jj69

Both PureTime and Watchmark are showing the new HBB bracelets. It looks like the full SS bracelet is already available, and the SS/Ceramic and gold bracelets are coming soon. They look fantastic in the photos, but I'm wondering how they are up close. I'm especially interested in whether the mid-links are real ceramic or not. Has anyone had any luck getting ahold of one of these bracelets yet? I e-mailed both Angus and Mark to ask if the bracelets will be avialble as a separate accessory. Mark told me that he can only get them on the watch (Lite SS HBB with SS bracelet is $338), and I've not yet heard back from Angus. Has anyone seen any of the other dealers with them for sale? If anyone has one of these rep bracelets in their possession, PLEASE post a review ASAP.

Because the gen Fortis will say "Fortis" on it instead of "IWC."

82KUBA, What was the original model you ordered? From your pic, it looks like an Ice Bang, but with the ceramic bezel. That's exactly what I would get. Before you send it back, can you take more pics showing the ceramic case in detail???

I have three Ingy's and both the SS bracelet and the kevlar strap look and feel great. I love both styles. However, beware that the kevlar strap is a BASTARD to get on the watch. The locking pin system on the reps is just like the one on the gens, but the tolerances are nowhere near as tight. Don't buy it thinking you can switch back and forth from strap to bracelet in a jiffy.

The ONLY Big Pilot to get right now is the V1 (as offered by Josh/Andrew and other dealers). It has a non-working faux power reserve indicator, but everything else about the watch is spot on. The dial is near perfect, and most importantly, the date window is in the correct place. If you look at the versions with the working PR, the date window is much too high, making the whole watch look ridiculous. The only real problem with the V1 is the movement's squeaky rotor. Aside from that, the quality is excellent for a sub-$200 rep, and it's much more comfortable than its 46.2 mm size would lead you to believe.

I was just looking at these today. I've been waiting on a full ceramic HBB, but $758 is just too rich for my blood. I realize that these are coming from the first factory, and that they're probably very good quality, but there are other all ceramic HBB's out there for under $400. The price difference is just too much. They either need a major price drop, or they need to put out a a "Lite" verison with no AR for 50% less. I like the Ice Bang, and the new gray PVD coated bezel is better than the old plain SS version, but I too would swap it out for a polished ceramic bezel. I have no idea why the rep makers can make a ceramic bezel but not a tungsten bezel?

OldBrit, From the date font and the regulator, it's clear that this uses the 21,6 movement. How is yours holding out? Does it keep acurrate time? Is this from Time4Direct? How was their customer service? Thanks!

I sort of like the orange dial Anonimo Millemetri, but I haven't seen many reviews or comments about the rep. From what I've been able to determine, the orange dial rep originally came with incorrect silver/white hands. That has apparently been corrected to the more accurate black hands (but the seconds hand is still too short). I'm also not sure, but the gen may have come with silver hands at some point - there seem to be a lot of dial variations on Anonimo gens in general. Other flaws I've noticed: - No logo engraved on the crown (perhaps early gen Millemetri's had no logo on the crown either???) - Slightly incorrect date window position (possibly due to 2892 movement used instead of 2824 on the gen) - "12" on the dial slightly too large Is there anything else I'm missing? Does anyone have this rep? Is the quality good? I don't think there's any AR on the crystal, but does anyone know if the gen has AR?

Does anyone know what's the deal with the price drop on the HBB models with the ceramic bezels? Specifically, I'm looking at the Puretime and King sites. I noticed, for example, that the "Lite" Mello Yellow is going for about $265, with the Ultimate version price at $220 more! According to the specs, the only difference between these two models is the double sided AR on the Ultimate version. Both even have the 28,8 movement. This leads me to believe that there MUST be some other difference. Surely, no one is going to pay a $220 premium just for AR? Do all of these HBB's have the same ceramic bezel? I seem to recall that there was a second maker of ceramic bezels. This was about the time Angus started offering the bezel as a separate accessory. I recall there being some complaints about the newer version (i.e. improper fit on some HBB's and lesser quality). Does anyone know exactly what bezel ships with the Lite version now? On a side note, I noticed that Angus still has the ceramic bezel listed as a separate accessory, but it stil costs $258! For another 10 bucks you get the same bezel and an entire Mello Yellow watch! Something isn't right here.

I have this rep - the version with the stick markers on the dial. Just to clarify a bit about this one, the dial is very nice, but it is not very accurate (on the stick marker version). The rep dial is textured like the current VCO dial, but the gen dial has no texture on it at all. This is one of those situations where the rep dial is not accurate, but it's actually nicer than the gen. The version with the number markers is probably more accurate. Although it's a very nice rep, it's hardly 1:1. For example, the crown guards on the case are far too small. In addition, the overall finish of the watch is nowhere near as good as the current "super reps" like the HBB or some of the IWCs out there. No jeweler would ever believe the finish on the case, bezel, and bracelet of this rep would have come out of VC's factory.

Date font still wrong. Crown is too big. Is the MBW supposed to be the 5167 or the 5165?

