Toadtorrent

Just in case...remember to shave from the threaded end that screws into the crown. It's been discussed here a few times, the mistake of shaving from the "insertion" end.

Wow. Those are some beautiful movements. Is that Cortebert the same kind of Rolex Cortebert that can be fit into the Pam cases?

Excellent. Glad you liked it. They are fun to write and photograph. I'm hoping to do some more in the future.

Interesting info. Would bi-metallic corrosion have anything to do with not wanting to mix materials on the case and bezel, or does this not apply in a supposedly "dry" environment?

Thanks SD4K and Taka both! This was an excellent read, and great photos as well. Keep up the great work. It was nice to see your take on the design of the watch, given that the combination of rubber (yellow at that) is something that makes this piece stand out.

Pretty much all of the above. Essentially the rep community is trying to keep a low profile (although crawlers like Google and the like make it hard to do so) to ensure the hobby can continue to thrive. The more ADs see the quality of reps out there, the more they raise issues with the powers that be to make it illegal to own, buy, whatever... As to another Breitling, check out the Blackbird...that's a pretty nice looking piece. As well, the Superocean Heritages (chrono and non-chrono) are very high quality reps as well. There are a number of high quality Breitling reps out there.

I love steel with brown moo-croc. Nice! A Rollie Sea Dweller with black dial and brown moo-croc is an amazing combo. I would keep both the black and brown.

Hah...good work! Just remember a few things in the rep world and you'll be good to go: - Don't spend more money than you can afford to lose (this is an illegal industry in China, and other countries may seize goods) - Don't expect perfection (they are reps made in illegal factories with marginal at best quality control) - Modding of watches can often cost more than the actual watch itself Reluming is big for some people. My theory is, in a dark room...I mean a NO LIGHT room, I can read all my reps throughout the night to get the time. With a little bit of creeped in light, it can be hard to read as the lume after an hour or so, really drops in intensity. I'm not worried so much about this as to get all my watches relumed. Reluming generally costs about $100+ depending on the watch plus shipping. The only watches I would relume are the ones where the reluming would be really clever...not just simple dots: The '06 Cousteau by The Zigmeister...awesome. This will be done...the outer rotating bezel...awesome... A Muller Color Dreams...but the base price of the watch with a non-serviceable movement makes this one dicey to do.

You got that right! You can sink a load into watches (reps or gens) before you even have a chance to hear the repo-man calling. I agree with you...there is a time for reps and a time for gens. Certain watches will never be repped accurately, and if you need that kind of watch, the only solution is a gen. For some, capturing the spirit of the watch might be enough, as in this one with the see-through sides...but if accuracy is your goal...gen all the way. It is a hefty price for a rep, and low value in my opinion. I'm still confused over how they price some of these reps. You have yourself a very nice gen. I've tried it on a few times at the AD, and the movement is beautiful. I would probably wear the thing upside down if I could.

After all that stress...I'm glad it worked out for you. Good job!

Hey...bring it on. The gen is what this watch is all about. The movement is beautiful. To take good macro shots can be a bit tricky. Ideally...no flash but ambiant light...a tripod is ideal and using the timer or a remote control is best as you should be using as low an ISO rating as possible which, combined with the macro will make a fuzzy picture when you push the shutter release. This will be a great project for you to learn macro technique. You might have to play around with the focus and depth of field a bit to get the look you want (f stop...the smaller the number the less depth of field). There's a good Photoshop guide for watches by Edge here: Edge's Photoshop Guide Another guide here: Using Light Tents ...the Next Step For posting pics...go here: How to Post Pics Good luck...and I look forward to whatever results you get.

Yeah...no vendor covers the cost of you shipping it to them even for "warranty" repairs or returns. This fact often ticks a lot of buyers off...but it's one of the truths to be accepte in dealing with reps. The cost is usually about $20 USD. A PROPER movement servicing (complete strip down, clean, lube and rebuild) costs around $200. You may find cheaper...some find it for $50...but, YMMV and quality will vary. Sometimes the rep movements have flaky parts or things that pop out...the beauty of lack of QA/QC.

Hey...we've done our part...whatever happens happens right? At least the brother did some research and jumped right in...no oft-repeated questions...no engaging in flame wars...just straight out research and purchase. Old school man!

