Toadtorrent

That is a nice looking watch. It looks like stick on letters on the plate on the back...hopefully those don't fall off like the infamous IWC rotor letters.

Just what Merlin said...the rep strap stinks. It's very poor quality leather. The buckle is good though, and the springbars are fine...so if you get the strap, upgrade it and use the springbars and buckle on the new strap. As to getting the bracelet off...it's not as bad as people say. I get a safety pin and a narrow springbar tool...pull back the springbar just a bit...stick the pin into the hole it came out of...then use the springbar tool and pop off the other side...presto. The bracelet is really nice...but on leather it's slick.

Hi and welcome aboard. It looks like you've acquired quite a few notches on your belt before coming here. Well done. You sound like you know the biz already...so, have fun with the forum!

I'm more the Color Dreams myself...but it is a fun watch.

I use a gas stove. As others have stated, it gets hot and might melt the o-ring in the crown.

Dem's da bomb! R&J are the Ultimate Combo...wear them well!

...and don't forget the OTHER 3717... mmmmm...Spitfire...

In person...the double AR isn't bad...but when I look at the comparison pics of Chieftang and Jakub's work (next gen AR)...it's night and day...even better than the gen. The aftermarket AR makes the crystal disappear in full daylight at all angles...wild!!

Fun read. Thanks! I forgot to say earlier (this is an edit), that this post reminds me of why we should do reps...because they're fun...not to prove anything to anybody...but to have a good time with the assembly and disassembly...just enjoying the basic premise of a design...and also, down the line...seeing how close to gen you can make things. Great fun. I'm a big fan of this watch...but want a decent quality one. >sigh< This looks like a very fun experience. Good job on taking the thing apart. Was this your first time working with watches? If so...kudos to you!

You are the undisputed Cousteau Master!! Thanks Taka...nice!

I'm not sure which case you're starting with...or the specific movement you have. Depending on which one...you MAY need a different movement holder ring to fit the CN movement into the Noob case properly. As to the date window and date wheel, again, depending on the movement you are starting with, you may well be able to swap the date disc...or if the date discs are incompatible, you will likely be able to slice off the appropriate date overlay and glue it onto the relevant movement you are using. Test it for alignment in all positions (use a slow setting glue to allow for this) and you should be good to go. Most of these cheap watches use date overlays on the datewheels so swapping that between movements should be pretty easy. Make sure to use the appropriate dial spacer so the thickened date wheel can turn properly.

There are lots of people buying $1000 reps...but these will often have ETA movements, genuine parts, modding up the yin yang...etc...not a standard rep movement with a decorated rotor in a plated gold case.

Yeah...well, Replica Center has Noobmariners for $1200...that still doesn't make $600 or $800 for a shipped new Hublot a good deal considering it's still a $120 movement in a case that is just plated gold.

Haha...Welcome!! Now we need an Ajanesmith...

I have reps and gens...and friends have understood it similar to some of the high end jewellry in that you wear the reps of both for damage and risk on a regular basis and for working on the car...and the gens for the special occasions...or a museum that keeps the real stuff in the hands of the researchers...and the reps public facing as the public will rarely be able to tell the difference.

I have similar experiences. 4 of 5 I've received have had slipping date discs...some have completely popped off. Flaky keyless works that have low tolerance on workmanship so they slip out of whack really easily...easy to pop back into place...but a pain in the butt to have to do so. The rotors have always been loud...power reserve however has been alright Winding using the stem feels "cheap"...kind of a high pitch grinding feel...not like an ETA or Rollie movement...mind you, it's hard to compare the 2...not really fair.

Be careful...if they are loose, when you take out the movement, do it on a white piece of paper. They are small and can be easily lost and hard to replace.

Listen to the The Zigmeister-Meister...the man has seen more movements than I have seen watches. The deal is, that if you care about the rep in general, you would be having to pay to have the movement serviced anyways...otherwise...consider it disposable and get a new one.

As the others have said...if it's too good to be true...it likely is. HOWEVER...if it's chump change for you...and you like raffles and a little bit of gambling excitement...go for it...maybe it will be all you desired and more...maybe you'll get ripped off...maybe the item is stolen...who knows...but the entertainment factor in the waiting and wondering what you'll actually get can be quite amusing.

H.W. Perrin in Toronto have a 4 watch display case for $35 CDN.

Hah hah...Barbara Streisand. I have to say, I think this is one of the nicer Hublot's in my book...which goes to show you that I think the HBBs are kind of ugly. To each their own.

It's actually not too bad...IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. This is not something for a first timer to do. If you have some dessicant aroun (from camera or electronics equipment...if you work in IT...you can steal some bags of it from printers, routers, etc). Open the caseback ideally, and remove the anti-mag cover if there is one. Stick the opened watch and the dessicant inside a zip lock bag or plastic tub and stick it on a desk in the sun to get the evaporation going and the dessicant absorption going. Leave it for a day or two and see what happens. If the watch can be revived after this...it could still do with a service...but you might be alright if you don't want to pay for the servicing for awhile. Again...salt water dunk means the salt can quickly corrode parts...so a trip to a watchmaker for a breakdown is needed if you want the watch to last. A Ti GST is worth salvaging. If you want a new movement...Ajoesmith has both 6-9-12 and 3-6-9 variants I believe for around $150. You need to be able to decase the movement, remove and re-install hands, remove and reinstall a datewheel, clean up fingerprints and grease marks, etc...and re-case everything with stem re-install. This requires specialized equipment (movement holder, horological quality screwdrivers, hand removal tool, hand press, rodico, caseback opener, etc...and more importantly, the know how to use them).

Hopefully, as the market place SHOULD dictate, this should help settle the products and pricing to a point that the market demands...namely an acceptable match between quality and price point. With the HBBs...it appears enough people are willing to pay an ultra-premium for an out of the box item to make production viable. With the trend towards great out of the box new reps like the Skyland, I hope the vendors are recognizing that for a watch like this that is considered a "general consumer" watch vs. a $1000 uber-rep, that proper pricing will help generate more profit for them...but only if accompanied by a certain level of quality. We will never get a true 1:1...not with cheap rep manufacturing...but at least we can expect reliable movements, and no glaring flaws. The market SHOULD dictate, and hopefully this is the start of the adjustments we've all been hoping for.

Hey...nice work!! Great review...and from a relative newbie to the board. Great stuff...