Do These Reps Have a "Gen-Like" Feel?

[iceberg888]

I've read a few reviews where people mentioned that it was their first rep that felt like a gen to them. That's EXACTLY the feeling I'm after.

The thread on "What do you expect from Reps" really got me thinking a lot about what I really wanted from reps. I realize that I probably don't care for accuracy to the original so much as overall beauty and quality. The thread on "With reps being so good today ... why buy a gen for thousands more" makes me think that it won't be too hard to find reps that feel like a gen in terms of construction.

My criteria is whether they can impress me with their quality and workmanship on their own, out-of-the-box, and under US$300 (though I'm willing to stretch up to $500). I say out of the box, because the value equation shifts rapidly for me if I have to spend significant time/money getting them modified. I'm sure that as my interest grows, they won't be left untouched. (I think that's largely the appeal of the hobby and community here.) I might try and tackle some projects myself and/or develop relationships with the more skilled modders. But for my first rep or two, I'm looking for a really positive experience that'll make me want to come back for more.

I would say the minimum benchmark in terms of quality is the Seiko Monster. It looks solid and well-made, much more like it cost $1000+ than its true price. The opposite case is the Alpha Submariner. It's amazing for around $40 shipped, but it still feels cheap.

Out of the box, can a rep of these impress me with their overall workmanship and feel gen-like?

• 
  

Vacheron Constantin Overseas

Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5165

Patek Phillipe Nautilus

AP Royal Oak (NOT the Offshore)

Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600

PAM 050

Dealer/model recommendation appreciated. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[deniz21]

i can only speak for the rolex, i dont own one, but if you can raise your budget then go for a bk wm9 seadweller or submariner.. gen feelin include

or make it simpel and fast, and buy you a UPO i have one and its a great rep

of course there are many more, take alook in each section, specialy omega and breitling, and there are guides to the best reps.. most of them are bigger in size.

[maxman]

I have to agree with you about the quailty aspect, If the quailty Isn't there I dont really care how accurate the watch is, quailty Is no 1. Nothing screams fake more than a poorly made watch. Take a look In the Breitling section. There Is a thread called "yellow Seawolf" with some fantastic pics by Baz. I just got this rep and the quailty is very gen like, Breitlings In general are usually very good. The good news Is there are manny good reviews here at RWG. Read these reviews. This Is a great way to learn about reps and a great way to make up your mind on what rep Is right for you, good luck and again welcome Mike

[txcollector]

The VC Overseas is a good rep but it needs work no matter what version you get. AR and lume are a must. Gen parts (like dial) would be better. Also some work on the bracelet.

The PP Nautilus with the closed caseback is excellent. Any PP with a display caseback would be an issue.

Rolex 16600 I agree with deniz21. bk wm9 would be the way to go for a gen like.

The others I have not seen in person.

The AP ROO Black Themes is very gen like. I have not heard great things about the ROs though.

Contrary to popular belief the UPO is not that gen like (I have a franken and a gen). It needs a much better AR and at least lume. Gen dial/hands/crystal is preferred.

[deniz21]

i have to agree txcollector in the upo point, the lume is real bad compared to the gen and yes the best would be a gen dial and better crystal, but the overall look and the building of the watch is great imho and worth the modding and worth to waer it without

[maxman]

i have to agree txcollector in the upo point, the lume is real bad compared to the gen and yes the best would be a gen dial and better crystal, but the overall look and the building of the watch is great imho and worth the modding and worth to waer it without

I agree with you 100% Deniz, well said

[By-Tor]

From the reps I've owned (60-70 best ones) the absolute best ones (build quality wise) have been Breitling Steelfish Superocean and Ebel BTR. Actually BTR tops my list, it's so amazingly well built rep. Not the most accurate because of the subdial spacing flaw but definitely the most impressive. The bracelet is amazingly well done.

[Noel Fleischer]

I'd say that the BK/WM9 YM is among the best i've seen. the finish and workmanship are

really excellent.

[fakemaster]

The question you asked is a little tricky. As you can see in the answers above the criteria for getting that gen 'feeling' varies widely depending on the person and their experiences.

[Raijor]

Gen feel and look requires mods to Franken level. BK WM9 are are excellent as they are. I expect that you need to spend about $500 US minimum to get the gen look and feel that I would be satisfied with. Everybody is different. Good question should get many opinions.

[iceberg888]

So far there does seem to be a pretty strong theme -- BK WM9s are definitely the way to go.

