Pix

A little support to the Scuderia!

They need it in 2007

Hi Stephane,

what about a racing strap on this beautiful Ferrari ?

Whatever they lost in competition, I still prefer a Ferrari watch to a Honda or Peugeot one... The sex-appeal is very different.

Sorry for the lame PS composition. Ferrari watch pic borrowed from TTime...

Fixed !

True that you can read a lot about this movement. At least we all know that the movement is a chinese Sea-Gull. I still had difficulties to understand the relation between Venus and Lemania, if any.

Updated on 29th june :

- withdrawn the Fila diver's watch : excellent finishing but 0 wristtime. Was some "sex appeal" missing ?

- added my newest Seiko Monster : the first "flashy" in my collection. Worth every penny. First shots with a black background. Thx PUG for the tips !

- updated the overview accordingly, with a larger resolution

New toy... Known and (hopefully) appreciated model from Seiko : the orange Monster (some call it salmon )

Did I forget to mention it's on a watchwinder ?

Still it's weird.

You gave the essential information indeed.

The "sans souci" thing was maybe worth noticing : a curious name for a movement, as it actually means "no worry". That sounds odd !

As for the Poljot watches and movements, I was recently surprised by how "expensive" they are. Just for fun and to add to my collection, I was thinking about buying one, and expected a chinese price level. How wrong I was...

At the moment I'm writing, the ST-28 still did not stop, whereas it's not been wound (winded ?) for more than 24 hours... Still waiting, we'll know more in an other 24 hours. I fully understood why and how the shaking (sic!) of the watch could lead to the seconds hand to move. But I do not expect what is considered as a side-effect to be a real feature. Strange movement. Let's wait.

Is this ST-28 reliable, as the ST-19 has a good reputation ?

Pug, thx for the translation

As it's keeping good time, I see of course no reason to send it back, that would be a pain. My question is more driven by curiosity than by anxiety.

GG, do you mean that this JL might be a hidden Poljot clone or something like that ?

Neat piece... What's the alarm sound like?

As for your watch starting with some motion (with the mainspring unwound)... The only thing I can conclude is that the motion is causing the balance spring to oscillate... I notice the same behavior in some of my manual wind watches...

Thx for the clue... It's really strange (I mean it positively), as some automatic movements have difficulties remaining wound even on my watchwinder.

As far as the alarm is concerned, I have just added an mp3 sound on the top of b16a2's post. That gives you a fair idea.

@RT : I have been hesitating with the Memovox too (Silix has it), but I finally went to the silver dial of the Master Compressor for "optical" reasons. I am always reluctant on dark dials when there's no AR coating. How is yours as far as light is concerned ?

Correct, that's an alarm model.

While I was saying "reacting", I was meaning that the seconds hand was really resuming the movement. Sounds wrong, I know. But that happened. I'll leave it on the watchwinder a few time and see if it stops or not (should normally). I feel stupid saying a watch with no rotor is running while shaken...

Mmm... everything looks tight, case open or closed.

I'm afraid I have an English language problem with "case clamps"

Hi,

I have just reviewed this fantasy JL rep.

I thought it was an Asian auto movement, as it is reacting when shaking the watch. But the lack of a rotor and the fact that it has a limit while winding manually seem to be confirming a handwind movement. But then, why does it react to shaking ?

Here's the movement

Strange for me to understand why it reacts to shake. I would surely be inspired to ask The Zigmeister's thoughts.

And here's how the alarm sounds like : alarm.mp3

Stephane,

have you become a fan ? Well, I'm terribly pleased by your remarks, as this means I might be some kind of good marketing man : make something look much better than it actually is.

Next watch might finally be a higher end one, as june is always a good month in my company

BTW, I like your JL too... Question of personal tastes I guess.

Hi,

this time I would like to share some shots of an other inexpensive rep I bought from Ruby : a Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor.

I mentionned this in an other thread, Ruby was very cooperative in choosing and providing the watch. I had some dollars to spend in a cheap rep (those who know me won't be surprised about the fact that I am mainly acting in that field, unlike today's trend for extremely expensive watches).

I first thought about a Quartz IWC Portuguese (to escape from the seconds @6 well known problem). Ruby actually returned the watch to her supplier, as the chrono was not resetting correctly. She also asserted that the watch did not look so good overall. Which is a thing I appreciate : I do not have the monopoly of good taste, and a dealer telling me his mind is a step which I am ready to accept anytime.

Then I made up my mind for a Jaeger Lecoultre : I saw a picture of one of the Master Compressor series in a magazine, and just liked it. Well, there are actually no high end reps for this Watchmaker. As I have learnt hating faux-chronos and dummy features, I came on this simple watch, which has one originality though : an alarm. Something unknown for me as far as mechanical movements are concerned...

All went smooth in this transaction and I take the opportunity to thank Ruby (I do it willingly when I'm satisfied, and I recommend Ruby for those who are afraid of dropshipped watches).

So, how is it as a watch ?

it came with a terrible (at least in my standards) brown/orange leather strap and horrible buckle. Obviously the first thing I had to do was hunting for an other strap (one of my favorite hobbies !). I turned from the orange one (still for sale ) to a more classy black and smooth one. I thought that the somehow retro look of the JL would be fitting well with a racing strap. 15 euros (a nice strap is not necessarily expensive) and 4 days later, it was mine.

