bamcky2k

always the same, with anything really...watches, cars etc... first owner takes the hit, second owner blags it cheaper... sometimes second owner can then make a profit...its a fickle world we live in

yea always under $50, although i recently recieved a package from ofrei, declared at $147 and didnt get hit with any customs charges etc...it just arrived it the mail from standard signed for airmail...

ive never had problems between uk and us, i always declare the parcel as "bracelet/strap parts, ebay purchase"...worked for me fine in the past it is indeed a good idea to send to a uk contact first, then onto an eu country as uk has free trade or whatever its known as within eu

sporting my grey dial seawolf v2 on rubber today, will also be up for sale very soon oddly enough...i cant seem to pull off big watches anymore!

pics are always good!

great watch, i miss mine big time, but alas twas too big for me, mine had superb lume from day one, like an aqua blue and a white afterglow that would last hours...i wear my watches on my right wrist which didnt help with that huge crown guard

hey chrisby and welcome....! thats a pretty specific strap your after! best i could find for you are these- 1. buckle http://www.watchobsession.co.uk/Watch-Buckles-and-Deployments/Watch-Tools-and-Accessories-Watch-Buckles/PVD-ARD-Screw-in-Buckle or for a deployment version http://www.watchobsession.co.uk/Watch-Buckles-and-Deployments/Watch-Tools-and-Accessories-Watch-Deployments/PVD-Deployment-Buckle 2.strap http://www.watchobsession.co.uk/OEM-Style-Watch-Straps/OEM-Style-Watch-Straps-Omega-Style/Omega-Style-Calf-Deployment-Strap-Orange or try this from hirsch http://www.watchobsession.co.uk/HIRSCH-Watch-Straps/HIRSCH-Watch-Straps-Waterproof-Sport/CARBON-Leather-Watch-Strap-ORANGE in regards to the buckles they also carry them in matte orange...would maybe look good on a black strap with orange stitch?? anyway happy hunting!

guys you've been great, thankyou i noticed on some pics i was finding that it looked identical to some, but a little different to others-i think too thats theres enough there to call it 90% gen, and considering i paid for asian im pretty happy with that! would appear not even the dealers know what they are sending...

i have an eta 2824-2 in my genuine longines and can confirm that the date font is identical...every number matches on both movements. thanks for the input guys-much appreciated, im around 85%-90% sure its genuine eta...if its this hard to tell though, makes you wonder if the "gen eta movement" reps actually are genuine movements...

heres about as close as i can get on the logo, been looking on google images and it looks identical to some marked as swiss eta 2824-2 but different to others...it does look different to an asian 2824-2 i have though, font is different on the rotor...

cheers gran, i thought so too...compared it to pics on google images and everything checks out, plus side by side to another i have (which is definatley an asian clone) it does look different-crisper and more refined...the feel is different when winding it too, very smooth. i bought it as a clone movement, so if it is gen eta ive had a good buy...

hey guys, could someone tell me if this is a gen eta 2824-2 movement or a clone? i've compared it to pics on here and google, and it looks gen to me...has all the eta stamps, 2824-2 and another mark i cant quite make out. the font on the rotor is also a little different to another i have. hope you can tell from the pics, best i can take on my phone! thanks in advance!

ry mate! did you PM recently about the rollie insert? i've lost the message without reading it properly..

