Kollektor

Look a this!!! isn't it a beauty????

This particular model isn't available, is it?? Stunning.

Trust me on this. I have looked for myself for quite awhile. The DJ reps are wrong! If you want something thats nice and is almost correct purchase her a Chanel J12. I have one and its great. One of the best ladies reps out right now. The only other one that springs to mind is PP twenty-4.

Hope it helps.

D

+1 Good advice

Caveat: I'm a relative noob. I'd say ONLY go with hand winds if you're going to have 1 watch. The 063 is a modified ETA, and I don't care for the lack of AR. My favorites are the 177H and 111H. Dependable movements, solid feel. You can get modded versions that address canon pin and L Swiss L placement, fonts, lume etc. They go with a wide range of bracelets--especially the 111. You can wear it with a SS polished/brushed bracelet, SS brushed bracelet, rubber or leather strap. With each strap it feels like a different watch. The sandwich dial is really quite neat, giving the watch face an unusual character. They can be passed off as sporty, casual and even business. The 177H is more sporty and has fewer strap options, so I'd point you towards a 111H.

Only downside is no date. Still, these classics are my favorites. My own opinion, of course.

Those are definitely not Dunlops on the Chopard strap...

Typically, rep crowns are a little (0.1mm) thinner than gens, and/or have a more rounded shape that make them look thinner:

You may also verify it by comparing my watch with the first gen pic posted above.

Thanks for the great illustration. Very useful. Since you're a good teacher, would you be able to describe the difference between the rep and gen crown guards? People are always commenting about this issue, but I've never been able to see the difference. Thanks

Very very very fake and with those blury foto's you still can tell it's a fake.

The funny part is that he first says 111 but later on he's selling it as a 112

Yes, I noted that too.

I'm a noob, but from what I've read and seen...

1 Santos 100 Chrono XL with 7753

2 The PAM250 7753

3 PAM 111H or 212

4 Concur with Pugwash--Steelfish is awesome

5 IWC 3717 is pretty nice on a leather strap

6 The Scuderia is VERY accurate but unless you drive a Ferrari...

I'm far from a Panny expert, but I thought the G was supposed to have a sausage dial. To my eye this looks like an H rep - note sandwich dial and L Swiss L placement. Curiously poor photographs, too...

Panny on the Bay

Thanks All. I'm opting for tape now :-)

-That one will not open R0lex casebacks.

-It will open 0megas, though not the original tool.

-don't know about the other brands you mentioned...i didn't check the kind of their casebacks...

-can open the watch if you hold it in your palm (at least i manage to do it), but a case holder would be the "right" way to do it according to the specialists...

- I have no idea about the torque. I just screw the casebacks as far as they can go, thinking that that's enough...

...anyway there is no "torgue" meter on those tools so how would you measure the torque needed even if you knew the limits?

hope this helps...

Very helpful ,thanks. Doesn't sound very "universal" to me . Re torque, I didn't mean specific numbers, but rather how much leverage to apply--a yank after it moves no more, etc.

I sent him my PAM 176h to relume and upgrade the cannon pin. This was my first mod and I was very apprehensive. The watch worked well for a week and then began acting up. I sent it back and the end result is that he fixed the problem. In addition, he replace my sh!tty original crown with a better spare he had at no charge. He also tightened up my crown lever to make it feel more like a gen. I'm in sales and know a little bit about customer service, and I can't say enough about how good this guy is. His communication, response time and personal service are second to none. I will be a Flavor Flav customer for life. If you are considering watch service or a mod I highly recommend you contact him and see for yourself.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post. He did an excellent job and I want everyone to know how lucky we are to have guys like this on the board.

Yup, here's another endorsement for Flave. Did a perfect job on my 177h. The turnaround time was impressive.

Per The Zigmeister's advice in a post about caseback openers, I'm thinking about an LG Hand Wrench for Screw-Case Backs (http://www.tztoolshop.com/FB_Catalog_Case_Back_Openers.html). Basically just want one of these to tighten the casebacks to prevent water from entering. Who knows how much they're tightened at the factories...

Have a few questions for anyone in the know who wouldn't mind helping out a noob.

1) While this wrench is considered "universal," would it be correct to expect that it will open Rol, Omeg, Seik, Breit casebacks?

2) Is it absolutely necessary to use a case holder with the wrench, or can one palm the watch while torquing?

3) How much does one torque the case backs for "adequate" waterproofing? I'm concerned about stripping the threads with too much pressure.

I have a PAM tool which I easily used without a case holder, but then, the tool wouldn't slip in a million years since it's a perfect fit.

Thanks in advance for your help!

In response to several requests for a wrist shot:

In response to several requests for a wrist shot:

Thanks! That's the first decent wrist shot of the 100 I've seen. Have to say, it looks wonderful. Is there a pusher button on the left to change the date on the 7753?

Rmoved some oldies- there is a wrist shot posted on the other thread. Take a look...

-O

Searched, but couldn't find it :-( Mind posting the link? Found a closeup of it on the wrist where it look colossal!

EDIT: Found it, please ignore this post

That IS nice. Me likey.

I tried, but apparently with the other photo I loaded on the other thread I started in this section, I ran out of upload space. Any thoughts on how I could increase??

