Toadtorrent

I've had good experiences with Silix. He takes a bit longer to communicate, and sometimes to get stuff out to you...but, his "water resistance" testing is "included" take that for what it's worth...but the CHRONOS I've received from him that were supposedly tested, both came sound past 50m by a Bergeon tester in Canada. He is helpful...just slower.

The local "high end" store here (Omega, Tag, and some other higher end brands) has curvex shaped "house brand" Birks watches with ETA movements and Muller look alike dials for a lot less. When I think about these Birks branded watches copying Muller for a fraction of the cost...then I think a Chinese rep is doing the exact same thing for fraction of that cost with THE SAME movement...I totally see the rationale behind reps. I can tell you the rep feels better than a $100 watch (aside from the strap which feels like a $2 strap. If you note the font on one of the Trusty pics in the post, the #1 doesn't match the others in the pictures...however it is closer to the #1 in the pic of the $1,000,000 Evolution 1-3 at the top of the post. So, it's possible (though not confirmed) there are dial variations. I bought mine from Silix.

That's right. It's only a problem when there's no money left for poi. Nice piece...yet another one I'm tempted by. Actually, anytime I see any of you guys post great pictures and great work...I'm tempted by the watch...except for the Gaytona of course...

No argument from me.

AWESOME. I'll PM you soon. I'm opening the case in a bit as I'm working on regulating the movement. It came 5 mins slow/day...brutal!!

It's true. People who know watches look at my IWC or Omega's and say "wow...nice watches"...but people who don't say "those are big". About my Cousteau Divers, my son says "Wow...that's hu-normous"...but with the Crazy Hours, he'll sit on my lap and watch me set the time to see the hand jump around the dial, laughing away saying "that's silly". He's not really into watches...but he gets the Crazy Hours.