Fakemaster, I know there's no perfect way to answer the question as even real Rolexes can feel a bit flimsy with their hollow link bands. But I was hoping to leverage the community to find those that felt solid and genuine to them during their time collecting. Like Maxman, I'm all about the quality. And if the quality is there, then I can be a little more forgiving on the accuracy details. I guess what I'm saying, is that I want to make sure the base scenario is there, where I can enjoy the watch on it's own, out of the box, without heavy mods. Then if I decide I love the watch after some time and it's a keeper, I'll probably get it serviced and maybe modded. But if it doesn't feel like a quality piece to begin with, it'll probably not get any wrist time and I will have deemed the purchase a mistake.

Thank you all for your thoughts so far. I hope you keep them coming. Will look into the Ebel BTR (although it seems too big for my wrists) as it is definitely looks stunning.

[maxman]

So far there does seem to be a pretty strong theme -- BK WM9s are definitely the way to go.

Fakemaster, I know there's no perfect way to answer the question as even real Rolexes can feel a bit flimsy with their hollow link bands. But I was hoping to leverage the community to find those that felt solid and genuine to them during their time collecting. Like Maxman, I'm all about the quality. And if the quality is there, then I can be a little more forgiving on the accuracy details. I guess what I'm saying, is that I want to make sure the base scenario is there, where I can enjoy the watch on it's own, out of the box, without heavy mods. Then if I decide I love the watch after some time and it's a keeper, I'll probably get it serviced and maybe modded. But if it doesn't feel like a quality piece to begin with, it'll probably not get any wrist time and I will have deemed the purchase a mistake.

Thank you all for your thoughts so far. I hope you keep them coming. Will look into the Ebel BTR (although it seems too big for my wrists) as it is definitely looks stunning.

Were defenitely on the same page. I for one dont feel you have to mod your watch to have that gen feel. It Is true that with some simple mods you can get your watch to look more like the real thing. But there are some reps that are very good out of the box and If you choose you can enjoy It just the way It Is.It's Important to remeber that RWG Is not the real world and most people dont look at watches the way we do here, macro shots anyone If I have to put a $1000.00 Into a rep I would probably just buy a gen, of course that depends on the watch.I also understand that some members want there watch as perfect as possable and thats fine also.Outside of some lume and a servicing Im good to go. Maybe someday I will find that special watch and make that something special through mods but Im quite happy right now just keeping It simple. Mike

[mr mg]

Were defenitely on the same page. I for one dont feel you have to mod your watch to have that gen feel. It Is true that with some simple mods you can get your watch to look more like the real thing. But there are some reps that are very good out of the box and If you choose you can enjoy It just the way It Is.It's Important to remeber that RWG Is not the real world and most people dont look at watches the way we do here, macro shots anyone If I have to put a $1000.00 Into a rep I would probably just buy a gen, of course that depends on the watch.I also understand that some members want there watch as perfect as possable and thats fine also.Outside of some lume and a servicing Im good to go. Maybe someday I will find that special watch and make that something special through mods but Im quite happy right now just keeping It simple. Mike

+ 2 and Amen to that! Love the simplicity factor. And as you say, if I was going to spend the top $$$ I would add a gen.

For mine, the Breitling Navitimer I bought from Josh ($350) has that heavy, well constructed feel. Far as I'm concerned, it does 'feel' like the gen Navi. It's my favourite watch for that reason (including my gens). Pretty keen on the steelfish having heard such great things about it on here.

In saying that, I've been so amazed with a recent purchase from Watcheden, a $128 Omega Seamaster with the blue markers etc. and cheap asian auto. It has a few minor QC issues, but it has a very nice feel, smooth bracelet and great crystal etc. Amazing what you can pick up for such a small amount of $$

Happy buying mate!

mg

In saying that

[b16a2]

I am speaking very sepculatively here, but when you get into the realms of VC and PP, the build quality and feel goes through the roof. I owned a UN MMD, and that isn't in the leagues of the aforementioned, but the build quality was beyond anything I have experienced before. Everything is just so precise...I can't quite explain it.

So I would say that even though the VC and PP reps may have the build quality of gens in general, they would not have the build quality of the actual VC/PP gen it is replicating.