-o

I'm guessing that VIPs can upload more. I hope you find a way--dying to see if the Santos is just too humongous or a thing to be had...

Congrats on an exquisite watch. When you do your photo shoot for us, could you include a wrist shot from a little ways away for better perspective on the size? Enjoy!

OK- here's the specifics:

Yes the case is larger- it is for all intents and purposes, the correct size for the chrono- and it is a large and imposing watch. I am reluctant to say 1:1 after reading the thread in the 'misrepresentation forum', but it is pretty damn close.

Went to AD last night to finagle an OEM strap, this time successfully. Looked at a genuine, and now I can say the dial color is spot on. Really went over the gen, and I am really impressed with the quality here. This may actually be the most accurate rep out there.

As I mentioned earlier, the screws on the bezel have a slight variablility in their depth, only really noticable if you are looking for it (I was)

There is no AR on the crystal, but with a white dial, this is not as much of an issue.

Date wheel is flush with the dial, and the font is very close, if not the same as the original.

THE DIFFERENCES ARE:

1) The width of the pushers is off by about 2 mm from top to bottom, slightly changing their profile.

2) The band is not screwed in, but uses pressed in pins. This was frustrating, because the hole on the small end is threaded, and the 'head' on the large end is split suggesting a screw. This aint the case.

3) The gen chronograph has a small bevel around the cabochon (which is now just about the right color), which is not present on the gen non-chrono, and is not present on this rep- suggesting they used the same crown. Again, something I would not have picked up if I had not looked at the gen, and the photos in the Swiss Watchmaking Annual (FINALLY found the 2007!!)

4) Clasp is better than some of the earlier ones, but the gap between the two ends is more like an MG than a Bentley, if you know what I mean.

All in all, a very lovely watch, which I suspect will not get 'called'. As it contains the same movement as the gen, I feel I got my money's worth- and with the OEM band it is a truly remarkable rep. Service from Andrew was TOP NOTCH- Great communiction, fast delivery.

I will post pics as soon as possible.

Best,

-O

QUICK EDIT: Upon comparing the gen with the rep on my wrist (Told dealer was thinking of getting the two tone version)- and my comment about the width of the pushers is wrong. For some reason the photo in the watch annual is off- the profile of the pushers is virtually identical. I am tking pictures tonight, and will post on Monday. The exciting thing is that the OEM band I got is honey croc with white stitching, and it looks AWSOME with the stainless watch.

Wow. Great work, Flav.

WTH is a political consultant? I am lost here

Time to read some John LeCarre novels I suppose...

Are you all too new to Ducati to remember the Ducati Corse watches?

http://www.padiglioni.it/BreilDucati2002-0.htm

Yeah, full of Miyota Quartz movements, unfortunately.

What a slap in the face for Ducati that thing is. Egad. Anyway, in my own defense, I've been riding Japanese for the last 12+ years, although I suspect a 1098 would work mighty well for me. :-) Japanese sportbikes are the quartz equivalent in the bike world. Great performance, but I won't be wearing a GSX-R watch anytime soon LOL

gorgeous. I want to see one in real life one day!

To Kollektor: I second the ducati panerai... maybe something with some carbon fiber? I can envision it now.

I'm surprised nobody has done it yet. They already have high end luggage sets for Ducatistis--by Tumi. Certainly a luxury brand, and it would look tremendous in watch form. Now that Ducati is dominating MotoGP, perhaps the watch manufacturers will be more motivated.

Nice Audi, by the way. Amazing car. Re Bughatti, I saw one live and photographed it until my flash started to wear down the paint job. Even more stunning in person.

Just to bump this old thread... found a new shot of my favourite TAG.

Yep, I've been toying with the idea of getting on of these from my AD for some time now. Although a bit small for my tastes, it has a heavyweight, substantial feel to it. Very sporty, masculine and classy watch. I actually prefer it to most of the Omega chronos with the sole exception of the black chrono with the cal. 3303 with column wheel. The silver dial is also a looker, but black is the one for me.

It's the PVD 196 on a Ferretti strap for me today:

Whoa. Never saw one of those before. Suh-weet.

Welcome Ingvar !! Actually internet porn and owning mechanical watches are quite compatible - winding an automatic is all in the wrist movement !

I thought that was called "manual wind"...

Even a Paneristi would notice the fit and finish difference between rep and gen many seconds before any of the flaws we obsess about (aside from the joke of a crown guard the chinese insist on putting on the H series reps).

I know it's a bummer, but fit and finish is the easiest rep/gen tell and it's the flaw that will never get fixed.

The upside, at least when it comes to PAMs, is that 99% of the humans on earth can't even pronounce the brand name let alone assess where the L-Swiss-L is supposed to go. Flav bought the gen because he knows it's a gen which, IMO, is the only reason to buy a gen. A rep will fool everyone who doesn't know anything about watches, and nobody who does.

Wear it well, buddy!

Good points all... but could you point out the differences between the crown guards? I'm still trying to find the differences and thus far they pretty much look the same to me. The L Swiss L is one and only glaring difference that I can see. I'm hoping somebody will rise to the occasion some day and do a macro photo comparison.