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Legend

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  4. Review: The Zorro Forged Carbon Grand Prix ROO

    in The Audemars Piguet Area

    Posted

    Once in a while, something special comes along in this hobby, and when that happens, it would make sense for the afficionado to hold fast to it, and ride the prodigious wave of exhilaration in a journey filled with anticipation, imagination, and the culmination of happiness when the project finally comes to fruition and the end product is placed proudly and snugly on the wrist like a well-deserved badge of honor.

     

    My friend, the talented Mr.Z and I shared a tempestuous relationship which went way back. It started with a silly and inane argument over minute details of some forgotten watch, over which we eventually became tentative acquaintances, and then friends. I know that Z was indulged in a project of some kind then, developing his own interpretation of the forged carbon GP ROO, with the goal of modifying it to be very close to its genuine counterpart on the wrist. This was a project maybe 2-3 years in the making, and only recently completed. So when Z first offered me the coveted opportunity to purchase one of the 10 "Z" GPs he was building, I said yes. When he told me the price, my eyebrow rose a little, but not enough to dissuade me from this insanity. How much you ask? Well, that question is best to be answered by the man himself. Lets just say that the price lies in the upper neighborhood of a franken Rolex DSSD, with a  Rolex 3135 caliber and all the gen bits. After 3 weeks of highly anticipated waiting, and patient updates from Mr Z, the watch arrived today. 

    I have promised Z to make a review of it, but the beauty of the watch distracted me from sitting down and giving this task my full attention earlier. I am honored to be the first recipient of Z's project GP watch. There are 10 available, and I understood that all have been sold and waiting to be completed and shipped to their lucky owners.

     

    The watch in the flesh, culmination of 3 years of "hard work, blood, sweat and tears" in the words of its creator

    post-39895-0-53585900-1425108906_thumb.j

     

    The watch started its life as a Noob V2, but the dull red dial and the flat yellowish tachy ring made what was supposed to be a beautiful watch (to AP nuts anyway) mediocre and vapid looking. The Noob watch also had incorrectly finished pusher guards, wrong type of bezel screws, and a single AR which further diminished the appeal of the original rep. Essentially, Z has addressed these issues by experimenting over and over with the dial plate color and finish, the tachy color and finish, and produced a combination that is very very close to the genuine counterpart, and equally stunning. On my wrist today is a watch that has taken an onerous effort, and an inordinately long amount of time to bring it to fruition, with iterations being tried and rejected several times before a final color is derived. I really applaud Z's dedication and determination to get the dial and tachy color right. The dial color of Z's GP is a deep anodized, metallic red, very accurate, if not spot on against the genuine article. The color and finishing is very pleasing to the eye, and I could see the amount of care put in to get this detail perfect. This is an entire different kettle of fish when compared with the flat pinkish red of the original rep dial. It is as though Z breathed life and the beauty into the watch by this mod alone.   

    post-39895-0-44004900-1425109303_thumb.j 

    The tachy ring has also been modded to be very accurate to genuine color and finish. The Noob rep had a flat yellowish tachy ring, lacking lustre and sheen. Again, Z has taken an insane amount of time to create tachy rings for this watch. The tachy is now a light gold color, which produces a very lovely gleam when light falls on it. Like the dial, the color finishing on the tachy is now correct, and when the two are put together in the watch, the result is superlatively stunning, especially when viewed through the double AR crystal which Z has very thoughtfully included in all of these watches.

     

    post-39895-0-49483200-1425110310_thumb.j

     

    Z has also taken the effort to personally sandblast the pusher guards, plots, buckle and tang, successfully overcoming yet another Noob GP rep flaw. The sandblasted pusher guards look ominously dark and more rugged and when mated to the imaknockov FC case, they look like purposeful sentinels on either side of the crown.

     

    The bezel screws have been replaced with Mikey's titanium screw set. Honestly, my noesis on the subject of GP bezel screws are quite limited, but the bezel screws do have a nice shine to them now, compared with the noob factory rep.

     

    post-39895-0-34852800-1425110804_thumb.j

     

    When I put the watch on, I know that this watch is only possible because of the dogged perseverance of one man, Mr. Z. Yes there will be issues with the rep that even the mightily resourceful Z cannot resolve, but trust me, you can live with the very subtle flaws in this GP. The beauty of the watch outweighs the replication flaws of the watch by far. I am already quite pleased that because of the particular design of this model, the usual 42mm ROO flaws like hands pinion, datewheel position, and crown/pusher offsets are avoided almost totally. Of course, a LWO283 movement can be installed into it for that ultimate icing on the cake, but it is not really a necessity in my opinion. The watch is gorgeous and ready to wear on its own. As I always advocate, the value and worth of any watch are two very different things. I think this watch is worth its asking price because I am supporting the years of hard work that my very industrious and resourceful friend has poured into it. It is therefore a moot point comparing the value of this watch to any other watch which you could have gotten for the same price. Ultimately, what matters is that the wearer is happy with whatever watch he has chosen.

     

    I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to my friend Mr.Z. Throughout the purchase, assembly and shipping process, Z has been forthright, honest and responsive. Communication with him are often peppered with anecdotes about life, during which a lot more than watches and money are traded. Z had taken the effort to update me periodically with pictures of the watch at different stages, and gave me advice on the Dos and Don'ts for this watch. (Don't leave it unattended was one of the Don'ts I remember)

    The entire purchase process culminated this lovely sunny day, when the watch arrived via Fedex. I opened up the package in a sedentary manner, savoring each moment, and when I set my eyes upon the dial of this beauty, it was love at first sight. It is a watch that you would find yourself stealing random glances at, but not remembering the time it shows. It is a watch that looks confidently gorgeous on your wrist, an oasis of brilliant deep red surrounded by the glittering straw gold tachy ring, the obsidian black beauty of the forged carbon case, the metallic glint of each bezel screw and the rugged appeal of the pusher guards.

     

    Thank you all for reading this, and thank you Z my friend. The 3 years of hard work has paid off well for you. The Z GP is everything you said it would be, and more. It is still a rep, but it is a boldly brilliant piece of work and I will wear it well and remember the making of the Z GP, and how it came to be. 

     

      

  11. Scammer alert !

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    This is what happend (big lines)

     

    - Pictures of the correct watch + tagged picture

    - Pictures of the watch and package with shipping adres

    - Something strange happens to the tracking code after a couple of days. It indicated a wrong adress, which is odd because in the picture from the package there is a correct adress.

    - Because my friend lives in a small town and he had some contacts at the local post office. They where on it and hold the package.

    - There was a package sent but he changed the adress to something that doesn't exist so the package would be sent back to Singapore, but no return adres. The package would be lost.

     

    Oh and the package was empty ;)

    Sounds like a deliberate scam for sure.

     

    What was the value of the watch  my friend?

     

    At the point where the picture was taken with the watch, envelope or packaging with address label, it is still possible to switch it unless the picture also shows the tracking label. Else, it would be fairly easy to just discard the packaging with the correct address label, and then post an empty package shipped to a fictitious address in the same town, with the tracking number given for this package.

    Most, if not all buyers would reasonably assume that the tracking number belongs to the package with the correct address (and watch) shown in the previous pic.

    The description of events show a deliberate, but not overly elaborate or intelligent way to scam. I would rate the intelligence of the scammer average at best, with his morals scuttering in the sewers with the rats and cockroaches.

     

    If you can get your friend to contact me with the details he has got on this scumbag, I am likely able to track him down and shake up him. A visit by 4-5 guys with mag lights and serious intentions would do wonders to sober someone up. It would give me the chance to be the guy smoking a cigar and leaning against the van while waiting for the guys to finish with this rat. I have seen it in a movie somewhere :lol:

     

    So yes, please get your guy to PM me buddy. Singapore is a small place and it is difficult to hide anywhere.

  16. Scammer alert !

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    What happened? Never knew we were even capable of complicated scams lol

    Example of a popular scam my fellow local friend: 

     

    A borrows $10 from B, and after B agrees, A made him sign a written agreement that states that B agrees to hand $10 to A as a loan.

    A then requests for half of the $10 loan, or $5 from B, stating that B still owes him the other $5 as a result of the agreement.

    As they each now owe each other $5, the accounts are squared up.

    A then walks away being the scammer and B being the scammed. :lol:

  17. Scammer alert !

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Thanks Mike! 

    And guys be alert, this scam was a well thought scam. Unfortunately it happend to a friend of mine (moderator on the Dutch forum).. Be aware of this douche from Singapore :)

    What a disgrace, he has brought a bad name to my country and should be extinguished. 

    It would be helpful if an account of what happened be posted. 

    I can go track this dude down and square things up with him. 

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