If you consider those minor points serious "flaws," then they're actually FAR WORSE in the new version. The new 5167 has no 3 o'clock hour markers at all!!! Take a look at a photo of a gen. There's supposed to be a lumed marker to the right of the date window and smaller hash marks above and below. They are missing entirely on the MBW 5167! The date font is still slightly wrong too. And don't forget that according to the description, the new version is completely the wrong size (38mm vs. 40mm for the gen). Of course, dealers have been known to measure wrong... I'll save $200+ and stick with the classic (and better looking overall) 5065, thank you very much.

The old MBW Aquanaut did not have ANY "flaws" that I'm aware of. Exactly what flaws are you talking about? My guess is that it was a poor seller because 1) 38mm is considered too small for a man's watch these days, and 2) they didn't rep the bracelet and no one wants a fancy watch on a cheap rubber strap.

Tak, Isn't that new MBW 5167 Aquanaut the wrong size? The gen 5167 is 40mm. Pamfried says the rep is 38mm. Either way, $550 is utterly outrageous for a rep with a rubber strap! BTW, as far as I can tell, the original MBW Aquanaut is a near flawless rep. Remember, it's a rep of the old 5065 version of the Aquanuat, not the current version. The dial, strap and deployant are all correct for the 5065! Note that the Chinese have copied the old MBW Aquanaut (King show it on her site), as well as the Nautilus. Might be a cheaper alternative for anyone out there looking for the classic Aquanaut. Since it has a rubber strap, no worries about bracelet screw quality. Let's hope the Chinese get around to repping this new MBW. Gotta love these "reps of reps"!

The IWC 3706 Spitfire dials absolutely WILL NOT fit the rep case. Been there, done that.

If $340 is really the price (and not a misprint), then they are WAY, WAY off. HALF of that would be a fair price. If you look hard enough, you could probably find a used gen for $550. Also, I have the 2006/2007 PD catalog. After looking at some of the large print images in the catalog, I'm not so sure the inner bezel on the gen really has two slopes. It may just be an illusion in the photos. That would make the rep pretty much spot on. Now, if only they could come to their senses on the price...

Where are you guys seeing a $340 price for this quartz rep? Neither PC nor King's site have a price listed. I don't see how this could cost much more than $150. The street price of the gen seems to be about $1,295. The major flaw in this one, as Andreww pointed out, appears to be the inner bezel. The gen slopes at two different angles, while the rep seems to slope at just one angle. The first thing I noticed was the date font. The gen uses a custom font, just like the 7750 version. However, I also found some photos of the gen with standard font, just like the rep. My guess is the early gens used the standard ETA quartz font.

I always liked this watch, but the rubber strap is completely unacceptable. Are they really planning the bracelet? If so, I'm in for one.

Is it just me, or does the inner part of the bezel on the rep appear to be made from plastic? I believe the gen is supposed to be titanium. If it's plastic, forget it. I also noticed that the Magnum uses large hex bolts to secure the strap. It does not appear to be compatible with the bracelet on the other versions. That would explain why the gen Magnum is not available with a bracelet. Too bad - I really hoped to by the Magnum rep with an extra bracelet.

Wow! When was that added to Trusty's site?! I sure didn't notice it. It was never in his new release section. Has anyone gotten one yet?

So the gen is 44mm and the rep is 46mm? You really have to work extra hard to screw up a rep that badly. Just amazing. PASS.

Thanks for the info guys. Sounds like the gen strap, if it's real croc, then it's crappy quality croc! I do have a BOB strap on my Porto rep, but it's the wrong size for the 3717 (20mm vs. 21mm). I'm happy with the BOB strap, but to be honest, it doesn't feel any softer than the standard rep strap that comes on all the IWC reps (Portos, Mark XV, 3706, etc.) On the other hand, The Watch Boys buffalo leather strap I got for my Mark XV is gorgeous. Amazingly soft and very well made. Too bad I can't say the same for the Mark XV rep. Anyone else know for sure if the gen 3717 strap is real croc or just print???

Probably a dumb question, but is the gen IWC 3717 strap made from real gator hide, or is it cow/buffalo leather with a gator print? I ask because I'm considering moving to a strap for my 3717. As much as I love the bracelet, unfortunately, I'm between sizes. It's either too tight (which drives me out of my mind) or too loose (which makes it flop around on my wrist). I want a very authentic/gen looking strap, so there are really only two realistic options: [1] The Watch Boys 21/18mm real gator strap (beautful, but expensive at $120) [2] The BOB/Waccex 21/18mm gator-print leather strap (very nice and a bargain at $35) Both are cut exactly like the gen IWC strap. If the gen 3717 uses leather with a gator print, then all my problmes are solved. Anyone know for sure?

Nice shot, Jawo! Reno may have chubbed up, but that new Loverboy album rules!

I'm with you, Pivaro. NO MORE STUPID RUBBER STRAPS! I said from the beginning that I'd buy the F6 if only they made the bracelet. Anyone know if it's coming or not?