totally agree about hurting a gen-a mate of mine badly damaged his gen PO a while back, hes a royal marine commando and battered it while on op's...then he got faced with a 900 quid repair bill with servicing a rep replacement woulda been a fraction of the cost! now as ive said im not anit-franken atall, far from it! its just after spending so much cash, time, frustration etc to finally get one im happy with i coulda just picked up a used one...but again your right that the first generation co-ax movement did face quite a few problems...and the cheap ones you could pick up for not much more than a franken would be about 4 to 5 years old and therefore would need a service soon... its a tough call is it not?! i loved building mine too, i learnt a hell of alot from doing them, and can now happily change a dial/hands, swap a movement, change bezels, reset keyless works, change date wheels etc quite quickly and easily and all from just taking the plunge and doing the work myself-so that side of it is superb especially in this hobby! i just had to ask the question is it viable money wise and effort wise to franken the PO anymore?. just a few years back the smp chrono was all about the franken, now with prices as low as £1200 for a used gen people dont seem to bother...i just wonder if it'll be the same for the original planet ocean? a good conclusion for me after owning a full franken and numerous upo reps was this: gen crown and tube is a must, dial is worth it 100% if you have the cash-if not a relume is a great alternative, hands are'nt essential in my honest opinion, bezel doesnt fit so useless, he valve not really worth it, gen crystal is great but cheaper to get the rep one ar'd if you can-its pretty good as is though, gen rubber/leather strap and buckle is a great addition-although the rep rubber is 98% gen like so again not worth it if you dont want it. all in all i think its all about perspective, in all honesty a great looking rep can be a superb one just by adding the gen dial and nothing else...in total that would be £200 for the dial and £180 for the watch-so £380 in total for an excellant looking watch...consider then adding other parts over the months ahead maybe? pros and cons of all aspects i guess-just like everything in life!

The value in it is always the build, come to sell it on though and youl be lucky to get a third of the cost back-despite all the effort and parts...definately franken if the watch is a keeper long term.the thing is though with the new style planet oceans coming out, the older original versions from 2006 onwards may come down in price even more on the used market...bringing them closer still to a quality franken. When you consider on some occassions you only have to maybe go 2 or 3 hundered quid more to get a used gen in the current market is a franken of this watch viable anymore? Don't get me wrong though, I have had 3 frankens and 4 oob over the years, so I'm not anti-franken! But ive spent enough money on them to have bought a gen!

that is the one thing i do love about the gen dial on the black one-the lume, like you said it glows even in daylight! and adds a another dimensions to the large blankness of the dial...but then a relume would add the same effect and cost alot less...but then the date window issue...ha, gotta remember to keep things in perspective though, and its right that if its a "grail" watch and you want the gen parts-do it, make yourself happy, and have something that looks amazing-if your just collecting, then buy it and wear and enjoy it as is its good enough for that. i was gonna write a similar comparison on the 42mm, one with gen dial the other with rep...but ummmmm there really isnt anything between them...apart from lume ofcourse its nigh on perfect, text is a little on the silver side but hardly noticeable or worth mentioning...would be nice if the rep 45 matched the latest 42 oob... i just hope this little write up helps someone and makes them think before as has been said "diving in head first" without thinking.i used to seriously stress about certain parts not being perfect but after spending the cash, comparing side by side and wearing each daily i have to say i wish id saved the money or sourced cheaper routes of getting the same look bamcky2k-wasteing his cash so you dont have to

cheers bud, the 45mm will always be my choice-but god your right about the new version 42mm-it really is almost spot on out of the box...the date window is correct, pearl is great, bezel colour on the orange is correct...it really is great, if only they could update the date window on the 45-but then the version before this of the 45 had the correct date window but had a happy feet logo! correct one thing then mess up another in return...as i own both the franken and non-franken i have to lean towards not bothering unless you get a great price on used parts-or go for the 42mm as it comes-but then the 45 is soooo big and sexy!

its genuine as the quartz version was never made as a replica watch, you can only get reps of the auto...

