luc717

Looks great to me. We've been waiting for years for a decent Navi 2004 rep and we've finally got one. For me, the trade off on the min counter is worth it. Definitely ordering a few of these

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Not sure if you own one Peter but having had one on my wrist, this is one of the most minor tells you can imagine! The dial is much more of a tell.

Haha, if the "known flaws" do not include the completely wrong lower part of the bezel ring, which should be polished but is not on any rep of this watch and is an immediate tell, why should anyone care about the watches' caseback?

The gen won't be - the movement is totally different. Mine feels similar to how you describe but difficult to know for certain without comparing side by side

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Glad you are happy with it - it's a great piece. The winding on the Miyota is a little less smooth than an ETA

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You will be fine Derik, it is how it looks. The known flaws have already been discussed in this thread. Toro's one is a completely different rep. The flaws with that rep have nothing to do with the one you bought and do not change anything.

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I got mine from Andrew at Trusty and have a problem with the paint coming off the back

Sorry to hear that mate. Andrew should definitely send you a replacement caseback for no extra charge. If he refuses, get a thread going in his section and get some support from the admins/other members. It's a reasonable expectation. Also an easy replacement, you will just need a case back opener (an inflated plastic ball - don't go for the metal versions!) from eBay to unscrew it.

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Agree with hyjynx^. That's the best 10 I've seen on a 300. Only other known flaw I've seen is the pearl being a bit too far right (clockwise) and that looks good on yours too. Take it!

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Selling because I bought it as a watch for work. I like wearing one with a bracelet with a suit. After putting it on with a suit I decided that I actually want one with a metal bezel too, rather than ceramic, so I've bought an Aqua Terra. It's also a little too square for me with the lugs. So it's an entirely personal choice, no reason I don't think you'd be very happy with it. It's a brilliant looking watch and one I would be happy to keep for the collection if I wasn't getting the AT.

I definitely prefer the sweep of the 2836, but when you weight up the sweep (2836) vs reliability (Miyota) vs decoration (Miyota), I honestly couldn't pick one over the other. At least with the Miyota you know it's unlikely it will die in the first few months. Reclaimed ETA's aren't reliable. The date stopped working on mine about a year ago and I still haven't fixed it! If you like I can try to do a video of the two watches running next to each other so you can see?

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Ps I'm selling mine if anyone is interested. Will list in the sales section this evening

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It's smooth enough for it to look gen-like unless you go up really close. I've got an ETA 2836 in my Planet Ocean and I've got to say I do prefer the sweep and the hacking, but it's pretty marginal. The Miyota feels a lot more reliable though and keeps its charge much longer. Plus it does look excellent

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Yeah me too. Having to resist the urge to take the dial out on mine and see if I can improve the depth of the lume. Hoping they update it as I would definitely replace it

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ww12345 does the lume come right up to the surface on yours now?

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Just spotted this two tone SS/RG version on Puretime. http://www.pure-time.com/product/seamaster-300-master-co-axial-liquidmetal-v6f-best-edition-rg-bezel-on-ssrg-bracelet-a8400/

At first I thought they had rounded the cut outs of the dial, but now not so sure. To me, the rep cut outs looked sharper (pointier) in the corners than the gen. But now I'm thinking that the shape is largely correct and it's just the loom behind the dial not being pressed right up against it that causes this effect. Anyone know what I mean?

Would be very interested to see if it would be an easy mod to take the loom closer to the surface of the dial

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Noooo, haha. What are you going to do?

Just got mine. Review to follow.

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Thanks for sharing Ihooq. The matte blue on the 300 dial is incredible, so different to almost any other dial I can think of. The blue Speedmaster is incredible too, think that will have to be on the list for when it gets repped

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Ha rich indeed but I personally found that very funny to read. Thanks for sharing. Is it me or does the gen have much whiter lume than the press shots/rep?

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Good lord, awesome photos Donerix, looking incredibly retro. Just decided to pick up a 15,000 gauss AT over this, but this has made it a lot harder!

ww12345 great photo too, really useful to see how it looks on the bracelet as that's how I would wear it

Thanks both

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Looks incredible mate, thanks for sharing! The 10 is probably a little close but it seems like it is on all of them. Plus the 50 looks a bit close too, so it's probably mostly the angle

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Posted this to another forum so will add in case it's of use for members here. Depth is 2mm

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Nice, thanks for sharing!

