HauteHippie

It's gen. Is that a P serial, bruce? EDIT: Looks like it fooled me... Bruce says it is indeed a modded TW. It's damn good!!

Yes, this is true. Industrial AR coating, such as that applied by the company I'm working with, is superior to Lenscrafters. And even so, they are very up front about the durability... While they consider quite appropriate for the exterior of a watch crystal, they say it simply will not withstand the "screwdriver test" that uncoated sapphire will withstand. However, much UNLIKE Lenscrafter coatings they say it can be cleaned with "spit and a T-shirt." Lenscrafter coatings require extreme care when cleaning. They require special cloth, etc. The industrial AR coat meets the military spec Mil-C-675 and is used on very expensive glass sunglasses. Lenscrafters coatings do not.

Mine says "Chronometre" (not chronograph) on the caseback. This is correct.

Well, one thing that I see being off is: SUBMARINER 500 M - 1650 FT is correct san serif font but SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER and OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED are an incorrect serifed font.

Ah! Luckily there is still time to have that helper change it out to a Canon 5D ! !

Vacuum talks about unwinding manually in this tutorial: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=11771

So have you gained on it yet, l&t ?

Obviously they are not Vintage MBW wearing types....

The aftermarket bezels will likely not fit. Your best bet would be to contact King and see what she can do for you.

Ubi pretty much covered it. My experience with the palp crown has been that the thread thread depth is fairly shallow making it necessary to cut the cut down a couple mm or so. YMMV. Also the palp crown is definitely thicker than the reps making it necessary to file down the lever as well.

Very nice, flav. I may just have to get me one of them there Aqua Terras.

Never. I would guess it's a 24 hour operation.

Has it actually been verified that the PO has double sided AR? The double sided AR would be more expensive and more difficult to arrange. Double sided AR would require a heated substrate to provide durability. The coating I've currently sampled was applied to the substrate at room temperature. I have questions about the ultimate durability of this sort of coating, as well. I have my AR guy telling me it would be suitable to being exposed to the elements on the one hand. And I have my AR coated eyeglasses that show significant crazing in the AR film after only several months on the otherhand... And so, based on that, I'd be very concerned about any watch with a coating exposed to the world.

Yeah, this fact alone makes me want one. It's such a good rep from an accuracy standpoint. I can't stand the FM polished bracelet though. The quality is terrible on the rep from what I've seen, and the look just isn't for me. The trouble is finding a gen leather strap seems quite difficult. Edge, do you have any leads on FM straps?

Hehe, yea, this watch is quite good. You're making a believer out of me. What movement choices do we have in the reps? Oh, wait, I do NOT need another watch....

As an FYI, I have spoken with Mark and the AR coat he has been using on the crystals he has done is the exact same type with the same reflectance specs as what I've sampled and posted pics of here. The Lenscrafter AR should be more expensive than this one because it is a high temperature coating designed to be more durable. Durability is obviously quite subjective because my eyeglass coatings get scratched quite easily. High temp coatings are hard to find in colors other than green, but I have had one lab tell me they could customize the color to my liking.

Heh. I guess I've only seen pics of it on bad days, then. Either way, I think this puts it out of the running because it's only accurate looking half the time or so.

Wow, you're right! I am impressed. The numerals are definitely on the fat side as seen in your pics. The 6 numeral is particularly noticeable. But most PAM reps have that issue. I think the 196 is one of the few that doesn't. Oh, and I'll add that razor blade they're trying to pass off as a crown to the list of PAM 050 issues.

Perhaps so on the TAG Link Chrono. I can agree there. Off topic a bit now: doesn't it have the seconds at 6 issue? So while it might be good looking, it probably won't be around to enjoy for long. As far as the IWC GST goes, those misaligned day and date wheels are a dead giveaway IMO. The gen dial does look nice, but I'm drawn to those windows every time I see that rep. Big flaw.

It's very difficult to notice and even more difficult to photograph. Even in person the blue is very very faint. The only way I really know it's there is that he left about 1mm uncoated on one edge, so I can see a line where the AR film ends. As far as showing the color, the first pic is the best I could do, and on my monitor the square glass has a slightly bluish reflection as compared to the reflection off the round one.

FYI, Mark, I need to switch my order from 2892 to 2893. Decided to get the GMT instead of the Power Reserve.

So, which one do you like?

I have never seen one in person, but I have to presume the date font is off on the 050 as well as the date magnifier strength. And I do think the 12 and 6 numerals on the dial are fatter than on the gen dial.

I would have to say, all things considered, that the IWC Ingenieur is the best unmodded rep out there right now. Sure it has problems (chipping paint on the bezel ring, bracelets that might fall apart), but they can be remedied. I also think the Franck Muller Conqusitador 2892 is right up there as well in terms of accuracy. It's just not my style personally. But I've seen a few of them with gen dial swaps, and honestly can't see the difference between the gen and the rep.

My watches come through San Francisco usually, and rarely take more than an hour or two to be released. One time I had a package sit in Los Angeles customs for about 4 weeks, though. It finally did arrive however.