While the debate may rage through a thousand posts what the best replica watch is for under $150, I doubt few could argue that the funkiest movement for under a $150, or even three times that price, has to be the Franck Muller Crazy Hours. This watch, available in a variety of strap and bracelet options, dial colour layouts from sophisticated black on white to the playful Color Dreams Technicolour Rainbow is limited to a real working Jump Hour movement using a basic manual wind Asian 21J movement. What does this mean? Stay tuned...and read below for my review of this great rep that can be had for just over $100 including shipping. Franck Muller Who is Franck Muller? And what has he done with my sequential ordering of numbers? While noble Swiss watch companies like Breguet and Patek Philippe may have Royal histories dating back over 150 years of horological mastery, Franck Muller's (who was born in 1958) watch house was not established until the early 1990's. In spite of this late start, Muller through a combination of equal parts marketting and mechanical wizardry has been able to achieve tremendous respect for his innovative mechanical and stylistic innovations so much so, as to truly earn his moniker of the "Master of Complications". With a string of patents for such things as design elements like the Curvex Diamond to tourbillon movements, Muller has been able to make such creations that have earned him the title of having the "most complicated wristwatch in the world". A look at the tri-axis tourbillon of the Evolution 3-1 pictured below is an example of this. While there is no hope of ever having a Chinese rep factory make such complicated precision timepieces as the Evolution 3-1, it is surprising that something like the non-sequential jump hour movement of the Crazy Hours watches can be replicated, and at an extremely low price point. The Crazy Hours I had read about jump movements ages ago in various watch magazines as movements that create a binary type of time display by not gradually having the selected number be determined by a gradually moving arm, but an arm that "jumps" from number to number, or a displayed number that flips at a precise point (like the date flip on a Noobmariner vs. an Asian 7750 movement). Muller has taken this idea to the next level by printing his dial to display the hours non-sequentially going around the clock from "midnight" as 8-1-6-11-4-9-2-7-12-5-10-3 instead of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12. Because of this unique order, the hour "jumps" around the clock at the turn of the hour, while the minute hand rotates gradually as normal, so the time is read by looking at the actual number the hour hand is pointing to, the position the minute hand is pointing to and not the actual number. The big question that everyone has about this replica is: Does the jump hour movement work? The answer is: YES!! The movement is a modified Asian 21J manual wind movement. I have not opened the case, so I can't tell you any more than that. It is a hoot set the time and watch the hour hand jump around the dial as the minute hand sweeps midnight. It is a favourite pastime of children who can tell time to gather around the watch and see the hourly jump. This feature alone I think, makes this watch a must have for any rep collection. When viewed from a distance, the watch will appear to tell the wrong time, but when viewed up close, it will appear to in fact tell the right time, just not in a conventional manner. Let's take a look at the watch in closer detail. The Case The watch arrived in the requested stainless steel Curvex case, measuring about 42mm high, and only 30mm wide. The sides of the casae have a nice polish to them and there were no sharp edges. The relief FM logo on the crown was nicely printed, and deep. [The Caseback] The caseback is joke. Although the 4 screw pattern matches the gen as pictured below... ...there are so many things wrong with the caseback that came supplied with this watch. - Spacing of the letters in Franck Muller at the top is inconsistent and much wider than the gen - Engraving is very shallow...so much so that the last "s" in Complications is cutoff - Missing jeweller's marks - Spelling error "COLORDRBAMS" instead of "Color Dreams" If it's possible to get the standard Crazy Hours caseback, that would be an improvement to at least get rid of the spelling error. The Dial The watch I ordered was from Silix and was a special item Jay had to find for me. It took about a week to source before he had it in the post. There are many dial options, but I chose the Color Dreams, given that if the Hours are Crazy, the colours should be Dreamy. As you can see by the angled dial pictures, there is a guilloche style concentric floral pattern which allows subtle numbers to appear all over the dial when viewed in certain light. This makes for a great look to the dial and adds an extra bit of zip and hint of quality. The dial printing is crisp and clear, and coloured numbers have a nice vibrancy to them. The crystal is supposedly sapphire according to the sticker, but I have no means of verifying this. The Color Dreams Color Dreams refers to the series of multi-coloured numbers. I picked the Color Dreams white dial: Other rep Crazy Hours options include: Color Dreams black dial: Black dial: Blue dial: White dial: The Strap The strap has the proper markings on the back, but the printing is not as deep. The gen is pictured below: The tang buckle is reasonably nice with laser etching of "Franck Muller" on the rounded top. The finish is reasonable, but lacks the quality smoothness and polish of the higher end reps. As well, the rep lacks the jeweller's marks on the bucket found on the original. Replica: Gen: The leather of the strap is real, but the printing of the crocodile grain is very poor making it scream fake from a distance. I would suggest an immediate strap replacement, even though finding a "Franck Muller" printed quality strap (outside of a gen) is likely to be difficult. SUMMARY The Crazy Hours jump movement makes this rep a very fun watch and I think a highly recommended watch for any collection because of the jump movement alone. The dial printing and design allow this watch to readily be a classy but playful dress watch. With such a bad strap, and terrible caseback, it does not rank high in the accuracy department, but these are problems that can be addressed through a caseback or strap upgrade...difficult decisions to make I think, given that the cost of this watch with shipping is less than US$150, there can be only so much quality. I hope you enjoyed this review and have found it useful.

Hey Lani, Wow...didn't notice that one. Good spot on the hands!! As well...I think that's the minute hand you're talking about isn't it, or should I be eating more poi?? @dluddy - that's looking good. The AR is looking good. The latest Chieftang pics have been unbelieveable...but, I'm thinking if the stock double AR is as good as the Cousteau Divers, I'll probably leave it for awhile. I do want to get a The Zigmeister lume job on it though!!

Hi, Does anybody know the proper caseback gasket size for a Cousteau Diver?? I see these assorted caseback gasket sets on Fleabay but don't know if there is a proper amount of stretch to get the proper seal. I seem to measure it at 34mm but I'm not sure if that's right. Takashi?? Anybody?? Thanks.

Jay just wrote back that he has one with the bracelet. I'm taking it. That was 1.5 months of waiting for sourcing. It's the same one you have in your pic. It's a nice watch. Once again, a visit to the AD sold me on the watch. I tried on the Spitfire chrono with a leather strap and WOW, it was beautiful. I have the Di Modell Imperator strap already waiting for it...no IWC tang buckle...but hey. Jay says the watch has passed the water resistance testing and that it is the correct one with double AR, I'll do a post when it arrives. I'm working on a review of the Crazy Hours right now...

That's why I like my $400 "super reps" to go on sale at $275 (Silix 2006 Cousteau Diver)...

