Sogeha

I can see your pictures now. That is rather lovely, please share more details.

Some years ago I had some small items gold plated by a working goldsmith. It was quite inexpensive and there are options of using a low carat gold or even an alloy of gold. Would it be an option to get a couple of dials plated like Tempus Machina do and see what they turn out like?

Bart that wrist picture is as good as it gets. With this watch you have made your Master Piece

The seller won't undertake this work. There are a number of replica watch fora, each with a slightly different flavour. This one has a strong focus on modification and improvement of standard offerings. Some mods are quite simple, some very involved and technical, it is a whole hobby on it's own and a bit of a rabbit hole to be honest. So yes you could buy an inexpensive kit and teach yourself how to do lume work or you could contact one of our known modders and enquire about having them do it for you. For a start the latter might be the best option. However if you have patience and steady hands, you could learn on some scrap dials out of any watch. I have patience but very shaky hands and couldn't paint a straight line down the road.

Generally lume on reps does not compare favourably with the gen. Any watch can be relumed if it really bugs you. Reading around the forum good idea, but maybe stop of at the new members section and introduce yourself ?

Welcome. There is no such thing as a perfect replica. Because of the huge difference in price between a genuine and a replica there will always be compromises. If the problem is only the lume, then just budget to have it relumed. Yes I think using a chrono twenty times a week definitely comes under the category of often. if you REALY need to use a chronograph that often, maybe buy something like a Seiko Quartz Chronograph for work days and a none chrono Planet Ocean replica for evenings and weekends

Welcome. I don't know what you are currently looking for, but there have been some stunning pieces listed for sale recently.

That is a very useful picture @jackflash. The hands all look just a tiny bit off, but very acceptable considering nobody is going to believe you are wearing a 200,000 Dollar watch and very few have even seen a real 5517. I certainly haven't actually seen one, only photographs and want a rep solely for my own amusement.

Yes brother I see it, but it is how it is and it won't change. Most people are much more rude on the internet than they would ever dare to be face to face. This includes, noobs, members and mods on a lot of forums. I just figure that with a little patience maybe one or two of these guys might come to be contributing members. If they are complete jerks, they will wander off to a porn site soon enough anyway, on the other hand I was a brand new member quite recently and shown a lot of kindness by members here.

Looks like a two day wonder. With that kind of attention span I doubt he would want to pay the going rates for modders work anyway. .........Oh look a butterfly...............................

Welcome to the forum. As @netniet says doing a little reading will pay off. Type 116660 into the search box at the top of any page and start to browse. You will be much better informed after an hour or two. Quick and dirty answer is yes it's a pretty good rep and yes several members have one.

Winning another long time AP fan to the Rolex camp. Hehe

You will live to fight another day mate. Being man enough to apologise will be respected here. You didn't upset me, Perhaps for some reason neither appear genuine to you and that is okay. In my time on this board I have learnt many, many things. Two apply here. 1) Legend understates rather than over states. If he says one is genuine and the other is a very good franken, that is what they are. 2) He can be quick to bite, but he doesn't hold a grudge.

If Legend says one is genuine, there is no question what so ever that one is genuine. The only question is whether my observational skills have improved any, or whether I still consistently get it wrong?

It seems a lot of people have chosen to use Omega hands. I think I read that a few gens had Omega hands broached to fit because of a lack of genuine replacements. I might just be making that up though. I imagine someone will correct me HR sells 5517 ETA hands and lastly I bought some from Jackflash in August. I don't know where he got them from, perhaps PM him and ask. Oh and if you are using a Cartel case, could you just start with their 5517?

Genuine on the right in the second picture?

If you have still got the Navitimer it could be repaired, probably at reasonable cost. There are reasonable reps from about USD100 while Phong's top end stuff can get eye watering 7000 for a Daytona or up to 20000 for a vintage Patek in solid gold. Really only you can decide what you feel appropriate to spend on a rep or indeed any watch. A 116660 is probably going to be between about 290 to 500 depending on the exact specifications. I would strongly recommend you put the purchase back by a week or so and read up on the reps available, the different movements and what can and can not be done with each. Which one is best depends to a large extent on whether you want to wear it as is or look to improving it any way. I could write more, but all I know I learned on this forum and I would only be giving you a secondhand account of stuff you can read straight from the experts.

I've never sold a watch in my life and doubt I ever will. I've still got my first watch that hasn't worked for forty years because it was a child sized, cheap POS in the first place, still got the Sekonda I got for my 15th birthday, more Seikos than is in anyway sensible, gens, reps, weak moments on eBay. I've got them all. Hoarder? Me? No not at all.

Watch Station is part of Puretime. Puretime does the retail polish with prices in USD and some comeback if the watch gets nabbed by Customs or stops working. Watch Station is more wholesale with less frills, but lower prices. At least that is how I understand it. I guess it would depend what I was buying and what I was planning to do with it, but if I was planning to swap out the movement and dial as often happens here, I think I would be tempted to save 80 to 100 bucks, take a risk on the movement I don't need anyway being DOA and convert the price myself. I'm not really defending WS, I've never bought from them, although I've used Puretime, it's just it seems to me to be a choice and choice is good. If you don't like the terms of business of one dealer, then by all means use one of the others.

A bit off topic, but I can't decide whether to use your dial or another rather nice dial I bought. I'm very tempted to use a Tonywatch or Phong case for your dial to do it justice. Either way the OP will be requested to do the case finishing magic.

First that is a great choice, it's a really well replicated watch. I have one I intend to franken a little when I retire, but to be honest, it's fine as it is. Just type Deepsea or 116660 in the search box and after an hour or two reading, you will know a great deal. As to TD's I have bought from a good number of them now and have no complaints. They should all be able to get that watch quite easily. Price and service vary a little. I am told that eventually most people find one or two dealers they like and stick with them.

Helenarou will do runs of five dials, a couple of members have made their own dials, see the threads by Bart Cordell. I have one of his dials and it is truly stunning. If you want to go that way, designing and printing your own is a possibility. Another opinion is a dial refinisher or restorer. I have used one in the U.K. In the past, the name escapes me at the moment, but there is www.watchdial.com in the States and there must be many more.

Hello and welcome to the forum. Who makes the best Submariner replica is something we are all still researching, I will say it starts with deciding which model of Sub one wants and then choosing the best replica becomes slightly easier. Sadly I can't see the pictures. I'm wondering where one finds MKii Kingston dials just waiting to be picked up. MKiis in general are rather nice and the Kingston dial is pretty wonderful.

That is really rather clever and excellent photography as well. Lucky me, I have a Cartel 5513 I have been blowing hot and cold about for nearly a year, two rather good 5513 dials and a build slot booked with you. See how that might fit together :-)

Almost all dealers are based in China as that is where almost all our watches are manufactured. I don't know specifically about shipping to Australia, but if you contact any of the trusted dealers I'm sure they would be able to advise you. welcome to the forum and Happy New Year