This is my first replica purchase, but certainly not my last. I'm hooked, and my friends are catching on too. I just don't know what's coming next....
I had to buy the quintessential classic blue SMP as my first rep. I knew going into it that there would be flaws coming from the new generation, so I'll start with those. Most noticable is the missing hour marker at 3 oclock. I even asked Josh about this prior to purchase and he referred me to his pictures online which show the marker. Bummer. The bezel was also misaligned, that was expected. The hour and minute hands also have some rough looking edges on close inspection.
Now, the good news is that I love the watch. I'm glad it showed up at all and quite quickly to boot. It's overall look, feel and weight are excellent. I had no problems adjusting the band, but I don't know if I'll attempt the bezel mod. I'd rather live with it than mess it up. If I hadn't spent hours scouring this site I wouldn't have noticed any of it, so I guess it doesn't matter. When I have the money and if I actually care I'll buy a real one. I'll post pics in a day or two.
Thanks Josh and the entire community for all the insight.