SportsterRider

The SMP Chrono can be tricky to manually wind. It seems the crown disengages easily when winding in one direction. If you go back and forth, it'll work better.

As far as the Chrono pushers, the genuine SMP is exactly the same. They are not screw down like a Daytona. The knurled shoulders are for appearance to match the crown.

SR

First off, how the heck do you wind this thing using the crown?? Which unlocked position (0, 1, 2) do I wind from and in what direction and how quickly?

Two, (for those that have the real SMP chrono) doesn't the real SMP have screw-down chrono pushers? Mine has "faux" screws which don't do anything. Thus, you can operate the pushers w/o unscrewing the nuts which typically clamp the pushers shut (out).

Thanks, in advance, for any help people can provide.

This is another I'd be interested in..

SR

I never admit that my reps are reps, but I haven't been asked "hey, is that genuine" before. So it's not like I'm going to volunteer the information. Very rarely does anyone even notice what's on my wrist anyway. But the few times that they do, I let 'em believe it's a gen. Otherwise, what's the point of owning a rep? There are lots of quality watches at the ~$250 dollar price range that aren't replica's. So if it's a matter of trying to find something of quality at this price bracket, there is plenty to choose from that aren't replica's. But I also don't own replica's of timepieces that I will never be able to afford. Most of the reps I own are relatively modest and a couple of the reps I have, I've owned the gen before as well. In other words, I own replica's of watches that would match my means.

My fiance' and I were at a jewelers this past weekend to get a ring of hers sized. While they were working on the ring, I looked at some of the watches they had in the case. Now, this isn't an AD for Rolex, but they had a number of them in the case (pre-owned). I had my LV rep on at the time and was looking at the Daytona they had in the case. When he saw my LV, he was quick to comment on how nice it was and asked if I wanted to try the Daytona on. I don't know about the rest of you, but I was and wouldn't be in any hurry to announce that my LV was a rep! If he was being polite and knew that it was a rep, great. But it's also possible that he believed it was a gen. In that case, why would I want to announce that it wasn't?

Among the VERY few people I know that buy/collect replica's, it's a different story. In those instances, it's fun to discuss what we've acquired recently whether it's a rep or a gen.

SR

I'd heard before that Omega's customer service was tops. Good to see that it's still true and glad to hear that it went well for ya. Enjoy it!!

SR

UPDATE

Hello All,

I decided to contact Omega aftersales to find out where to send the watch. I shipped the watch from Ohio to Omega's factory in Bienne, Switzerland on 12/27. I was so worried about it getting there. I was fully aware that the service would be at my cost, since the watch had no warranty. The watch arrived in Bienne on 1/3/2007. I contacted them about a month later as I had heard nothing. After some emails back and forth I was contacted yesterday with an email that said my watch would be returned by the end of this month. Omega fixed the watch for no cost, not even the shipping back to the US.

I am so impressed with their service! They also attached a 4 page pdf file describing what services were performed on the watch. The watch was given a full sevice and the case/bracelet reconditioned. The watch was then fully tested to specs (which I would suspect to be COSC), before being shipped out. I will be an Omega customer for life!!

I'm not an expert, but it looks like the date is sitting a little low in the window, plue the upper CG looks like it's been shaped/worked. Also, are the TT Subs supposed to have a maxidial? The hour indices look more like an LV or Yacht vs the standard size?

I'm gonna go with rep.

SR

Im no expert but for a $149 I would not expect much. Something Ive noticed with all these cheaper subs is the is the poor print quality on the dial and date wheel.

The dial print on my So-Called LV is excellent. I think it's one of the strongest points of the watch myself. As others have mentioned, there simply isn't a 'perfect' Sub out there. This one is no different. The rehaut is too shallow, the crown is a bit too big (but is one of the nicest crowns I've seen on a rep functionally), date mag is a bit weak (not quite 2.5x) and the case dimensions are slightly smaller than a gen (lugs are a tad thinner than gen, and the case thickness, minus the case back, is slightly thinner than a gen).

The good points of this particular piece are case finish/construction, band construction, dial print and the ETA movement. The crown guards are probably one of the best out-of-the-box you'll find. Mine runs ~+3 a day and has a solid 40+ power reserve. It was also evident that the seals had been oiled on mine as well. Whether that means there was any service done to the movement, I don't know.

Overall, I think it's the best sub-$150 dollar sub out there.

pm eddielee. the one i got from him i thought he sent me a gen! BTW the bracelet is much better then the one on your SMP chrono. it has correct pins/rollers and perfect fittting clasp. fit a genuine dial and crown and your good to go with that one!

Thanks Flav! Actually, I've got one coming from a member that was originally purchased from Angus. It's the older version with pins/rollers in the band.

Can't wait to get it!

Thanks again,

SR

I really wouldn't be overly concerned about the missing 3 o'clock marker (although, if that is how they're all going to be from now on, it'd be nice to see the pics updated). If I thought I was going to keep the watch, I'd just buy a gen dial for it. As long as the case, crown and such were accurate, I'd be happy.

Nice watch!

SR

That's sharp! I'm not real familiar with this brand, but looking at these pics has piqued my interest!

SR

Good info guys. I would imagine that this would be a topic of particular interest for folks who buy beat up genuine pieces with the intent of restoring them. I see a lot of worn/beat watches on E-Bay from time to time. If you can get one at a reasonable cost, bringing it up to snuff using aftermarket pieces could be a lot of fun. But if you had to send it out to get the work done, it looks like you'd have to take similar precautions that you would when dealing with an outright replica.