I'm actually slightly disappointed. I thought if it was being done by the factory, they might also reduce the size of the sub dials which are too large by about 1-1.5mm. Never mind, improved date wheel is better than nothing!

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Added some electric light shots. More on the Flickr set linked above. Hold on to your wallets...

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Elena, would you be able to post up some pics at some point please, preferably in various types of lighting? I'm keen to see if BP updated the dial on your batch compared to mine

Tnx Luc, I hope there are no obvious flaws when it comes.

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FYI - from iyaayas12 @ RepGeek

Well I have some good and bad news for you guys.  I got in touch with Josh @ Perfect Clones and was talking to him about this watch and he told me that his model would be a 28.8 version and the "sunken" date calendar problem would be fixed!!!  I was very excited to hear the news until he told me the bad news.... It would be 2-3 months before his refined version would be available for purchase.  Just thought that I would provide an update for the rest of you guys.  Looks I will be waiting.  To all the others that have stuck their neck out there for us and took the plunge I thank you for that and applause you for your efforts to document your findings!

Andrew did tell me months ago that a Navi will be coming out with these issues resolved, but I started to doubt it when this new 01 model came out. Let's hope the 2-3 months is realistic!

So after a shaky start with my BP Omega PO Cr Ti, I have finally got round to replacing the bezel insert and taken some pics now I’ve got rid of the awful original pearl. I’m not going to post a full review as khashayar has done an excellent job of that here, but would like to share a few thoughts.

• The titanium weight is great. At first it reminded me that it was a rep in the way that a lightweight quartz model would, but now I find it so comfortable that I can’t imagine wearing anything else as my daily beater.
• The lume is exceptional, I’ve never seen anything like it.
• The AR is excellent. Crystal disappears at most angles and has a pale blue hue from others, which is apparently true to gen. Only slight disappointment is that the crystal or AR has picked up a few scratches.
• The rubber strap is honestly the smoothest rubber I’ve ever felt. In fact the inside of the band doesn’t even feel like rubber, it has a sort of powdery feel. Apparently some gen bracelet owners have purchased the rep strap and I can see why. The detail on the stitching is exceptional and the clasp is very solid feeling.
• The bezel. This is my favourite part of the watch now that I have updated it. I bought my PO in October 2013 and a new batch was introduced by BP in November 2013 with a much improved ceramic bezel. The original was aluminium and a bit dull/dark. This new version completes the watch and is incredible. BP has done a fantastic job to replicate the Liquidmetal finish on the gen and the way it changes colour from a bright blue to a grey in different light. I have tried to show this in my photos, hence why there are so many. The only slight disappointment is that the grey paint is still liable to be scratched off the bezel. You can see on the triangle on mine that it’s already had some damage in the factory. This is only a minor negative though. If you bought your BP Ti PO before November 2013, I definitely recommend updating your bezel insert. More info here: http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/167544-how-to-replace-bp-omega-po-ceramic-titanium-bezel-insert-updated-batch-november-2013/
• I have had a few issues with the ‘ETA’ 2836-2 movement (documented on the forums), resulting in the date not changing under its own steam. This is something I will be fixing when I get time. I always wanted a ‘Swiss’ movement though, so no regrets there. It keeps great time.
• Overall, the detail on every part of the watch is incredible. Now I have updated the bezel insert, for me this watch is a super rep. Everything is gen-like. I took it into an independent watchsmith and they thought it was a gen, particularly due to the decoration on the rotor and movement. Obviously this was ironic as it is the biggest tell to those who know their Omegas, but it shows the quality finish of this rep. A few of my friends have gens and they are all envious of this watch.

I should note that I have changed the bezel insert myself and it now sits slightly unevenly, meaning the rim of the bezel sticks out, particularly above the pearl. This is shown in some of the photos but new purchasers won’t have this problem as this isn’t how they come from the factory. I need to work out how to remove the insert without damaging it so that I can re-fit it correctly. Please also excuse the slightly scratched caseback. When you’re a noob, use a stickyball, not a caseback opener like me – d’oh! My next project is to repair the movement so that the date changes under its own steam again (problem with the calendar wheel/gear) and file the hands slightly. I’ll post a tutorial once I get time to do the job.

A big thank you to everyone who has posted their experiences or helped me directly, I have had quite a few issues with my first rep but am now extremely pleased with my purchase.

