rsv123

Ok, so we could have been getting movements like this for a while...?

But this is presuming that they aren't drop shipping and ever get to lay eyes on the product they ship... I think you have every right to get a new watch, or at the very least a new movement in exchange for your old one. I can see this happening more and more, as (i) they sell more watches and (ii) the people they sell them to are less likely to open the caseback for a look.

I think what TTK is saying is that there could be multiple factories making a rep of a particular original watch - say the Omega SMP for example. However, there will usually be discernable differences between reps of the same watch made by different factories (eg. one factory will making the watch with hands that are too short, one will have the wrong datewheel, etc.)

Sounds like a good move - there's an eBay seller called "thewatchboys" (actually a small company who seem to do most of their selling via an eBay shop), who do a range of gator and calf straps in the sometimes odd IWC sizes like 21mm, etc.

Because the straps are so cheap many dealers will throw one in for very little extra, so do ask. It's your choice - I prefer straps on some watches and bracelets on others. It's hard to get a bracelet once you have bought the watch, but you will be able to get a strap that fits with a generic buckle fairly easily.

Hope you get yours this week and I hope my wife returns with the camera so I can post a few photos (although my photography skills leave a lot to be desired).

Generally leather straps on reps are junk. Especially if they are alligator/croc 'style' leather. You could pick up a nice leather strap for $40-$50 from a 3rd party supplier; that would be (and is) my choice.

I don't think the price of this rep is particularly high. I paid the exact same price for an Asian PAM Daylight when they first came out a couple of years ago (and that was supplied on a crappy strap, with no bracelet and had no A/R + the movement developed a fault within 24hrs)! The price could go 2 ways - either other dealers start selling this, and it falls, or it really is a private project and as people start to realise they can only get one from Eddie, the price stays the same. In the past, the early adopters have typically paid more, with the price dropping as other (volume) dealers start to compete. Limited (or no) A/R coating is not unusual on a rep at any price point. The reps that do have are the exception to the rule. I am enjoying the watch, it's better than I had hoped in many ways, and I think I can resolve the minor problems that it has.

The daywheel (which I thought might be the problem) seems to line up fine. The problem is with the datewheel, since the wrong font has been used - it is ever so slightly too small - this means the date can appear slightly above the day, in the 'top' of the date window. On the gen the number fills the window, on the rep there is a tiny bit of space that allows it to be within the window but not correctly aligned with the day. Dunno why the correct font was used for one and not the other, must have been a supply/timing issue. It would be fixed by fitting just a standard ETA 7750 white on black datewheel. On many watches it probably wouldn't bother me, but since I have a feeling this one is going to get a lot of wrist time, I think I might have to find a fix!

I picked up my 3717 on Saturday. No pics at the moment as the wife is away and has the digital camera with her. I have included a short review (after 2 days of wear) below. The good: Excellent dial, everything is crisp, in the right place and the right colour. Case and bracelet well made and solid - feels heavy but not ridiculous; like some PAMs on a bracelet can. Great attention to detail, the minute hand is bent at the tip (like a gen) to reduce the parallax effect, nice signed crown, etc. Good lume. Looks like it's either real superluminova or very close, as just brief exposure to bright sunlight was enough to have the hands and the 12,3,6,9 indicies glowing like a champ (NOTE: bright sunlight in Scotland during March is like dusk in Hawaii!) No problems with the chronos - everything works, resets and feels good. Timekeeping is excellent. The watch is -3 secs after 2 days! This is the best timekeeping I have seen from an Asian 7750, ever! The date wheel has been printed or fitted to be misaligned (and with the wrong font). You can move the position of the date using the crown to adjust it slightly, but the next day it will be misaligned again. It can look OK from some angles and bad from others. This is a great watch and it is crying out for a datewheel project. I can feel a swap with my GST chrono coming on... "IWC" engraving on the bracelet is a little rough, looks like it has been laser etched. A/R coating is quite light. I think the gens have pretty strong A/R coating - as this seems to often show up in photos of the gens. The ugly: [*]As usual for a rep the supplied strap is worthless. Looks cheap, smells like plastic and feels like plastic. Wearing it with an otherwise great looking and convincing rep is an insult to the watch and any observers. The buckle is fine, seems the same as the one from my FA Jones rep. Overall I am VERY happy with the watch, this has to be one of the most flexible watches available, it looks good with everything from jeans and a old t-shirt to a 3-piece suit. The dial is very clear and easy to read - the chronos just kind of disappear into the background when you take a quick glace to read the time, exactly as it should be. The replication of the case, dial, hands and bracelet is superb - there is nothing to fault it without resorting to a loupe. The negatives are minor and are things we can sort ourselves if they bother us. Accuracy: 96% Quality: 94% Overall: 95%

That is very nice looking. Good A/R certainly does add an extra dimension - especially in the believability stakes. The VC's in particular look awesome with the coating! Enjoy 'em

Looking good! I can't wait for mine... it's nearly here, maybe tomorrow...

Good to hear a happy ending - Mark (finepics) does an excellent relume and he is based in the UK.

For the mark on the stainless steel, you could try these guys: http://www.thewatchboys.com/ They sell a "refinishing pen" that is very good for brushed stainless or titanium. I bought one about a year ago and have found it excellent for removing small marks and scratches while preserving the brushed finish. If the mark is in a polished area you can just use regular metal polish. The also sell good gator straps (probably not the thing for the Big Bang though). I have managed to resist the temptation to get a BB up until now, but rumours of a ceramic version are worrying my bank manager...

Impressive, very impressive - and people think mechanical chronos have no practical use!

I think you need to read my comment in the context of the current thread and this thread. I was losing patience with Chad and not the watch, or anyone/anything else, which is why I addressed him directly. If the worst thing anyone says to me this month is that they have lost patience with me, I will consider myself lucky.

The loose screws and great bracelet/lousy dial (or vice versa) seems to be just a feature of bad Chinese QC. What is annoying here is that just about everyone in the design/manufacturing process has done their best and then 1 person responsible for part of the assembly process (or checking the dial, etc) lets the side down. I used to think it was a conspiracy (to make you buy the next model) but I think it's just the "if it's good enough, most people will buy it" mentality...

I guess I was (unsuccessfully) trying to get across that they are 'just watches' and we sometimes get too worked up over them, relative to everything else that is actually important in life (I know, I know, life wouldn't be worth living without the latest IWC pilot chrono rep... ) P.S. I know that since I gave Chad a hard time about the datewheel, my pilot chrono is going to arrive with a datewheel so crooked the words are at 45 degrees... sods/murphys law.

Indeed, my favourite PAM sub and my 2nd favourite PAM also! Thanks for the comparison, I think I will be buying one of these in the next month, and previously owned one of the older Arkti so this is a very useful guide.

I can only speak on behalf of myself, but I have no issue with your critisism of Eddie or any dealings regarding watches you have bought from him in the past that have problems. The forums are for open discussion, if they were not they would lose 95% of their value. When you get a watch that you have a problem with and the dealer does not make good, posting an appropriate bad review will help everyone (and hopefully will put pressure on the dealer to change). The only thing that irritated was the datewheel issue. It's a known problem with the day/date Asian 7750, the original gallery pics showed the problem and some gens have it. I didn't feel personally insulted by your posts and I apologise if you felt personally insulted by my posts, that was not my intention. Remember, these are just fake watches (although obviously there is money changing hands). Sometimes we lose our perspective!

I can't find the photo now, but I'm sure a saw a lume shot in a gen forum that only had the 3,6,9,12 and the hour/minute hands lumed.

My mileage varies from yours. 2 x 21k 7750s that bit the dust within the first month, one was serviced and then subsequently developed another problem. I currenty have 2 watches with the 28k that are still going strong after 6 months. I think it's a bit of a crapshoot with either variant but my own experiences put me off the 21k version for good.

@chad my patience with you is at an end. I think you have expectations beyond what most of the watches and dealers on this forum can deliver. We are buying illegal, counterfeit watches, using Asian made 7750 copy movements for a fraction of the retail price. A slightly crooked datewheel, that could be due to installation, or may be due to misprinting, is a minor flaw considering that some watches (real and replica) can be supplied with defective movements (i.e. either non-functional or not accurately telling the time). If you were so bothered by 100% perfect datewheel alignment why did you even buy this watch??! The pics in Eddies album clearly show a day and date number that are slightly out of alignment, hell, the date font is even wrong and would be an instant and easy spot for an IWC aficionado! Eddie is selling a 99% accurate watch, that is not made in a giant factory by a huge international company with ISO 9001 style QC. If you want perfection, seek out either the real thing, or a genuine datewheel and a decent watchmaker who can swap it out for you. The vast majority of us seem to able to put replica watches into context and set our expectations accordingly, you appear to be the exception. I don't think this hobby, and possibly this forum is suited to your needs.

I am starting to suspect that chad is actually a bot created by EL's competition to troll on his threads...

Following your logic we would have had PAM autos with perfect date fonts about 2 years ago. Only now they are starting to improve (and are still not perfect)! If you want perfect, go buy a gen for $4K!