded to near-gen MBW's, or one Rose Gold/ceramic HBB...but then there would be little variety to keep things fresh. Or, I could buy 7 asian cheapies, and max out my bang-for-the-buck type of scenario....but then I think you end up in a situation where you probably only wear the four best ones with real frequency, and none of them are probably real treasures, in terms of your level of satisfaction with each of the individual watches. So those are some price niche's...that go beyond just brand allegiance or style preference. Personally, I think my best bet is to try to go with three super-reps in that budget range, if I'm someone starting out or if I decide to instill a strict budget. When I first started out, I probably would've leaned towards going with one five hundred dollar super-rep (HBB), and then just made my exit. Now I'm much more inclined to go with super-reps only. Every watch I own will be a 'super-rep' very shortly. That's my new philosophy. That's my niche.

Do they do PVD right- the rep makers? I've seen them cheap out on the black magic HBB, not using real PVD (I believe), so I'm a little skeptical. I think there are some PVD pams out there, though- so that would be a point in our favour. I would love to get this. I need an avenger after selling mine recently.

Damn....I don't know if it's too late to switch my dial choice, but I haven't got confirmation from my dealer yet that it's been shipped- so it's possible I might be able to. I know I've already got the recommendation to go with the graphite.....but didn't they revise all three dials? Shouldn't the grey have been done right as well, if the graphite was revised correctly? Damn. This is eating at me. The slate-grey is probably more popular amongst gen Breitling enthusiasts....just going off my impressions on timezone. I personally like the idea of contrasting subdials on that watch. I LOVE the look of the light grey that the gen dial has...but when I saw a pic of the supposedly revised slate-grey, it still looked way too dark. If the graphite is a better quality dial, outside of just the improved appearance due to the similarity of colour between the subdials and the rest of the dial- then I'd be forced to switch. It really sucks that there's no information on this on any of the four forums I know of for replica watches.

That is brutal. I talked to the guy at the postal outlet today, and he told me that the problem I've been having- postal agents not even checking to see if you're around before leaving a claim slip- is a major issue for them. He said that 60% of the packages fall into the category of never even making it off the truck before being dumped on them to be picked up. In terms of your problem....I truly believe it's a product of a uniquely canadian mentality. It's because we're so government-based, in terms of all of our services. Employees don't have any sense of responsibility. It breeds a lot of mediocrity and poor customer service. I'm sure it's not unique to canada, but I think it's probably worse here than in other places. It's unacceptable that they should be able to get away with what you're describing. You should report the guy. Especially if they're failing to take even the most basic care of packages.

I am hurting right now... I've got FOUR watches that are either being processed for shipping, or are actually in transit. Even if I just had ONE of them right now arrive, I would be able to stop my watch-jones. But I swear to god, if one of them doesn't arrive soon, I'm going to go on a buying spree for something semi-useless like straps to pass the time and fill the void. I'm going to sweating Ruby's next delivery big time. I have a bunch of handbags that my girlfriend wanted, and that is a far more conspicuous looking package- The worst is that my package has arrived, but my bloody mail carrier NEVER actually knocks or rings to see if I'm in before taking my packages back to the central circulation place. Then, I have to wait a full 24 hours with my package already here and about 1000 feet from my residence. It drives me NUTS! I actually pretended I didn't know that I had to wait the extra day the last time, and went and actually found my box amongst the pile. Don't think I can make that one stick again...less than a week later...

Thanks for the pic rolexman- I wrestled with this one intensely for quite a while, and decided I'd take a flier on the grey dial, because I much prefer the idea of contrasting sub-dials. I think the graphite is probably more popular now as a rep because it's the one the maker actually used. I've read rumours that he wasn't trying to approximate the BCE slate-grey dial, but rather some earlier grey model that isn't nearly as 'light' a colour of grey. I would love to have a gen looking slate grey dial...but it looks like I'll have to settle. After I saw your post, I *almost* switched my order...but at the end of the day I don't like the graphite as much, even if it's closer to gen.

Please let me know if this works and is available!! I think the idea of stripping the uPO and doing the crystal with double AR is a good one. I would love to see a systematized way of doing this, as it would enable us to circumvent the price gouging on the super-reps. For example, one could order the SFSO with the asian movement, and get the AR done aftermarket. We could pressure the rep maker to release asian movement versions of the super-reps without AR and get them for half the price and then do the AR mod afterwards.

Breitling Evo with a croc/gator strap. Simple.

