wraithride

Hublot Big Bang SS...I'm seriously lacking on pictures...*sigh*

Teddy, I'm all for it! I think it's a great idea, even simply for curiosity sake. There is no need for anyone to be negative about what you're trying to do. If it turns out to be junk, eh, what did it hurt. There is nothing wrong with exploring to see what's out there, if no one did, we'd never get anywhere! Keep us posted!

FYI, I just got the message from PT that the payment went through. I'm not sure when he'll ship, as it's still the holidays over there. Now I wait for the EMS notification WR

Thanks for the fast replies guys, very helpful. I'm glad that the cannon pix fix will be easily visible, so I'll check that as soon as I get it. As for the lume, yeah, I'm not expecting much in that area, just wondering if you can even tell if they bothered. A re-lume from The Zigmeister will be a thing legends are made of, that's on the list of things to do. The biggest piece that I'm taking away from this is the strap. I'm glad to know that they one coming with the watch is tapered, so the buckle wouldn't fit the aftermarket strap I'm looking at anyway. I'll go with a 24mm-24mm, since I like the look of the straight strap. It's nice and chunky . I'll just plan on getting the screw type buckle, along with the strap and have it waiting when the watch arrives. Why do I feel like I just got myself in deep here? Wr

Ok, so I finally went and did it. I placed an order for my first ever pam. I decided on the 111H from PT and now I start the agonizing wait process. I had a few questions that I thought some of you more experienced Panerai owners could assist me with. Yes, I assure you I used the search feature, and there is a ton of great material out there. This is more of a double-check my info, to make sure I'm making the right decissions. Fist off, the Strap. Everyone has mentioned that the straps that come with the reps are pretty much crap. Since I have to wait for the chinese new year to be over before i get my watch, i figured i'd have plenty of time to order a strap and have it waiting for the watch to arrive. I believe from my searching that the width of the strap I'd need to purchase is 24mm, does that sound right? Now on to the buckles. The place where i'm getting my strap, offers panerai style buckles. How are the buckles that come with the rep? If I get an aftermarket one, it won't have "panerai" on it, small detail and not a big deal, just curious. The 111H I got, is supposed to come with the cannon fix, sapphire glass, and superlume. From what I've read, the only way to tell if the cannon pin fix is there, would be to crack open the watch. I might try that some day, but i'm in no rush. As for the lume, is there an easy way to tell if it's been relumed? I know that I shouldn't expect anything breathtaking, but I'm just looking to tell if they made any effort at all. Any advice? I think that's about it, Once it comes in, I'll post pics. WR

For me, I went ahead with the one from PT, because I'm not really looking for the grail of the 111H. This will be my first Panerai, and I'd like to make sure it's something I like, and will get wrist time. $430 or so is a bit much for me, considering I'll probably be very happy with the $270 version, with an upgraded strap added on. Though you never know, I may catch the Pam-virus that people seem to get here.

I JUST pulled the trigger on the $278 one from PT. I was wondering the same thing, and searched the forums a bit before doing it. I figure that even if it's not the best lume, it's something. As for the cannnon pin fix *shrug* We'll see how it goes. I decided on the asian movement, instead of the swiss to save me a bit of coin. From the discussions on here, it didn't seem worth the extra cash. WR

You know, it's things like this that reaffirm what an amazing place this is. Every day there is some great piece of knowledge passed on. Well done Rob! WR

Welcome! Where abouts are you in Cali? I'm in the SF bay area. WR

Welcome to the board, I'm also in the SF bay area, Monterey and San Jose area. No luck yet in finding a rep-friendly watch smith, but as other people said, let me know if anyone finds one! WR

Just a small note about servicing... As these watches, even though they are replicas, are using an automatic movement in some form or another, they will require some kind of maintenance. I can't quote you on the exact interval that the watch should be looked at, but there are many posts out there that talk about what to expect in terms of usage and servicing. These watches will need a check-up now and again, lubrication, check seals and so on. No watch, gen or rep will last forever without some kind of TLC... Just something to keep in mind.

