cougar1

arrrhhhggg, keep cape cod away from brushed finishes, just for polished finishes only! The sub is mostly brushed, except for the sides of the watch case. You will need to rebrush, and you will need to rebrush in the right directions to restore original finish. Scotchbrite or brushing pads will do it jus fine, I prefer garryflex sanding blocks for rebrushings as you can decide the level of brushing, rough to fine.

Wow, that is fast, nice strap aswell, not sure it would go well on my wrist though!

Andrew and Josh have their operations closely knit together, so if Andrew is up and running, Josh is too, but Josh might be Sleeping

Yeah the AR will certainly make a big difference, it can only improve it so might be worth the investment. These AT's especially that one are as rare as hens teeth these days. I would love a decent white/blue gen, but not prepared to pay the premium that is being asked for them these days. Be patient and a dial might come up on ebay or something. I see andrew has some teak dial at's that I haven't seen before: http://www.yourtrustytime.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35_66&products_id=8668 still a lot of problems but better than some other teak dial versions around, still a21j and the size must be a miss print...it surely couldn't be 46mm case size?

I couldn't find the review either, I only read it a couple of weeks ago It's a nice looking watch, simple and classic.

He should be fine, probably a little busier than usual trying to sort out what watches can be processed as normal and what ones there may be a delay on new supplies incoming to him, that is if he is affected at all. I'm sure he'll respond soon enough! Edit: got there before me Texas!

I liked the look of that Blancpain chrono Ade, a lot of dosh to be carrying about on the wrist though! It would be nice to see a decent fifty fathoms rep, either chrono or non-chrono. One is supposed to be 'imminent' ..but you know yourself that could mean 2015

Josh probably had his team of little helpers killed during the raids, so that they wouldn't hang him in front of a judge, he'll hire another team of little helpers within a day or two.

btw forgot to say earlier finedd or domi will do ar work in the eu.

I'm almost sure it's 20mm lug, don't quote me on that, there was a review of this I read somewhere recently, rwi I think, almost sure it said 20mm lug. Ask josh though! Nice watch btw!

Not a bad price at all, fairly simple dial on gen so hopefully the rep is accurate from the front, let us know what you think when you get it

If you got your qc pics you should be in the clear even if the factory was it, the dealer will be probably be ready for shipping stuff that's already gone through qc soon, just expect a few days extra delay assuming they have to take stock of the situation and assess incoming orders and implement 'damage limitation'. You should have it shipped by wed or thurs.

I think these are fairly good out of the box, you know the issues compared to gen anyway so no point going through them, the main issue for me is the dial on these white/blue dials, the blue markers are a different colour to gen, (also the white/"rose gold" version is worse off, markers are terrible, the blue dialed version is very off...dial is a totally different colour to gen). Yours and the black dialed version is probably the closest to gen out of all the old AT reps with the black dialed version being probably closest. It would be interesting to sort out he logo and the lettering but getting correct versions would be difficult unless you find a gen dial and hands somewhere. The AR on the gen is inner only and not the best so the rep isn't vastly different to the rep in that regard, you could have it double AR'd and it would be interesting but would it be worth the effort? Not sure! Also the lume is very tiny on the gen, hardly noticeable. Not sure what to say really, they are probably best left as is unless you come across a gen dial, ...a bloody nightmare to find!

First time I've seen Spiderweb dials, makes an interesting effect, looks cool actually!