I can't do a UPO or PAM 111h...but I can tell you my experience of trying on a gen PO and finding it felt really big on the wrist (bracelet), but trying on the CD and it seems to set lower and less obtrusive than my SMP Chrono. I have just over 6.5" wrists but bigger forearms. I think the rubber strap and thinner caseback are the reason for this.

That would be great if you could. @Francisco...very interesting. A question for the Rolex experts...is the glued on datewheel with the "thinner" numbers more accurate than the original thicker or "bolder" datewheel with teh gule all over it?

Nice piece Lanikai. How thick is that thing? And...how's the rep strap on it? I have an A. Lange & Sohne whose strap sucks (bad black croc grain and very thin)...and with the IWCs, I like the deployment clasp option but the 21mm size is weird, and the aftermarket straps I like have the buckle sewn in meaning I don't want to try cutting it lest I damage the s trap.

That's true...I'm not saying posting for everything or for the sake of posting...I'm saying posting when you have found information of use and quality to say thanks!

Hey Freddy, Mine just arrived after 1 week of waiting...and I have to say, for anybody interested in Rolex...it is DEFINITELY a must have. That is one beautiful catalogue...and loaded with some great reference pics and trivia information. I was surprised to see the Panerai with the Rollie movement included in the auction. Nice! It's definitely horologist coffee table material!

I hear you...I've only recently started to use the rating system more. Considering users like Lady V (aka Victoria) are so encouraging and deliver probably 00 ratings a day, I figure I can squeeze in a few extra mouse clicks for something that might have saved me a few hundred dollars from a scam or poor maintenance on a nice rep.

But at least it's a shack with a nicely filled watch box. HAH. I'm not talking about finances, personal life, professional development, etc...I'm talking about the things that matter...watches.

OK...I'm slow to post. But, after reading this thread for the ump-teenth time, I have to say: Thanks for the great info. Because of posts like this, I have developed a fancy for IWC that I never thought possible.

I had ordered a white dial 3717-02/05 over a month ago from Jay, and after good communication with Jay have decided to give up on this watch. He is actually giving me a refund. If that doesn't tell you the watch is rare...nothing will. I also sent a couple emails to Andrew and Angus, and Andrew tells me the factory has stopped making the white dial, but he will look for one for me. Does anybody know where I can get one? I'm talking the good double AR one in 42mm...not the 38mm one. I don't care about bracelet or strap. I think this watch is one of the nicer IWCs around... Help me Obi Wan Kenobi...you're my only hope...

Hi, I've been around this board in terms of hours spent, a lot more than the short time I've been a member, and I feel that in this short time, I have gained so much knowledge since I first started in terms of rep quality, dealers, technical info, options, modding, culture, straps, fashion...you name it. There are so many knowledgeable members on this board it blows my mind. What blows it more, is that there are so many knowledgeable members who are willing to spend the time to write countless articles as a way to share information and put back to the community...not for pay, watches, glory or anything...just wanting to put back a little something for what they've gained. I won't name names...we know who some are...and to name a few and not all would not be fair to the others. I've noticed a number of threads with huge view counts...like 1000+ views...and then maybe 9 comments. Is it me, or does this seem a bit rude? I'll admit I can be pretty lazy most of the time, but I think if we gain something useful (be it positive or negative) from reading a post, I think we should let the author know we appreciate the time they have spent. It's common courtesy. My toddler was saying thank you to pay people when we walked through doors who were going to blast on through without holding the door for me in spite of me wheeling a stroller and carrying a second kid...only to have the passer-by guiltily and sheepishly turn around to hold the door for us only AFTER hearing my toddler saying thank you for something they had no intention of doing. It's sad when a toddler is teaching an adult manners. I challenge RWG folks to: - Increase their post counts - Improve their karma - Pass good will - Encourage each other to share more information by posting replies, feedback, ratings...whatever. It will be good for you...and good for the community.

Hey Gioarmani, Thanks for the post. Just what I was looking for. Can you tell I'm new to working inside the case?

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking that the datefont looked improved over the first releases of the watch, but as I had not had a chance to compare it through all the days, I wasn't quite sure. I'm going to try and get it pressure tested today.

Thanks...and whoops...yeah...lume is definitely on the list...thanks for the reminder!

Thanks. You should get one...afterall...it's cheaper than the current Swiss SFSO...and not much more than Swiss Datejust.