TeeJay

I thought PVD was Physical Vapour Deposition?

It might well be, it was the P which I wasn't 100% sure of

He's known as Mr Slimeball for a reason... Ordered from him once, and would rather slam a car door on my nuts than repeat the experience...

Why on earth would you buy a rep rolex if you wouldn't buy a gen. I am not being impolite or trying to start a flame war or whatever , that just doesn't compute in my brain. If you don't like Rolex then just do as you say and remove the trademarking off your rep. Still a very nice functional timepiece and you are now bein true to yourself.

Praetor and Automatico have already addressed the other points you raised, but to answer that question on a personal level:

I like the aesthetics of Rolex watches and appreciate the history of the company. However, I don't like what the company has become, how it operates or how it fleeces its customers. Not all watches can be sterilzed without significantly affecting the aesthetics of the design, and trying to grind the logo off a bracelet would probably not work out so well... Also, this is a rep watch forum... 'Buying the brandname' at a fraction of the cost is pretty much the universal constant for what brought folks here

I also buy cheap reps from CQout, mainly for fun and selling onto others, but never buy the high end stuff from there.

Lvmonia sells utter turd, but eshopping88 is ok quality....but not 100% accurate with his pics.

One bargain that I recently bought was a GMT Master 1675 with jubilee bracelet. Only £45. Probably way off in terms of accuracy to the hawk-eyed experts, but at a 'longer than quick' glance, it looks close enough to me.

I've always stayed clear of Lvmonia too, their shipping costs have always put me off eshopping88 is who I normally go to for my purchases, but as I wanted specific models for my DJ's, I had to go to another seller, I believe their name was east-artwork. I might go back to them for a white-dialled DJ, but ideally, there's another one I've seen on another site (since shut down) which is only labeled as a Rolex Date, I guess it depends if I can source that specific watch, or it'll be the white CQout DJ

As you say, they look good as long as one isn't being too anal on the specifics

Most of the time, i would say yes the really cheap ones are [censored], but once in a while you can pick up a great bargain (new from a dealer). Only the anal retentives would call you out and most people wouldn't know/care.

The price of the higher end reps though, are way overpriced, when you think of the margins being made by the trusted dealers

There is a tier below the Budget Reps available from site like CQout, ie the street market fantasy miss-spelled stuff, and that stuff really is most likely of the worst quality. I guess I just find it frustrating that people only ever discuss Trusted Dealers as if they are the only source for anything anywhere, when there are other options available, and I suspect that some of the stuff available on CQout is the same stuff the Trusted Dealers are putting out in the $80 range I haven't yet gone for a more expensive CQout purchase (partly because of financial restriction, but mostly out of being a cheap ass and not wanting to spend the $$s ) but I might do so eventually, just so I can review the product for folks and maybe shed some light onto the less discussed sources I just don't want to wind up ordering stuff which will conflict with my existing project plans

Looking good, Z

Welcome to the party Any of the dealers listed here can provide Rolex and many other brands. CQout is also good *if* you know exactly what you are after and *if* you aren't expecting a 1:1 perfect rep, but are prepared to accept a 'reasonable watch for a reasonable price'. Just always use the inhouse escrow service, and your cash is 100% safe

Were you looking for a particular model of Rolex?

Not sure if this may make things clearer or just more confusing...

I got the same error message when I tried to edit a post on my pc.

When I had my iPhone viewing the forum on Full Version, I was able to edit as normal without any hassle (and have been able to for ages...)

I'd say to go with the Snowflake, but that's just my .2c

"Are budget reps all shit?" I dont think so. There are some decent reps out there that wont break the bank...nothing wrong with that.

Im far from a Rollie expert T..that being said...If I were to see you wearing this watch..under normal every day life situations and conditions...I would have no reason to believe that It was a rep.

Of course If I were a Rolex enthusiast..or really knew my stuff about that particular model...under close observation...well??

I hope you enjoy your new/old DJ for as long as wish to do so.. T

Thanks for sharing bro.

Mike

Thanks for the compliment, bro As you say, an expert could probably spot flaws from across the room, but it totally flies under the radar of Joe Public Also, I just wanted to put up some pics to show that on budget reps, the print doesn't automatically have to be miss-spelled or blurred. I'm certainly enjoying wearing it, the only time I've taken it off was to swap for my plastic sub while tattooing Monday, so I know it'll get a re-lume before too long

Great looking £37 you got there mate! Way prettier than the £'s in my wallet during my last London visit!

