jj69

I saw this yesterday. I GUARANTEE you the rep is not 44mm. I bet they just recycled the 42mm 3717 case.

Thanks for the reply, DuDro. I definitely did not try to quick-set between 10 and 2. I always advance time to 6am before using the quick-set function. Assuming the gen Cousteau uses standard ETA wheels (looks like it does), if that's all I need to do to solve this problem, then that's no problem at all. Does anyone know for sure if that's all it would take to fix the sticking Day wheel problem???

Just got my Cousteau Divers and there's a small problem. When I have the crown in position 2 (quick-set Day and Date), I can set the date with no problem. However, when I try to set the Day, the day wheel always gets stuck between SAT and SUN. If I move the crown to position 3 (set time), I can always advance through a full 24 hour cycle and get the Day to advance normally. In other words, the Day is not permanently stuck between SAT and SUN. It just gets stuck temporarily when you attempt to quick-set the date (when the day wheel is turning counter-clockwise). If you're familiar with the A7750, you turn the crown in one direction to set Date, and in the other direction to set the Day. The Days actually advance in reverse order (i.e. WED, TUE, MON, SUN, SAT, FRI, etc.) When it reaches the SUN-SAT changeover, that's when the day wheel gets stuck between them. Does this indicate a serious problem? Is this a simple fix, or is there a major problem with the movement? I need to decide whether I can live with this, or send it back to the dealer. It's an annoying problem because it renders the quick-set Day useless (so you have to advance the time in crown position 3 in order to set the correct Day of the week). Mailing packages to mainland China is something I am loathe to do, so I'm hoping there's a simple fix for this one. Any advice is greatly appreciated. TIA!

I was checking out the new rep of the Corum Admiral's Cup Chrono. They've repped the old version (2002 or so) rather than the new line. I always liked that older version, especailly the bracelet. Unfortunately, it looks like they dropped the ball on the movement. Why didn't they put the running seconds at 3 where they belong? I thought they perfected the seconds-at-3 movement in the Blackbird, so why cheap out on the Corum? It's a real shame because it otherwise appears to be a beatiful rep, right down to that fancy bracelet.

Looks like the Ti version of the Aquatimer is coming soon as well. Andrew has photos on his site already, with the usual "$8,888.88" price. BTW, the bracelet on these looks like the GST bracelet to me. Maybe it's just the old GST bracelet with wider endlinks?

Josh, Will they make large endlinks for the bracelet so it will fit the Cousteau too???

I too cast my vote for a Mark XVI rep, but it has to be a SUPERB copy. Even the slightest tell on a simple, classic design like this will be GLARING. This rep should be good enough to make up for the sins of the abysmal Mark XV rep. In fact, the existing Mark XV rep bracelet should be a perfect match for the XVI. The XV rep case was 39mm (incorrect for the 38mm gen XV, but correct for the 39mm gen XVI). I believe the lug size was accordingly larger as well. The most they would have to do with the bracelet would be new end links, if anything. They should DEFINITELY use the Seagull 2982 movement. Rep makers have to STOP using the overpriced ETA 2824. It was a fine movement when it could be had for under $50, but at its new $125+ street price, it is outrageously overpriced. If you have to use a 2824 in a rep, use the very fine Chinese copy, or go with a Sellita equivalent if you must have Swiss. If a factory could make a flawless rep of this watch with decent AR and sell it for under $150 with an Asian 2982, there would be no stopping the sales. It would be an instant rep of 2008. It boggles my mind that the rep makers go to great lengths to make complicated reps for which there is virtually no market (like the DeWitt's, for example), yet they ignore the simple Mark XV and XVI. The gens can be had fairly cheap (under $3,000), so they should pick one up and rep it 1:1. All they need to do is get the dial and case right, use the S2892 movement, and assemble the case like the gen (not the joke that is the XV rep), and they'll have an instant winner!

Hi Pix. Judging from the photos and reviews I've seen, I agree that it's a great looking rep. However, I don't want to rush out and buy one, only to find that the Magnum is coming soon.

Oops. Double post.

Does anyone know if the Baume & Mercier Riviera XXL Magnum is coming soon? It appears to be the same as the regular XXL, but with a different (and very cool) dial. Should be easy enough to do, but it's strange that there hasn't been talk of it. It's by far the best looking of the Rivieras:

I've seen a couple of mentions of the bracelet for the new Aquatimer, both here on the forums as well as on a couple of dealers' sites. Silix lists it as: "Stainless Steel strap available as well." However, no one has posted a photo anywhere, so I'm concerned about quality. Has anyone actually seen it? Any photos anywhere? The gen bracelet looks like a wider version of the old GST bracelet. Are they re-using that with new end links, or did they actually create a custom Aquatimer bracelet???

