By-Tor

Thanks mate. That's indeed very artistic photo. Keep shooting... the only way to improve is the trial and error. When you figure out the good setup and all those small tricks (that work for you) it's easy. When I was starting to get "serious" in watch photography, probably 1 out of 100 pics were decent or "workable". Now when I make a review I usually shoot all the photos in just one take. Enjoy that GMT... it's a beauty!

@double T: That gen TT Sub... a beauty. I'm with Redwatch and stukov... wearing the SMP today

I don't really get the "only the gen does it for me" thing. It's definitely true for certain watches (that you're very passionate about) but reps are still the only great (and economical) way to own all kinds of cool luxury watches (and different styles). RobbieG said it nicely "I love the new GMTIIc a lot for $250 but not for $6000) That's why I sold the gen."

It's pretty difficult to tell from this pic... it's so "artsy"... Is that a gen bezel... or have you polished it somehow? (I'm not that well aware of the fonts, etc. and how they should look). I saw the gen last week for the first time and the bezel is a LOT shinier... and it looks "grey" from certain angles. It's actually quite a big difference... I wasn't aware of this until I saw the gen "in the flesh".

I can understand the frustration with red 1680 because no matter how accurately you forge the case, bezel, pearl, bracelet, etc. it doesn't matter because the dial just always kills it. The white one is very difficult to call out, if done correctly. For the other stuff... perhaps you have simply become "obsessed" and forgot that building/modding the watches (and wearing them) is nothing serious... it should be just simple fun.

Weird indeed. Our this morning's sports pages are FULL of this stuff. I think Max thought the bluffing would work, but F1 without Ferrari, McLaren and other top 6 teams (and top drivers) is dead. Of course the "Dynamic Duo" can try to create an exciting season with Williams and Force India alone... good luck!

I think all F1 rule changes that Max has introduced have been counterproductive. The most insane rule chages were: 1. You change the engine = the racer loses 10 grid positions after the qualifying Why the hell they're punishing the driver for the manufacturers' reliability problems? They should only take the team points away... we want the fastest and best driver to win, not the one who has the most reliable car. 2. The qualifying It's a snoozefest and it's not about the absolutely fastest guy anymore. We never know who's actually the faster guy in the team due to different car weight and pit tactics. Bring back those days of Senna vs. Prost... or even Hakkinen vs. Schumacher...and make the raw speed and driver skill count. There were some breathtaking qualifying battles back in the early 2000's still, like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viwllFnipds. 3. Everyone remembers what kind of fiasco the last years' safety car rule was (you couln't pit when the SC was out). Insane! I could list a lot more things like this... all these have been organized and "masterminded" by Max. Bernie only cares about money but it's Max who has been very damaging to F1. On top of that this moron got caught pants down playing some perverse nazi games... nuff' said! PS: The "gold medal" system that Bernie wanted through this year was the final proof that this guy is demented. It was the stupidest thing I've ever heard... why didn't they just go back to the old points system 10-6-4-3-2-1, which was the best?

Great choice! I always liked that ceramic Chanel. Ladies don't really care for the watches. Mine neither. But then again she's 11 years younger and thus almost "different generation". She buys new mobile phones two times a year or so... and I simply don't understand it. Hey, it's just a phone... who cares? Well she thinks the same way about watches. I always wondered why we don't get ANY females here. Victoria was an exception. And who remembers Isoroku? But that's about it... max. 5 females in the whole RWG history. Sad. Anyway, congrats to mrs. Ubi. The watch is a beauty!

Wearing this beauty right now.

I say good riddance to both of those pompous, demented pricks.

It's not just the US... this idiocy has landed Europe too. Reminds me of an incident in my country when two kids (like 4 and 6) were lost... probably escaped from their home and for some reason they went walking to the highway. A very busy road and it was dark. They got ran over by a truck. Both died. The boys' mother was crying in the public news that "Why nobody picked up those boys from the highway?" But these days if you pick up little boys in your car, you're immediately a pedophile. You can barely talk to kids anymore. What's the reality? Probably 1 out 50.000 people are pedophiles (Of course I have no stats, just an estimation). But at least 99% of people are decent. The society is sick... it has become totally HYSTERICAL. Of course there are lunatics and perverts and the kids should be careful... but exaggerating the problem and treating good people like potential child abusers (without any kind of proof) is just unreal... and proves that something in the world has gone terribly wrong. I have worked in some rough places during the last 15 years... met some total arseholes and lowlifes... but even I still believe that people are basically decent.

