TeeJay

I'd go for the Longines as well, simply because the dial, although having 'more detail' than the Tag, would be easier to read clearly and precisely

but not the same type of crown/CG. It would easy to knock off that crown and get water inside the watch.

That's very true. Of course, the original Submariner was lacking in crownguards, as is the VC Overseas (and that was the point I raised about the VCO when I reviewed it)

I agree. My statement did not make much sense

Again I think any Patek is just a very expensive piece of style. Even if it suitable for diving I'd not put $25K under water.

This was ultimately what my question related to, as if the Nautilus was ever actually seen as a diver's watch, or simply a 'nice watch which could get wet'

I don't think I agree with that. The DateJust doesn't have a similar style crown/CG and case.

The style of the case is not really what I was referring to with that comparison, but rather that the Nautilus and the DateJust feature hour, minute, second hands, a date window, and nothing else...

Although I agree the lack of a timing bezel reduces the usefulness of the Nautilus during a dive it is nevertheless a watch that you use to time your dives about 100M. I can't say the same of the datejust.

Why do you say that about the DateJust? Does it not have a comparable depth rating?

With that bracelet that would be hard to do however the Nautilus can fit under the sleeve. Most dive watches are too bulky to fit under the wetsuit and require rubber straps or complicated mechanisms that don't work so well in bracelets.

I suspect that the sleeve of the 'wetsuit' was probably the thinnest available at the time, if not even something rigged up just for the purpose of the advertising photos, much like how there were rumors of Sony demonstrating the 'pocket friendliness' of the Walkman, by having them demonstrated by guys wearing shirts which had larger than average pockets I quite agree, a Nautilus could go under the sleeve of a wetsuit, and most dive watches are too bulky to do that, but that's surely because on a dive, it is essential to be able to easily see the watch unobstructed, rather than having to push back the sleeve

I can appreciate that. Reg, you have always been in a league of your own, however you steer away from certain items (breitling 7750s, etc.), or simply may not have something at a given time. So what to do?

Maybe MR will burn out. Consider though, that we have trusted dealers on this board that burned out a long time ago. I can't beg a working watch out of them. Why then do we continue to make them the go-to guys? Why pay them the premium when someone else is willing to step up.

I had this conversation just today with someone who will remain anonymous, saying "If I can't get it from Reg, my next stop is MR, then Hont."

Reg, you might find it interesting that MR was able to get that replacement TAG bracelet for me, for the ladies TAG you might remember, the wifes Xmas present. Before xmas, and $20 less than my old friend Josh.

Sadly, it takes situations like EuroTimez to make people actually take notice of when a dealer is on the decline. The occasional negative feedback here or there, all the time there are still primarily positive feedbacks, doesn't really influence the buyers who are here solely for a watch, go as soon as it arrives, and play no further part in the community. They're less likely to realize when a dealer is getting sloppy, and as long as they still have vocal support, they'll still consider them a reliable source, which is a shame, as that's then when the stories of "I spent $$$ with Dealer X and got a load of DOA watches..." start appearing, rather than the folks who keep their finger on the pulse, stay abreast of who's doing good business, and buying accordingly... By the same token, a seasoned buyer is likely to not start screaming about a speck of dust on a dial, as they have come to appreciate the nature of the game, so they're more likely to fix a small issue themselves, rather than sending the watch back and starting a post flaming the dealer... Swings and roundabouts...

You mean diaperman?

Yeah

Can we wear a rep there?

Of couse, it'd be like going to a sci-fi convention dressed as your favorite character

Joking aside, what an awesome event, if I lived in the US, that's the kind of event I would make every effort to attend I hope everyone attending has a great time

Thanks for all the feedback, guys, I'd hoped this might be an interesting discussion I guess the Nautilus is more of a comparison in function to a DateJust, rather than a Submariner This was the feeling I'd had about the watch previously, but I remembered seeing an old advert, where someone was wearing a Nautilus over the sleeve of a wetsuit, and that was what made me wonder if it had indeed been intended as a dive watch, rather than just a 'smart all-rounder'

I've actually been wondering the same thing. I'm a huge fan of diver/tool watches, but this one has always perplexed me. The new PP ad campaign, however, helps to dissolve some of the mystery for me: "You never really own a Patek Philippe, you merely look after it for the next generation." With a picture of a wealthy looking man and his foppish, creepy, fay looking son. Not very tool watchy to me.

In my humblest of opinions, a tool watch is designed to have the tar beaten out of it in the field and still look sharp enough (albeit abused) to wear sipping a victory cocktail after.

