gasebah

+1 That could well be my first B&R.

That to me looks like a kind of transportation lock. Not something IWC would spoil their gorgeous movements with.

You are correct regarding the justification thing. But now you got me interested. Can you point me to the displays you are referring to?

I am a bit puzzled now as I have not seen it on any of the pictures of the gen movement. There is a video review of the 5007-02 here. I cannot see it there (5:50) for example. Or here: http://www.uhren-miquel.de/IWC-Portugieser-Ref-5007-05_art_7570_de.html

Thanks guys for giving me back my peace of mind. :-)

I must say that I really appreciate the new approach to decorate the movements. But what the f*** is this terrible piece of metal on the center of the rotor? That absolutely ruins the decoration for me.

You are right mate. Here is a photo from 2014 that shows exactly what I am talking about. Escapes me why I never noticed it The distortion, yes, but not these strange artifacts. Talking about the dot over the 7.

>>Are you sure its not an issue thats always been there and you have only just noticed it or taken more time to study it recently and the perception has grown...I know it sounds daft but the mind and memory can play tricks on you...<< Thanks Pete! Quite frankly that may well be the case. I have a lot of watches and the PAM 243 did not get much wrist time over the last few months until I rediscovered her lately. I looked into this a few days ago when I suddenly discovered a brown spot in the cyclops area. I wanted to polish it off until I realized that it wasn't a spot but some kind of odd reflection. Since then I have discovered all kinds of irregularities. May be I am only in the process of loosing it. It is hard to not get nuts in this hobby.

Hats off to you Sir. Excellent work and nice tutorial.

And BTW, we are not talking "fakes" here. We are talking "replicas". :-)

Hi guys, I have a Noob 243 since maybe two years, Somehow in recent weeks the date loupe seems to degrade. The distortion seems higher than it used to be, and I see some odd reflections. It is kind of a "know you see me, now you don't" thing, so I am afraid I cannot even grab it in a picture. I cannot put my finger on it but it seems that the loupe has loosened itself a tad and is somehow floating below the crystal. The question I have: Does the Noob take a gen crystal, or is there any good quality after market crystal that will fit the case and date window. -Alex

OK. There is varnished wood all around. I checked a lot of photos and serial references on the net. It is the correct box for a 2003 16622. The insert maybe after market though. I cannot say for sure. But if it is a rep it is good enough for me.

I will check. But it would really surprise me as the guy is a trusted seller at ebay, with 100% positive ratings. Nevertheless even these guys get scammed every once in a while. Maybe he did not have bad intentions. But me....don't mess with a guy that is officially not sane....

Well it wasn't £100 but 100€. Nevertheless too much for a rep box. Can you point me to the flaws that make you recognize this? As the seller is quite accesible to me. And when it holds true that this is not a gen box I will raise hell with him.

Bought this the other day as a home for the TC Yachtmaster I have in the queue. 100 € for a box and some cloth to put a fake watch in. Sometimes I ask myself if this is sound behaviour for a 50 year old grown up with a decent job and a family. Can someone assure me I am still sane.

I checked with Denimhead. I hope for a positive answer. Phong is expensive and sending in and out of Germany to someone outside of the EU is impossible. Our custom guys are bloodhounds. No way to go without triangular.

I would like to have my sterile 6538 case engraved. Does anyone know a trusted member in Germany or EU who can do it? -Alex

And yachtmasters...:-) I ordered one.

A friend of mine is looking for a christmas present watch for her husband who is also a long time friend of mine. He is more kind of a one watch guy, so reps or watches in general are not his hobby. I was thinking about a Noob PAM 111. It is offered as a standard version and as a swiss ETA 6497 version. Since it will most probably be a daily beater I was thinking swiss. I know that if you are talking 2824 or 7750 it makes no sense as the swiss movements are usually old stock or hybrids. But what about the 6497? Will it be a "real" swiss movement and worth the extra cash?

A point that I'm sure our parents and grandparents have made as well. I think that Pete's point is correct but not necessarily a generational thing. I guess the disinhibition has more to do with the anonymity and social disconnection that is produced by the internet. Without social control many people have problems controlling their impulses and start acting anti-social. This phenomenon is neither restricted to a younger generation nor is it new. Once people have learned their new "skills" and their new "self-consciousness" they also try it out in the real world. Sad!

Of course I wasn't referring to you Ken. But just to give an example: "The best Rolex Vintage Sports range ever replicated. Surpassing all previous replication from whoever!" That is the description of one of our TDs for an ok 1680.

I think a big part of the equation is the exaggerated 1:1 marketing approach not necessarily from the TDs but all over the internet. That said some of the TDs do it as well. If you read some of these descriptions you get the impression that the reps are better then the gens. A more honest approach and a hint here and there to the flaws and inaccuracies might help. The way TC does it e.g. when he points out that the bezel operation of the new YM falls short compared to its gen counterpart. I understand that it is hard for the seller given the fact that his priority is to sell.

That was funny. Unfortuantely it is only for those of you who speak German....Sorry.

My name is....well you get the picture....

+1 on the displex