Thanks for the replies!

SR

Count me in!

After reading about Flavor Flav's buddies problem, I got to thinking about what makes a replica a replica. Is it the case? The movement? The band? What if you have a genuine case and band, but utilize an ETA movement with a gen dial? Or, a gen case, but a rep dial and an ETA movement? Or a replica case, but genuine movement and dial? I have heard of independent jewelers replacing damaged movements with ETA's for folks who don't want to pay whatever premium to get the original movement fixed or replaced. Would a watch like this be 'seized' if it were to be looked at by customs?

At what point does a watch have enough gen parts to not be considered a replica, or in violation of trademark/copyright?

http://www.rolex.com/en/collection/rolex-g...eller/index.jsp

... or even ... http://www.rolex.com/en/collection/rolex-g...iew.jsp?model=1

Ahh, there it is. I went under the Extraordinary Watches section and didn't see it. Thanks!

SR

Does Rolex no longer make the Seadweller?

I'm not a fan of using glue either. If/when I do a job like this, I'm going to try the epoxy route. Seems to me that, with a dremel, you could cut the feet off the dial, place them in the movement, put a small dab of epoxy (jb-weld, or something like that) on the dial side of the feet and then place the dial on the movement. You could purposely place the feet shallow in the movement to be sure that you get good contact with the dial. When it's done setting up, it'd be as strong as you would ever need it to be and it'd be much easier to work on in the future.

SR

I've been scouring this site since Dec looking for thought on various watches. One of the pieces I'm most interested in is the SMP - the Bond watch. I've read By-Tor's guide, numerous testimonials and have first hand experience with my SMP Chrono and my own purchase of the So-Called Perfect LV to help, but I still haven't found anything definitive specific to the Bond SMP.

Who has the best version of the Bond SMP? I'm not concerned with saving money as they all seem to be within 25-50 dollars of each other. What I want is the best version out there and I guess I'm looking for opinions from some of the folks here who I've come to find have impeccable credentials where getting a 'good' watch is concerned.

I've heard that some of the SMP's are coming with the 3 o'clock marker missing, or an incorrect date font, or a case that isn't dimensionally correct. I've also heard of versions (not just ones from the closed factory) that are as close to 100% as one could reasonable expect from a rep.

So which of the dealers that we work with on this board seem to have the best rep of this model? If you'd rather not come out and state on the board who you like the best, a PM would be much appreciated. After weeks of researching this, I keep finding myself back to ground zero - which one to buy? I had a great buying experience with my LV and am considering going back there for the SMP. I'd just hate to do it and find that I didn't get the best version, ya know?

Thanks so much for any insight you folks can offer. It's VERY much appreciated!!

SR

Beautiful! The lume looks awesome!

Nothing about this thing looks right to me. The dial looks horrible, the bezel insert looks to not only be the wrong color, but is also not aligned correctly.

Also, the movement looks like a 2824/36 with a different rotor.

What do you guys think?

SR

http://tinyurl.com/283joo

My reps are my daily watches. For about 5 years, my TT Datejust was my every day watch. Lately, I've been alternating between my Paul's So Called Perfect LV and the SMP Chrono that I picked up from Flavor Flav as I've retired the Datejust to dress-up occasions.

I've got two Seiko 5's that I wear once in a while, a Bulova Millennia that I wear probably twice a year and a a Seiko Chrono that I might wear once a year.

My reps, thus far, have all been fantastic timepieces. They keep excellent time (especially my Paul's Sub - it runs about +1 a day!) and have held up, physically, as well as any watch I've ever owned.

Wow. That Panerai is huge! Nice collection!

Nicely done, Joe. I'll bet your dad is enjoying the "reunion", especially since it came from you. My dad is also a watch nut (he's the one who got me into the hobby back in the early-mid eighties) and I just bought him a watch case/watch winder for his birthday.

It's always nice to be able to share a hobby with "the old man"!

Possibly the worst sub replica i have ever seen:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROLEX-SUBMARINIER-GE...1QQcmdZViewItem

Superglue to fix the 'strap'?

1) So-Called Perfect Sub (LV)

2) Wo-Mart/Paul

3) Yes and yes

Of course, it doesnt' mean too much coming from me as I've only been on the board for a short time. The first good rep I bough was a TT Datejust back in 2000. It was a daily beater for 6+ years until recently. For what it's worth, it keeps perfect time (ETA 2836/2) and looks as good as the day I bought it.

Oh its nasty over here. I'll answer the question. Eddie Lee lives in Canada but does not ship from Canada. You can PM him and see what he can do for you. Belial over @ RWI ships from the U.S. Drop over there and see what he has.

Sean K

Looks like Belial closed up shop due to customs issues.

Which brings me to a question regarding shipping (specifically to the US)... Say if we did request a watch, and it was stopped by customs... can't we deny the whole thing and not reply to the letter that customs sends to us? Whats the worse that can happen? Whats the penalty for getting rep watches in the US?

I also agree with you on that one, we truely need to go be more low key espically on search engines and so on...

I had one watch seized by customs a few years ago (shipping from Portugal) and got the 'letter'. IIRC, the letter stated that if I didn't reply that the watch would be destroyed (which I didn't, so I assume it was). So I don't think there is any concern about getting "busted" for buying a rep. Selling, yes. Buying? Not so much.