archibald

Everyone should also keep in mind that removing the DW from this watch is no easy matter--the movement has 2 front plates, with the power reserve gears "floating" between them. To get at the DW you have to get at it from the back, requiring almost complete dissasembly of the movement, I believe. The second plate also has an additional cyclops glued in place which should be removed or the correct fonts will appear too bold.

... lost wax is VERY detailed, if there is a fingerprint in the wax, it will be cast in the metal when complete.

Wow...the possiblities are endless, then. Is there a size limit? Can something as large as a case be cast? As far as the threads, I suppose it would be easiest to do a watch that has a screw-in back, but maybe it's possible that the threads could be machined after casting w/o much difficulty.

I apologize for temporarily hijacking this interesting thread, but anyone who has one of the old Muller long island Crazy Hours will understand--that rep is 100% perfect, right down to the crown and caseback engraving, except they never made a gen in steel--all were either white, yellow or rose gold. That $80 rep could be made cosmetically 1:1 if the caseback engravings came out just like the rep--a 1:1 rep of $25k watch for, what, a couple grand?

I can't wait to see pics of the pimped PAM CG details when it's done!

Don't tell me it's time to start trolling the TZ Showcase?!

On TZ right now, the latest version of the Jaeger RDM, w/ transparent back, can be had for ~$1000 less than the cost of building a Daytona. If I didn't have the Master Hometime, it'd already be in the mail to me. Buy it and tell your mortgage banker sorry but you have your priorities after all....

Can anyone provide more info on Marc Ross? I believe I may be dealing w/ him...

We're just going to have to get over our ETA fixations and deal w/ the fact that next year 90% of our reps will be powered by different movements--If the chinese continue to improve their copies I for one will be completely satisifed.

Very interesting.....Can you go into more detail about the casting process? Are you casting the lever and pin too or plating one or both of them? Are you using induction casting?

I had an induction casting shop tell me that w/ induction casting every detail can be copied, including threads and engraving. If that's true, those w/ deep enough pockets could concievably make any rep in 18K---personally, I'd love to have an 18k Rose gold radiomir.

Forget the 2894's, or the rep big date 7750's and the secs@6:00 movements... How about repping a Piguet 1185? They can copy the 7750's, the Venus calibers and build fully functional tourbillons, so why not? An FP 1185 clone would open the door to many, many more possibilities...

I agree. Dozens and dozens of high end reps from almost every brand.

When will these people learn US import policy? They have to send the Rolexes to Saudi Arabia first to have them packed inside of crates of radioactive material. Idots.

watch looks good. But I still love the Bentley GT. Why can't they just make a good Bentley GT with bold day/date font and have the inner bezel rotate as well? That would be perfect. Let's go dealers...

Also some Zenith reps would be great

Many probably already know this, but I've confirmed that the subdial spacing is tht same as the 7750, since it is a moddified asia 7750, that means they may in fact make reps of 2824 powered watches using this movement but the tradeoff for the seconds running @ 3:00 will be bad subdial spacing and noticeable differences in crown/pusher position from the gens. Does anyone know of any 7750 based gens that have seconds @ 3:00? I don't.

Found this, which might as well be written in chinese to me but might answer pug's question:

"The Big Bang is powered by a...base ETA 7750...[with the addition of]...Jaquet module 8144, which enables its tricompax subdial configuration and...a quick set date. The movement is extensively decorated in house... [to]...include a circular-grained bottom-plate, polished satin-finish bridges with chamfered edges, black PVD screws and an oscillating weight sporting the Hublot colour scheme, made entirely of Tungsten and given a dimpled finish, also treated in black PVD."

Edits mine.

ok well after sanding the back of the case with a scouring pad, it seemed to remove a coating of some sort.. now i dont get a rash!! whatever was on the back of that case was causing the skin reaction. So there you go. If you cant wear your breitling rep then try what i did and maybe it will work for you. Im just happy i can wear my new watch for more than 2 hours at a time LOL

YAY!