Thanks, I certainly can't complain

...or are they...

Okay, y'all've seen the blurry iPics of this DJ I got myself as a 33rd birthday present:

I know that they haven't been the best photos to properly showcase the watch, but, I've got my PC working after over a fortnight, so I've been able to take some better quality pics. As discussed on another thread, out of the box, the watch was too bling for my taste, too shiny, so I used a Scotch-brite pad and a 4-sided nail file to add some age to the watch. I believe this model to be circa mid-80s, so I wanted to make the watch look that old, but not old and abused, as with some of my other vintage projects. This is what I've managed to do with it...

This photo isn't the best, but it shows the sunburst effect of the dial.

The watch keeps good time (I haven't bothered to do a definite +/- observation, as it doesn't seem to be gaining or losing time to any observable degree) and has survived multiple showers without a hint of flooding or condensation. Now this watch is no-doubt far from 1:1 accurate, but I'm not familiar enough to the DJ model to identify any flaws in replication. The only glaring ones I am aware of, are that the clasp leaf has the infamous gibberish STEBLHOX font, and the quality of the lume is pretty poor (I will get it re-lumed at some point) but other than that, well, what else is there to say? Oh yes, the watch cost me £37 shipped

So, are budget reps really just cheap shit...?

Keeping it classic today

Happy birthday, T, have a great day

AD - Authorized Dealer (shops selling the originals)

PVD - Particle Vapor Deposition (I believe) Whatever it specifically stands for, it's essentially black powdercoating of the case and other parts.

KB - Forum moderator, seller of high quality replica Soft Goods, and all round top guy

That makes sense.. Thanks! Sometimes "less is more.."

Of course, that's just a theory, but it kind of makes sense

As a former advertising/design/marketing student, this has turned into a very informative and interesting thread I can see the issue of 'Branded Watches' (as opposed to Brand Name Watches) always being seen as a negative double-edged sword, ie the guy wearing one without the car will be seen as a wannabe, the guy wearing one with the car, will be seen as a brand fanboy, so no easy win for that situation...

As for the GMT with no date, that does make sense. If I was wearing a GMT and using the bezel to track the timezone in Tokyo, at some point, that would then be telling the time 'tomorrow', but the single date window would only be tracking the date of my home timezone, thus displaying an incorrect date for Tokyo. Having no date at all, would resolve that potential conflict, by simply removing the complication allogether. Sure, it means no date at all, but at least it also means neither zone gets preferential treatment I forget if digital worldtime watches display the date for the other timezone as well as the time

And as for new and innovative watches, absolutely I just wish Rolex would pull their finger out and release the DayStar (late 21st century design with digital touchscreen )

I find problems with the statement that a gen sub is not worth the money rolex charges.

When i was looking at purchasing a replacement to the $50 16610LV i have worn for the past 5 years. I looked into buying another rep replacing the movement buying gen bracelets gen crowns gen tubes gen inserts. I started thinking to myself if you added a genuine movement that the cost of all these parts are more than buying the watch itself.

If you wanted to say that a solid gold or platinum rolex was not worth the money i would agree. The price they value their gold at seems obscene. I honestly think you could buy a gen 16610 and strip it and sell it as parts for more than you would have paid.

Apologies for the severely delayed response... Yes, it is well known that parting an item out can yield greater $$ than selling the item whole, but that was not precisely the point I was making... What I was saying, is that the word Rolex on the dial does not make a Submariner worth the price tag assigned to it. Compare to an Alpha Submariner... Even if one was fitted with an ETA movement with one of the blue anti-magnetic mainsprings, they still would not be able to sell the watch for the prices Rolex watches are sold for, simply because it (and the Rolex) are not worth such a hyper-inflated price, and the fact that a comparable Alpha could not sell for such a price, proves that the Rolex is not worth the price. As for the 'design costs' side argument, I think that Rolex have long-recouped whatever fees they paid their designer back in the day

Can't believe I missed this thread till now The results're fantastic, I could definitely use one of those on a future project, how much would you charge for one, J?

Both nice watches guys, teejay have you got any close up shots of the dj?

