By-Tor

Cool collection, but definitely not "amazing", imho. Perfect TAG collection would be: Aquaracer automatic chronograph Link Calibre 36 Chronograph Classic Monaco Autavia Carrera Chronograph racing

Bond today.

Once again: I believe Movado isn't well known outside the US at all. I could be wrong, but I doubt they even sell Movado in Europe. I'm not sure if I had ever heard of Movado until I came to the watch forums. So it definitely doesn't belong to the top list (globally speaking).

Great photos! Congrats for the legendary watch.

Hey Bres. Cool to see you back man! I have no idea who the last... hmm.. person is. But maybe Neil?

One good thing about preowned steel sports Rolexes is that they don't depreciate much at all (if you find a good deal). Unlike many other luxury items the actual cost of longtime ownership isn't bad at all. But the best reps are excellent watches and I think people don't give them enough respect. I have 3 $2k - $6k gens and my ETA Breitling Steelfish replica feels every bit as good as them. It has excellent finish and details. People put the reps down because they think that Chinese can't make a good product. They absolutely can (if they just put some QC and effort in it). Other reason gen owners tend to act "snobbishly" towards reps is that they somehow want to justify their super expensive gen purchase to themselves. It's just human nature... I just admit it doesn't make any sense. They're toys. Same thing when people are buying $70K Mercedes off-road vehicles... because the road to their summer cottage is so bumpy. Blah blah blah, etc. I think Ubi nailed it perfectly. They're just watches and almost no one will ever notice them anyway. Just enjoy them all... I know I do.

Seems to me that people have changed the old Weekend, Start of the Week - Midweek formula to daily wrist shots. I say why not... good idea! I'm wearing my amazing blue today. Comments from the Thursday wristy: I haven't been around for a while and everyone is sporting superb new gens. @Stephane: Very cool DJ, among the nicest I've seen. The Oyster makes any Rolex look good. Tell me a bit about it, and why you decided to buy such a small watch. How do you like it so far? @Pugs: What an amazing Speedy... what the heck, where did this come?

Just amazing... nothing beats rep vs. gen "in the flesh" comparisons. Great work man!

Maybe this kind of thinking is just tied to Rolex, which is many people's minds is synonymous to ostentation. Many non-WIS people think Rolex is the "best" and "super expensive" as well. It has certain image. PS: We had an interesting thread about different brands and how non-WIS people see them. Read it here.

What has really changed? Well, everything is new and amazing once... then it becomes just amazing. In time it becomes something you can take for granted. It's not just this hobby, it applies to everything. I think we have all witnessed the evolution of replicas in the last 4 years. The change has been dramatic. Now all most important watches have been replicated. Even the best Sub... so it's only natural that things slow down a bit. We have to learn to enjoy what we have. In this hobby and everywhere else in life too. Terrible clich

One thing that I have always wondered about these discussions is that even us WIS visualize Rolex synonymous to money and wealth. A preowned Rolex costs 2K to 6K (the most popular modern stainless models). I mean, if you're interested in watches and you're a working adult, a few K's isn't a lot of money. Most of us average guys make that much every month. People "invest" 30K on a silly car and nobody raises an eyelid... and people invest a lot of money to their hobbies. But when you're wearing a $4K Rolex suddenly you must be a rich man. Why the hell is that? I could understand if we're talking about Patek, JLC or Breguet here... but it's only a lowly modern steel Rolex... not a real high end piece. The rarities and vintages are a different matter of course.

That sucks. It was impossible to say from those crap pictures. It's weird that they sell "combinations" of different reps... I haven't seen that flat S on any other rep than WM9 v1 before. You learn something new every day. PS: For any modern Rolex, I wouldn't even consider anyone else than bklm1234.

Happy Thursday everyone! Wearing another of my old favorites today.

Busy with work... no time for the forums. But I'm wearing this right now.

Hands have variation. The standard Bond SMP (non chrono) comes with both longer and shorter minute hands. It's a fact... there could be same kind of variation among the gen chrono versions (just like there's variation in the color of the chrono hand red tips). I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The GMT hand is spot on in the old CHS version. Even the new WHS ones have much thinner and better hands... but yeah, generally reps have too thick 24h hands.

No probs. Sorry... wasn't quite sure about your intentions. It's definitely a beauty... and a fantastic choice indeed. Enjoy it.

1. That's a genuine watch without a doubt. I don't know what motivated you to "trick" us with it... maybe for some "laffs", eh? 2. Moved to the correct subforum, which is called "The Rolex Area".

Who has "put down" Seiko in this thread? No one. Everyone has stated that Seiko makes a good watch. Just like Toyota makes a good car. Toyota can be even better than Mercedes (in some ways), but status wise it's from different planet. Best Seikos can be just as good as Rolex but it's still a no-brainer that these brands are light years apart when it comes to name and prestige. That's why there are no (serious) reps of Seiko and that's why reps of the prestigious brands sell. And that's why Seiko and reps don't compete against eachother. No reason to get offended. That's not an opinion, it's a fact.

Starting the week with this pretty white.

It all depends how the plating/wrapping quality is. Impossible to determine that from the pics. The Noob TT Submariner 16613 (that I have reviewed here came in 3 different gold qualities. The one I reviewed was the best one and the bracelet was very well made. This rep comes from the same factory so I guess they can make it in different gold quality as well. Could be different between Asian/ETA versions. The point is: Nobody knows (except you when you receive the watch). Cheap TT rep bracelets are horrible but the best ones are ok. Good luck!

WM9 crystal height is a bit higher than my gen 16710 GMT II. I don't know if Sub has higher crystal or not. I would think so. I think it's pretty much spot on.

The very first ones did.

Yep. Seiko is an excellent watch brand. Grand Seikos are marvellous watches and technically equal to their Swiss rivals. I just think that high end reps and cheap Japanese brands don't generally make a good comparison. I doubt anyone comes here because he simply wants a decent watch to wear... some are here because they either want to deceive their friends with a fake Submariner, or then they're WIS (like most regulars) who simply want to enjoy the luxury designs and want to own many luxury watches for less money. Or maybe even "test the waters" with a rep (and later buy the gen). That's why the thought "why I'm paying $350 for this rep when I could get a decent Seiko/Citizen/Orient for the same price" doesn't make much sense. Paying over $100 for a watch doesn't make sense, either... let alone $5K for a gen Rolex. Still many of us own them. Why should eveything in this world have to make sense anyway?

What dluddy said. The gen dial is the main attraction of white Explorer II. Amazing white face and those strong, green lume markers.