That's great! About your wrist, I mean. I'm not so sure I like the idea of some unknown Chinese chemical being sprayed on our watches, though...

I believe the issue is .9 versus 1.2mm stem hole. Although you can get an adapter I believe there is not enough room between the movement and the case tube to fit in the available adapter.

Can someone be a tiebreaker? One watchmaker whom I respect tremendously says the .9 can be retapped to fit a 1.2mm stem. Another watchmaker I respect equally tremendouly says no f'n way. Has anyone actually done this, or tried and failed?

Some of you guys crack me up. Like there's a way to eliminate gayness.

BTW, I think the watch is a Chopard Luc Pro 1 Diver. ON EDIT: Actually, I don't. I didn't look at the zoom pic or the strap closely enough. It's a Cartier chrono. Oh, and BTW, you guys who don't like "gay" watches better get rid of those 187's because the flamingest designer on HGTV wears one on a regular basis...

no.

the gen HBB uses a 7750 with modified chrono module, this allows it to still have a quick set date feature and aviod having a pusher for the date on the case. a 7753 would be the wrong movement to install and would require a pusher on the case. Interesting to note: the navi (3,6,9) uses a 7753 and DOES not have a case pusher. you have to wind all the way around to get the date to advance.

I think that's probably one of the major reasons ETA scrapped the 7753--somone (can't remember which company--last month's Int'l Watch has a sidebar on it) developed a module that didn't create a gigantic date gap and kept the quick set date. The HBB is a 7750 w/ that module--there is a date gap on the gen, but not nearly as noticeable as the asian "7753."

If the tricompax 7750 The Zigmeister sourced is the 7750 w/ the "whatever it is module" it'd be really cool to see pics of it....

There are lots of ways to tell this watch is real. Aside from those mentioned:

The date font and mag would be different (easy to research how it would be different)

The crossbar on the capital "A's" would be lower

The crown guard would not be as nicely finished

The brushing would be less agressive.

Several of the above differences can be fixed--the crown guard and the brushing would be the easiest--but the "A's" and the date font/mag would be difficult, especially on this model.

But I sure hope I'm wrong and this is some new super-rep, w/ a 7750 w/ functional power reserve!

Actually I got so tired of waiting I concluded that the real procurable 47mm holy grail is the 194 with ti case. I do hope one of our dealers starts sourcing these.

Like Lennon said,

"I don't believe in magic,

I don't believe in I-ching,

I don't believe in bible,

I don't believe in tarot,

I don't believe in Swiss Submersibles

I don't believe in Jesus,

I don't believe in Kennedy,

I don't believe in Buddha,

I don't believe in mantra,

I don't believe in Gita,

I don't believe in Titanium one-ninety-fours

I don't believe in kings,

I don't believe in Elvis,

I don't believe in Zimmerman,

I don't believe in Beatles,

I just believe in Muller King Conquistador Chronos..."

i have talk about 18k swiss case

a Benzinger in steel can build for $3.500

i order a movement from Benzinger (he get me special prices 50% under list) and take exact same case, dial, hands set, box and strap like Benzinger. He bought all his parts from same german factorys like me.

That's a tremendous bargain--does he only sell the "Unitas" movements to you, or can you source the old pocket watch movements as well?--In the March Watch Time Magazine they had a picture of a watch he made from an old VC pocket watch movement w/ a sapphire dial...amazing. Benzinger would have been happy to make me one for 11k in steel. I'd pay 1/2 that in 1 second.

2 Watches went to NY. This is definitely the solid 18k Casa rep. All were originally from one source, a very small number were made, and almost all of them were sold via EL in the group buy. I would put the chances that this watch was purchased outside of the group buy at less than 10%.

If the lister of this watch is an RWGer, he should remove this listing within 24 hours.

Not cool, and it has the wrong box/papers...

http://cgi.ebay.com/FRANCK-MULLER-18K-CASA...1QQcmdZViewItem

Here is my next Gran,you shoud consider it JLC is not easy to replicate and ther looks are stunning

Do you know the ref # of that JLC, Dani? I've never seen the version w/ the blue hands...or is it a 2007 model?

