DemonSlayer

Thanks for your input Toad, I understand what you mean. I guess the only way I can properly decide which one is for me is to get them both and compare them.

Out of interest, which do you prefer?

You're right, I see some good rep Pams, then when I see the real deal I realise how far apart the finishing on the movement is. The only thing I've seen that comes close is Little Hero's work. Nice collection Robert!

Agreed. We have some reps which are pretty much spot on in terms of the "chassis" but the engine on the other hand, which IMO is a substantial % of a watch on some of the more complex designs ... leaves a lot to be desired.

all this time I thought I made the full payment

Logging into PP now... Thx for the heads up Ken.

VS

(Mods please advise if I posted this in the wrong section)

Well guys, I'm about to dabble in two brands that I've not had any real experience with.

When I first saw the SOH, I was immediately drawn by the simple clean look and elegance of the watch. The bezel and crown looked amazing, and the AR put the icing ong the cake. Not to mention the damn good pics everyone puts up on the forums

I had the opportunity to try one on, but I must say, though it was a very nice watch, I didn't "connect" to it as I have with other watches I own. The problem might be, that for me personally, I need to try it on the OR strap for a more "truer" opinion of it. I've read from several members that these two make a killer combo.

Then there's the BP. When I first saw the watch for the very first time on the net, I didn't even look twice. In fact I was like that with all IWC, but recently my interest in the brand is increasing daily..

The Big Pilot, to me, looks quite similar in design to the SOH. They are roughly the same size and thickness, and both have beautifully made crowns. Now I need to see this one in the flesh to make up my mind on what is the nicer watch for me.

The fact that I have 6.5 inch wrists didn't put me off in the slightest, the SOH wears very comfortably, despite it's big size. The IWC should wear similar I think...

What about other's experience here? Which do you find the nicer watch?

Have all the UK/EU members received theirs? I'm still waiting for mine and feel pretty left out without it

Interesting method you have there rolexman. After you have finished with cape cod, and you take the watch under strong light, can you see any tiny scratches or is it a deep mirror finish with no marks visible at all? You have to look very carefully at certain angles to see these scratches.

The reason why I want to clean the wheel is because after I have finished polishing with the Mothers Mag & Aluminium paste with cotton wheel, it has lots of black sludge on the wheel from the polish, and this hardens and it becomes dusty. I would also suspect that it has many tiny fragments of steel particles stuck in the wheel from polishing, and this can lead to more scratches.

If it is best to not clean the wheel with soapy water, then I will stop doing so from now on.

After some extensive research, I am in the process of learning new information on how to achieve a super mirror finish. If my attempts are successful, I will post a guide. However, none of the sites I came across mention how to properly clean wheels that are designed for rotary tools (you can't take a wheel rake to them as they're too small).

Is it advisable to clean wheels using soap and water, or just water?

That arabic Oyster DD is growing on me Demon. Funny, I have gotten used to not seeing Oysters on DD's since they were discontinued. I kind of miss them now. The arabic and Oyster is a nice sporty combo. I do like the President bracelet best with Romans though - and the Jubilee is best with sticks on DJ's IMO. Funny how different bracelets can completely change the vibe of these otherwise similar watches...

It is a remarkable watch in the flesh. Unfortunately my photography skills are not up to par to do this watch justice, but I'm learning

After much purchasing of DJ's and DD's (reps) I believe I have finally found the combo which I like the best and which best suits my personality. The arabic numerals make it modern, the oyster band adds a touch of sportiness, and the mirror polished case and the mid-links add the 'subtle bling' which gives this watch wrist presence despite it's small size.

I also bought a spare Presidential band, just in case However I'm quite happy leaving it on the oyster for the time being.

It's possible that the manufacturer for the UPO has changed. The case and bracelet are probably the same or very similar, but it's obvious the dial has changed from the original UPO's, which look better to my eyes.

A very elegant and classy looking watch. I like the clean, simple look of this one.

When I first got into watches a little over a year ago, I wouldn't even look twice at IWC watches, now I'm starting to feel them

Great review J, the watch is sure a beauty, I like the black dial you have pictured, and the white dial is a close second.

Thanks for the suggestion Rolexman, I had actually studied your guide in detail.

I just tried that fluffy wheel on the right, with Silvo first and then Mothers Mag & Alu, neither resulted in a perfect mirror finish. I tried lowest setting on the dremel first, polishing against the grain, and then with. It did look better than the scratches left by polishing by hand, but it was still hazy and the tiny scratches were there. I then proceeded to polish on level 7 on my dremel, thinking that higher RPM would make a difference but it didn't.