to franken or not to franken? what a question...is it worth the extra cash to buy and install genuine parts on the 45mm PO? or should you just wear and be happy as it comes-and buy yourself something else with the vast amount of cash you'll be saving? lets have a look.... now from the start of my watch obsession i've been drawn to omega as a brand, for the designs, the history, the bond connection and everything else thats good and cool about them-they just tick every box in regards to what i like from watches, and the planet ocean quickly became one of my top 5 favourite watches. the 45mm planet ocean rep is widely regarded as one of the best out of the box, it is indeed good, very good...but there are better straight from the go-the breitling superocean, omega smp chrono, tag aquaracer 500m etc are all closer to gen to start with, yet the planet ocean is so much more popular despite having more flaws... as pretty much everyone now knows, the upo (ultimate planet ocean) is great for accepting genuine parts-pretty much everything fits except for the bezel-but is it worth throwing money at the watch to rectify the flaws-especially as some of them are so small you would never notice? the rep dials date window and too small numbers/poor lume can be sorted by adding a genuine dial, great stuff i hear you cry! then you see the price of them new...£240 for the orange number version and £195 for the white number version (why the price difference? perhaps orange paint costs more...who knows??) thats the price of another great rep of your choice! especially as in use the date window isnt that noticeable-nor are the numbers being too small and you only see lume at night right? so no probs there really for daily use....BUT THIS IS ARGUMENT SIDE 1! on the flip side you get a real omega dial, with inset/boardered date window, perfect numerals and....SUPER LUME, and believe me it is super! one side would say dont bother not worth it, the other would say defo worth it because it looks amazing! after having both, i would say-im on the fence on this one, hmmm sure i love seeing the lume, the texture of the dial looks nicer, text is clearer etc but i still sometimes question myself as to if it was worth it. a quick one next-the hands, can be a straight swap if you have an eta 2824.2 or asian copy of, but in my experiance-not worth it, surprisingly even the lume is almost the same, size the same, looks the same so save the money...and buy- a gen crown and tube! one of the most popular upgrades it eliminates all the loose crown/stripped threads on tubes issues and is quite easy to do.looks no different mind, but feels different, buttery smooth to screw down and being so cheap it really is worth doing. so far then we have a 50/50 on using a gen dial, no to using the gen hands and yes to the crown and tube...what about anything else? crystal? straps? well...the gen crystal is superb, but again at almost £200 is it a pointless expense? remember that by now if you had gone for a gen dial, hands, crown, tube and then went for a crystal too you would be upto almost £600 with vat added (£780 with initial cost of the rep watch...) still considerably less than a gen PO but still a massive cost for what is still in effect a replica...add straps at around £175 for a gen rubber not including buckle or bracelet at over £480 and then you get close to a quality used gen PO, so ummm best to not go overboard! bezel, useless-unless you can machine yourself a ring to fit between case and bezel it wont fit...you can do what myself and others have done a bond it in place-but then you loose the function of the turning bezel...£200 quid for a part that doesnt work just to remedy a pearl thats a mm too low? nah, i'll put up with the pearl personally! ofcourse these prices are new prices, you can find cheaper used parts... anyway lets look at some pics, one is a franken, the other is straight from the box except for one cheap mod...but which is which? i will reveal all below... which one has the gen parts? yes it the black bezel one...but what does it have? could you tell? it has gen dial and hands, gen crown and tube (i aligned the crown so when it does up the omega logo lines up with the case-pointless but makes me happy...) and the buckle on the strap is genuine, the orange bezel one has an aftermarket bezel, apart from that its stock from the dealer...so looking at them both was the black version worth the extra cash? in my hand, on my wrist id have to say...I still dont know! sorry for a rubbish conclusion but it really is that close as to wether or not its worth it! on one hand you get gen parts, a watch you build yourself and one that looks well over 90% genuine to anyone-and on the other you have a great looking watch anyway straight from the word go and save alot of money... so there you have it-to franken or not to franken...its still the question, and as with all things comes down to personal choice, factor in cost, overall look your after etc and go from there! now the 5th generation 42mm...well thats almost perfection without any mods...but thats for another thread!

thank you all? no need to thank us...why was "thank" censore-oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh right, well [censored] you too

Sometimes dealers hide the watch in toy packagaing (or in big clocks like this lol) to to get through customs :-)

Bezel colour on orange 45 is abit too dark and numbers on dial abit too bright...also no inset date window on dial. The 42 orange on the other hand is spot on in all respects. As you have a black 45 why not get a 42 in orange? The 42 in orange does give an appearance of a bigger watch, I posted a pic of my 42 orange once and a few people thought it was a 45!

thanks buddy, had a feeling it would be different in a way it wouldnt work-luckily the 2836-2 date wheels are only what? £4.00 odd on cousinsuk so i'll get one from there next time i order

apologies for that! my mistake, was half asleep this morning and ment to post in general-my favourites page brings me to the omega area...so ummm...ignore this one!