TeeJay

To me, the branding is just a detail of accuracy. If that's how it should look, that's how it should look, nothing to do with passing it off as the real thing, and I don't think any of the long-term members of the community would ever even consider doing such a thing. I prefer sterile homages over the branded clones like Alpha watches, simply because they true to the spirit and aesthetic of the original, where the branded clones really have just ripped off an existing design, tweaked a few details so as not to get sued, and then slapped their own branding on it. To me, that's not creativity, and morally worse than something which is (intended to be) an actual reproduction in every way... Interesting topic of discussion, thanks for raising it

Precisely I agree entirely. Even buying reps without plans to modify has that same 'bought it... Next..." feeling as it's just a purchase, irrelevant of cost or provenance. But coming up with an idea, mentally stripping it down to get the recipe and then searching for the parts, that's the real fun

As I've mentioned many a time, for me, I simply don't feel that gens are worth the price tag (a philosophy which extends throughout my life from the clothes I wear, to the food I eat. I rarely, if ever, go 'brandname' rather than generic, and I consider reps as a way of getting a nice watch at a reasonable price. I think there's a difference between buying something (anything) out of the box, and buying parts or modifying an existing product, and while not everyone who gets into the hobby goes down the modding route, I feel for those who have a true passion for watches, for many, it is an inevitability, as I was discussing earlier with Deniz21, so I'll re-post my thoughts here: With watches, I've never let myself get too hung up on the 'little details', and just enjoyed them for what they are. The only rep I've intentionally modded as I wasn't satisfied with it 'out of the box', was my 1655 McQueen Explorer, as when it arrived, the dial had no luminous paint, and the 24 hour hand was a kind of wheat-yellow. The color of the hand I could have ignored, but a watch with no lume is no use to me, and I figured as I was going to have to take the hands off to lume the dial, I might as well tint the hand a darker red (as per the model with the luminous dot on the second hand) while I had the hands off Of course, I still don't actually wear the watch very much at all. I just don't like it as much as I thought I would, so I just keep it as a 'spare'

I think I know what you mean, I used to be it two minds about the mix between Roman and Arabic, but, it's a unique aesthetic, and I think once appreciated, it's a winning look My plan may take a while, but I think it'll be worth the wait

I think it looks great The engraving of the gen is thicker in the filigree, and in a side by side, yes, noticeable difference. But. If the rep was being viewed in isolation, I think it looks fine, and certainly better than just the engraving. I see what you mean that without paint it is less noticeable, but I think in terms of modding to bring closer to gen, I think it's making the best of the situation

I don't think I've seen this mod performed before, but it looks really good

I haven't seen a Cali in a while I have plans

We went out earlier for one of my best friend's birthday, and a mutual friend, who is also interested in design etc, almost as soon as he joined us at the table, commented on the watch Lang: "Is that the watch you built yourself?" Me: "Yeah..." Lang: "Cooooooool....!" Me: Always nice to get complimented on a watch. Ironically, the friend who's birthday it was, was the person who commented on my 029a when we were in a bar and she grabbed my wrist to check it out

That SuperSub still looks the business

That is nice Always a fan of custom work

No change from me, but I felt the need for a new photo

Maybe it was a gift from a pilot

Wow, that looks really clean I think there's something to be said for blue accents as well on watches

And threatened Admin. He's been banned from all the forums, that says all that needs to be said about him.

Very nicely done indeed

+1

The 'happy accident' is still on my wrist Strangely disconcerting watch to wear, as there's absolutely no indication of if it's actually running without a second hand (at least a base PAM ticks enough to be noticed ) but I do like the clarity of the dial I was never over-keen on the B&Rs, but this watch might just convince me to pick one up so I get water-resistance

Not quite a wrist shot, but this is what's on my wrist... It did originally have a second hand, but it vanished down the side of the sofa... The watch had no lume, so I did the hands and dial, only to find that the hour hand was set so close to the dial, it could not clear the applied lume, and bending the hand to gain clearance, and thus requiring all the other hands to be bent, resulted in the second hand dragging on the inside of the crystal and stalling the movement. Oh well, I only bought it as lume practice, and possibly to wear while camping, so for $10 I can't complain

I agree, that was the impression I got as well, hence the point about perspective, as in reality, the watch was not suddenly less real when he received it back, than it ever had been, it was just his perception of it which shifted.

Being a Libra, I'm totally caught on the fence on this one... On the one hand, I have to agree with Freddy that the differences in construction techniques/materials could well play a part in how a modern bezel can be faded compared to an old bezel fading in time, but on the other hand, the modder in me would be fascinated to know if it actually would work, as from a scientific perspective, it is covering all the bases

I think you hit the nail on the head there, and your comment about shame ties back to my comment on perception. Assuming everything in his account is honest, then for the past decade, he's been going around wearing what he thought, was a genuine Rolex, and if anyone asked "Is that a real Rolex?" he probably said "yes,". Not a deliberate falsehood, as he would have thought he was telling the truth, but, of course, it was a rep all along, so the only difference between him telling someone it was real, and someone who knowingly bought a rep and tries to pass it off as a gen (possibly equally successfully) is the knowledge of the owner and their perception of the truth. It would be interesting to know how/if the owners perception of the watch (as a watch, not as an investment) changed upon finding out that it was actually a rep, and if the financial aspect could be overlooked, and it was still appreciated as the watch which had obviously given a decade of loyal service

:clap2: :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Oh yeah, that's how the Big Dog's roll Custom all the way No change for me....

Chances are any of the main dealers would be able to source it, try spinning them an email, and see if they can source one

Sorry, but I just had to laugh at that I couldn't care less if it was real or fake, as I think this is a fantastic example of perception. Of course, if he did get ripped off, I hope Trading Standards can do something about it