Lani's the Rafflemeister...heed his warning. Believe it or not...this warning applies to gens as well. If you read the manual to Valjoux 7750 gens...they tell you the same thing...so this is not something that's a problem with just reps. Additional advice you will learn from reading posts in this forum includes: - Ideally, Asian 7750 movements are reliable, but usually dry (no oil) or dirty. They will run fine if not serviced for about a year...but reliability after that decreases. If serviced within that timeframe (i.e. before damage from running dry metal on metal means more expensive parts replacement), it can potentially have the lifetime of a gen (again, assuming the standard 5 year re-service cycle for regular use is followed). - Accuracy on the watch may be off at the start. Running the watch continually for a few days will help "break it in"...but generally it may take up for a month for the movement to settle (just like a car) - The Zigmeister (the rep repair master) has stated that winding an A7750 movement by the crown is not desireable as it involves much greater wear and tear on the movement vs. relying on the rotor. The ideal way to keep things moving is a winder, or usage. If it stops, a few gentle swirls will get it going and an active day should get the watch "charged up" and get for a little less than 2 days of power reserve - When screwing the crown back in, push it in gently and turn it gently COUNTER-clockwise (as in UN-screwing the crown) until you feel a slight bump/click. This is when the threads have mated. At this point, start screwing the crown in. By just screwing in the crown without trying to align the threads properly, you run the risk of stripping the threads on the tube/crown Other than that...remember...mechanical watches (gens included) are semi-fragile...don't smash or drop them...and avoid water unless it passes a pressure test (with reps...this is dodgy...even if the vendor says it's alright). WOW...so much free information...and good information at that...and good information from some pretty esteemed members of this community. IF you find it has helped...make sure you put back to the community and post about your experiences...take photos...upgrade your membership.

NICE!!! Does the hair get caught in the chains??

You guessed right. Stick around...gain knowledge...post back experiences...and upgrade your membership if you find you are getting the information you need. Welcome.

I've sent a few back from Canada using standard Canada Post. Some sellers use really small boxes which can raise the price for shipping by 300%...so you might need to re-package to meet postal "minimum" size standards. I've never had a problem...but the return shipping can be slow. Canada Post says 6-8 weeks I think, but I've never had things take longer than about 4 weeks. It may take an additional 2 weeks for the vendor to tell you it arrived...but by then...the watch has likely already started it's slow journey back. Just fill out customs declarations exactly like the dealer asks.

It's very old school. I find the super thick straps on Pams to be a bit much as well though.

The designs are a little too techy for me. But as to value, I think the current batch of high end reps, properly serviced will bring you to the same price point (e.g. A Skyland at $268 + $200 servicing plus shipping @ $60 is just over $500), and will give you very good reliability, service and quality...and the design elements of a high end watch. Something like a Porsche flat 6, Tag Carrera or even a Chopard GT might be in line with your style...and would be a similar price point.

The big difference was, you called out a janitor for wearing a rep because you felt people of his station in life wearing Rolex were devaluing the brand for big players like you when in fact, you were also wearing a rep while claiming it to be a gen...and then you go on to tell his boss about the rep behind his back. The original poster called out the rep in front of friends who were engaged in an horological discussion and were actually interested in how to spot reps, and the quality of the items. Friendly and common interest based "calling out" vs. malicious one-up-manship...big difference!!

Nice looking piece Freddy. JLC's are definitely under the radar for most people. I do like that crazy 12-3-6 marker font. Nice! Does it have a display back on that?

They speak German and Italian and officially Romansh too...so anything's possible. I always thought O-MEE-GA sounded weird...I'm an O"MAY"GA guy.

I paid $60 for a crown and $20 for a tube (new...but OMEGA not Rolex)...so this is in the range.

AR on this model is actually incorrect. Later models of the SMP Chrono have AR...so in this case, we are lucky to not have it. I have one with the ETA datewheel installed. I'll try and shoot some comparison shots one of these days.

Not necessarily... There are different kinds of collectors. Thematic collectors (e.g. Stephane and Rolex divers, or Nanuq and his vintage divers), there are brand collectors (e.g. Uncle Jay and Panerai), model oriented collectors (Freddy and his Daytonas), functional collectors (tonnes here on the board who want a sports watch, dress watch, etc...small numbers but broad function), mass accumulation collectors (e.g. the infamous but missing Victoria) etc, etc. Just because you don't have a lot of pieces, doesn't mean you aren't a collector. You just have a different modus operandi than your neighbour. Nice collection BTW.