stang

Offshore, You're doing a really good thing, whether or not it gets appreciated or noticed. The poor sucker(s) who would have bought those reps on ebay may never know of the guardian angel who protected them, but that makes your "service" even more terrific! Well done!

Rob 1, I had this same question myself, especially after reading some of the things The ZigmeisterZumba wrote about mechanical watches. On one hand, I read that many adventurers/explorers like mechanical watches because they feel they are more reliable in extreme conditions than quartz. I also know there are certain models, like the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon, which can withstand a 7500 xG impact w/o damage. Then, I read a "The Zigmeister" article where he says slapping a watch into your wrist is like taking a sledgehammer to your cars engine!! Personally, I don't consider slapping a watch into my wrist as a lot of abuse. Dropping it from 30 feet, yes. Hitting it with a hammer, yes. A 2-foot swing into padded flesh, no. Same goes for the golf scenario. I don't consider golf to be a very abusive sport ... if a watch can't handle a swing of the arms, it's pretty darn wimpy IMO. I'm still getting mixed messages about the toughness of mechanical watches. Nanuq & epoch say their tough. Who, Phoband & robertk say they're fragile. (Note: if you can't play golf in it, it's fragile IMO. My quartz watches could handle slapping on my wrist & golf easily). I'm really glad I bought a rep. If I paid $3000 for a real SMP chrono and broke it, for example, skiing (snow or water) I'd be really ticked off.

Admin, I used the 2CO.com payment option to pay w/ my debit card as per your instructions. I did the 6mo option for $22 since the 1 year option was $35. I'll renew again in August. To all other members, If you don't have a paypal account, you can use the 2CO (2 checkout) option I used. It is very quick and easy ... just 2 screens to view and only 1 requires entry. PM "Admin" for the web link. Visa/MC/debit accepted. Slightly more expensive, but beats all that Paypal setup nonsense if you don't have an account already. My 2Cents. Upgrade your membership if you haven't done so already. Lets keep this site alive!!

Is there any other way to donate besides Paypal?? Even though I have about 50 posts have used the search feature about 4 times, I will be happy to sign up for a 1 year VIP membership ($30) since I think this site is awesome and want to help out. Unfortunately, I had trouble setting up a paypal account when I wanted to place an order from Josh. I spent almost an hour trying to create an account (still not created, I think) and I'm never happy about sending VISA# and other personal info over the internet. I used WU for Josh's order and gave up on Paypal since there have been recent posts indicating that PayPal has "blacklisted" RWG and/or its dealers. Can I send a personal check to Admin or use Western Union or some other method for payment? I really don't want to go through Paypal's endless screens just to send $30 and then never use it again...

Steppen, I believe the SMP 300M Chrono has anti-reflective coating on one side only (I read this here before, somewhere...). Correct me if I'm wrong anyone. Also, I don't know which side has the AR coating, inside or outside(?). Steppen, please let me know how the Superluminova re-lume work goes since I would be very interested in having this work done on my "Omega" SMP chronograph also. Same goes for the anti-reflective treatment. Also, how much do these services cost? I'm still trying to deal w/ the fact that I don't have tritium illumination anymore. I LOVED the tritium on my 2001 Chase-Durer before they went w/ superluminova. It's hard for anyone to understand how nice tritium is until you have/experience it. I could go to bed at 9:00pm and at 5:30 in the morning it was still glowing as bright as when I first turned out the lights. Thanks, in advance, for letting me know how the relume goes.

As for the "believability" vrs "appearance" comments, I think I agree w/ this analysis. As for people who look rich more often wearing genuine watches, I've actually heard that the opposite is true. I heard a lot of rich people wear replicas because no one would believe it's a fake. They either get a kick out of saving money when they don't have to or enjoy fooling others (would anyone think that the Rolex on Trump's wrist was a fake). Conversely, people who aren't rich may be more inclined to buy the real deal simply because they know others will probably question it's authenticity and they want to be able to prove it's real. (often by somehow steering a conversation toward the watch so they can talk about it). Unfortunately, I don't have any epidemiological data to confirm or dismiss this hypothesis so it will have to remain conjecture for now.

By-Tor, I did read your Guide to Best Omega Reps article/post, in fact, it was one of the first things I read when I found this site. I thought you did an excellent job of describing the various Omega replicas available and I found the links to other posts very helpful. Overall, I think it's a superb reference for anyone looking for a good Omega replica ... well done!! I agree w/ your water-use assessment. I will wear my 9226 the next time I go jetskiing or swimming. I'll wear the "Omega" in the rain ... Also, I have a lot more questions regarding mechanical watches and this one in particular which I plan on submitting tomorrow. I just need to decide where to post it (general discussion, omega forun, technical info/upgrades, etc). Regards, Jeff

I received my new "Omega" Seamaster Professional 300M Chronograph from Joshua (www.perfectclones.com) on Monday, following a very short 6-day wait from Western Union payment date. Here are my impressions of the watch so far.... LIKES: 1) Styling. This watch looks awesome! One of the coolest looking designs ever IM(LTH)O. The replica is very faithful to the real SMP except for the already noted minor discrepancies (bezel insert alignment, bracelet screws, date font). 2) Bezel. The bezel turns butter-smooth, just terrific. One of the smoothest bezels I've ever tried. I find myself turning it all the time just because I like the way it feels. Very sweet. 3) Features. Has all the major goodies I like; chronograph, metal band, diver bezel, luminescent hands/markers, automatic winding, screw-down crown/He valve, sapphire crystal. (Note, you can differentiate sapphire from mineral crystal two ways ... 1) sapphire has a pink hue to the edge when viewed sideways while mineral has a greenish hue. 2) a large drop of water will slide off almost completely leaving a few (very small, well rounded) drops remaining. Mineral will leave a large streak on the glass. Try it for yourself!) 4) Mechanical movement. The first I've ever owned. Smooth second hand(s) look cool as does the instant-reset chronograph. DISLIKES: 1) Size. Just a bit too big for my tastes (particularly the thickness) and I prefer large/heavy watches. Still, I'm starting to get used to it already... 2) Pushers. I wish they were the screw-down type like my Invicta 9226 Pro Diver. Those pushers have "nuts" which screw down to hold the pushers *out* thus forming a submarine-tight seal. Still, WR seems to be very good anyway. 3) Simple chronograph function only. Probably just the way mechanical chronos are. I do like the elapsed, cumulative, intermediate & split timing features of the Inv 9226's ETA quartz movt. 4) Accessories. Watch came alone, wrapped in a bit of foam, inside an envelope. No Omega or other box and no instructions. (also, no fake warranty card or COSC certificate, but I didn't expect these) 4) Bracelet Screws!! Forget the looks ... it took me 2 hours to take a few links out!! Three screws came out w/ no problem but the last one got stuck and wouldn't come out to save my life. After 30 min with 3 sizes of jeweler screwdrivers ... then adding plyers ... then a vise, it just refused to come out. I was very careful & determined but no luck. I had to saw the $%@#& link off w/ a hacksaw and vise to remove the pin. :yucky: Took me 1.5 hours of very careful cutting to remove the link/screw. Afterwards, I had to drill out the hole(s) to get another pin to fit through the link's holes since it would not slide through. VERY POOR design and/or craftsmenship!! If anyone else has this problem, let me know and I'll try to walk you through the solution. TO BE DETERMINED: 1) Timekeeping Accuracy & Adjustability. Now that I know how to wind it I can check the gain/loss per day. Hopefully, I can get it to within 5 sec/day on average since The ZigmeisterZumba says it's not good to frequently set the time on the Asian 7750's.