[TeeJay]

Were defenitely on the same page. I for one dont feel you have to mod your watch to have that gen feel. It Is true that with some simple mods you can get your watch to look more like the real thing. But there are some reps that are very good out of the box and If you choose you can enjoy It just the way It Is.It's Important to remeber that RWG Is not the real world and most people dont look at watches the way we do here, macro shots anyone If I have to put a $1000.00 Into a rep I would probably just buy a gen, of course that depends on the watch.I also understand that some members want there watch as perfect as possable and thats fine also.Outside of some lume and a servicing Im good to go. Maybe someday I will find that special watch and make that something special through mods but Im quite happy right now just keeping It simple. Mike

+3 here

I would have to say that some watches definitely feel better out of the box than others. I am a big believer that the 'feels better because it's genuine', is in many cases, more a personal perception of the genuine watch, due to the circumstances of its acquisition, rather than any inherently superior quality (all the time watches like Omega, Rolex are under discussion... Of course, watches like PP, Vach etc are ludicrously well made, and that translates into how the watch feels) The first time I tried on a gen Submariner, I was wearing a quartz Casio diver's watch. The Sub felt lighter than that, and I was immediately unimpressed by the lack of weight, and generally flimsy feel of the watch. Since then, I've tried on several gen Rolexes and been equally unimpressed by how they felt, in comparison to the reps I was wearing, in so much as they felt no better than the reps. As long as the rep has been well made, and is properly adjusted, there's no reason why it can't feel every bit as nice on your wrist as it's original counterpart

[maxman]

+3 here

I would have to say that some watches definitely feel better out of the box than others. I am a big believer that the 'feels better because it's genuine', is in many cases, more a personal perception of the genuine watch, due to the circumstances of its acquisition, rather than any inherently superior quality (all the time watches like Omega, Rolex are under discussion... Of course, watches like PP, Vach etc are ludicrously well made, and that translates into how the watch feels) The first time I tried on a gen Submariner, I was wearing a quartz Casio diver's watch. The Sub felt lighter than that, and I was immediately unimpressed by the lack of weight, and generally flimsy feel of the watch. Since then, I've tried on several gen Rolexes and been equally unimpressed by how they felt, in comparison to the reps I was wearing, in so much as they felt no better than the reps. As long as the rep has been well made, and is properly adjusted, there's no reason why it can't feel every bit as nice on your wrist as it's original counterpart

+4 Well said Tee Jay. A little trick I learned here was to soak your bracelet In mineral oil. I purchased the UN Maxi 45 several months ago. Imho It Is one of the nicest reps for under $200.00. I got the ss Instead of the rubber and thought i made a mistake. The ss bracelet did not have that nice smooth feeling and drape that a high quailty bracelet has, It felt unfinished. Well I soaked It In mineral oil over night and the bracelet was transformed, like butter baby With It's tight turning bezel and great fit and finish my UN Maxie Is now a favorite In my humble collection. Sometimes It's those little things we do that make such a big difference. Mike

+ 2 and Amen to that! Love the simplicity factor. And as you say, if I was going to spend the top $$$ I would add a gen.

For mine, the Breitling Navitimer I bought from Josh ($350) has that heavy, well constructed feel. Far as I'm concerned, it does 'feel' like the gen Navi. It's my favourite watch for that reason (including my gens). Pretty keen on the steelfish having heard such great things about it on here.

In saying that, I've been so amazed with a recent purchase from Watcheden, a $128 Omega Seamaster with the blue markers etc. and cheap asian auto. It has a few minor QC issues, but it has a very nice feel, smooth bracelet and great crystal etc. Amazing what you can pick up for such a small amount of $$

Happy buying mate!

mg

In saying that

[TeeJay]

+4 Well said Tee Jay. A little trick I learned here was to soak your bracelet In mineral oil. I purchased the UN Maxie 45 several months ago. Imho It Is one of the nicest reps for under $200.00. I got the ss Instead of the rubber and thought i made a mistake. The ss bracelet did not have that nice smooth feeling and drape that a high quailty bracelet has, It felt unfinished. Well I soaked It In mineral oil over night and the bracelet was transformed, like butter baby With It's tight turning bezel and great fit and finish my UN Maxie Is now a favorite In my humble collection. Sometimes It's those little things we do that make such a big difference. Mike

Thanks, bro You're absolutely right about oiling bracelets. I use sewing machine oil on mine, and the results have always been really satisfactory Is that the same as the UN RobbieG first posted about?

[maxman]

Thanks, bro You're absolutely right about oiling bracelets. I use sewing machine oil on mine, and the results have always been really satisfactory Is that the same as the UN RobbieG first posted about?

