daygo718

Send Mario a PM. His member name is Orloff. Let him know that you want to purchase one of his straps and he will send you a link to his online photo gallery and directions on how to purchase.

No, it's a faux PR. I read those are the most reliable.

Pretty much all the trusted dealers on this site have access to the same BP's and they are great reps out of the box. I got mine from Trusty Time (Andrew). Many have also recommended Perfect Clones (Joshua).

My Orloff strap came in the other day and I finally put it on the BP. The quality of the Orloff strap vs. rep strap is night and day. Pictures do not do it justice. Once it is on your wrist you can truly feel the buttery smooth difference. Mario provided great communication throughout the process. Highly recommended! BP_100 by daygo718, on Flickr BP_101 by daygo718, on Flickr BP_102 by daygo718, on Flickr BP_103 by daygo718, on Flickr BP_104 by daygo718, on Flickr

Yup, first rep. Actually, I checked the ship date on the box and it was actually 7 days from China to San Diego, CA. Shipped on Friday the 22nd and received it on Friday the 29th.

No problem! The PR is the power reserve meter at the 3 o'clock position. On the gen, the hand sits at the bar right after the word "days" when at full reserve. Since the rep's hand is at the "7", people like to push it up to make it look more like the gen.

Here's a quick (and crappy) cell phone pic of my new Big Pilot 5004. I'll take proper pics once my Orloff strap comes in. Thanks to Andrew (Trusty Time) for the impeccable customer service throughout the process. The watched arrived this morning. Just 8 days after I approved the QC pics. IMAG0034 by daygo718, on Flickr

Andrew (Trusty Time) and Joshua (Perfect Clones) are probably the two most respected dealers here. I just ordered my first rep from Andrew and the customer service was fantastic.

The recessed date and hand issues are fixed in the latest versions of the 5002 and 5004. It is the power reserve (PR) that is not pushed all the way up that people get "fixed". I'm actually fine with it as is, but I will eventually take care of it. The strap is the only thing people recommend to upgrade asap because the rep straps are cheap. Do a search for "rep friendly watchsmith" in your city and see what comes up. That is who you need get your watched service to fix any issues you might have. If you don't find it in the search, post the question in the general discussion forum and someone should be able to help you. Fyi, you can get faux power reserve in both the 5002 and 5004. My 5004 has the faux PR. Again, the BP is very close to the gen out of the box. Fixing things like the strap and PR will make it even more so.

Difference between 5002 and 5004? I'm no expert, but red in the power reserve sub-dial, brown strap vs. black, different design on the crown, date window (white vs. black). I just like the look of the 5004 more. There used to be issues with the 5004 such as wrong hands and recessed date which has been improved with the versions being sold now. Take a look at SD4K's IWC replica guide at the top of the IWC forum and also do a search for "Best Big Pilot". This is what I did and it gave me enough information to pull the trigger. You can find trusted sellers under the "Watches, Clothing and Accessories" heading on the home page. I actually just received my watch today and I am extremely happy with the quality. Many say the BP is one of the best out of the box rep values out there. Having tried on the gen version a few times and now having this rep, I would have to agree. I have an Orloff strap on the way (rep strap sucks) and I will take care of the PR issue (indicator not pushed all the way to full power) in the near future to get it as close to gen looking as possible.

Welcome to the forum! I'm new here as well and I actually just purchased my first rep. Coincidentally, an IWC Big Pilot 5004. The amount of information here can be overwhelming, but I suggest you scroll down the home page of the forum and do some research on the trusted list of dealers that are on this forum. These dealers have all been vetted and are approved to be on this site. Once you have done that and get a feel for who you are comfortable with, you can then make an informed decision on who you would like to purchase from. In my case, I chose Trusty Time (Andrew) and it has been a very pleasant experience so far. Don't take my word for it. Do a search on the BP and the different dealers, then make your own decision.

Hello! After years of purchasing gens, I discovered the wonderful rep world a couple weeks ago and joined the forum. I spent hours researching many different topics and I finally pulled the trigger on my first rep, an IWC Big Pilot 5004 purchased from Andrew (Trustytime). I am absolutely hooked and can't wait to receive my watch and begin looking for the next one!