Marrickvilleboy, SportsterRider, Thank you guys for your feedback, it is very much appreciated!! I read The ZigmeisterZumba's articles about mechanical watches but they didn't say what direction to wind. They only mentioned that the Asia 7750 had uni-directional winding and couldn't be damaged by crown winding (article didn't specify if that meant winding in the correct direction or in either direction). Other searches for related topics did not enlighten me further. Yesterday, when I tried winding the watch using the crown, I did it from the "0" position (i.e. just after unscrewing the crown and before the date adjust [pos "1"] and the time adjust [pos "2"]). I tried going in both directions, slowly and carefully. Counterclockwise, the crown gave no resistance and made soft clicking noises. Clockwise, the crown gave some resistance and made no noise. Apparently, clockwise is the correct direction. The weird thing is ... the watch had stopped due to the spring being fully unwound, but after I wound the crown 25-30 times clockwise, the seconds hand didn't start moving right away. Only after I wore it for a few minutes did it start running. Maybe it takes a soft "jiggle" to get things running(?). However, when I got home from work it was still running, indicating that the spring had wound partially (note: I didn't wear it to work, just left it on the dresser). Glad to hear that the pushers are the same as the original. There was a review by Gioarmani indicating that this watch is water resistant to 300 feet (maybe more?...). I don't dive but have jetskied and swam in watches before so I'm glad to hear this rep is water resistant. I plan to make a separate post with my impressions of this watch so far. Again, many thanks for your input and help!!

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.

An update on my order from Josh. (so far I gave him 9 of 10 on website/collection, 9 of 10 on email response time & 9 of 10 on ease of ordering). Delivery info: * Placed order on Wed (02/07/07) via WU. * Received confirmation and tracking number from Josh same day (02/07/07) - (Was told by Josh to begin tracking on 02/09/07) * Received delivery from his location (will not mention where) yesterday, 02/13/07. (PO slip in mailbox since I wasn't home to receive package, I will go to PO tomorrow to pick up package!!) Thus, 6-day turn around time from date of order/payment to date of delivery!! I'll give Josh a 9 out of 10 for delivery. Note, I'm almost impossible to get a 10 out of 10 from... Kudos to Josh for great service so far. I'll let you know what the rep looks like when I pick it up tomorrow.

Frontin, As the Budweiser ads go ... True, True. Maybe someday I'll understand the reason for spending 500% more for a watch w/ the same quality and features simply because it has a well known brand name on it. For now, I'm far more interested in the features, looks and quality of a watch then I am with the presence of the words rolex/patek/audemars/breitling/etc. on the face. I bought my Omega 300M SMP asia7750 because I couldn't find a mechanical chronograph which had a similar style (I LOVE the look of that watch!) and water resistance. If I could have found an exact replica of the SMP chrono w/ an ETA 7750 and similar water resistance (200-300M) ... but ... was named something unknown, I would have bought it (and paid up to $1000 for it). I'm not into brands, I'm into getting the best "bang for my buck", which is almost always never the really expensive name brands. Hell, Rolex admits to creating artifically high prices when their products could be sold for far less and still turn a profit. Personally, I don't think people buy Rolexes, Cartiers and other big names because they're into watches. I think they buy them because they want other people to know they spent a lot of money on their watch. Sort of like buying jewelry that just happens to tell the time. More "show" than "go". However ... I must admit that I can understand paying 40-100(+) thousand dollars for the "Grand Complications" models. These are truly rare, unique, special, beautiful, exquisitely complex masterpieces of horological art. A rolex-quality "other-name" watch can be had for $1000. Not so for the Patek, IWC, Audemars, etc. grand complications. Only the extremely talented artisans at these companies are capable of making these types of watches. But rolex? Wow, who else could possibly make a watch capable of telling the time, date *and* the day!! Or their GMT model ... who else could possibly make this extremely sophisticated complication. Well worth the $7000.

Please stop saying the "I" word. I just got done reading about why I shouldn't be concerned about buying/having a rep. I don't like the "I" word. Thank you kindly good sir.

Just remembered, Steinhartwatch.com makes a Daytona copy w/ mechanical movement (factory modified ETA 2824 w/ chronograph function). Caliber has 50 jewels (25 from 2824, 25 from factory mods), 40 hour power reserve, 300M water resistant, screw-down pushers, automatic. 42mm x 16mm size, stainless w/ sapphire crystal. Price is $825 ... VERY reasonable for the quality & features if you don't care that it doesn't say Rolex. Possibly you can change the face to a Daytona dial (??). Unfortunately, small seconds is at 3-o-clock position, so, wouldn't be a very accurate copy. However, seems like a good choice if you want the look & performance of the Daytona and aren't trying to fool anyone into thinking you have an actual daytona.