Congrats again my friend... like I said, 1680 is a legendary watch.

Yeah, excellent review... excellent replication, excellent watch. One error in your description of gen though... you said that GMT hand is "settable". It's not independently settable on a Rolex, it's the hour hand that moves in one hour increments in 3185. The CHS version works like the gen (without possibilty to swap the date backwards + it has a quickset date). The rep is actually nicer in that regard. When you have many watches, lack of quickset date is annoying. ExpII can't be directly compared to Submariner or GMT Master II in "feel". Despite only 1mm difference in the diameter it feels slightly smaller and lighter watch. The greatness of ExpII is elsewhere... it's overall "classy" Rolex, imho... a nice compromise between the dress line (DD,DJ) and sports line (Sub, SD, GMT). @Freddy: Many people feel the same way... they only love the white. If I had to choose just one, I'd go for the white as well... but since the black one is such a nice rep it's a must have too. For me this particular era of Rolex (90's and early 2000's) is the most appealing. The models still had some of the "original mystique" left... difficult to describe... but none of the new offerings (including GMT IIc do nothing for me). PS: One very important detail on the Noobfactory is ExpII is the crown vertical position. It's exact on the CHS version, and 95% exact on the WHS version. I just compare my gen and rep side-by-side and it's almost impossible to tell any difference.

I'm glad people have finally discovered the "Noob" black ExpII model... such an awesome rep!

Congrats Stephane! That watch is a legend!

Well done... you've done your research. Most Monaco reps are cheaper ones and not built up to the 7750/ETA watch standards. With those cheap reps there are no definitive, long standing models (such as UPO, etc.)... they just come and go and there's too much variation to give any definitive answers. Basically, you have two options: Quartz or Asian Automatic 21 faux chrono. I recall I saw some pretty nice Gulf Monacos just lately. Happy hunting! PS: Fixed your image links. src= code won't work.

This feels like a good watch for Wednesday.

New Dave Matthews Band: Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King Much better than lousy "Stand Up" but not quite as amazing as Crash, Under the Table and Dreaming & Before These Crowded Streets. But then again DMB is a live band and I'm anxious to hear these new songs in the next Live Trax.

The gen is ridiculously priced. I dunno how it is now it used to be almost the same as 16610 and 16710! :eek: I'm not a fan of XXXL watches, either... but ExpI is just way too small for me. Always liked it though. Have you read sd4k's review of the rep ExpI? Classic stuff.

Outstanding watches guys! @coolfire: That "red" SMP is such a beauty. Simply amazing. Isn't it weird how much simple red lettering adds to the dial?

Good morning all... especially my friend Lani! I'm starting the week with my SMP Chrono. How about you guys?

I think Narikaa's watch is the 3rd Gen. I reviewed that in the old RWG. 4th Gen was ok but the bracelet quality was horrible. UPO is hands down the best... but just like Ubi I never liked the size. 42mm is perfect in that regard. Maybe I'll get the 42mm genuine eventually... some things on the reps are so frustrating... like the lack of 2xAR. It wouldn't bother me on some other watch but that blue strong "hue" is so characteristic for the PO... and I don't like sending my watches all over the world to get the mods done. Buying the gen is so much easier.

Cool shot Pugs. Glad to see you back mate.

I don't know what the watch is, but I'm a big hockey fan. NHL is a great sports league... among the top 5 sports leagues in the world no doubt. I watched all finals. I was hoping that traditional franchises like Chicago or Boston (both had great seasons) would have won this year (after such a long break). PS: Watched Evgeni Malkin's interview after the game... and I couldn't understand a word.

How come I have missed this thread? What a great pair! Welcome to the club!