I agree completely I wouldn't say that a Submariner was intended as a cocktail party dress watch (although decades of James Bond have given that impression) but they do look sharp... The Nautilus, as sharp as it looks, and, as tough as I suspect the watch to be, is lacking two things which I would consider crucial to a diver's watch, so that makes me wonder if it was ever viewed as a diver's watch back in the day

Just something I was wondering about yesterday, and never got round to writing, but I was just wondering if the PP Nautilus was ever considered as a serious diver's watch back in the day, or was it just looked upon as the watch of a 'corporate master'? I only ask, as, while I really like the design aesthetic of the Nautilus, the fact that it lacks a timing bezel and a diver's extension on the clasp, puts it out of the divewatch catagory in my book... Sure, it's a nice watch, obviously waterproof, but lacking in those fairly essential qualifying features... Can anyone shed any light on how the watch was viewed 30 years ago?

That looks fantastic While the bracelet link might not be as wide as the original, I think it looks quite okay I think once it gets finished and polished up, it's going to look really tasty

Very tasty, something like that would be good for a custom project

Looking sharp, R The coronet alignment has already been mentioned, so the only thing I would say, would be to bolden the font of the depth rating. Other than that, it looks the business

Glad to be wearing this favorite

That's a real beauty, congratulations on acquiring it

I agree with what FxrAndy said, sometimes, a modification post is of such skill or complexity, people might be so intimidated by the complexity, they may feel their only comment, if they even 'feel worthy' of forwarding an opinion on the subject, is 'nice work ' Something else to bear in mind, is the the APROO is not one of the most 'regularly seen' watches. Sure, they are popular, and really nice watches (I often contemplate getting one myself) but I don't see many of them regularly in the wristshots. I think had the same post been about modifying a Rolex Daytona, an IWC 3717 or an Omega Moonwatch, I'm sure you would have received much more feedback Don't let it get you down, you did an excellent piece of work, and have well and truly proven your skills

Looks good, it'd definitely be interesting to see how it looks in the flesh

That's looking pretty sharp

i used to have that problem too with all my pearls but member george loiz came to the rescue with him home made pearl these will not fall out as they have a thin base the is wide and the top thin part then slots through the inset hole he made these yellow in colour to match the yellow dial markers

with a glass type cover! i should get him to do me a cream/white one

here is a couple of mt watches that have been fitted with these pearls!

he has also done some customised colours like red ,black!

The pearl looks awesome, your bro does good work Is the pearl at all luminous? I think something like that might be a suitable solution for my Tudor subs, as it would prevent them getting knocked out of the insert

Thanks for the response.

I realize that a lot of people want the Gen to show off etc, but i can honestly say its me that is the problem. There is no one i know or would ever know, that could say anything about watches, they dont even know what a Gen costs let alone the fact that Reps are so accurate now. Even now, i dont ever tell anyone "I have a Rolex", i could care less, i have just always loved watches and the Sub is my favorite watch. Mentally i just find myself drifting more to the idea that, i have this Rep because its representing a watch i love, so why not get the real one? But my mind does wonder, i was looking at some Subs today online and some of these (not all) look exactly like my V2, so no doubt the Reps are amazing now a days.

When i first got my V2 i almost felt smarter and good then a Gen wearer because i had virtually the same watch without the price, i was proud i found a way (starting with the 100$ p.o.s rep) and ending up with BK who hands down is the best person i have ever dealt with as far as sales, and his custom work is amazing - but i feel like i can see the edge and i may want to take the plunge, im still looking though. Found a few on ebay that are ok prices but still in the 3500-4000 range, they are complete sets though..

Anyway i would love to hear any other enthusiasts mindsets about a Rep, very informative..

Any time If you say that you like that the BK Sub represents the real thing, personally, I would suggest making it a project and installing some gen parts. That way, you get what is essentially a genuine watch (maybe with the exclusion of the mid-case) so none of the flaws to bug you, you still get the ability to say "I built this..." if asked about it, and save about 50% of the gen retail price... If after completing the project you still really feel the need to get a gen sub, you could always sell it here, and would definitely get a worthy price for it to put towards the gen I just think, that as you've already got the 'best of the best' when it comes to Subs, the differences between the gen and the rep, rather than making you think "Yeah, this is the shit!" are just as likely to make you think "I paid that much for this difference in the watch?" and then make you regret the purchase, which would be a shame. Maybe you'd find a different variant of a Submariner interesting? Not necessarily a Tudor, but maybe a 1680 or 6200...

I did it with a deepsea pearl and after a while built up a nice high round glass like covering, one coat let it just about dry and then add another, as it drys it gets thinner i think i had about 10 coats at least

I'll give it a go and see how I get on I didn't want to get it too raised, as I'm hoping that being more flush with the insert, the marker might stay in place, rather than snagging and getting pulled out, which I've found happen with all my raised pearls thus far...

Wow, love all the comments!

I can say that i see both sides, i dont feel like its stupid to buy a Gen though, i have already explained why but they are expensive. Last night i tried to get my "rep mindset" back and i was doing a lot of thinking...if you own a high end rep with custom parts like my V2 - does your mind have to keep going to the fact that its "fake" i dont like to even use that word because i think its much more of a replica but when i would wear it i would sometimes get the feeling that i didnt have the real history or watch on my wrist so why am i wearing it? While so many of the problems are solved on the V2 V3, there are still issues. I know the the new YM from WM9 is almost "perfect" from what you see, so i feel like that watch would be easier to wear....i dont know maybe im just a stickler for details. Like i said before though, everytime i look at the Sub i think of when i was younger and saw my uncle wearing one and how awesome it looked, and even though it looked great, he still wore it diving. In my head i know i will get a Gen one day so why not now but i am taking my time, i could have bought one of them yesterday easily, but im still looking.

So if i can swing the discussion a little bit - what is the "mindset" of a Rep wearer? Do you have to look at all the details? Does it matter when you are still getting the same experience?

I have a Gen crown coming in, and honestly i feel like that is the only obvious thing slacking on the rep, its just a bit oversized, in the midst of all my Gen talk, i do think i could make the V2 about as close as you could get with some Gen parts.........still want a Gen though!

-Does your mind have to keep going to the fact that it's fake?:

No. Once someone gets their head round the fact that the general public who might see the watch will not care what they're wearing, they find they start wearing watches which they enjoy wearing, regardless of how they may appear to others (who most times don't care...) As you say, the word 'fake' doesn't give credit to how good these watches can be. Even stuff out of the box would probably pass as genuine to anyone who doesn't know watches. I think the terms 'forgeries' and 'reproductions' as they would apply to forged paintings are closer to what these watches represent, rather than just being 'fake knock offs'.

-What is the mindset of a rep wearer?:

Varies from collector to collector... Some people are happy to get a watch 'out of the box' and wear it as is, and will tell anyone who asks that it is a rep, some people prefer to build watches as projects (either accurately to an existing watch, or to a customized design) and there are also those who want to be able to lie to people and pass their rep off as genuine... (They have other issues which a fake watch is never going to resolve )

Personally speaking, I'm happy with an out of the box rep, but I do also like building a watch. As mentioned with my Tudor Sub, the source of the parts means that the watch has meaning for me. If anyone was to ever comment on it, I wouldn't try and pass it off as genuine, but I would explain that I built it myself. Something you need to bear in mind, is your age and income bracket. I know you've said that you could have afforded to buy one, but would a stranger meeting you for the first time think you could afford, or be in the position to own, a genuine Rolex? I say Rolex, because as a brand, it is so widely copied, that to the minds of many, Rolex = Fake. People are more likely to believe that your gen is a rep, than to believe your rep is gen... Could you deal with people thinking it's a fake watch when you know that it isn't, or might that make you feel that it was money wasted? Sure, the same people might ask if the BK is a rep, but at least that is what it is... If, on the other hand, rather than buying a gen, you were to start installing gen parts, if asked if the watch was real, or where you bought it, or even just a 'Nice watch, bro..." while you wouldn't be able to say the watch was 'real', at least you can come out with the trump card of "I built it myself..."

Pearl looks great TJ, have you given it a coat of clear nail varnish to make it smooth and also to protect the lume

I haven't, the marker is it's literally as taken from the dial, and just glued into place in the insert, but thanks for the tip

With it's new movement, this won't be coming off my wrist any time soon A big thanks to FxrAndy for such an awesome gesture of not just one, but two new movements :drinks: I'd read a while back, the tip of using a Sub dial marker as a replacement pearl on an Omega Planet Ocean. I decided to give it a try on this

I think it looks okay, and, being more recessed than the usual Rolex pearls, I'm hoping it won't snag and get pulled out :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Sorry I missed it on the day, but happy birthday, amigo, I hope you had an awesome day :drinks:

Thanks teejay i was expecting your response here! and besides its true we may get bored quickly with a gen and regret all that money gone on a watch!

our hobbie and fun is from getting our reps looking like the gen, and appriecating all our efforts, when you got a gen where do you go from there?

of cause this does not apply to vintage subs! its like a house its one thing buying a house and moving in and another if you built it all my yourself! this adds sentimental value to it!

Any time, bro I think you're spot on with your point of 'where to go' with a gen after buying it. Sure, an inherited or gifted gen would have sentimental value, and a purchased vintage at least has it's past adventures to be interesting, but a straight up purchased modern gen, that's just 'another watch'... Projects are always fun, and definitely result in a strong connection to the watch, but I accept that not everyone's into projects, and just wants something nice 'out of the box' I think a BK Sub will provide everything a gen sub would provide 'out of the box', except for the bill at the AD