1. Again after the rep passes the rep test, i.e. wear and enjoy for a couple of years, can't part with the rep, always enjoy having it on the wrist but still long for the gen version. 2. Omega Speedmaster Professional (Moonwatch) 3. Absolutely 1000% worth it! Those would be the critieria above, but I have a slightly different take on buying gens; it is (or at least was before the insane price increases of the past couple of years) possible to build a modest watch fund, say 2 or 3 grand(£) over time and gradually try different pre-used gens in that price range and never really lose that initial watch fund if they are bought carefully and selectively and patiently at good 2nd hand prices. Please keep in mind I am talking strictly about 2nd user (bargains) here, never walk into an AD and buy a gen that depreciates the minute you walk out the door (they all do...yes even Rolex) unless you are happy to f-up this process. Now you will never try out a Lange Datograph or even a gold calatrava in that price range but some fantastic watches can be tried and flipped if the purchase doesn't "do it" for you over time. Pre-owned sub's, explorer's, speedies, PO's, AT's Breitling SO's, IWC 3717's etc were all available sub-£3K price range (some still are) up to few years ago, these days it's more difficult and you have to be more selective. I don't see it as any different than someone who say buys 20 or 30 reps, they also had a watch fund for that. Sometimes after buying a rep it's possible to still have a craving to see what "the fuss is about" regarding a particular gen. Going into an AD and trying one on doesn't do it...it's necessary to wear it for a while to see if you really bond with it. I did this for a while and it was a valuable learning experience. It actually made me respect reps even more than before. Were some of the watches worth the money...certainly not, that's why they were flipped in price ranges from 80%-150% and the reps were bought or if already owned, improved enough so I was happy with it. The only one I really couldn't part with is the speedy pro. The sub, gen is gorgeous but an good modded noob sub (for me) is so bloody close to the gen it most definitely wasn't worth keeping at the price. I still have some gens but in the process of toning them down to just the basic keepers. Reps have become so bloody good with some watches I don't see any reason to try out any more gens except on a very rare occasion. Would I love to be handed a free calatrava, yes I most certainly would but I would never see any reason to buy one, and I would probably sell it as it would never be worn enough. The only watch (gen) that has turned my eye recently has been the new Tudor black bay, I can wait several years and I might pick one up 2nd hand...that is unless a good enough rep comes out in the meantime.

Yeah it was a long time ago, and he was a bit green then so even though he was crushed at the time, and for a while after, he has long got over it. He is just kind of 'meh' about watches in general for years now, show him a rep and it's 'meh', show him a photo of a gen Lange datograph and it just 'meh' ....can't satisfy some people The strange thing is he was the one who really got me to notice watches before that when I was in my teens, he would show a pic of a rolex explorer in a magazine or the newly released smp at the time and say "what do ya think?". Just lost total interest I guess. He's into his cameras in a big way though! On a side note, like above I think in general, forumites are pretty good and clued in when it comes to rep etiquette. It's highly unlikely someone from the forums who has any clue would go about shoving the watch in peoples faces broadcasting its a rep, usually that sort of behaviour is reserved for those who buy £20 quid reps while on holiday in Turkey or Morocco. Usually if someone asks about the watch it's very easy to ascertain from their enthusiasm or (lack of it) whether the are into watches or just asking 'fake or not?' It's usually then up to the rep owner how (far) they want to continue with the discussion. Ronin's answer of "actually, I restored/customised this watch, it is a hobby of mine" regarding frankens is an excellent gauge of the questioners interest...i must use that one sometime It's a pity more people aren't into watches, 99 times out of a 100 nobody bothers asking anything, except for the other half going "that's not another bloody watch is it?"

Very nice, love the Ti case with that dial, great combination!

It varies, no doubt they should last many many years of perfect use so you may have just had some bad luck. There is no reason a rep can't last as long as any gen if the movement is clean and it's reasonably looked after...you have to give us more info...i.e. what sort of movement in the reps you have had? a7750 for instance can be more temperamental than say a simple 2824. Christ I have a cheap tag heuer kirium a21j from 1997 and it's still going strong.

Great post panerai153, times certainly are a changin', while in the short term there is no doubt all will be back online, it will be very interesting to see how these raids and pressure from the major brands progress over the next few years. We may find the rep game still about in 5 or 10 years time but it could look vastly different to the one we have now. It will be very interesting to see just how much clout the west really has in this and what real changes China will make to it's counterfeiting laws in the future. The government over there might make quite a lot on import duties of luxury items, but with whole regions being dependent on the production and sale of counterfeit items(not just watches) it will take more than a few raids to take the structure down, up to recently it seemed a rather weak attempt to placate western brands while secretly keeping the status quo. It will be an interesting balancing act over the next decade. 10 years time we may have to send over 'mules' from the forum to an obscure Asian country to collect our $1k+ hyperreps

Lol, quite true, a pair of sketchers and a white gold daytona don't mix somehow ....but you never know!

Some of the tds are bound to have a watch like that in reserve stock, you could also try timeshops.net, not a td here but he will have the a21j in stock most likely!

Yep it will be interesting to see how it pans out over the next few weeks, heard PO's were caught up in the mix, I'm waiting for the price increases due to demand

The earlier AT's are definitely a better option than the new ones as lovecraft says, and they are pretty good reps considering a few minor things. PO franken is another good option

Yep took me ages aswell, friggen thing is tiny and upside down!

lol I've got a few for sale @ $1600 a pop! They are a2824 aswell, $2100 for swiss