By-Tor

I'm probably more a "classic watch" person. I know for sure that I don't like the oversized (45mm range) watches at all. Even the Aquaracer chrono is pushing it (at 43.5mm). 40-42mm is the ideal watch size, imho. People say that when you get used to huge watches there's no going back. But for me it has been completely opposite. I sold my UPO and I'm back to classic sizes. Explorer II looks a bit untrendy and old fashioned at 39mm, but I think it will look great in 2030 as well... while something like XXL PO will look just silly. This has nothing to do with wrist size or anything, the huge watches are just "out of balance" to my eye. Trends, all trends. I know this wasn't a size question, but most new models are getting bigger and bigger.

"Noob" Yacht-Master is the best budget rep I ever bought.

I will probably install a gen crown to this watch eventually, so maybe I can find someone who can do both mods for me (in the EU area): lume the hands and install the crown. I'm in a no hurry though. Thanks again for all your comments guys. Appreciated.

I have the exact same "Noob" YM, and I think the date font isn't much too fat at all. Actually it's closer to the gen than the "thin" version... almost spot on.

Here's another photo of a gen dial. Further proof that the YACHT-MASTER font isn't bold on all gens. Also notice the relatively bold date font.

This great post deserves a BUMP. Just re-read it again. Great stuff.

I love that pic Ryya. A real blast from the past. I was actually just browsing my hard drive and tried to search it up. I also have this picture saved somewhere. We should really install that one for the Xmas theme. That would be funny.

Thanks man. It's actually impossible to take a bad photo of the white Explorer II, it's such an easy watch to photograph. Are you sure you have the old version case? On the new one the datewheel is positioned too right, and I suspect the gen dial wouldn't fit.

That's utter bs. The pushers are "fixed" on the genuine as well. They do not screw. This has been verified at least 10 times already <sigh>

Glad you liked it guys. It has a lot similar wrist presence as the Daytona. Feels very compact, and definitely smaller than the Sub and GMT. Very understated Rolex. Needless to say, I love it.

FedEX and all commercial shipping companies' packages go through much greater scrutiny, because most valuable items are shipped this way. They're not necessarily looking for counterfeits, but want to collect the tax/vat from these shipments. But of course... when they spot a FedEX package from China... it's immediately suspected. Maybe UK and some parts of Germany are ok, but dealers should never ship anything through commercial shipping companies to Benelux and Scandinavian countries. We've seen enough examples of this. Personally, I don't need any of this crap... thus I buy all my watches from EU-based dealers (Narikaa, Precious Time) and EU-based members. Buying from the US members (shipping via reg.airmail) has proven to be very safe as well.

I bought my first white Explorer II rep in May. The writeup is here. I fell in love with the watch immediately. Unfortunately that watch had grey/silver hour marker surroundings, and datewheel/cyclops positioned too right. Another problem with the hour markers was that they were positioned too close to the seconds markers. The GMT hand was way too dark as well. To get rid of the dial flaw I bought the black version, which has been reviewed here. The rep was brilliant, but besides the hour marker issue, the other problems were still there. And the black one didn't "speak" to me as much as the white. Actually, when I wrote my reviews I wasn't aware that the factory had somehow screwed up this rep at some point, and introduced these annoying flaws later. This finally dawned on me when I saw avitt's picture of the old, much nicer version. Here's Avitt's brilliant photo of his watch: Being the geek that I am, I absolutely needed that best version. Traded my old ones, and I requested it from almost every single dealer. None of them were able to source it anymore. Only the new and inferior correct hand stack version was available. Bummer! Be careful: Some dealers still use factory photos of the old version, but can only source the new one. I'm sure this is not intentional, because for an average guy the differences aren't so apparent. Even the older (better) white version used those "gun metal" greyish hour markers. Though according to member reports the problem wasn't as bad on the old version. But either way, I had to rule the white dial out (unfortunately)... and settle for the black one. So... I started to track down the members' Explorer II's, and PM'd Avitt, FEDERolex and a few other guys who owned this particular version, and tried to buy their watches. I think my offers were fair, but the guys didn't want to sell. Can't blame them, really. Finally, I found out that a member Kingkitesurf wasn't wearing his franken-Explorer II anymore, and considered to sell it. He had installed a genuine white dial into his watch, which was the best solution I could ever imagine. Black Explorer II is very nice, but like the seconds at '6 Daytona, white is the purists' only dial choice for the modern Explorer II. So we negotiated a deal. The deal went smooth as a silk, just like all my other member trades during the years. Big thanks to Job, who's a perfect gentleman and a great guy to deal with! I was the new owner of his beautiful franken now. I was really happy to finally get this rep. Genuine dial was a fantastic addition, and the rep overall is extremely accurate. It has good crown guards, excellent date mag/font, perfect long and thin (and not too dark) GMT hand, and correct cyclops position. [/center} Because this ExpII comes from the same factory as the amazing "Noob" GMT Master II's. It has the same problem: Oversized crown, which should be replaced with a gen part. My watch has thinner and more accurate bezel numbers than Avitt's, but they're positioned a bit too close to the bezel edge. If you want perfection, you need to install the bezel from the new version (the number position is pretty much perfect, see my reviews). Here's a photo of my genuine dial. Once again: Notice the perfect rehaut thickness and its cylindrical shape, which is characteristic for the "Noob factory" Rolexes. This is very important detail for me. Another thing that I never spotted before are the thicker "5 seconds" markers. My watch has replica hands, which you can see from this photo very clearly. Compared to the Super Luminova coated hour markers the lume on the hands is utterly pathetic. Hands should be superlumed, and I'm considering to buy this mod eventually. Explorer II has never been a huge seller in this community. I'm quite amazed that the black (old) correct hand stack version went virtually unnoticed, even when it was still easily available. Along with the correct hand stack "Noob" GMT the black version is (in my opinion) the best "out of the box" Rolex replica ever produced. That is the exact rep that was used to build my franken, and according to Job the genuine dial was a straight fit. This review doesn't offer much for the members who are interested in the ExpII, because this version is almost impossible to find. I didn't even bother to discuss the (potentially) problematic correct hand stack ETA modification in this article. That was already covered in my two previous Explorer II reviews. But there's (probably) some good news for the ExpII fans: According to Angus (Puretime) there is a new version of correct hand stack Explorer II coming. I really hope the factories use this old case and construction as a base, and Angus has forwared my request to the factory. Yep, not much of a review. I just wanted to enjoy my new amazing white franken-beauty, and share the joy with you. I hope you liked the photos. I got some brilliant watches in 2007, and this ExpII was the perfect way to finish yet another year of rep collecting.

