Hublot Ice Bang rep v gen

[anics]

Hi guys

So, its been a year since I joined RWG and I initially stumbled across the site in my search for a Hublot Ice bang. My research led me through the forum and I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of answers. About 5 super reps later and here we are... one year on.

I finally got my Ice bang (from Chris) in the end, just recently in fact.

I was in Vegas the other week and I tried on the original with the Tungsten bezel (no teeth, smooth bezel) and I also managed to try on the titanium bezel version, which is the version I have (and to my knowledge the only one available from the dealers, unless you opt for the

[jj69]

Great post, but you have your terminology confused. The Ice Bang has never worn a titanium bezel. The original Ice Bang had a bezel made of tantalum (the one with polished sides). Tantalum is a metal with unique reflective properties and is therefore very difficult to replicate with another metal. The newer Ice Bang has a tungsten steel bezel (the one with knurled sides) which is supposedly coated with a clear coating of PVD. To confuse matters further, Hublot has apparently been shipping some brand new Ice Bangs with the tantalum bezel again.

The V1 full ceramic rep (the one you own) has a steel bezel that is coated with colored PVD to approximate the color of the genuine tungsten bezel. I am curious about your findings that the color is a 99% match. I have seen two gens in person and I found the color of the gen bezel much lighter than the dark grey bezel that comes with the V1 rep. What kind of lighting conditions did you view the gen in? Were you in a Tourneau store flooded with fluorescent light?

[Frankie]

Reference the movement tells, here's a photo of my V1 Ice Bang and the modded movement. Love this watch !!!

[jj69]

I almost forgot. You missed the #1 tell on this (and every other) HBB rep: The datewheel font. These high beat V1's have a font that is much too thin.

The gen HBBs use a unique font that is exclusive to Hublot. The font matches the font used on teh dial for the small numbers in the subdials. Also, for the two-digit dates, the second digit is slightly larger than the first, in order to fill the trapezoidal shaped date window.

If you're looking to spot a rep HBB, always look at the date wheel font. The V2 and V3 reps use nicer bolder fonts, but they're still not the same as the gen.

The sunken datewheel is not really a tell, as all HBBs have sunken datewheels to some extent. The earliest HBBs that used an almost completely stock 7750 had the date even more sunken than the current models (although admittedly not as much as the rep).

Edited February 15, 2010 by jj69

[anics]

Thanks for the updates guys and the nice comments.

Your're right. I got my metals mixed up titanium and tantalum:). Thanks for the pointer on the date font. Have not seen a V2 or V3 rep (that I am aware of) do you know who stocks them and do they have an Ice bang? Would be good to see some pics so I know what to look for next time.

re - the watch stores. Both were pretty dark. One was in Vegas, a small store in Cesars, not the large Tourneau. The other was an official Hublot dealership. The bezels seemed really dark, as did the numbers on the face. Could be the 'lack' of lighting I guess.

One thing that seems to be for sure is the inconsistency in gen Hublot watches. Even the same models seem to vary a lot. Then again I kind of like that...

Oh, btw - Frankie - who modded your watch. Nice job?

A

[Frankie]

Thanks for the updates guys and the nice comments.

Your're right. I got my metals mixed up titanium and tantalum:). Thanks for the pointer on the date font. Have not seen a V2 or V3 rep (that I am aware of) do you know who stocks them and do they have an Ice bang? Would be good to see some pics so I know what to look for next time.

re - the watch stores. Both were pretty dark. One was in Vegas, a small store in Cesars, not the large Tourneau. The other was an official Hublot dealership. The bezels seemed really dark, as did the numbers on the face. Could be the 'lack' of lighting I guess.

One thing that seems to be for sure is the inconsistency in gen Hublot watches. Even the same models seem to vary a lot. Then again I kind of like that...

Oh, btw - Frankie - who modded your watch. Nice job?

A

Francisco in Spain did it, excellent guy to deal with and very quick. Cannot recommend him highly enough

[jj69]

anics:

Most all of our dealers carry the V2s, and many have the V3s. Look at their sites for photos. Both V2 and V3 come only with the low beat 7750. The V2s are very common and popular. The V3s are fairly new. Most of the V3s come with the beautiful new SS/ceramic braclets.

When examining the color of any reflective metal, the lighting plays a major factor. That may be why you found certain parts of the gen Ice Bang darker than the rep. I'm not saying you're wrong - only that no one else has noticed/mentioned it before.

As for inconsistencies, they are very common in most gens. Even gen makers outsource parts production for dials, hands, findings, clasps, crystals, straps, clasps, bezels, etc. When rep collectors get all up in arms about tiny details like the color of subdial hand posts and caseback engraving, I always chuckle to myself because I know it's just a matter of time until there's a lengthy thread by someone who spotted a gen with different attributes.

[anics]

Thanks for the info guys. Much appreciated.

Take care

A