anton

That's what you get with low-quality screws... The threads easily wear with use. You can either loctite them or order some higher quality screws from supply houses.

There was a bit of "history" with the ceramic bezels... The 1st edition HBBs w/ ceramic bezels were rumored to be made from the same manufacturer that makes the bezels in the gens (Kyocera in Japan). The allure of the "rarity" of these "same as genuine" bezel models commandeered high prices. Whether or not that theory has been debunked is beyond me, but the makers probably (again, just speculation) have an in-house source to produce these bezels. I mean, after all, there are full ceramic J12 reps out there (King has them). The only test is to evaluate the quality of ceramic from the 1st edition HBB (supposedly the Ultimates) to more recent editions.

I think the OP knew it was a rep. But I wouldn't pick it up. 1) Looks like a misaligned datewheel 2) The bezel either needs a new ridertab @ 45 or the "notch" had a too large of a cut. 3) The "Tachymetre" is of the wrong font for a "arabic numerals" dial.

Most Breitling bezels come with detachable rider tabs; the only one's where the entire bezel is a solid piece of metal is the SFSO.

Rob, you took the words out of my mouth. The mainspring could be dirty or broken. Hopefully it is dirty.

Yes, you are very new to all this, my friend. Why make the best? If you were a company, why make it so perfect that no one will continue to buy another watch from you again for years? You'll have V1.0 today, V1.1 tomorrow, V2.0 on Wednesday.

I like to use King's HBB page as a reference as for some reason she seems to have the most options available... I'm leaning towards that it costs much less to produce as it once did. She has 35 different variations of the HBB!

The "crunchy" sound is the spring moving inside the pusher. I've "deadened" the sound by using small foam inserts. You could use grease. YMMV.

Wanna see something else weird you get for $455? Take a close look at the rotor. Could it be engraved like the gen?

The watches probably have gotten significantly cheaper to produce, as there are so much more of them out there. But what I would like to see is more detailed pictures of the watch... I mean, when you see the watch for only $512 when the other dealers are charging nearly twice the price...don't you want to ask yourself, "why does it seem too good to be true?", insead of "did the dealers really overcharge us?" I remember I read somewhere a while back that there were HBBs that were the "fake of the fake", a la Nautilus'. But yes, the only way to find out is to buy one.

It's definitely not original: How can a "Swiss Made" original have a Chinese "sapphire" sticker on it?

I had been trying to pry apart the bezel with no luck so far to figure out if it is a two-piece construction (plastic inner bezel on top of metal teeth) or one-piece. I've seen some reference photos of the gen to determine that the "60" marker (large triangle) is aligned direcly above one of the teeth; not slightly to the left/right, not in the space, but above the tooth. And I believe that it is possible to bend the click part, but it might make it more difficult to turn the bezel. BTW: Welcome back, mahler!

I believe this is the root of your problem. Look at there the where the printing is aligned with the teeth and look at where the "click spring" hits when you turn: On another note, look at how the pushers are protected:

Why not wear the rubber? If you love it, go for it! FYI, the rubber does come in the Gen set.

fake, franken, gen, whatever... (there were some 2500 movements, PO cases, bezels being sold on ebay a while ago) If I were to buy a watch on eBay, I better know my stuff or see a CLEAR photo matching the serial of the case to the warranty paper. In case if the movement is shown and serialized, there is paperwork documenting that as well.

If you're looking for passable, I wouldn't pick the BCE --- because the bezel lines are stamped. If you're going to change it, then great, but if you leave it as it---it's like having a sour taste in your mouth. Speedmaster would be my choice---if only it weren't for that bad datefont and "clowns feet" on the omega logo. Lastly, the IWC sounds like the better choice because of the mods that are going to be done to it.

Simple, yet elegant. Glad to see there is a manufacturer that is sticking to their roots!

I'm sorry, but if you attempt to sell anything here, you have to: 1) Become a Supporter by donating to RWG 2) Post in the appropriate section (Trading Zone / Members)

I purchased an issue last year here in the States----Panerai was profiled and a small article about Valentino Rossi/JLC. Surprised 00/24 was only heard of now in the UK. For the price of the magazine here in the US, I thought it did come from the UK. It is a worthy magazine choice out of the choices we have here: InSync International Watch Revolution There's one more---but can't quite put my finger on it.

First place to go to is to contact your dealer. They should be able to source you some spares. Second place to go is to look on the Bay, but those are likely genuine parts.

I agree. And sometimes, having the papers can only ensure that you're getting a gen and not a rep/franken. Although I do know that movements are also serialized (also numbered on the mainplate) when it undergoes COSC testing.

I disagree. Here is the gen movement (HUB44) Here is the rep movement: You must be talking about this movement, which is in the smaller (41mm) Big Bang:

How about this: Gen: Over $1M US. Rep: Just over $100 US. now how good of a deal is that?

I guess you could call it a catch-22 with this "hobby" (face it: for most people, it's simply not a hobby, but a way to wear watches without putting a dent in their wallet). Yes, you may be proud to be wearing reps, but the anomaly here is that people (not everyone) are embarrassed when being asked if it is a rep.