Real quick.... Pugwash, Where did you buy your Pam 187 from? (chronograph w/ diver bezel) Very cool looking watch! Is it a real Pam or a replica? Also, why do people call them Pams and not Pans???? Pam is a woman w/ big taters who can swallow musician bratwurt whole or the cooking spray I use. Bigmouth, I agree, the Hublot Big Bang is a seriously cool looking watch. Your replica is an amazingly accurate reproduction (assuming yours is a rep). I've seen pictures of the case back and that looks pretty darn accurate as well. BTW, how is your movement working? I've read conflicting reports on the accuracy, operation and durability of the new 28,800 beat Asian 7750 movement. Ubiquitous, et al. For those liking the Daytona look who don't care if it says Rolex on the watch, Invicta makes a Daytona copy similar in most respects except for the brand name. Quartz movement however. I read a report indicating that it's almost impossible to get a reliably working 6-o-clock small seconds on the Daytona layout using a mechanical movement. Perhaps quartz can be substituted (oh horrors! ?? Yay!! ??). I have an Invicta 9226 which I love. Very water resistant, good looking, reliable, accurate & inexpensive. Excellent daily beater. Ok, ok ... not so brief. Sorry.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I'm glad I don't have to worry about mentioning that my watch is a replica. Just suffering a case of noobie paranoia after reading several of the posts concerning customs, dealers, servicing availability, unreturned watches, etc. I really didn't think anyone would care if I had a rep or not as I certianly wouldn't if someone else had one. I didn't want to have to pretend my watch was the real Mc-Coy knowing that it wasn't. Lies tend to spin a big web which I eventually get caught up in sooner or later. As others mentioned, I'm kind of proud my watch is a rep and will enjoy "bragging" about it being one. While I would certianly rather have the real deal (assuming, of course, I didn't have to pay for it!), I get a kick out of getting something which looks identical, has the same features and has similar performance (or can be adjusted/maintained to), for far less money. The same sort of pride people get w/ finding a really good bargain on something. I'm very, very, very glad I found this site. Just being able to locate honest dealers and find quality replicas is enough to make coming here more than worth the time. The knowledge, experience and contributions of the members makes it an even better find. The tech, upgrade, maintenance and how-to articles are caramel & fudge ... on the icing ... on the cake!! Awesome!! Thanks again everyone. Jeff

Funny, that's the first Pam I actually liked the look of! (Pugwash's chrono w/ diver bezel). Most of them just look so unbelievably plain ... like as plain as humanly possibly. Plainer than plain. Massive, huge, bigtime plain. That one looks pretty cool though. BTW, why are they Pam's and not Pan's ??

Thanks guys. Really. All this talk about customs, then talk about not talking about it, accounts of not receiving watches, links to web sites w/ info on counterfeit crackdown attempts, being careful what repair shops to go to, etc., made me a little nervous. I gotta start going to sleep at a normal time.....

I read on timezone that there are two easy ways to tell sapphire from mineral crystal. 1) When viewed from the side, mineral crystal will have a greenish hue to the edge while sapphire will have a pinkish hue. 2) The water test. Place a large drop of water on water on the crystal ... then ... tilt the crystal so the drop slides off. On the sapphire, the drop will slide off almost completely leaving just a few very small, round beads remaining. The mineral crystal will leave a large streak on the glass. I tried this on two crystals I have, mineral & sapphire, and it worked perfectly. Try it for yourself if you have both types. Jeff

