lanikai Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 With the new wave of UPO frankens being purchased and modded I thought I would post a comparison of my 2 franken UPO's and the stock replicated version. First imo... To turn the UPO into a franken watch is very affordable compared to other brand genuine parts.. and the availability of the genuine parts are unlike most brand names.. so we are fortunate on all ends with this one.. that is just my opinion based on the cost of other genuine dials..etc. There have been post as to modding the genuine bezel (only) or swapping movement (only) imo why swap what is not obvious.. imo the dial is the most obvious .. and the crown on the rep is infamous for failure... it's broken on many members shortly after arrival.. The Crystal needs a Chief AR coating..here you get to see the difference between Chiefs AR and a genuine AR coat.. finally a look at the 2 dials with ss bracelet and black divers strap.. and orange divers strap.. after swapping them around I personally prefer the ss bracelet on the orange dial... and the black divers strap on the white numeral dial... but then again you can decide A parts list for your modding..this comes from Ubi's post on another thread.. I have ordered all parts from Ofrei.. pay less there than with Cousins.. especially with the exchange rate. And finally my thought on the genuine bezel was .. with the dial and crystal and modding plus the crown and tube.. if I went for the genuine bezel.. which needs intense modding to fit anyway.. I decided to stick with the rep bezel and insert.. the price with the genuine bezel would have come very close to a used genuine PO.. Parts list: Gen. dial= about 200 usd ... chief AR 60 usd ... tube and crown 45-50 usd (can't remember exact price) Gen. dial= about 200 usd ... Gen. dial about 200 usd ... tube and crown about 45-50 Genuine Crystal, notice the AR gives off a strong hue. Replication the dial is not "bad" but for the price I"ll go with genuine Chiefs AR ~ using the rep crystal.. indirect lighting is just as strong in this pic as previous pics. It is harder to get a manual focus on the rep. die to the heavy glare of the crystal Chiefs AR.. huge difference, this crystal once looked like the one above. Genuine crystal.. you will get strong hue when in reflective mode The crown for is aesthetic, but more than that it's functionality Wrist shots ...Straps Too "Halloween" for me.. So there you have the choices to make your own decision on what to do with your UPO.. I hope this has helped you make a better decision for you own enjoyment.. Whatever you decide .."Live Strong and Wear it Well" AC Lani 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Just to note- The parts list is not my parts list per se; I saved a copy of it when it was posted prior. I would gladly give credit to it's author, however, I'm not sure who that would be (my assumption would be R2D4, though I'm not sure if he is a member here on this forum). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAM192MEX Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Great post as always Lani, thank you so much ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 thank you for the extensive information, i got one just yesterday haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 thank you for the extensive information, i got one just yesterday haha Thank you PAM-MEX as Ubi states.. another member put the parts list together.. it would be good to save that for future needs.. yeah Chronol...... resurgence in UPO buy's lately.. enjoy your new acquisition AC L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omegaunit Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Thanks for the info....and the urge to start spending money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xslyyx Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Where can I purchase a "franken" UPO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Looks great Lani. Love the comparison pics. Do you think the datewheel mod is necessary? I bought a UPO that was sold as Swiss ETA, but the font is not as crisp as your pics or as my gen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Looks great Lani. Love the comparison pics. Do you think the datewheel mod is necessary? I bought a UPO that was sold as Swiss ETA, but the font is not as crisp as your pics or as my gen. All the UPO's are stock eta dw's.. engines are all eta form the maker..chiefs AR really brings out the detail in the dial, even the font gets crisper ... the genuine does that too, but not as sharp as chief's AR.. perhaps my font looks crisper due to the genuine dial date window and the fact that I used a macro lens .. did you verify the eta movement in your UPO ?.. was it from a dealer or a trade sale ? btw.. the stock rep UPO is the one available for raffle if we reach 15 upgrades or renewals xslyyx Posted Today, 03:08 AM Where can I purchase a "franken" UPO? if you can find one in the member trade area..you need to be a supporter to access that section though (it's worth the donation to supporter for the extra's).. or the parts list is on the thread and you can order the genuine parts from Ofrei.. and have it installed by one of our in house horologists.. AC L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Hey Lani, I bought a ETA from Perfect Clones. It has the ETA markings, and Josh has never done me wrong so I assume ETA. However, I heard some horror stories and really didn't know any other ways to verify. That Chief crystal is amazing, and I would say it makes the biggest difference - maybe even more than the dial. Personally I think the watch looks like a rep even with a gen dial because my gen's AR is what makes the dial really pop. And I agree with your about the bezel mod. It's too much trouble, and the stock bezel looks fine to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Hey Lani, I bought a ETA from Perfect Clones. It has the ETA markings, and Josh has never done me wrong so I assume ETA. However, I heard some horror stories and really didn't know any other ways to verify. That Chief crystal is amazing, and I would say it makes the biggest difference - maybe even more than the dial. Personally I think the watch looks like a rep even with a gen dial because my gen's AR is what makes the dial really pop. And I agree with your about the bezel mod. It's too much trouble, and the stock bezel looks fine to me. in reality the dealer doesn't know what the maker is putting in the case, sometimes dealers will steer you clear