I remember why there are may be more of these floating around than we think. Does anyone remember a flurry of posts a couple years ago about someone offering a few double button tapered bracelets? Wasn't davidsen--I just can't remember who--River, maybe? An Ebay seller? In fact, I may have that came w/ my second hand 111, since I remember the seller hyping it in his offer. I've never worn the bracelt, but when I get home from vacation I can check. The OP's could very well be gen, though.

A lot of members, like me, enjoy a 2 day delivery when I buy from someone in the states.

I think that's the biggest factor. After all, we're addicts and we need our fix now. As long as they're honestly disclosing every ding dent and hairline, I don't blame sellers for getting every dime they can--that's the way selling works, after all--but I refuse to pay for "serviced" movements, which I usually assume is just a way to make watches look like bargains, unless I contact the person who serviced the movement and they say "Yeah, I did it."

I can see paying a premium for modded watches--I don't see why mods have to be discounted along w/ the watch. If I buy an unmodded watch at a discount, I still have to pay full price to get it modded. So I'm willing to pay full price for a mod and even a little extra since I don't have to pay for shipping to a modder, wait a couple of months, and (since modders are human) worry that my watch is not going to turn out as well as the one being offered.

That being siad, there are plenty of bargains--you just have to compete with the people that hit the trading section 29 times a day and snap them up as soon as they're listed. My strategy is to choose in advance two or three watches I'd buy immediately, take a couple minutes break several times a day to do a quick search for those watches and ignore everything else--Sure, I've passed on a lot of very sweet deals, but I preserve my watch budge fir what I want most and usually get a bargain on whatever watch I'm looking for within a few weeks.

Couldn't agree more. It seems to me that people get caught up with how blue or purple their crystal is and totally forget that the whole point of AR is to actually reduce reflections and make your dial more viewable rather than add colour to the glass.

Before I started comparing in person side by side, I would have gone so far as to remove AR to change the color and/or to do 2 sided but now I just don't worry. In a business meeting, bar, on the subway, or elevator, etc. in the already rare instance that you run into someone who recognizes the watch you're wearing you might get called out not having AR on a watch that's supposed to have it, but you will never ever get called out if you have double instead of the gen's singe AR or vice versa--I'm purely talking on-the-wrist in real world situations not close inspection. And, as brian points out, the color varies so much in different lighht that it's even less likely you will get called out on all but the most stark color differences. That being said, if you are going to add AR to a watch, you might as well add the kind the gen has.

Spacing looks a bit of, what the gen uses? a big date 2894?

I believe so, although DD does make a big date module for the 7750. But I know of no version of the 7750 w/ date running @ 3:00.

Can someone transalte this?

"Sapphire Glass with light AR"...mineral glass w/ no AR right?

Status: Foreign International Dispatch

Your item left SHANGHAI, CHINA PEOPLES REP by junk on June 1, 2007. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

Status: Arrived in U.S.A.

Your item arrived, more or less undamaged at JFK Int'l AIRPORT on June 17, 2007. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

Status: Airborn

Your package was tossed, rather agressively, on June 18, 2007 by a disgruntled 3rd shift worker, at JFK Int'l AIRPORT onto a pile of similar packages at JFK Int'l AIRPORT where it will remain for some time . Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

Staus: Fallen and can't get up

Your item tumbled from it's location on the pile, skidding several feet along the floor at JFK Int'l AIRPORT on June 19, 2007. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

Status: Football

You item was kicked in the general direction of, but not onto, the pile at JFK Int'l AIRPORT on June 20, 2007. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

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Your item was stepped on by Postal Worker #234456, who weighs 247 lbs. (112.03 kg.) at JFK Int'l AIRPORT on June 21, 2007. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

Status: F***ed

Your item was tossed, rather agressively, by a disgruntled 3rd shift worker, at JFK Int'l AIRPORT onto a pile of similar packages at JFK Int'l AIRPORT on June 22, 2007 where it will remain for some time . Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

Seriously, no tracking for me yet.