dabom

I need to get a watch serviced, and was wondering if someone can please PM me The Zigmeister's contact for servicing so I can get the process started. thanks!

Hey - just wondering if the 2836s in perfect clone's clones have to be serviced - or should they run fine for many years right out of the box? many thanks!

thanks for the replies everyone. I'm a little disappointed that there aren't any new PAM crowns, but it's nice to hear the 8850 is improving. The only reps to really do it for me are the Panerais and Rolexes and I really already have excellent samples of both, just not a Unitas Panerai with a spring loaded crown. I think as far as time-only automatics go - everyone here is spoilt for choice. However, because I already have excellent genuine automatics, the reps don't really interest me. Except for the Rolex, and I only own them because I love the design, but don't really like the stigma attached to real Rolexes (go figure). Even then, I own the Rolexes as curiosity pieces and not as watches I really enjoy wearing on a daily basis. Therefore the only reps to really interest me are the handwinds and chronos. I hate 7750s because I find them so ubiquitous, so I'm certainly not going to settle for an 8850. Therefore there are only two movements left: the Venus chrono and the Unitas - both of which I own.

The original Luminors have spring loaded crowns. If you unlock the lever, the crown will eject out slightly because they are spring loaded. You can therefore press the crown in and feel the spring getting depressed. It is this spring that provides the tension in the lever. Do the recent crop of replicas have this spring loaded crowns? 1 year ago the only one that had it was the Tantalium chronograph with the Seagull Venus movement. The Unitas based ones just had a crown without a spring load, therefore the tension in the lever was noticeably limp. This is the one biggest flaw with the replicas, and the biggest because it really is the crown and lever that give the Luminors their charm. I always liked the spring load, because if you unlock the lever the crown would eject out giving the impression of a waterproof lock. Since the crown doesn't move on the replicas, it doesn't give any impression that the lever is achieving anything at all. So what is the ball bearing lever you are talking about? Thanks.

So I've been absent from the replica world for the last year after getting burned on a bad deal (watch was way under expectations). I'm wondering: what's new in the last year? For example 1) does the current crop of Panerais have spring-loaded crowns? 2) how's the quality of the 8850 nowadays? 3) what's new with the Asian Unitas? thanks in advance!

thanks! Any idea what the reps are? Is it also glass or acrylic dome?

gee.. I must be very lucky to own one then (with the brown dial, AR and thick juicy crown). The only problem with this watch is that the lume wasn't very good - but nothing that The Zigmeister couldn't fix. Needless to say, this is a GREEEEAATT watch!

For Seamasters, it's luminous paint covered by a sapphire glass window. On a Replica Relax, it looks like either a luminous piece of plastic that isn't covered by glass, or a piece of plastic with luminous paint over it (and not covered by glass) - in other words, it looks like the luminous would wear out after a while on the Relax, unlike the Seamaster. Is this true? What is the pearl made of? Thanks.

what is "MBW"? Thanks.

Hi, I'm talking about the ETA versions of both watches. Thanks.

I really like Trusty's Sub, but the bezel isn't as nice as Josh's Sub. Can I buy both and interchange the bezel? Thanks for helping.

anybody has a sub whose bezel's don't suck? Thanks.

Trusty's Sub: http://www.trustytime.com/images/ROLEX/ROLSUB0001_1.JPG Real Sub: http://www.valorogioielli.it/includes.php/.../1848090345.jpg Notice in the real sub, the teeth look more pronounced.

I like Rolex subs with long bezel teeth. When I look at pictures of the gen, it seems to have long bezel teeth, but pictures of the rep seem to show shorter teeth. It seems that Josh's Sub has longer teeth, and Trusty's has shorter teeth. Now is this the camera angle or are the teeth actually shorter?

which dealer did you get this sub from? Thanks!

What's the lume like on Trusty Time's "best" sub (the one with the $120 worth of servicing pre-done)? I like the quality of this watch, but it's kind of "almost there but not quite" if the lume isn't going to be good. Opinions appreciated. Thanks!

I was just reading a thread about someone's experience with ETA movements being dirty. What's your experience - and which calibres were dirty? What's the impact to performance? Is it okay to leave them as they are, or must they all be serviced? I just bought a nice ExpI, and it seems to be performing good. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; or should I take preventative measures? Thanks.

well you're wrong. I've owned gen Rolexes, and in fact most of the watches in my collection are gens. The reason why I buy reps is because I love the quality and looks and it's terrific for what I use them for: beaters. I buy reps of only the highest quality - inside and out. That means: ETA movements, sapphire crystals, and superb finishing. In my opinion, the reps I have would be worth at least $1000 each if they were legit. So the fact that I paid less than $300 makes them the perfect beater watch. I can't bring myself to use a gen Rolex as a beater - to my own principles, it's wasteful. Now everyone's level of "wastefulness" is different, but to me a beater watch is less than $500. I don't think a Rolex is worth $3-$5k, but I do believe I am getting a bargain for $200. I'd be insane not to think that. That's why I don't understand all those people who buy reps and pour so much money into making it look accurate, even though it has an unreliable movement/mod inside (example the rep IWC 3714). So you're wrong, and you're ignorant. I buy the watches for me. I couldn't care less about the brand, but I love the quality, the looks and I love the price. I wouldn't even be here, if the quality of the reps aren't as amazing as they currently are. Let's face it - the reason why these watches are copied, is because the LOOK GOOD. Nobody reps a watch that looks like [censored].

Just wondering what the general state of oiling of the 2824/2836 movements used in our reps. Has anyone done a review before, and if so can someone kindly provide a link? Thanks!

meh... thumbs down from me. There's just too many obvious flaws to me. Date windows, printing, bezel shape, hand size, dial color, pusher finish, numeral shape, triangle size, printing on the back, awful 8850 movement. Next.

well after experiencing many problems with my Exp 2 rep, I have sworn off all modified movements. I felt sick at all the money I wasted because I always lume and service my reps so a $250 rep becomes $450 after luming and service. What can we do? Honestly? Get over the repped dress watches and modified movements. For example, I don't even LOOK at Patek reps (any more) because they just don't have that expensive finish that makes them attractive in the first place. Really - why would you buy a Patek rather than say a dress Seiko? Because of the finish that is impossible to rep - the best you can get is Seiko finish, let's be honest with ourselves. The same thing with modified movements. I myself have moved to the second hand market. There's some fantastic second-hand Tags and Omegas that can be had for $800 or less. When you consider that it costs about $450 to buy, relume and service a rep so it can run as well as a gen, $500-$800 for a second hand gen doesn't sound so bad. Mind you, I have a very good trained eye for quality and I can guess the value of a watch very accurately because I have been around high end gens for a long time before I discovered high end reps. I don't believe a word of some who claim the rep 3714 looks very close to the gen. Even from the pictures I can tell from a distance the lack of quality in the dial, markers and hands. You are never going to fool anyone who will even appreciate a 3714 in the first place (except for maybe watch salespeople who know they exist but aren't watch-savvy enough to distinguish true quality). There are some great reps with some great movements - like the Swiss ETA Pams, and the non-modified Swiss ETA Rolexes (Subs, ExpI, Yachtmaster) - these are the great reps to get since you know they will run as well as a gen. In those cases - there's no question that you are getting a good deal. For me: no good deal, no deal.

what's the lug width of the Explorer 1, and can a Submariner/ExplorerII/GMT-Master bracelet fit? Thanks!

you guys have got me. Part of the thrill for me of wearing a high-end watch (or one that looks like one), is that it's utterly reliable and will last a long time. I see no point wearing a watch that looks better than a $200 watch, but runs worst than a $20 watch. Ultimately a watch has to run well, and if you guys are so enamoured by the looks that you don't care if it works like sh!t, then we're on completely different wavelengths. Most people buy reps because they can't afford the real thing - that seems contradictory to me to waste money on a piece of sh!t (if it runs on sh!t, it's a piece of sh!t) when that money could go to a very very nice gen. There are great wonderful gens that can be had for $1000, yet some people here spend that much on paperweights. Like I said, it's not my money. I can only sit here and wonder.

I hate to say "I told you so", but "I told you so". I was one of the few dissenters when this watch came out. Everyone went gaga over the pictures, but I said: first it looks like crap (the subdials reflect with a different color, and the hands are too light), second it has a modified subdial seconds. But nobody would listen, it's as if the lust of getting something that "kinda looks like the real thing" is stronger than common-sense. The Portuguese is a high-end dress watch like a Patek, and shouldn't even be attempted at being repped because you need to spend the money to duplicate the exquisite dial and hands. I'd say stick with the simple time-only sports watches that can be easily repped with NO modification to the movement. But hey, it's your money to waste.

what an ugly movement. I would never pay so much just because something is "rare". In the end the item has got to be an example of exquisite beauty which this one clearly is not.