rsv123

Is that blue bezel watch a fantasy? At the start of the film he uses the black PO on a black rubber strap and at the casino uses a (co-axial) Blue SMP, which looks v.silmilar to the old Bond SMP. Don't think the chrono features in the film...

Got an identical watch from TTK on a bracelet last year for about USD100. Good watch, date font a bit off and power reserve dial print is a little high.

I do hope not, as this is probably the next most anticipated rep. Can't see what else will keep the PayPal tills ringing at Christmas for the dealers?

Useful info, thanks!

My 2c: Seconds subdial should recessed further and not have concentric rings on, it should be plain like the main dial. Date font needs to be a little bolder. N, S, E, W markers should be welded or at least stuck on properly - have had 2 previous Arktos reps lose bezel markers and would not buy another unless this issue is resolved. GMT hand needs to be smaller

PVD is always a great choice... I'm joining you in stealth mode today with a DLCed PAM195...

Took them a while to send it as it was sent from Switzerland to Ofrei in the US who then sent it to me in the UK - about 3 weeks in total, plus I was stung for the customs charge on it. Very easy to swap it out, just like adjusting the bracelet from what I can remember.

Hi baltic, I got the replacement clasp from Ofrei for my 42mm 4th gen PO and it fits fine. Like you I had a problem with the clasp popping open and the divers exension was a bit too eager to make an appearance. Both of these problems are solved with the gen clasp. Surprisingly the engraving on the gen item is not that much better than the rep!

They seem to have non-working chronos, which would put me off (although the word Ferrari and the logo put me off before I even start to look at them)...

I regularly travel to the US, France and Italy with a rep or two. Never had a problem - I would avoid taking more than one and avoid wearing Rolex for a smooth journey through customs. The UK is fine about reps, if you were stopped by customs and ended up with a WIS who called you out, just tell him it was a present and you were told it was gen. If you are travelling to Bristol, I would recommend Bath (http://www.visitbath.co.uk/) which is a short train ride away. Plenty of history and a pleasant place to spend a day.

With this and the rumors of the IWC BP, I may well be bankrupt by Christmas!

Would still rather have a very accurate black 45mm PO on a rubber strap!

Just some anecdotal evidence here: I had 2 watches with the old movement and both had problems. One even developed a minor problem after being serviced. I have 2 watches with the new movement and both have been fine out of the box, both running about 15-20secs fast at present, which I can happily live with.

Without going into too much detail, I believe the shipping points may be distributed. So even if you and your friend ordered the same watch at the same time, they may have been sent from different places.

My hands were more like the ones sold here: But I see your point. However, how likely are you to come across anyone who has seen a real blue handed IWC port auto chrono and can remember the shade of blue? They are probably going to spot the lack of AR coating at the same time an anyway...

Dunno, the hands on my old PAM172 rep looked pretty good. Shame it wasn't made of Tantalium! I agree that the IWC rep blue hands are too light though.

Yep, I can speak up for Andrew, have dealt with him for ages, must have bought between 6 and 8 watches from him by PayPal, no problems of any kind. He even apologised for the delay sending a watch when his baby was born!

Does anyone know how wide the buckle end of the strap is? Is is 18mm or less?

Was thinking of the the white face/blue hands model then I saw this picture River posted of the reverse panda and the decision is now almost impossible...!

Looks good, I have had banda straps before and they are usually good. Never had a croc/gator from them though. $80 is a good price, I was thinking it might cost as much as $120 for a real gator/croc strap.

Jolly good - going to start looking for a decent 20mm black gator strap then!

Anyone know what the lug size is of the Portugese chronos?

These are the babies I have been waiting for!

I think reps generally do improve, however, there are exceptions to every rule. The Omega SMP from a couple of years ago was more accurate than the current reps. The PO peaked at the 4th gen version and nothing has so far managed to surpass that.

Hey, don't knock it, that's the 2500 model. Water resistant to 2500cm, at which point the crown has been known to buckle due to the pressure!