A question popped into my head while I was reading the "customs, reps & you" & "horrifying story" threads. The question is: should I admit that my watch is a replica or not if someone asks? Although I had absolutely no intention of pretending my replica was genuine if anyone asked me, I'm now wondering if it's prudent to admit it's a replica. Personally, I don't care if anyone knows it's a replica or not. I'm not trying to fool anyone into believing the watch is genuine and I would NEVER try to sell it as the real thing. I bought it because I like the way it looks and can't find the same styling/features in another (affordable) brand. However, now I'm concerned about volunteering this info upon casual questioning for legal reasons. I don't want my watch confiscated or to be fined simply by admitting I knowingly purchased a replica. Even if the person I tell doesn't care (relative, colleague, friend, acquaintance), they may inadvertently mention this info to someone who does care and will try to do something about it. I'm wondering if the best course of action would be to answer something like: "I believe so" or "it better be...I paid $$$" and then try to avoid having to bring it to a retailer/jeweler if at all possible. I'm starting to think that I should claim I bought it from an out-of-state retailer making it impossible for anyone to check up on the source. (eg. "I picked it up when I was on vacation in Florida this winter. I checked it out and I'm pretty sure it's real ... it has blah/blah/blah, looks exactly like the website's pictures, etc.) Please tell me what you guys (and ladies) think. What have you said when asked and what were the ramifications, if any? I apologize, in advance, if this topic has been beaten to death already.

From Chronus.... I was trying to figure out what you meant, until I saw Pugwash's post count... :oHoly busted keyboard batman!! :o He must have some kind of prototype cerebral/computer neural interface that allows instant forum posting from thought. Or, a lot of free time.

Fredrik M wrote: "The gen on the left or the rep on the right?" in response to the Navimeter pictures posted. Fredrik, how can you tell which one is which? They look pretty much identical to me.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know where I could find information (stats, specs, pictures, features, etc) on the various ETA watch movements? I looked at the ETA web site a while ago but found that they only list the specifications & info for their cheaper movements (normflatline, trendline, fashonline, ecoline and normline) but not for their "premium" movements (Mecaline Specialities, Flatline and Thermoline). Most of the ETA movements I read about in high-end watches (i.e. Val7750, 2892, etc) are part of the "premium" ETA categories. The premium movements require a password for some stupid reason which I'm unable to divine. Why this information is a big secret I can't figure out. Maybe this info can be used to build thermonuclear warheads out of Walmart kitchen appliances. Maybe the movements contain NORAD passcodes for ICMB launch. Maybe this info can be used to build a 200 mpg engine which runs on water and Exxon is paying ETA to hush up. Hmmmm. Same question goes for other Swiss (i.e. Ronda - I found, Lemania - I didn't, etc) or Japanese (i.e Myota - I found) & Asian movements . Where can I find stats for these commonly utilized watch movements? I've become very interested in the various movements available, particularly the mechanical ones or quartz w/ special features (like perpetual calenders). It's an unfortunate side effect of my horolodiction.

Quote from Nouns Defions: "I think I got your meaning now. Are you saying that dishonest dealers caused a site like this one to be developed where we can pool our knowledge together to remedy the situation? On the one hand, it would be better if all dealers were more like TTK, Angus, Andrew and Josh (to name a few). But, being as things are, I agree that this website is a positive consequence of dishonest dealers." Nouns .... very kind words and the kid-gloves are appreciated. Actually, I'm guilty of a case of "newbie-enthusiasm" wanting to contribute *something*, without careful thought as to how my post would be interpreted. Post was related to recent personal experience and my situation probably would not have been much improved if the honest dealers here at RWG had "jazzed-up" their descriptions. Just didn't think things through. Quote from Tim: "Oy vey, you sound like me. I did the same thing. Unfortunately, I did bite on one of those sites. I fell into the replicacenter.com trap and got a watch from goreplicas.com." Bummer, my friend. I remember that %#!@*& replicacenter site now! Stupid jerks, I thought they were for real. I *tried* to do my homework but I was reading the wrong textbook. I feel your pain (mostly ... only because I didn't actually buy a watch (but only because it was Christmas time & cashflow was tight.)). $800 is a lot of money in my book. Getting mislead by a real schyster really sucks. Good news is that you never have to feel that pain again. You got RWG now!! "I do remember how I found these sites (both RWGs, TRC, and RWI)." You mean there are more excellent web sites like this one?!?! Great .... to a watchaholic that's bad news. I'm deep into my repli-horology addiction enough already!!

Willster, Thanks for the information. TTK's photos are actually the nicest I've seen. Too bad there are no specs or prices on the watches. Still, I wish all dealers had such nice (and *large*) pictures of their watches. Thanks again! :thumbsupsmileyanim: