Toadtorrent

There you have it. I've learned about other collectors (though not tried by me) that have been around for awhile on other boards like RWI, etc...and of collectors that have decent reputations and success with a few members here on iOffer. So I think the value of this forum is that it is an open forum (moderated thankfully for stupidness)...but that people can share all opinions. The tone of the thread opening post however did seem "know it all" by somebody with only a couple posts experience on this board. So like others have said...this board isn't run by any cartel...but if you don't find info on a collector you're interested in...it means not many people on this forum have used them...so go right ahead and try them...and post back your experiences. Maybe you've discovered the new hidden gem...just don't gripe and whine if you lose your money or get a POS in the mail...because you're on your own on this.

Hah hah!! The Zigmeister is "The Zigmeisterzumba"...a fellow board member who happens to be a watchmaker by hobby. He has at various times posted some excellent info and breakdowns on various movements on this forum...most notably the 3 major variants of the A7750. He is without a doubt, the A7750 repair-and-maintenance master. He is also one of the best if not the best lume guys around. Who is The Zigmeister and How To Find Him Read the thread above...the easiest route for finding a repair guy if you're new to the board, is really to pop into malls locally, and talking with repair guys to see if they will work on rep watches. 9/10 times they may say no...but eventually you'll find somebody. In Toronto, there happen to be at least 4 watchsmiths I know of that work on reps, so it's not a problem to find them. The issue is that working on 7750 movements in general is tricky...working on reps can be trickier because parts are hard to find.

you came to the board with the people in the know. Have fun, read, search, learn. There is sooo much info here.

To AMK and ZTech...thanks! I've never had problems with any of my autos starting up after only a few shakes. I just found it odd that they wouldn't even have it as an option to manual wind. I thought the issue was with the reversing gear wearing down on the Asian reps and hand winding, but that the gens were not an issue with hand winding. I can see the fewer parts argument for production cost...but assuming they are using a base ebauche from somebody, presumably it would have the manual winding gears there to be begin with so stripping them out would actually take more effort and cost. Oh well...as long as it works...that's what matters.

Ladies gold or white gold DJ with croc strap is nice I think...very off the usual. If she likes the bigger watches...my wife is quite intrigued by the RG DeWitt's.

aaah...but lots more replies on your other thread.

Awesome as always. I'm wearing mine as we speak. It really is a great watch...and on leather, doesn't wear nearly as heavy as steel. If you don't have one already...you know you want one.

Some gens use a plastic movement holder...don't worry about it if you're using a closed caseback.

Depending on the watch...it may or may not be a problem. I answered a similar question in another post. Some of the hands fit...some don't. If you look at pieces like the SMP300 Chrono, the subdials and centre seconds don't fit. Both watches (gen and rep) are based on a 7750 movement...but the A7750 has slightly different hand sizing as outlined below. The Zigmeister has also detailed how to do the install using glue. hand sizes for ETA to Swiss From The Zigmeister: Genuine ETA 7750 all variants (all) Hour 2.00mm Minute 1.20mm Center Seconds 0.25mm Subdials 0.17mm New Asian 7750 (28,800 BPH) Normal ones - NOT the Daytona model (don't have one to measure) Hour 2.00mm Minute 1.20mm Center Seconds 0.20mm Subdial 0.20mm The Zigmeister's Explanation of Gluing Hands

Customs seizures coming into EU based countries. If you do your research on this forum, you will find many people will not use a collector (aka dealer) that doesn't ship from within Europe purely for this reason. Do your research, and you will find there is no such thing as a Grade 1, A, AA, AAA, AAAAA, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA grade watch. It's an unregulated, underground conterfeit industry...so there is no such thing as a Fake Watch Standards Bureau. They advertised you would get a Swiss Automatic movement for that price, but the pic seems to show an Asian based 7750 movement...based on Valjoux 7750's not using blue painted screws. People have experienced problems with watches being seized via Fedex using our trusted collectors here...so Fedex is not TopSwiss' issue. Their issue (or the issue that the learned people on this forum would say) is that: They lied about using Swiss Automatic...it's almost assuredly an Asian A7750 There is no such things as Grade 1, AA, AAA++++, etc They overcharged They use Royal Mail...I'll bet you 99.99% of their watches come drop-shipped from the Philippines or China...that's the way they operate. So, in the worst case scenario...the watch doesn't arrive...the vendor doesn't stand by a guaranteed shipping promise, and you are out the money unless you dispute it with your credit card company. Best case scenario is that the watch arrives...it is of the same quality as the collectors here can provide...but waaaay overcharged. Middle case scenario is that you get a lower quality product, at an extremely over-inflated price. The bottom line is: no lives were lost...nobody got hurt even in the worst case scenario...it's the rep game...equal parts entertainment and anticipation and enjoyment of the watch. Even better...you found RWG which has MORE information than you will have time to absorb. Many have done the mistake you have and bought from TS, Replica Center, etc, etc. Search Scam Sites on this forum for more info. You are here now...read...relax, learn. And if you find the information here useful (which you will I guarantee you)...consider upgrading your membership to a paid subscription to ensure the life of the forum, and the availability of the information in the future. If you buy another rep ever...RWG will save you oodles!!

Very nice. I like the new IWC. How do you like your Hours Vision? Which one did you get?

It might be that the movement doesn't hack. The date thing however might be the keyless works or one of the spring things is out of position. If it's a DG2813 (I'm not sure what they use in the PAM222)...you can check out the Ajoesmith movement swap tutorial I just reposted with pics to show you the position the parts should be in. It's a relatively easy fix...if you know how to decase, remove and reset hands, and remove the dial...if it's your first time, expect to screw things up. VERY FEW people don't mess up their FIRST attempts.

Good first rep!! Understated elegance for sure...and BIG. Welcome aboard.

Weeks??? Months maybe!! You're locked in winter now!! Great looking watch...who cares about the colour. I just wish I could pull off that size!! 48mm is HUGE.

Ok...so I had this fear of getting a GMT or complication based movement like the Jump Hours because the thought of the movement breaking down and The Zigmeister not working on these movements made me fear "wasting" money on a watch that might soon be a paperweight. The Muller Crazy Hours was an exception as that is just a great watch. I never thought of contacting the collectors directly for replacement movements before. Doh!! A quick email, and it appears that the 2 collectors I've dealt with most recently were easily able to source the parts. A replacement jump hour is about $30 (not quite a $12 DG2813...but hey...better than a new $100 watch)...and an Asian GMT for a Rolex is $40, and an Asian 2836 with the GMT complication is $100. I thought this was good to know...so I'm stocking up on some movements. For me...rip and replace...rather than repair. And...with spare movements, I'll have spare parts.

That is a nice piece. Being new to this one...what is the point of the non-hand winding automatic movement?? Are they just trying to make the thing 100% auto?

Nice Pam. Is that a Ti case or is it brushed steel? The white lume is nice.

The Rolex Centre in Canada (St. Clair in Toronto) returned all visible parts on my vintage Rollies after servicing without asking. Certainly in the case of something as rare as the DRSD, they would not be foolish enough to swap out dials and polish the case...but like Freddy said...get everything detailed in writing and you should be good to go.

Well...we're not the Nation's Capital for nothing. @Andreww - I wasn't a big fan of the NHLPA one...not being a big hockey fan @Dave - by numbers, the odds of seeing a Blacksteel Skyland at only 2000 are much less than seeing a Blacksteel SA at 3000!! I was surprised they didn't have any croc straps, and no deployment buckles. I laughed when they priced the deployment buckle at $250. Hmmm...how much did I pay for my V3 Skyland with the extra strap and deployment and shipping???

You came to the right place. Ordering from any of the collectors recommended here is no problem to Canada.

Is there such a thing as an SA Blacksteel (Super A vs. Skyland A)?

The Eaton's Centre La Swiss location just opened yesterday afternoon, so I poppoed in today to check out the Blacksteel. Looks good! To be honest, after all the construction, the store really doesn't have a lot of stock. They have a few Ulysse Nardin and a bunch of Oris...but they have a lot of Breitlings...lots of Bentley's...a nice 6.75...Emergency's, etc...a couple blue dialed Skylands and a limited edition NHLPA black dial along with the Blacksteel. As much as I like the watch, I do like the flexibility offered by the non black steel. A simple strap change and you go from dressy to casual. This is not possible with the Blacksteel...it's a full-on tactical piece. 3 brands represented...that's pretty much it. I have to say the Skyland on Bracelet is not really my thing. I'm glad I have the rubber and leather deployments. A dumb thing they have done is put the display pads for trying on the watches on a shallow shelf right in front of the case but right in the swing path of the glass doors. Put a watch (i.e. yours that you have taken off to try on theirs) on the pad, and the door will most surely knock yours off onto the ground...or theirs if you happen to have a few watches out. Crazy cabinets designed by architects and designers instead of actual horologists.

Hey...don't let me stop you from posting. You would be posting something I don't have access too...so you it would definitely be something I couldn't improve on.

It all depends on the mods you need to do. If you are getting AR done...you might need a crystal press...for CG shaping a dremel...for luming lots of spare dials, oilers, and a lume kit, etc etc. As an example of the tools used for a movement swap, see a repost of Ajoesmith's tutorial I just put up: