youpmelone

Thanks Mike.

No truer words have ever been spoken.....especially in regards to my RWG Family........I would never have weathered the storm to this point without everyone here.

Have a great and blessed weekend,

Kurt.

In the current day and age of skinny and fatless, you all get excited over a fat lady...

must be some kinky forum here..

Kurt, wear it well..

Highly deserved, and nice work!

Great pics!

Hey I'm too from switzerland, but i also don't know a rep friendly watchsmith...

nope..

yes,that is the stuff i like to se, side by sides...

Why aftermarket?

Go genuine.

Gen DJ cases often go for around 200 bucks on ebay.

I think it is worth it.

My sentiments exactly..

go gen totally

I wear a classic today, a IIc tomorrow etc .. love both

btw i fell inlove with the explore II white dial all over again

this is a Review with a capital R.

Thx a lot.

it is the dial...

less bling in black

Okay, I've finally got to grips with my new graphics package, and cobbled together my plans for V2.0 of my GMT Sub.

Ingredients

SeaDweller case and bracelet.

GMTIIC Bezel Insert, minute and GMT Hand, and movement.

Vintage-style Submariner dial and hour hand (sword style).

I don't know if it'll all fit together, but I'm hoping it'll work out to look something like this (imagine the ceramic bezel insert)

What do folks think? Should I give it a go?

I'd guess.. rep logic, rlx logic:

bezel will not fit

dial will not fit

To get a crown off a stem:

Cool comparison (pun intended :-) ).... Great post.

Regarding modding the endlink: I have done it to my SSD, but as the center link of the GMT is polished instead of brushed it might require extra careful works to make the polished finish flawless... a bit more difficult than finishing brushed endlink of the SSD (the brushed finish kind of hides the imperfections / uneven surface) but doable nevertheless.

Pics: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=78988&hl=

You know this issue has been bugging me a lot: since known time the manufacturer has ever repped Rollie, they have never fix this issue once... even the high end quality ones such as WM9 or MBK. No one has ever made a correct Solid End Link in rep. ever.

And it also becomes an essential point where you can tell a rep from the gen. I guess it's kind of too trivial to be overlooked.

Anyway, Good luck modding yours and please post some pics if you can.

Thanks for sharing!

To all:

Thx for the compliments, and yes it took some time.. but after hanging around here for 2 years i needed to give some content back.

This forum needs donations, and content..

Btw I will not mod the IIc now, need to get my skills op to par first so I opened an old Lange automatic rep..

Only to find out that the screws where fake.. And that I have no clue how to get the crown of the stem :-))

better to practice on rubbish

- the bracelets, crown HURT: yes you've read right, without a good sanding of the edge of the bracelet, the GMT IIC feels like a razor on your skin.

- The AR is unpresent: never dealt with AR since Chief is not in EU... does somebody know?

- The bezel numbers are way too gray. I was thinking of repaint it but which colour is the gen? a colour correspondance with famous paint brand for model kits such as Humbrol would be appreciated. Anyone?

- The SEL: a bit off, but how can we mod it?

- The usual Crown Guard shaving

- The colouring on the clasp: matt black? Gloss black? which one?

- the brushed effect on the bracelet: The links (except the mid part) is supposed to be brushed like the other sport models from Rollie. However on this one, the brushed effect seems not pronounced enough. Right... on your scotch bright??!! What' the best way?

Bracelet

• the easy way out would be getting a gen bracelet.
  have not seen them floating around so that is not an option.
  (i can check if they fit)
  
  
• the second option could be to contact WM9 for his yachtmaster bracelet (ex clasp) on the rep IIc bracelet, and gen endlinks
  (does anyone know if WM9 endlinks would fit?)
  
  
• third option, the bracelet needs work, and a lot,
  sanding and tightening the midlinks. I think the endinks couls be sanded down a bit but this would not fix the first link issue.
  

Crownguards

seem fine to me.

Bezel numbers color

need a change, a lasting color..

That'll be awesome, thank you

done :-)

make some pics of the mods, regarding the engravings, a light brush would do the trick I'd guess

This is really a rare watch.

Hard to say from the Pics but it looks good to me.

Hope you can get it with papers.

cool stuff, but what is the carve out in the case back below geneva switzerland?

Great review.

1 thing to keep in mind is that we (here) neurose over the merest of minor details, all of which go right over the heads of the typical gen (non-collector) owner, let alone the average non-Rolex owning guy on the street. Additionally, these minor differences are only noticeable (to non-WIS types) when you know what to look for, have rep & gen side-by-side for a close-up direct visual comparison & are sufficiently sensitized to the differences to care.

The GMTIIC, even with its slight warts, is a magnificent creation & remains as 1 of only 2 modern Rolex models that I would even deign to wear (the other being the Daytona).

thx and i do agree. but fussing over this stuff makes this fun. i keep wanting more reps of the gens i have , and the tools to mod them.. nuts.. i know..

but fun.. I build a house myself now i need the skills for the finer work :-) (ai.. and the ehh time... )

Great review. And I love the analogy of passing up Starbucks for a couple of years to pay for the gen. I would happily drink office coffee as well. So now the question is which is going to get more wrist time - the rep or the gen?

Then rep is going into retirement. :-)

I have been at Starbucks twice since it opened almost three years ago..

I once saw something like that Oprah, how skipping Starbucks at young age could pay for your retirement.. that has stuck with me..

hit the search button, check the offerings of our collectors, check the reviews of our collectors, decide what you want, buy one.. or just be really smart.. donate and keep an eye on the sales section. And get one from one of the members here..

1

Gen:

This is the IIc I got out of the deal with Justasgood, great transaction, solid guy.

Highly recommended. Kurt, I hope your luck will change soon. You deserve it.

About the watch: I can only say wow...

2

Gen Left, Rep right

From this angle they look similar on a picture

Only the Rolex Rolex Rolex engravings stand out.

3

Gen Left, Rep right

Small differences, the gen case back is fitting better.

Seems to be screwed in deeper. I don not have a burgeon opener to test the rep if there is enough thread left to screw it in deeper.

4

Gen

Bezel:

Colors of the bezel numbers are totally different.

Coffee cream on the gen, brownish grey on the rep.

Numbers on the rep are more bold (V1 bezel, CHS)

Loupe:

I tried to capture the "contra" magnifying effect (see the shap of the shade in the loupe)

I think it is not only AR but additionally a totally new loupe with a tunnel like effect.

Rep

5

Closer

Gen:

Rep:

6

Left Gen, Right Rep

Position of the crow is not that bad on the rep.

The rep crown is just looking good.

7

Clasp, closed they look similar

But the engravings are way off. I'd expect that it would be much harder to reverse engineer the clasp then getting the engravings right...

Seems like an not to difficult mod to get the engravings black

(edding stift anyone?, then the size of the rolex logo engaving is still off but that is not a big deal imho)

8

Solid end links, way off..

I've seen what tribal can do with SELs, these can be modded close enough

Final Verdict

Gen:

Wow. Non of the typical rolex issues (flimsy bracelet, 2 dollar clasp).

Every detail looks and feels good. Really really good.

I have some comparison material and this one is just in another league.

Is it worth the retail price?

No. I got a great deal, that makes it almost bearable. But this price for a bit of steel and a movement that is not much better then the top of the line eta's is just nuts. But I guess that is a part of the magic.

Btw in my country we pay 4,5 euro's / 6,5 USD for a coffee with some milk in a paper cup at starbucks which is even more insane..

Three years of not drinking Starbucks coffee but the excellent Nespresso office coffee and this thing is paid. I smile everytime i pass the Starbucks :-)

Rep:

If they can make such a good clasp, such a great watch why o why is it then for the rep gods so difficult to produce a good bracelet.

The difference in feel is surreal. The rep feels like a worn out vintage bracelet.

That they where not able to copy the loupe I can understand, this thing looks like some in house Rolex magic.

If you have tribals skills, and tools:

• work your magic on the bracelet
  
• mod the endlinks
  
• color mod the engravings on the clasp
  
• color mod the numbers on the bezel
  
• clean the movement (mine was a pos, but is totally reliable now...)
  
• give the rehaut a little polish to make the engravings less clear
  
• possibly install the chieftang loupe?
  
• Swap the date disc
  

If you don't have this then the ETA IHS version is imho still a great investment.

Compare those prices to what you get for the same amout in any department store. The rep really is good.

I have worn the rep more the gens i have.

Thanks Maybe "didn't like" was a bit too strong, and doesn't really cover my thoughts completely... I think on another watch, I wouldn't have minded, but for some reason, they just struck me as out of place on that particular watch Infact, the bracelet was probably the thing which I disliked the most about it. The case was really nice, and when I looked at the watch with the bracelet covered, I really liked it. I think my thoughts on the mid-links might just be my personal taste... If it was on a regular Oyster bracelet, I probably wouldn't have minded I definitely think that I might have some plans for one, but only with extensive modifications I wonder how easy it would be to sand the ROLEXROLEXROLEX off the rehaut...

I'll post a gen / rep review today.

might help your mods.

'Starting'?

Well done (as always), Tribal.

I am Dutch, not that bad is the highest form of compliment.. :-)

Here a smal updated of my DW 6265

I installed better Pushers (Thanks Dieselpower for your help)

Also a better Bezel is installed (thank you to Flex)

What do you think?

starting to look convincing! nice!

That was what I was afraid of Thanks for the clarification

anytime

I think I know the answer but I have never seen a 6263 in person. (I hope to real soon) The newer submariner has a sapphire crystal and the 6263 has an acrylic crystal. What is your favorite and why? Any one able to do side by side picks?

What is prettier a Ferrari or an Aston Martin. I'd opt for the latter.. But I do not know how and why this helps you in any way

Does the bracelet on a GMTIIc have a diver's extension, or is it more like the bracelet on a Daytona?

It does not, since it is a pilots watch not a diving watch like a submariner :-)

Hi guys,

Normally I'm not a rollie guy, but at the moment I'm very interested in the Milgauss and the GMT II Ceramic.

Now, as I'm looking for 21j versions, I don't know which one to choose from those.

What are your opinions?

Milgauss or GMT II and why?

get an IHS eta IIc.

brilliant watch, good movement.

I have not removed the bezel on my chs, so I cannot provide any assistance removing yours. However, now that I see both inserts side-by-side, it is clear that the (later) rep insert design has been changed (& not for the better) since the original version of the GMTIIC rep came out during the summer. The font on your insert (at left) is considerably narrower & slightly different than the font on the gen (which more nearly matches my chs rep)

Yep, I have the same. But it has the wrong color numbers, too dark too grey. The gen is more coffee cream white.

And our 4's are wrong. You win some and you loose some..

I have a gen comming in and will make some additional picks on a white background.