So I've been a registered member here for...i dunno, a bit I guess. I don't contribute too much, as I think I still have a lot to learn. I still find myself using the search function quite a bit, so that just go to show that I have a long way to go. At this point, I have 7 reps that I've purchased, from 2 different dealers after discovering this site. As it seems the norm, I barely escaped being scammed out of my hard earned money, and have found much comfort in dealing with the trustworthy dealers on this site. Watch number 7 just came in today, about 24 minutes ago to be exact, and it's now sitting on my wrist. At the risk of having this post transferred to the "Other Brands" forum, it's a Hublot Big Bang Stainless, with textured PVD bezel It took me a long time to decide on which dealer to pick for this purchase, as the Hublot has a lot of concern surrounding it. Materials, movement, price, dependability of the dealers, and so on. In trying to decide, I've done my daily reading on the forum absorbing people's opinions and thoughts on all variations of topics, and there is almost always the obligatory comment about certain dealers in one form or another. Now the web being what it is, it takes all kinds, and you certainly get "all kinds" on this board. All manners of personality, opinion, FORCEFUL opinion, good, bad, and everything in between. So in this post, I will offer my first piece of advice to the newbies, the experienced, or anyone else willing to listen. That advice is; No dealer on here has a perfect record. Every single person that buys from one of the trusted dealers on this site, will have their own experience. There is always that person who will post about how one dealer doesn't QC their products, or isn't trustworthy, or shouldn't be used. Just as there will be a contradictory post about how they are the cheapest, most reliable dealer ever. The fact is that you cannot rely on every other person's experience when they purchased a replica watch from a dealer. I will say that both dealers that I have used, provided me with amazing service and products. I've had no customs issues, nothing has arrived damaged and so on. But that does not mean that when you buy your watch from that same dealer, you'll have the same great experience. The fact is that we are buying an illegal replica watch that is made in china, being shipped (to some of us) overseas, through customs. My suggestion is to set your expectations accordingly, and deal with issues as they arise. those who set their expectations too high, are more likely to be disappointed. Anyway, I guess that sums up my thought. use your head, take advice with a grain of salt (including this one), and just be realistic. If things don't work out, a cool head always works out better to find a reasonable solution. Just my $.02 US WR

I would love to get my hands on one, do you have a link to buy one, or pointers on how I might purchase one? Thanks!

Wow, thanks for the fast replies guys! I noticed a post from puretime a while ago, and angus was advertising a HBB stainless with the textured PVD bezel for a great price. I've tried getting in contact with him, but i know he's not available for whatever reason. I'm hoping that other dealers might have access to the textured PVD bezel, since i'm sure that will be alot cheaper than the ceramic one. I assume swapping the bezel is as easy as unscrewing those H-screws on the top of the bezel? Thanks again! WR

I'm looking at buying the SS big bang with the black bezel, probably in the next week or so. I like the carbon fiber dial, but the one things i was really looking for was a textured bezel on this design. Silix has the SS with black bezel, but it's the smooth bezel, and not the one with the textured outer rim. Does anyone know if there is a textured bezel that is available which can be put on the watch after I get it? I don't need it to be ceramic, so even a textured PVD bezel would be fine for me. I checked the Bay, with no luck of any hublot bezels. Thanks in advance! WR

Hey guys, I've been looking to pick up this Hublot before I head on vacation, and as far as I know, PureTime is the only dealer listing this specific configuration of the stainless with PVD that has the textured bezel. Anyone know of other dealers that would either have this as a stock item, or be able to put it together for me? Here is a link to a puretime post where he describes the watch. Again, I would love to get it from puretime, but i understand that he's been busy with other things, and I have a deadline. Thanks! "Steel Bezel with brushed finish on top and "teeth" finish on sides (PVD plated) US$268" http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...puretime+hublot

Looks like King has it for 930 shipped... Still hard to swallow, but it's at least under four digits

What a beautiful watch! I fell in love with the Big Bang even since it came out, and it was featured in a watch magazine as the leading article. The newest one you just got, is the color scheme that I REALLY would like to have. I think you made a great choice. How is the pricing on Kings watches compared to others? I emailed Josh for pricing on the gold/black/CF, and it's over a grand...

"her: oh, well you know those were intended to be worn outside of a wetsuit -- that's why the straps were thicker on those. they aren't intended to be worn next to your skin....." You should have responded with "oh, well I was going to buy this nice expensive watch, but since I don't dive or wear a wetsuit, I guess I won't bother..." And watch her eyes bug out form losing the commission

So I've always kicked around the idea of getting a TT blue-face sub, but never pulled the trigger. Now thanks to Corgi posting that gorgeous pic of his TT blue sub, I'm starting to consider it more seriously. I hopped on Silixprime to see what they have in the way of TT blue subs, and I noticed they have two versions One has "triple wrapped 18K gold", and the other is "14K gold double plated". The price difference is negligible, but I was just curious if there is any REAL difference between the two platings and how they will hold up over time. This would be my first real venture in to the world of bling! Wr P.S. Just so you know which models I'm talking about: http://www.silix-prime.com/product.asp?id=1737 and http://www.silix-prime.com/product.asp?id=1221

Know anyone that had work done there? Any contact info or web address? Feels strange sending a watch off for service though

*crossing fingers*

You bet That's one of the main decisions I have to make when looking at a watch. It's nice to have that big second hand sweeping around the dial telling the second. You can really appreciate a good movement that way. When a chrono watch is using the small dial, it's not as impressive to me. Cheers! Wr

Yep, sounds right to me. Most, if not all chrono watches use the big hand as the stopwatch function. The small seconds hand will keep track of regular second count for time keeping. Wr

Cool! thanks for the help!