By-Tor

They really look black on the silver version but I'm pretty sure gen blue and black both have silver surroundings. Here's a gen wristie.

Looking at Tag's website and the above pictures of the gen.

It looks like the marker surrounds and hands on the gen black and silver/white dial are black, while on the blue dial they are steel. The reap has steel surrounds on all of the dials. Has anyone seen a gen black dial in the flesh that can say if the surrounds are steel or black?

I am really liking the black dial with the gold bezel version, but the color of the surrounds is a pretty big give away.

I dunno, they look silver to me.

When you photograph watches with silver markers or surroundings in a light box/dark room, the markers turn to black in the pictures because that kind of silver markers reflect anything.

@Gran: Nothing wrong with PMWF of course. Lots of great people over there. I love all kinds of watches and have owned plenty of cheap ones. I mean the guys who come here and tell how crappy the reps are compared to their $50 Orient Quartz.

I never understood these claims. How do you measure the quality? If you get a rep without QC issues, the watch runs and keeps great time, how is it inferior to a cheap Japanese battery watches... most don't even have screw down crowns, have terrible bracelets, are light and feel cheap as hell... I simply don't get it. Watches like Sandoz and Marcello are probably equal to better reps but definitely NOT any better when it comes to finish and details. Cheap Orients and Citizens... not even close, imho. And don't get me started with Invicta...

My Ebel BTR rep was MUCH better finished than any of my gen cheapies. The bracelet was incredible... brushed finish, SEL fitting, etc. Equalled my gen Breitling Pro 2. Seiko Orange Monster is an exception, it's definitely one of the best budget ones out there.

Chief,

I know exactly what you mean. I love my gens and I have purchased each one of them for the exact reasons you listed. As I've stated elsewhere, gens are the only option when it's about your grail watches and "all time favorites". First get them "rep tested": buy the rep and see the watch has long term appeal or not. I've owned tons of watches that I initially loved but after a month or two they became just "ok". You can easily sell the rep for minimal loss and get another. Selling very expensive gens isn't as easy. It would really suck to be on the "Rolex waiting list" for a Daytona and then realize that the pictures were deceiving and the watch does nothing for you. Or realize that it was the black dial version that you preferred after all...

Reps are an excellent option when you just like some watch "a lot". There's a big difference between liking a watch for $250 or $2500. And then there are a few extraordinary reps that are so good that gen becomes meaningless (unless it's one of the "grails").

To me reps and frankens are much more interesting topic. I think this community is pretty unique... we see much more different models because we can afford to experiment a little, and be more adventurous. Not like the gen forums where 90% of the guys wear a black Sub or Omega Seamaster.

Sorry for the late reply. This stunning post was linked to the Breitling Guide. (Better late than never, huh?)

Yeah that's nice indeed Freddy. I love the bracelet and SELs. Look very good quality & fits with great tolerances!

For me the whole rep thing is the ability to hold and wear a watch that I admire.

You nailed it perfectly. Whether it's a rep or gen doesn't really matter... it's genuine (no pun) love for certain watch models... as long as the rep is good enough of course.

Ah, those "walks to the AD" tend to be expensive and I thought that's why you sold a few reps recently.

Truly amazing review and watch.

I don't recall enjoying another watch review recently, as much as this one. Short & striking... I love that kind of review style.

Congrats Deniz! Finally!

And great photos to boot.

Enjoy the Skyland.

@Hackr: Congrats... is it a new one?

Wearing this amazing rep today.

That required some great horological innovations from Breitling I'm sure. How did they do that... painted the subdial hands and inner bezel numbers to yellow!

Pure genius!

Seriously, it looks ok. Not sure if it's worth "upgrading" your Skyland because of this though.

Oh by the way... another people who I find funny are the guys from Poor Man's Watch Forums that come here to praise their Indochina-made Invictas and educate us poor counterfeit bastards "how much better quality watches they are".

I have owned close to 100 watches (plenty of gens before I found TRC back then) and 2 Invictas (you know, those Sub "homages" as the gen people call them). They were the absolutely SHITTIEST watches I've ever had. One leaked like crazy and another lost the winding crown when I tried to set the time. On top of that the '6 hour marker dropped from the "Swiss" version... after 2 weeks of use. Bracelets rattled like horny cats.

The dealers may "cherry pick" for me, but strangely I've only had 2 QC issues with reps over the years (both occurred during the shipment).

I'm well aware of the QC issues that members have, esp. from the dropshippers... but just think about it... how many reports you see of the A7750 movements? Very few. And it's a genuine automatic friggin' chronograph. What is the cheapest competitor? Yeah... a Hamilton Swiss 7750, and they cost 3-4 times as much. Who wants to wear a friggin' Hamilton?

You know, I see an increasing number of posts like "Rep bracelet feels like total sh*te, gen is from a different planet", etc. And the classic BS line "genuine Rolex is much heavier and the steel is SO much whiter, you can spot the rep instantly."

etc.

Usually these come from newbies and people who have never owned the gen, or have just bought their first gen and thus became "gen snobs". You know, like smokers who just quit and after becoming "better people" they start to talk down & harrassing the other smokers. Very annoying member-type, just imho.