Advertized as mineral crystal, the water drop test tells me it might finally be sapphire. All is very crisp and sharp and there are no unpleasant light reflections. A nice mix of polished and brushed SS. I think that the brushed part could be better. The dial is silver and the inner ring white.

The back of the case is really a nice piece of work and it's worth mentionning it as giving the watch an overall excellent aspect : there are deep and very well finished engravings, whereas you could have expected a cheap laser marking on such a price range watch.

The 3 crowns make the look original and somehow sporty. I can hardly define the general feeling : I hesitate between "seventies period", "old fashion" or "vintage", although vintage is usually more related to the preservation condition of the thing. Whatever the word is, that watch definitely looks different and original.

The diameter of 40 mm makes it fit perfectly on my small wrist. Also it's thin.

Digits and markers are lumed, and the lume is actually not bad.

The upper right crown will settle the alarm and also enable winding it. Don't expect a nice melody out of this watch, but the thing really works : you can wake up with a wristwatch if you want

The lower right crown is there to set up the time.

The upper left crown will have the inner bezel (inner ring) rotate. Well, it's too lose, I'll have to live with that.

I have not opened the caseback yet, but the movement is advertized as an Asian automatic. Obviously it is 21600 or less bph. Which is remarkable is that if you wind it manually, it will behave exactly like a manual winding movement, i.e. there will be a moment where you won't be able to wind anymore (I hope I'm understandable). I really had a doubt that the movement was really an auto. But by shaking the watch when stopped, it started again, which is the evidence of a rotor doing its job.

How is it as a rep ?

I'll do it very short : no idea, because I could not find a close enough model anywhere. I think that this JL is a fantasy watch, which however keeps the Master Compressor spirit/design. I wanted one in my collection, and here I have it. I would not advise the purchase for sharp collector, but I must say I enjoy wearing this new toy and I will definitely keep it (that's generally a good sign, as I know other watches that stayed less than a week in my watchbox).

Now my favorite part, some shots, I hope you'll like them.

Pix

and the wristshot...

(...) you are a true collector PIX, well organised and neat too (...)

You can't imagine how good I feel reading such compliments !

Two other watches on their way : a Seiko Orange Monster and a PVD coated UZI (Swiss Army style) : probably not so known, at least unknown for me until yesterday. Noticeable feature : it has Tritium vials instead of lume to glow in the dark... I can't stand waiting to see how one feels with radioactivity stuck on the wrist !

Oh...and for reps, I bought my first woman's rep...

... for my wife

God bless all those dealers who still can supply us with affordable watches and reps. The day they all will cost 400 or more, I'm afraid I'll have to go back where I come from : the real world...

Hi vbarrett,

normally you get the SLR on a leather strap, which looks average as far as the brown is concerned. I guess the black looks better, as always.

You can ask Andrew to customize your SLR with a TAG Link bracelet : I know he did it for some other members too. You'll have to pay some 10 or 15 dollars more, but it really changes the look of the watch.

True, the one and only SLR is black : however it has an auto movement too. In our case, I would not look for accuracy in replication, but rather in the best looking watch.

It also seems that a new model (with 3 days date wheel) is available with a rubber strap. JFYI.

The watches you mentionned have indeed most of my wristtime, including the 112...

I really respect the fact that true watch lovers can appreciate any brand, any watch type, regardless of their replication accuracy/price.

We're all watchlovers before being rep lovers, aren't we ?

Thx !

I would add the PAM111, despite many flaws

Updated June 22nd 2007

- withdrawn Audemars Piguet Maserati : I had (as expected) difficulties knowing there were some non working features on the rep.

That watch made a new member happy. And so am I !

- added my latest Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor : with an alarm ; yes, auto movement can ring !

- dressed my Breitling with its "summer" strap...

- updated the overview accordingly (reps in the black winder)

Today, cheap ass ... bad ass... dumbass? cheapo rep...

I'm sure the bampots just wanted to know if the straps are genuine replicas or just fake fakes.

It's true that these days, knowing the pricing of rep items, "we" might want to know if get the *cough* essence of Chinese high technology, or just vague cr*py fakes.

I recently bought (and resold) a second (third!) hand rep with an Asian 21J movement inside. It is more than one year old. Had no problem, kept good time and had more power reserve than other reps I own. So reps CAN be good.

I think we can include Ruby as "no dropshipper".

Here's my experience :

- ordered a Quartz IWC Portuguese

- sent me, as known from everyone, pics of the actual watch

- then second email : "sorry, the chrono does not reset correctly, I have to get a new one"

- finally we agreed on an other watch (as I changed my mind about IWC Quartz in the meantime, and BTW after some discussions with Ruby who told me that they don't look so good, at least not as good as on the pics from B9A I sent her to hunt the model I wanted)

- ordered a JL Compressor Alarm instead. Got actual pics before shipment.

Between my order and the pics coming, each time around one week.

Of course, that doe not mean that the watch will then work flawlessly (but who pretends to check in detail ?) At least you're sure to get the model you ordered, and not with messed up screws or an other colour stap or whatever obvious flaws you frequently see on dropshipped items.

Let's be honest, it's more than a fair behaviour in this business, no ?

Hi,

I had the same reaction.

Then I wondered : isn't it just a standard 7750 upside down, where "only" the crown would be put on the "wrong" side.