I dont think It's the exact same UN as Robbie's gen TeeJay but very similar,the Maxi collection. The rep has a 23J movement and a PR. It also has double sided AR and very good lume for a rep. A beautifuly decorated movement with a exhibition case back tops It off. It really Is a beautiful piece and a fantastic value when considering the price. Sewing machine oil I will have to try that sometime,thanks Mike

[URkuk]

havent tried it yet but read somewhere that dry bicycle chain lube works wonders on bracelets..

I intend to try it on my POrikaa bracelet if I can ever figure out how to remove it from the watch..

[maxman]

havent tried it yet but read somewhere that dry bicycle chain lube works wonders on bracelets..

I intend to try it on my POrikaa bracelet if I can ever figure out how to remove it from the watch..

Thanks for the tip If you use the right oil It can make a world of difference. Let us know how It turns out, good luck Mike

[automatico]

One of my favorites (although not listed), is the modern Explorer I. They are pretty good now and do not have the 'tells' that submariners etc have such as crown guards, 'rehaut' etc.

Since most people do not even know what an Explorer I is, you will rarely get busted wearing one.

Something else...no date and no chronograph = no trouble (imho).

As for 'feel'...I can not usually tell much difference in genuine and replica.

I buzz new bracelets in an L&R ultrasonic with Formula 409, Simple Green etc for 20 or 25 minutes and let the hf vibrations clean the dirt and metal shavings out of the bracelet. This also smoothes out some of the rough edges inside the links and gives the bracelet a smoother feel.

The cleaning mix usually needs to be changed after 6 or 8 bracelets because of all the dirt and shavings.

[maxman]

One of my favorites (although not listed), is the modern Explorer I. They are pretty good now and do not have the 'tells' that submariners etc have such as crown guards, 'rehaut' etc.

Since most people do not even know what an Explorer I is, you will rarely get busted wearing one.

Something else...no date and no chronograph = no trouble (imho).

As for 'feel'...I can not usually tell much difference in genuine and replica.

I buzz new bracelets in an L&R ultrasonic with Formula 409, Simple Green etc for 20 or 25 minutes and let the hf vibrations clean the dirt and metal shavings out of the bracelet. This also smoothes out some of the rough edges inside the links and gives the bracelet a smoother feel.

The cleaning mix usually needs to be changed after 6 or 8 bracelets because of all the dirt and shavings.

Man you going all high tech on us bro. Sounds really good, I bet those bracelets come out really nice after one of those ultrasonic cleanings

[TeeJay]

I dont think It's the exact same UN as Robbie's gen TeeJay but very similar,the Maxi collection. The rep has a 23J movement and a PR. It also has double sided AR and very good lume for a rep. A beautifuly decorated movement with a exhibition case back tops It off. It really Is a beautiful piece and a fantastic value when considering the price. Sewing machine oil I will have to try that sometime,thanks Mike

Ahh, sounds good, and definitely value for money I forget who first suggested sewing machine oil, but I certainly can't complain about the results Any petroleum in the oil evaporates before it can absorb into the skin, and in the year since I oiled the first bracelet, I've never had any problem with allergic reaction to the oil, or needed to re-oil the bracelet to maintain the feel, which, considering how cheap the oil is, I think is a great result One of these days, I'll get round to trying the dry chain lube people have mentioned

[tomhorn]

I will second By-Tor on the Ebel 1911 although I have the Discovery Chrono, not the BTR (which I also love BTW).

Not only is it extremely accurate, but it also just looks and feels like a gen watch should. Fit and finish is great and the bracelet really is well done.

Strip the Ebel branding off of it and I'd probably still own one.

[maxman]

Ahh, sounds good, and definitely value for money I forget who first suggested sewing machine oil, but I certainly can't complain about the results Any petroleum in the oil evaporates before it can absorb into the skin, and in the year since I oiled the first bracelet, I've never had any problem with allergic reaction to the oil, or needed to re-oil the bracelet to maintain the feel, which, considering how cheap the oil is, I think is a great result One of these days, I'll get round to trying the dry chain lube people have mentioned

Sounds good bro I have very sentitive skin(Eczema) I always keep a box of those desposable medical rubber gloves on my work bench/desk.There really thin and dont get In the way while working on my watches/bracelets. I also will give the dry chain oil a go one day, why not? I have brought some of my bracelets back from the dead. Give me a good old cape cod or polishing cloth and some good old baby oil(mineral oil with fragance) and Im ready to rock