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UPO Franken vs. Rep


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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. :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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 :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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.. B)

Parts list:

uporeferencesheet.jpg

Gen. dial= about 200 usd ... chief AR 60 usd ... tube and crown 45-50 usd (can't remember exact price)

upogenrep004.jpg

Gen. dial= about 200 usd ... Gen. dial about 200 usd ... tube and crown about 45-50

upogenrep012.jpg

Genuine Crystal, notice the AR gives off a strong hue.

upogenrep008.jpg

Replication the dial is not "bad" but for the price I"ll go with genuine :thumbsupsmileyanim:

upogenrep013.jpg

Chiefs AR ~ using the rep crystal.. indirect lighting is just as strong in this pic as previous pics.

upogenrep019.jpg

It is harder to get a manual focus on the rep. die to the heavy glare of the crystal

upogenrep014.jpg

Chiefs AR.. huge difference, this crystal once looked like the one above.

upogenrep016.jpg

Genuine crystal.. you will get strong hue when in reflective mode

upogenrep029.jpg

The crown for is aesthetic, but more than that it's functionality

upogenrep003.jpg

upogenrep002.jpg

Wrist shots

upogenrep024.jpg

upogenrep027.jpg

upogenrep032.jpg

...Straps :brow:

dsc0027li1.jpg

Too "Halloween" for me..

upogenrep010.jpg

upogenrep026.jpg

upogenrep021.jpg

upogenrep005.jpg

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" :thumbsupsmileyanim:

AC

Lani

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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 :thumbsupsmileyanim:

AC

L

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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.. :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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 :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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

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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.

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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

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  • 2 months later...

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

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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

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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

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look i love the po realy man, i was so close to buy the gen one time :whistling: 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 :D

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.

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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?

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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

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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..

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Lani your pics are tip-top old boy.

imho you cannot get a better mod than a gen crystal.

Picture135.jpg

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.

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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 :thumbsupsmileyanim: .. 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 :1a:

AC/Lani

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