Bumping this thread because I'm still trying to contact Anton. I purchased a watch from him back on 11/16, and some parts for the watch were supposed to follow shortly thereafter. He was in the middle of a move and the parts were to follow within a few days. The parts never arrived, and I've heard no further communication from him since 11/23. I noticed he has not logged into RWG since 12/2. So at this point, I have the watch, but not the necessary parts to complete it. Anton appears to be a respected member in good standing. Believe me, I didn't want to make any of this public, but I'm not sure what else to do. It's most likely an honest mistake of some kind, but it's been nearly six weeks now since I made payment. Has anyone heard from him? Does anyone know how to get in touch with him? Any advice?

It must be something that can only be seen in person. If it really bothered me, I would just get a gen dial. Most IWC dials start popping up all over the place once a model is a year or two old.

There is a long thread about it on another forum. Apparently, the 3700 could be special ordered with a seconds hand. I'm sorry, Kruzer, I'm just not seeing it. When you say "fat" do you mean "thick"? As in, raised hour markers? I'm holding my rep now. The 3, 6, 9 and 12 hour markers are all raized markers. They're applied markers (rather than just being painted on the dial like all the other markings). Below is a high res pic of a gen from the Joyful Collection site. As you can see in the pic, those four markers are also raised, applied markers. Am I missing something?

Hasn't the MBW Nautilus been available for years? Perhaps a rep of the year, but no necessarily this year. BTW, the gen 3700 was available with a seconds hand.

Chief/Kruzer: Guys, for the life of me, I cannot figure out what you're talking about with respect to the hour markers on the 3717 dial. I'm wearing mine right now and comparing it to some high res photos of the gen. (You can find some great high res gen photos on the Japanese "Joyful Collection" site). If anything, the 6 and 9 markers on the rep might be a bit UNDER-pronounced compared to the gen, but that could well be the lighting in the photos. Are you taking into account the fact that IWC outsources dials and other parts, so there have been variations in appearance. We've already seen this with the gen Ingy hands and the white GST dial.

Chief, Just so I know for future reference, what are the flaws on the Cousteau and Slevin (besides the lack of a real bracelet)? I'm not aware of any on the 3717.

Cool. Let's all boycott rubber strap reps! My first real watch when I was a kid was a 1980's Timex calculator watch on a rubber strap. I wore that thing EVERY day, 12 hours a day all through 6th grade. I used to sweat like a pig when running around outside. Eventually, the strap just split in half. It was hilarious. That watch was $19.99 for the watch AND the rubber strap. Now Patek Pillippe is putting them on $14,000 Aquanauts. What a joke!

I would say that the ASIAN version of the SFSO is the best rep out there right now FOR THE MONEY. Some dealers have it as low as $105 + ship. Mine has the white dial and bracelet. I don't miss the AR at all (or the overpriced ETA movement, for that matter). You can buy 10 spare RG movements for the price difference, and just junk them when they fail. However, the 12 o'clock marker on the SFSO dial does not match up with the markers on the chapter ring and the bezel. If I'm not mistaken, all versions of the SFSO have this flaw. That, to me, is a rather embarrassing flaw for a an otherwise excellent rep. I would definitely say the HBB (any version) is by far the rep of the year. Too much went into repping that case so flawlessly to ignore it. The fact that they even sourced real ceramic bezels is astounding. The only real flaw on the watch is the uneven 20/30 markers on the dail, and that is far less noticeable than the cockeyed 12 o'clock markers on the SFSO. Haven't gotten a Cousteau or the Sleven yet (waiting for bracelets), but the 3717 rep is also a contender.

Has anyone heard from member Anton? I haven't heard from him since 11/23, and he hasn't logged onto RWG since 12/2. I believe he was in the middle of a move at the time, so I'm not sure if he's settled in yet. If anyone knows how to get in touch with him, please PM me.

Yawn. Wake me up when they rep the bracelet. I have HAD IT with rubber straps. The same goes for the HBB, as well as the IWC Cousteauand Aquatimer. A multi-thousand dollar watch on a cheapo Casio rubber strap? Give me a freakin' break...

I purchased a GST rep and I had a new Swiss 7750, ETA datewheels, and a near mint genuine dial installed. Unfortunately, I did not realize until AFTER I had all these mods done to the watch that the crystal was not installed properly! The hour markers on the chapter ring do not line up with the hour markers on my dial. The crystal was apparently installed a few degrees off-center. A (bad) photo is attached. Unfortunately, the chapter ring on this model is actually glued to the underside of the crystal. As a result, the only way to align the chapter ring properly is to remove the crystal and reinstall it in the correct position. I do not have the proper tools or skills to do this. I am wondering if there is someone out there (preferably in the US) who is skilled at this process, specifically with the GST. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

George, Are you serious? That's not cool. How much does it cost to get "supporter" status, and then how long does it last?

Thanks for the info, Victoria. I'll try to PM him again later.

I'd like to know how to become an RWG supporter. I've been here for a little over a year and I just realized it was necessary to do this in order to sell in the Trading Zone. The sticky in the Trading Zone says to "PM the Admin," but his Inbox is full. Any suggestions?