By-Tor

Wearing my old stunner SMP Chrono.

The black is probably the least appealing color (for me). Don't get me wrong, it's amazing too... Fish is always amazing, but blue is very unique blue... and silver is just absolutely stunning. Black is classic of course but it's the least "unique" to me.

Still, very few watches have "hit" me like the gen blue Fish. Not all Breitling blue dials are as nice. For example Skyland and Super Avenger... they're not that special in blue (just imho). It's the Guillouche that does it.

I meant the blue ones are difficult to find for sale preowned in the WUS/TZ sales forums. I see lots of blacks and silvers. Most are black as it's apparently the most popular dial color.

That's probably where all the blues are... on the AD stands.

Stunning review.

I will have to update all my brand guides and add the links when these posts enter the R&R section.

When I was looking for a gen, it was really tough to find a good blue version. I find that surprising because blue is imho the best looking dial of them all... but that's me being a blue dial freak I guess. Blacks and whites are everywhere.

That's why I linked this one.

If someone's looking for a gen blue Fish, the deal can't get much better than this:

http://www.breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17806

Blue dial Fish is pretty rare so I posted this if someone might want to join the club. I would have bought it if I already didn't have one. This is 2009 version with the arrow seconds hand... pretty damn nice to my eye.

PS: I have no idea about the seller, this was just something I ran across.

Actually I considered the blacksteel version myself but decided that I prefer the standard one. But I actually prefer this one over the standard version with a strap. This is very sporty and I can totally understand the attraction. But it's the bracelet that does it for me, I'm a bracelet guy.

But then again this definitely a great replication and a great addition to any Breitling collection. Your pictures captured the coating perfectly.

If you can put the bezel and crown on (loosely is enough) it'll be easier to say.

Great work man!

By the way, this is where you see the huge difference between rep and gen dials. Like I mentioned in another thread, my gen Aquaracer chrono has utterly AMAZING dial details, even in macro shots. It's very impressive. But when I shoot macros of the rep dials I always want to just delete the photos instantly.

Of course, when a human eye can't see the details it doesn't matter, really. It's just an observation.

That pendulum thing is amazing... TH really seems to be one of the biggest innovators in the industry.

Indeed they are. Their designs are the most adventurous of the "big brands" as well. Something like Grand Carrera and SLR might not be everyone's cup of tea but at least they're original. I love TAG Heuer as a brand. The cheap quartz line won't take anything away from their prime models.

My Aquaracer chrono has amazing dial details, absolutely perfect tolerances on bracelet, lugs, SELs, bezel, brushing, etc. The finish rivals Rolex any day.

This was great

"I had pretty low expectations, given the bargain basement price, but I have been pleasantly surprised since getting this watch a few weeks ago. I have had it 3 weeks, and I have only had to adjust the time 6 times, an average of about twice a week. Not bad!

I did notice that the crystal got a little cloudy when I wore it in the shower the other day, but as far as I can tell, no permanent damage was done, so I'm ok with that. I also noticed that the band seems to scuff easily, but a little black shoe polish solved that problem.

Overall, one of the finest purchases I have ever made, and I am thinking about buying 5 more to give as gifts at Christmas."

I bought this watch in the hopes that I would be able to keep track of time while I was scuba diving in volcanic lava. After only one 20 minute dive the watch stopped working for some reason. I sent it back to Zenith and they claimed the watch was not lava resistant past 30 feet. I was only diving in 20 feet of lava so I told the CEO to his face that he was a big fat liar. Then I drove to their manufacturing facility and broke in during the night to procure myself a new watch as they refused to replace the first ninety thousand dollar piece of crap I bought from them. Once insdide Zenith's top secret facilty I confirmed what I had suspected all along. A room full of Umpa Loompa's rebadging Casio G-Shock watches with a cheap titanium exterior and stamping $145,000 price tags on them. Thank god amazon.com convinces Zenith to allow a mark down of 40% of retail. Knowing that I'm saving $57,000 every time I purchase one of these turds keeps me coming back for more. Thanks Zenith for keeping the american dream of owning the ugliest most expensive watch money can buy alive and well.

Those messages are the funniest damn thing I've read in a while. I bet it's the same guy writing them all.

I got k2222 AR on my v3. It's amazing, as you'd expect.

Your lume markers are excellent.

@Hackr: What's that blue dial (gen) version (the 2nd picture)? It has different dial print. Older Skyland?

ah -- thanks guys!...

@BT --> can you photoshop a white dial SOSF with pvd coating?...from viewing your first pix above, i'm now thinking a white dial might be a nice contrast with the pencil lead look...thoughts/comments appreciated...

Sure. I found this gen wristie and mocked it up.

Congrats!

Another day, another wrist check.

Spending my morning with this hyperactive little bugger, waiting for the mom to awake so I can hit the gym... wearing my SMP.

Serious talent there by-tor. How may layers did it take to achieve this

No layers needed my friend. It took me about 60 seconds to do with the lasso tool (+ contrast/brightness/color balance).

Just saw this at Joshua's site. I have no idea how accurate it is, but at least it's different.

http://www.perfect-hour.com/aps01001-royal-survivor-dlcceramicru-a7750-p-8149.html

I understand. Creating a working tourbillon movement is quite a feat itself.

Imagine that there are still many people who seriously believe that the best reps of today are assembled and constructed by 10-year old children in dark basements.

Enjoy!

has anyone done this?...

Yes. I just did it... in Photoshop.

I also made a full gold Fish. Damn that's... well... something.

Hey, I got exact same feeling when I was browsing my old photobucket. Found a few pictures of reps that I had already forgotten.

I don't know if it's a "shame". v3 has some other advantages over v2 I believe. I think the main difference is AR, which is much better on v2 (according to my sources). It's just as nice as on my gen Fish.

Check this Yodap's comparison article. It explains it all.

Thanks Pugs.

You can easily spot the v2 from number 1 of "15" on the bezel. It's inaccurate on v1/v3. This photo explains it:

v2 & gen "1" on the left, v1/v3 on the right.

I also noticed that v1/v3 crown isn't as nice, and the pushers are more protruded. Very minor stuff though... but I made my homework.

PS: According to my research v3 is just v1 with fixed '3 lume dot.

Thanks Gentlemen. This pictorial was exceptionally fun to make.

It's a weird watch. Like I said, I wasn't too crazy about this model when it came out. It looked just "another Breitling". If you compare the design to say, Chrono Avenger, it's almost similar. Another reason is that I never saw many attractive photos of this watch. It's not very photogenic I guess. These Condemore's shots finally "transformed" me.

PS: It would be interesting to hear about the reason why the "old school guys" recommend v2 over v3. I asked around from a few guys and they all said that v2 is the one to get. But to my eye v3 looks just as good and accurate. Is it some sort of "feel" and build quality issue?

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