Thanks Not at present, my computer's down for the forseable future, so I have no means of uploading pics from a camera Hopefully soon though

I have to echo Sneed's comment: Why do you care? I don't mean that with any hostility, more incredulity, due to the irrelevance of the way someone turns the crown to adjust the hands in the overall scheme of things It will still tell the time, regardless of the way needed to wind the crown, and there are many other aspects which could be considered more relevant (ie which would impact on the functionality of the watch) such as water resistance, quality of the luminous markings, etc. Of course, even those depend on if you need to keep the watch on in water or check the time in the dark, but as above, how many people do you plan on adjusting the time in front of? Best of luck with your search though, I hope you find the timepiece you're looking for

Here it is:)

http://www.rwg.cc/topic/139206-ap-with-reliable-movement-i-did-find-it-finally/

Looking good APs don't normally get my attention, but that's a pretty tasty watch Not sure if you saw it in the wristies, but here's an iPhoto of the new budget DJ

Hmmm, might have to add one if these to my shopping list

I got up wondering what TeeJay would wear so I grabbed this...

It's still safe, but the DJ's still on its shakedown

This arrived yesterday afternoon, and I've been giving it its shakedown cruise:

Held under a full force faucet:

Worn during a hot shower:

Taken directly from said shower into a cool autumn day:

I've never been one for bling, and 'out of the box', this was just a bit too shiny and polished for my tastes, so I took my trusty Scotchbrite pad and 4-sided nail buffer to it...  I went for subtle overall aging, with 'wear marks' on the edges and underside of the bracelet and clasp, and 'took the tops off' the bezel flutes.  The look I was going for, was a watch which has spent its 25 year existence on the wrist of a playboy who spent his days in Papa's boardroom, his weekends on the polo field with Rupert Campbell-Black, and his nights in the beds of the bored housewives of Rutshire. Have I achieved that? 

This was a 33rd birthday present to myself, could I actually be 'growing up'?

I'll do a proper review with non-iPhone pics once I get my computer up and running again

TGIF, amigos

Yes you are absolutely right, if you are happy with your watch and only that is important, then go for low end, they are not so bad and you will save money And if YOU will like it, then all is absolutely right. YOU will be buying and wear it, does not matter what your friend or colleague will think or tell.

Just my own experience, I did also bough at first low end 21j watches and yes they were mostly ok, but today I don`t have non of them any more. Sold all.

In my case, I did like to have something more "realistic" , today I can tell that 100usd cheapo is no go for me any more. Three years ago I did buy them I was happy with them at first. Till I notice some differences, minor( or sometimes not so minor) cosmetic flaw`s, bigger machinery flaw`s etc.

My point is if you will buy one rep or two, it does not matter what you will buy, if you like to have some more or less perfect watches or collect them don`t buy cheap crap, wait, read more forums, collect money and buy a watch what will satisfy you also after year or two

BTW my last watch watch what I bought was with quartz replica and I love that, it was under 200 usd and.....damn... I will make some review and pic`s.As I mention for me 99.9% low end is crap but few.... and that watch is among these "few" IMHO with real sapphire, ceramic bezel and sweeping sec hand ( rep with sweeping hand quartz !). : ) , but...soon I will tell more with pic`s.

I think it depends on how someone is defining 'cheap crap', and what someone is expecting to get for their money My new budget DJ arrived today, and I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with what I received The sweep of the second hand might not be ETA-smooth, it's certainly not as jerky as some A21j sweeps I have seen The dial printing is all correctly spelled and evenly printed, although the inner stamping of the leaves of the clasp is the notorious STEBLHOX The only true flaws are on the crystal. While the cyclops is perfectly alligned over the datewindow, the etched Rolex crown is a few degrees towards the '31' marker rather than directly over the '6' marker, but that is almost invisible, so not really an issue. Also, there is the tiniest nick in the edge of the crystal in line with the '5' marker. Again, almost invisible to the eye, but this issue, I actually like, as it assisted in the artificial aging of the watch and stops it looking pristine It's also survived the faucet-dunk test I'm not sure if the lowest price DJ from a Trusted Dealer would have the same clasp stampings, or correct spelling, but, I certainly would not consider the watch as 'cheap crap'... Budget, certainly, but definitely excellent value for money (IMHO) I would post some pics, but with my computer down, I haven't tried uploading to photobucket from a mobile phone I like the sound of your budget watch, I'll look forwards to the review