Breitling Guide has been updated at all forums, with a link to this amazing writeup. Thanks Andreww, once again.

And once again... how can the dealers STILL be stupid enough to send ANY packages via FedEX to the EU countries? Using any of these commercial shipping companies increases the customs risk about 5000%. ALWAYS ASK THE ASIAN DEALERS TO SEND VIA REGISTERED AIRMAIL TO THE EU COUNTRIES!

My apartment has brand new aluminum windows now, and I don't have it anymore. It was dark grey and the new windows are white. You know how it is... it's like the pics, I don't like when things don't match. @LR: As much as I love the Link Chrono, Aquaracer is the way to go. The thing that started to bother me with the Link was the highly reflective dial. Not that the rep isn't accurate... it certainly is. It's the same issue on the gen as well.

No probs mate. For some strange reason this rep never got the respect it deserves. I really don't know why... it's utterly amazing.

It has been put to rest since the day one. About 20 times, actually. The pushers DO NOT screw/unscrew on the gen. Now let's all say "amen" and leave it at that. It's amazing how many fundamental flaws people always want find from the SMP chrono... from a rep that doesn't really have any. Wrong subdial spacing (NOT TRUE), screw-down pushers (NOT TRUE), wrong color subdial hands (NOT TRUE, there are 2 tones: orange and dark "pinkish" red, depending on the release year), wrongly positioned HE valve (NOT TRUE, it's perfect), etc. etc. This is one of the best replicas I have ever seen or handled. Everyone who have seen the older model gen can verify it immedately. Gio even owned one. Yeah, the insert and bracelet screws are a flaw. But I guess that's pretty much it. The rest is as perfect as a replica watch can be. My watch even has the correct ETA datewheel as a default. The rep dial is superb as well.

Freddy, I edited the subject title to match the traditional formula. Maybe that way we can get this thread going properly.

One of my favorite chronograph watches, ever. Brilliant! And yes, this model should NOT have AR. AR is only on the new "red" models. TWP, you're mistaken. The subdial spacing is the same on the gen. It's a 7750-based watch.

Great post Gio. Yes, the rep is very good. I'm quite sure that the subdial circles on the rep are shinier, and more "matte" on the gen. Here's rep vs. gen dial comparison that I constructed for my Daytona Guide & FAQ (gen photo by J.Holmbrook).

Is it really Friday now? Oops... I guess it is. I've been working so much that I've lost count. Anyway... wearing the SFSO now. but will probably wear either of these beauties during the weekend too.

Congrats for this amazing Sub rosnik! You can never mod the MBW into this level, imho. This version has perfect crystal/rehaut merging. It's quite easy to spot from the TW and MBW. This is the only 16610 that really looks like the gen to me. I'm certain that nobody would ever spot the low crown position, unless the watches are side by side. The pearl looks like utter shite though... and the Noob dial is better. PS: This is not gospel, but just my 2 cents.

Ziggy: I think you're the most important member of this community. But you can't leave, because you're a family member. There might be some occasional family problems. It's just natural. But this place is your home. You know the door is always open, after you decide to come back from your vacation.

Happy birthday Dani! When you'll be 35 like me, you'll be just happy when people forget your birthdays.

Brilliant man. Keep us posted. That case looks quite amazing indeed.