My wrists are probably at least as skinny as yours, Gio....I'd be shocked if they weren't. The Cousteau doesn't look that bad on smaller wrists, IMO. It's a funny watch. Looks bad on skinny wrists in pics, but what I've noticed is if you're looking at it straight on, it looks oversized, but if you look at a slight profile, it's much better. Here's a 'profile' wrist shot for you.. And here's one 'straight on': I also noticed that you're thinking about waiting for the newer version. Personally, I wouldn't. The old one with mostly blue and white is a really nice combo. I had initially wanted to wait for the orange and white subdial version, but am glad that I didn't go with that one. The Cousteau piece of wood on the caseback is really cool too. Our watches are usually 'coolest' when they've got a story behind them, I find. I like the '06 version because of the story you can tell about it. To each his own, though.....

It brings up an interesting point, though. The PP dial on the blue one is inaccurate, as well as the caseback not being a display back...and yet we've heard a few stories about people showing them to real watch fanatics- watchmakers, collectors, etc...- and having them be blown away that they're replicas. This reinforces my theory that the 'finish' and the overall quality of the rep is much more significant to the believability of the watch than is the nuances of the dial or any other such detail that no one outside this board would probably be conscious of. There is so much variation among some of the truly canonized models over time (the vintage subs being a good example) that the minutae really become subjective. But what doesn't become subjective is the fit and finish. That's where the super reps, and some of the MBW's, really offer a better option...regardless of some of the minor accuracy problems. That being said, in terms of the Nautilus, AR on that one would probably be a more noticable tell. And yet, with something like a crystal, a lot of people probably wouldn't even notice it unless you told them. The crystal on a watch has a more unconscious effect, IMO. It can greatly add to the presentation of the watch, without the person really being able to put their finger on 'how' the watch looks different or 'better', if they're not actually consciously looking for it.

I was just responding to a post in another thread, and I had the thought that many of us probably occupy an individual niche, in terms of the types of reps that we go after. I think that two of the more noticable niche's that I associate within the greater community would be those members that are mostly into Pams, and those that are mostly into Rollies. I think you can almost sub-divide these two broad niche's by saying that those that are Pam nuts usually are davidsen Pam people...and that most of the Rolex fans are probably more into the MBK's. Sometimes I'll notice some members have interest only in the MBK's. I think that it offers more of a 'hobbyist' type of slant on the rep collecting game, being that the watches can always be indefinitely modified and worked on. It's almost half model building, half rep collecting. With the Pams, they seem to have this mystical appeal to those that are into them exclusively. The design is infectious, and hence the slogan "you can't buy just one" that gets thrown around that circle. Even after being pretty deep into the rep world at this point, I'm often still amazed at how the subtle stylistic differences between models can elicit the type of buying motivation that it does in their collectors. And just as I was starting to feel cosmopolitan and 'diverse' in my rep interests, in comparison with these narrow fellows I've referred to above- I began to realize that I too occupy a niche, just as surely as they do. I'm almost exclusively down to 'super-reps', in terms of my own collection. So I pretty much ONLY buy the newer watches that come from a single factory or maker. What other niches are out there that I'm missing? If I was going to further narrow my tastes, I would probably say that I'm an "other brands" kinda guy. Where the Tags used to appeal to me, because of their popularity with non-watch folk, I no longer find them appealing. The Omegas I like, but there aren't many 'super-reps' available in that brand, and as a result they're not really high on my list or well-represented in my collection. The IWC's are borderline "other reps", in terms of their status among non-WIS'ers. And because they've seen some attention from the super-rep maker, I've got one now, and did have the Ingy previously. The 3717 probably qualifies as a super-rep as well, and if the Aquatimer EVER gets released, that one will also fall into the super-rep category. The Breitlings were neglected a bit, in terms of the attention they got from the rep makers, but now that's been corrected...and therefore they enter the collection. They're a popular brand. I've noticed some people (probably associated with aviation) that are Breitling people.

Yeah, it's my 'reversal' on the MBW's that really surprises me. It's the cost involved that I think makes it especially surprising. It's one thing if you decide that you'll give a brand that previously didn't have a lot of appeal a chance- I've done that with both Rollies and Pams...but ultimately I only plunked down a couple hundred for my 'experiments'. It's like someone who hated the HBB's when they came out deciding that they're all-of-a-sudden going to go for the Rose Gold/Ceramic that costs $800. I think the money factor starts to be a significant measure of the magnitude of reversal. Some of the pam nuts who didn't like them initially, and now have $2000 in davidsen's in their collection. The pams and MBW rollies seem like niche's within the hobby. They seem to have followings whereby some of the people that are nuts for them ONLY collect those watches. And yet, I'm just as niche-driven as those people- except my niche is the super-reps. Instead of it being a brand niche, it's a rep-maker niche. This might be thread worthy....

Interestingly, it seems the rep maker for the Evo wasn't able to quite get the concentric circles on the dial of that rep. Even with the SFSO, the concentric circles aren't up to the gen...at least in the pics I've seen.