Here is a short video showing the reflective qualities of the bezel. It would be great if more members could make video reviews, as there is really no substitute for getting a feel for a rep.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KNyUl5r7oE

A selection of my photos are below. I have taken loads to show the colour-changing of the bezel in different light, but can’t really post them all! The full set is available on Flickr here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjSULzk9 . If you want to save any full-res photos from there, just click on the full screen icon, then right click and select ‘original’. You should then be able to save the image.

Enjoy!

I recently replaced the bezel insert on my BP Omega PO Cr Ti 45mm and thought I would show you guys what it looks like inside and share some advice.

Differences in the bezel

I bought my Titanium PO in October 2013 and BP updated it with a new batch in November, so I was a little unlucky! Andrew @ Trusty has confirmed that these were updated and said that BP claimed everything was new. I’m not sure I believe the case has been changed, but the bezel insert clearly has been and perhaps the dial too. The pearl is now centred and much improved, but the most important part is that the bezel insert is now made from CERAMIC! For me, the insert was the only thing that didn’t quite sit right with this rep. It wasn’t really the right colour – too dark and had a greenish blue colour – and lacked the Liquidmetal shine as per the gen. I was still pleased with it but having fitted the new insert, it has made a HUGE difference to the overall appearance. The bezel now shines like it’s made from glass, has that greyish hue to it in low light and the brighter paler blue colour in bright light. The numbers/markings are also slightly finer. It has really improved the watch to no end and it feels far more gen-like to me. To anyone who bought their BP PO Cr Ti before November 2013, I seriously recommend doing this. Anyone can do it. Andrew sold me the bezel insert for a reduced price since the original I bought from him was so bad, but I think it normally costs $30-40. The only negative is that the grey markings are still only painted on and are liable to be scratched off through bumps and general wear/tear, as dredd0606 (on RWI) has found out. No clear coat on top. If you want any more convincing on whether to change your bezel, have a look at the other thread I have posted with pics and a video in the Omega section.

How to remove the old insert

I tried to take the bezel insert out by warming it up with a hair dryer (to soften the glue) and levering out the insert with a razor blade, following advice from forum members (thank you Sputim!). I attempted to lever out the insert with a knife but couldn’t get the damn thing out. Worried I was going to slip and scrape the watch, I ended up drilling into the pearl using a gimlet tool and pulling it out. This worked extremely well, once the gimlet’s threaded part had a grip it came out easily. Warming up the glue no doubt made this much easier.

How to attach the new insert

I used Unibond Extreme Power Glue and spread this using a wooden cocktail stick. Using glue was a BAD IDEA! This was because:

a.) it left a residue in the gap around the insert (looks like dust in the pictures), although most of this dropped off over time and it now looks fine

b.) it’s too permanent, if anything isn’t right when you’re done, you can’t change it without damaging the bezel

c.) it doesn’t lift up the insert to make it properly meet the crystal/bezel. If you look in my photos, you can see the bezel now sticks out slightly over the insert, particularly near the pearl. It’s more obvious in these photos than it is in real life and I’ve learnt to live with it, but it’s not perfect.

Sputim mentioned in another thread that he changed his bezel insert and used double sided tape. This is what I would recommend. The factory appeared to use a circular adhesive insert rather than wet glue (the type that has a glue on both sides) and this evenly lifts the insert by about 0.5mm, thereby eliminating problem ©. This is also helpful as this new updated insert seems slightly thinner than the old one, so it needs the extra lift. Double sided tape would also allow you to change it if anything isn’t perfect, thereby eliminating problem (b.). Of course no problem (a) either. You just need to make sure you use a very strong tape to avoid the insert falling out and clean out all the old glue to get the height of the insert right.

Right, I hope that helps anyone who wants to attempt this. Here are the photos of the process. Be sure to check out the photos and video I have posted in my separate review thread to see how it looks in various levels of light. Full res photos available on Flickr here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjSUkgZt (full screen the photo then right click) 

You can see the adhesive ring/glue they have used here. Part of it has come off with the old insert, which is why the new bezel now doesn’t sit correctly, as shown in photos below

Comparison of bezels

Bit of glue residue on the crystal that wiped off - another reason for not using wet glue!

The unevenness of the insert is most clear in this photo, with the rim of the bezel sticking out over the insert. It’s not anywhere near this obvious in real life but still something that could be easily avoided/corrected by using tape or less permanent adhesive. All that glue residue that looks like dust in the gap around the insert has now fallen out.

The finished job: