Here is my order of importance for a good franken:
1. Sapphire Crystal is first on the list. The sapphire almost gives the dial a murky look, and clarity of the dial under the gen crystal is night and day. I opted for the Gen crystal. Chief AR is nice, but I think it still has its flaws. You save about $70, but there is a long wait time, and sometimes he just doesn't respond.
2. Dial - While some of the earlier rep dials are good the lume on the gen is a monster. I pit it against a Panerai any day. Re-lume from Vac and you get the same results, but again there will be a wait time and the cost in saving is insignificant to having the gen with no flaws.
3. Hands - Same argument as dial regarding luminosity.
4. Crown and Tube - Eventually the rep will fail, and its best to get this out of the way
5. 2824 Datewheel - Completes the look
Optional Mods in order of importance:
5. Bezel - The bezel is expensive, and I think the rep isn't so bad after a simple mod.
6. Bracelet - Really hard to distinguish between gen and rep unless you had a gen next to you to compare. However the end links are not up to snub. There will be a small gap. The second flaw is the diver's extension. I have been lucky to have a pretty tight one, but I feel it will eventually give after a few years of wear. The engraving is definitely thinner and not as deep, however I can look past this.
7. He Valve -