I have posted articles which compare 4 gens to their rep counterparts just recently, a Rolex, Omega, Breitling and TAG Heuer. And none of these comparisons back these claims up. Sometimes I'm almost embarrassed how small and meaningless the differences are. I just recently handled a gen Ebel BTR and guess what... it felt just as amazing as the rep. Of course the movement is superb and that rotor is just and rep BTR is one of the nicest built reps ever... but still... we're talking about a watch that retails at $6-7K! On the other hand the gen Daytona felt almost as nice as my rep Seamaster.

Don't get me wrong, there ARE differences, which I appreciate... the movements in gens are much more sophisticated... they're something that you can leave to your son, etc. I don't regret any of my gen purchases. And I will continue buying them. Especially the models that are impossible to replicate properly, like the BTR (which is going to be my next gen if the next rep doesn't have the tight spacing & fixed rotor).

But after modding my rep SMP Chrono with a gen insert (received from a forum friend) I realized that I couldn't tell it from a gen if someone gave the watch to me for a quick inspection. And I own the gen non-chrono, and browse this place every day!

Another rep that managed to impress me a lot was Skyland v2. The pictures don't tell the whole truth, the replication is just insanely good.

The reason why I posted this is that I decided to send my genuine Steelfish to my Breitling AD, for a complete overhaul. There is a small AR glitch on the top corner. It's very, very minor glitch but bothers me. I want my watches "as new", especially the Fish, which is important watch for me. They don't recoat the crystal, you need a new one. And replacing it is going to cost me 320 friggin' Euros! I told them to buff ALL the scratches and dings away too. That's going to be another 100€.

Have you taken a look at Rolex & Breitling gen parts & service prices? I suggest you do... you'll appreciate your reps MUCH more. They are gross. Breitlings are watches with basic ETAs inside them but they must have copied their service & parts prices from Breguet! New bracelet for Seawolf? Around 500 Euros! Is it full platinum? Previously owned by Elvis? No, it's a friggin' stainless steel watch band!!!!

If the glitch were on my Skyland rep, I only had to ask a new spare crystal from a dealer or send it over to Chief for new coating. It would probably be around $50 (just an estimation).

Oh by the way... I bought the Skyland from a trusted member for 130 Euros. The whole watch. And it feels just as "gen" as my real gens.

The lesson: I think we should appreciate the best reps much more. They're amazing. And they're NOT produced in dark basements by a bunch of 10-year olds. People who think reps like Skyland v2 could be done without high tech manufacturing line should get their heads examined.

I have spoken.

The rep blue dial looks too rich to me.

whereas the gen blue is a flatter almost powdery blue hXXp://media.photobucket.com/image/aquaracer%20500m%20blue/vlkong/TAG%20Heuer/2009Basel/Aquaracer500M/IMG_4100.jpg

I wanted to buy the blue one SO much. But unfortunately the factories did it again... made a blue version and used completely different blue. Why the hell they always have do that? Is there some color blind fellow mixin' the blue shades for them?

Here's the gen again... and of course the blue looks absolutely NOTHING like the rep. Why is it so damn hard?

how do you tell the rlss10003's case isn't good? I can only tell the cyclops is a bit far right.

I guess you just answered your own question. All Rolex replicas that have wrong cyclops position also have other glaring flaws.

Basically there are only 2 16610 reps worth buying: A cheap Noobmariner or "near-perfect" WM9.

I simply don't get it... it can't be simpler than that. Why waste time (and especially money) with the sub-par ones? It's not even worth browsing around... just take my word for it.

No boxes and papers, either. Original paperwork adds a lot to the price. That kind of "full packages" can be expensive... but still not even close to that amount. I doubt he even wants to sell it... it's probably just some sort of attempt to raise the DRSD collector prices and desirability.

I know the Double Reds can be insanely expensive but that price is just laughable.

The seller (and the possible buyer) should get their heads examined. Maybe together... in Siberia, Russia.

If you save $150 and settle for the second best it won't take long until you want the best one. Why not simply buy the WM9 and be done with it?

MBK 16610 Sub shouldn't be discussed on the same sentence with WM9. It's not comparable.

Even a cheap Noobmariner is more accurate rep than the otb MBK modern Sub. Trust me, it's not worth it. If you want a great Sub replica, WM9 is the only option. Don't even consider any others (unless you want to have a budget Noobmariner).

MBK used to have a great reputation but those modern MBK models are yesterday's news. Standards are different now because WM9 set them again.

Welcome back D! And happy belated birthday mein Freund.

Noobmariner is the best budget Sub out there, without any mods.

Sure it has flaws but you should be able to get a high beat Noobmariner below $200. It's a decent Sub.

Check my section for the review.

PS: I would definitely try to get it without rehaut engraving (which never looks accurate on the reps). Maybe an old one through a member trade?

Good luck.

@Johndorian: Good find.

I found a video of a gen BTR (similar as Ronins).

I've just ordered my rep B01....black dial as above

Looking forward to the review and pics my friend!

for 5k the red dials are definitely out

That is definitely true. Not 5-6 years ago but now. The red dials have skyrocketed. I've seen some in really bad condition selling for $7K.

Madness.