of certain makers for that reason.. but all dealers have had that happen with the maker sometime or another.. look at the date font.. pointed 4 and rounded 2 is the Asian wheel.. flat top4 and flatter 2 is the eta wheel.. it should be all good yeah no sense getting the genuine dial without chiefs coating.. AC Lani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deniz21 Posted December 25, 2009 Report Share Posted December 25, 2009 hi lani, whats about the hands, do you changed them also? i mean dos not the lume of then gen dial and the rep hands look differnt? aloah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted December 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2009 The lume on the rep hands at least on my pumpkin matches the lume on the gen dial surprisingly.. it will not last all night long like the gen but is not far off either.. On my black and white dial Ziggy relumed the rep hands as the rep hands are as good looking as the gen. .. I think Ofrei is better priced for the dial and hands than Cousins and with the exchange rate even better.. AC/L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted December 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2009 Here is the listing and price from ofrei Denz for future reference Cal. 2500 parts Hour and minute hands(Han 4221) $38.00 usd, sweep second (Han 4222) 17.60 usd Here The price has gone up $42.00 usd since I ordered.. Dials black/white #3~ $242.00 usd; Black/Orange #4~ $242.00 usd >Here Tube, ST1232 $6.60 usd > Here Crown,ST42184 $38.00 usd>Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deniz21 Posted December 26, 2009 Report Share Posted December 26, 2009 thanks man wheres my credit card thats almost the same price again as the rep upo watch costs me ok byby breitling sosf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted December 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2009 Take your time denz.. it can wait.. enjoy your rep.. you may decide not to do it.. so wear it awhile and see if that is what you really want.. before you jump in water.. although Omega gen parts are less than most brands.. still not cheap.. AC/L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deniz21 Posted December 26, 2009 Report Share Posted December 26, 2009 look i love the po realy man, i was so close to buy the gen one time but your right i wait and latestly tuesday it will arrives me, and i will see of course how i like it, cant wait to get it im nervos about the dial, but however cant wait to see it tracking at royal mail Your item, posted on 23/12/09 with reference RJ46xxx136GB has been passed to the overseas postal service for delivery in GERMANY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted December 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2009 . . . . Pics.. and your first review... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejungle Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Hey lani, chief does AR on the UPO crystals? I remember Chief saying that he wasn't going to do UPO's anymore unless you prepared them first somehow because the AR would scratch off easily. So I gave up on that idea, but I hate not being able to see the beautiful dial. And do you have to take out the crystal to send to him or can you just send the whole watch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSRep Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Here is the listing and price from ofrei Denz for future reference Cal. 2500 parts Hour and minute hands(Han 4221) $38.00 usd, sweep second (Han 4222) 17.60 usd Here The price has gone up $42.00 usd since I ordered.. Dials black/white #3~ $242.00 usd; Black/Orange #4~ $242.00 usd >Here Tube, ST1232 $6.60 usd > Here Crown,ST42184 $38.00 usd>Here This is a great thread Lani! A great starting point for any "first timer" who loves the PO (inc. me). Definitely notice the difference in the AR coats. I quite like the blue hue of the gen crystal, but seem to be able to see the beautiful dial more clearly on Chiefs AR.....hmmmmm this will be a toughy!.... Thanks again.... O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted January 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 This is a great thread Lani! A great starting point for any "first timer" who loves the PO (inc. me). Definitely notice the difference in the AR coats. I quite like the blue hue of the gen crystal, but seem to be able to see the beautiful dial more clearly on Chiefs AR.....hmmmmm this will be a toughy!.... Thanks again.... O some like the blue/plum hue of the gen.. chiefs has a very faint plum in extreme lighting .. but after viewing chiefs in person there is no going back .. there is absolutely no reflection and his AR coat on the rep crystal makes the dial POP even more.. it brings out the detail to da Max.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eton Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Totally agree with Lani, once you've had Chief's AR, there's no going back! Not to mention the cost of a Gen crystal, it's nearly as much as the watch itself. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cib0rgman Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Lani is this a 45mm UPO and is the strap Gen? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danza1812 Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Lani your pics are tip-top old boy. imho you cannot get a better mod than a gen crystal. I completed the above piece by adding: gen dial, hands, datewheel, crown, tube, crystal and bezel insert. Each mod for me just made this thing so much better, but for me a PO isn't a PO without that blue hue from the gen crystal. I love it. I am about to build my second mod (an orange version) but the gen crystal I got hold of is from a used gen piece and gives off a more pinky purple hue? Could this just be an older AR process used by omega? Anyway I cant wait for my next UPO to arrive so I can put together my next mod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I'll have to humbly disagree with the gen crystal.. I favour my chiefs crystal.. it's unique invisible qualities are soooo coooool.. but then some like the blue hue.. chiefs has a faint plum hue in the strongest indirect lighting.. your mods look great matt .. I like the black/white dial on the rubber strap also.. I have to source me a 4th generation PO someday, and get the gen parts together.. thanks for sharing AC/Lani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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