I believe it does take a lot of skill and knowledge of varios compounds and polishing techniques to achieve that factory mirror finish.

I will try out the Cape cod with the dremel later on tonight, and will report the results soon.

Thanks Andy. Hmm, so the harder felt ones I guess are the "cutting" ones to even out the metal and get rid of surface scratches, and those light ones with circle cloths sandwiched together are best for finishing.

I bought 12 cape cod cloths off the bay, a bit too much probably, but I was thinking of cutting pieces of them, and tying them to the hard felt one on the left, and then subsequently polish with that. I've heard this is very good for achieving a mirror finish, but I'm not sure if that would leave hazy lines or not.

Well, theres only one way to find out

Hey guys, I'm going to use a Dremel/rotary tool for the first time. I picked up a pretty decent one off the bay, and it came with two polishing heads, I have no idea what the quality of these are like, I don't know much about polishing with a dremel or benchtop grinder fitted with polishing mop. I am looking for a high quality mirror finish.

I've noticed that whenever I polish by hand, whether it's Brasso, Silvo, Mothers Mag & Alu, or Cape cod, I never get a finish quite like a factory finish. It always has tiny hairline marks which is visible under strong light and looks 'hazy'.

I plan to use this as my 'rouge':

Which of these two polishing mops should I use, and anyone have any decent tips on how to get that perfect mirror finish

Thanks guys.

I say genuine as well.

RG

Thanks The Zigmeister and all those who gave their input.

Goes to show there are still some out there, but I think they're mostly in the 'old stock' watches.

Thanks for the info. I am going to purchase the pearl as well today, but is there a better pearl out there that is similar to gen?

I have no problem doing the insert and CG filing as there are many tutorials available (If I mess up the bezel insert I can get a new one)

I cant wait!!!!!

I've been meaning to do these mods too, but I'm too scared that I'll ruin the cg's. So I intend to purchase cheap subs to practice on first, before I attempt it on my SSD.

The WM pearl is the most accurate aftermarket pearl currently known. It has a sapphire covering over the pearl, and great lume, quite close to OEM. You will be hard pressed to find a better pearl for the cost and ease of availability.

Asian ETA is a great choice, thats what I have in mine. The rotor sounds the same as gen ETA and mine has been keeping great time, +5 seconds a day, which I believe is within COSC standards.

Congrats on your first purchase. I too recently acquired a SSD V2, you are going to be really impressed with this one. Ok they screwed up the frontal rehaut a little, but don't let that put you off the amazing build quality of this watch, it will blow you away!

In terms of mods, there's 3 things you can do to bring this very close to gen, and they're pretty simple providing you take your time and your good with your hands.

Swap the pearl with a WM pearl, sand/file down the insert so that it sits flush against the bezel, and trim the cg's. With these 3 mods done, good luck in getting called out

Mad pics.. that's one huge mother of a watch!

The ultimate tool watch available from Rolex's current range IMO. This thing looks like it can survive C4..

I was about to join both of you Corgi and Robbie, with my DD on oyster, but today it has to be the greatest rep ever made:

For me, just a quick and dirty pic. Same watch as before, I think it's glued on Fitting though, as the strap was a christmas present last year

Ahh that's the wristshots I remember So TJ, whats the verdict on PAMs now? Are they making a comeback for you or is it still the Omegas that are doing it for you?

Robbie, I haven't seen one in the flesh, but I have similar feelings to you on this one. The recent trend has been to oversize everything, if sales do flop for this model, I hope Rolex learn their lesson that the idea to oversize such a classic watch was a total disaster. The DD will always be the 36mm model, no matter what Rolex try to do with it. It's such a iconic watch, and has been a symbol of Rolex for many years now, there was no need to tamper with it, I'm sure it's selling in high numbers still (along with the DJ).

If I was to ever get a PO again, it would have to be on the rubber, no contest. I have a 6.5 inch wrist, and the 45mm on steel is just too much for me. Besides, it looks GREAT on the rubber and I always remember it as a rubber sports watch since I watched Casino Royale.

Woah, in other pics I couldn't really tell even when I was looking at the color differences. But in this pic, the difference is quite clear. I can definitely see the red hue on the white gold. Beautiful watches though, I love the Daytona but I'm not too fond of the seconds at 6 movement issues...

Fantastic write up mate! I love reading posts like this. Glad to see it turned out working great, and the strap goes really well with it.

I remember my dad wearing the digital Seiko watches on SS. Shame he never kept them though, I don't have a clue what happened to them, it would have been fun if I could have added them to my collection I agree, nothing beats the sentimental value of timepieces.