Watchmeister Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 The original ti Chrono Avenger has always been one of my favorite watches. In fact one of my first purchases in the rep world was the original Josh ti CA. Over the years it has been back and forth several times to Ziggy for upgrades - gen dial, hands, Swiss movement, etc. And here it is on that perfect vintage strap it took me 2 years to find: Fast Forward to 2009 and I come upon a member whose gen had been the victim of a fair amount of water damage. In his frustration with the repair quotes that Breitling was giving him he briefly considered selling it but then withdrew it for fear that the buyer would not be happy. I did notice his offering before he pulled it though and contacted him. He then was kind enough to offer it to me for a very fair price and knowing I had Ziggy ready and willing I jumped on it. Off it went to Ziggy and as it turned out I had underestimated the damage to the watch. Ziggy ended up breaking down the entire movement, removing rust in some inopportune places, and re-oiling every moving part. Well I just got it back and it occurred to me how things come full circle in our forum. Through the forum I discovered the original wonderful rep. It then led me to a life-long friend with phenomenal smith skills in Ziggy. And finally, I met a really nice and generous newer member who provided me with the opportunity to own the gen. Here are the pics: The gen: Hasn't everyone always wanted to wear two of the same watch on their wrist : And finally a few couple comparison shots: So, a big thanks to the forum and all the members that make this place great. And yeah, I do have to upgrade that datewheel on the franken at some point. Maybe I will let the next guy fix that. After all, who wants to get a watch completely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 NICE comparison, and great to finally see the legendary franken that I've always heard so much about, as well as the new gen that I've been hearing about! Phenominal piece, and quite honestly, very difficult to discern between the two. Amazing watches... And a very nice fitting pair for your birthday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<OFFICINEPANERAI> Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 IMO the REP looks better than the GEN! Great pics and comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yodap Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 IMO the REP looks better than the GEN! Great pics and comparison Yeah, exactly what I wanted to say. Isn't the pearl too close to the edge of the rider tab? Looks weird. Great watches, wear them well! (I'd sell the gen though ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 nice comparo, well done ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docblackrock Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Love my old school Ti franken - the first and only (well apart from the evolution that is the Blacksteel Skyland) watch that I like, never mind own, that has the Breitling wings on. Never took to the marque quite the opposite in fact, so this watch represents something of a perversion for me Fate is strange sometimes. Long story but mine had a damaged 15 rider tab which eventually broke off. Offered it for sale but then changed my mind due to the damage (literal and price-wise). Broke off the two other peripheral 30 and 45 tabs (for symmetry) and started the futile search for a replacement bezel. Lately thinking about getting the SS bezel and colour-match via sand/beadblasting or custom TiAIN, but not sure. In the meantime, I've rediscovered my love and it gets frequent wrist time - a little wabi sabi at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I have one with ETA movement as well, it's such a lovely watch And proof that reps lead to gens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Fate is strange sometimes. Long story but mine had a damaged 15 rider tab which eventually broke off. Offered it for sale but then changed my mind due to the damage (literal and price-wise). Broke off the two other peripheral 30 and 45 tabs (for symmetry) and started the futile search for a replacement bezel. Lately thinking about getting the SS bezel and colour-match via sand/beadblasting or custom TiAIN, but not sure. Remember I had that titanium one from King with the wrong pearl (still haven't got the money back but that's another story ) ? Perhaps she still has them, or I could ask for mine back? That bezel may fit... worth a shot if you don't mind the pearl or can somehow transplant the one from here, and can overlook the wrong 4 font. I guess it depends if you want titanium or the correct font/pearl on the bezel. Also, check if the Seawolf bezel fits... it will be cheaper to switch out from that one if it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 ok, i am a little confused...if the Franken v1 rep has a gen dial, then why are the two dials different in the comparison?...checking out that the date windows and the "8" and "10"are different... i'm wearing my v1 ti Chrono Avenger today...my v1 CA has a case similar to your "leather" version (the rep?!), but my dial is similar to your "ti bracelet" version (the gen?!)... it's been a long day, so i might be losing it?!...help!...R pix of my v1 CA, purchased from deltatahoe by way of repaustria: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 hmmmm...i stand slightly corrected...and now wonder if there's a different dial out there... my v1 CA has the same "8", "10" and "4" as your "ti bracelet" model (the gen?!) , but my date window is the same as your franken rep...my dial is a hybrid of the two dials you show above... the gen dials i've seen have the "8", "10", "4" from your "franken rep", but the date window from the "ti bracelet gen"...on the gen, the date window is less rectangular and the bottom outline of the date window appears to align with the bottom of "Chronometre"...pix of a gen CA below... what am i missing with this?!...R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoizit Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 you are a lucky man to have the v1 Ti CA - wish I could find one! Just returned the v2 Ti CA, as the pearl is HORRID. hmmmm...i stand slightly corrected...and now wonder if there's a different dial out there... my v1 CA has the same "8", "10" and "4" as your "ti bracelet" model (the gen?!) , but my date window is the same as your franken rep...my dial is a hybrid of the two dials you show above... the gen dials i've seen have the "8", "10", "4" from your "franken rep", but the date window from the "ti bracelet gen"...on the gen, the date window is less rectangular and the bottom outline of the date window appears to align with the bottom of "Chronometre"...pix of a gen CA below... what am i missing with this?!...R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 @ Hackr The rep has a dial that is consistent with the earlier gens, where the 8 & 4 were a little lower and the 10 & 2 were a little higher. Breitling altered the dial at some point and you can see that a lot more of the top of the 8 is cut off. The rep dial is fairly accurate though. You are correct that the V2 pearl is terrible. I pulled mine out and manufactured a more accurate one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 @andreww --> thanks!...was wondering about the differences and thought i was crazy or something - especially after reading the "guide" and researching this rep on the forum...i appreciate knowing that the gen has evolved over time...question: is there a concern on doing a gen dial swap with the v1 in terms of alignment of the date window/etc?... and i have to tell you, i love this v1 CA...a realllllly nice piece!...i actually bumped into a guy a couple weeks ago that had the gen ti SeaWolf on - while i was wearing the v1 CA rep...he was amazed how good the rep looked...(and likewise - the detail on the gen ti SeaWolf is amazing!) R- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 No problems installing a gen dial, straight swap. I believe you have to use the rep insert however. If I were going to do the dial, I'd do the datewheel as well, as I think that is a bigger tell than the dial. Might be an idea to buy a cheap black skyland (v3 would be best) and swap the hands and movement. That would solve the short hand issue, datewheel, and 28k upgrade in one shot. You could sell the 21k Skyland at a respectable price, so the mod would be relatively cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 thanks, A...that's the plan...but i figure i'll wait to see if i can find a dial and then do it all...after seeing that there's 2 gen dials, i just wanted to be sure that the date window would be aligned with either one...R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoizit Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 just wanted to post up that the watch is beautiful! My 'holy grail' watch, if you will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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