Went To The Ad Yesterday

[Indyclmbr]

OK, so I've been at this rep thing for a little less than two years and I have been contemplating picking up a gen. Yesterday, I was at home with my youngest daughter and although I may regret it in the future, I took her to the AD. (She's only 7 months old, so I hope it didn't make a lasting and expensive impression!) I took off my rep before heading in. I didn't want to try anything funny, just wanted to look closely at a few gens. I told the sales woman that my Eco-Drive died and that I was looking to upgrade. (Not a lie, my Citizen up and died. Still keeps time, but the date doesn't change at all. I've tried an all reset several times, but no luck! And no more Citizen's for me!) Anyway, I was really interested in the Explorer I and II. The EXP II has been my dream watch. All they had was a white dial version, the one I chased on RWG for a long time before settling on a black dial version. One concern on the white dial EXP II reps was the datewheel gap. The gen I saw yesterday had a gap as well, similar to what we've seen on the reps. I also looked at a TAG GMT and some Panerai.

These are my observations.

First let me say, the quality of my 2893 EXP II is awesome. There are a few visual tells that it's a rep, but after handling the gens, I'm sticking with my reps, at least as far as the rollies are concerned. My rep Explorer is really close too. The etched crown is a give-away as is the second hand. The second hand on the rep has a bigger bubble than the gen I saw at the AD. Otherwise, it is very close. I'm not commenting on movement or quality control or aftermarket support, but from a holding it your hand/wearing it on your wrist perspective, I simply do not see or feel a significant enough difference to justify the difference in price. I should add that I'm no WIS. I'm sure more knowledgeable or discerning man or woman than me could tell. But even after fairly close inspection, I won't be buying a gen rollie anytime soon. As a matter of fact, I'd say the same with regards to the Tag. Both the rollies and the Tag I handled and tried on felt very light, especially the rollie bands. But that's been covered. I've been considering picking up a TAG Link rep based on the high praise here in the forum recently. Then genuine did not strike me as an $1800 watch. The real observation I walked away with is that our reps are pretty close! The finish is not as high, but I feel confident it is negligible when viewed on the wrist. I think when we are used to looking at pictures of watches blown up, the flaws jump right out. In person, it would take a fairly close inspection by a WIS to see them.

Now onto the Panerai. They didn't have a lot, but they did have a good mix-which I think works to our advantage. Even the sales woman mentioned their exclusivity. If not that many people have them, and not that many people know about them, then there are fewer people to call us out. Of course, those that do know about them and have them tend to be very knowledgeable. Here's what I noticed. The H-series definitely has a thicker crown. I do not have and have never had an H-series rep for comparison, but on the gen that crown is thick! As for the others Gens, and this especially goes for the autos, the crowns are not all that noticeably thicker than what's on my 192 and my 2893 063. We have some incredible reps guys! The date font is much thicker on the gen, but we already know that. I feel confident that when my 063 is fitted with a new datewheel and cyclops, it could be worn into the AD or any social situation without concern. They did have a 184-radiomir style GMT that was simply gorgeous. When I break down and buy a gen, that will be it! Otherwise, I'm sticking with the reps. Just thought I'd share my observations. And remember, I'm not a WIS, this is just what I noticed as an avid amateur appreciator of watches, reps and gens.

Climb on.

[subzero1]

I've been to the AD locally that sells Paerai's several times, and what you say is true, the crowns are thicker on the 111H and other Marina or Base H series watches. The other thing I notices is the use of real sapphire crystal on the gens, it really makes the watch "pop" much more. That's why Davidsen recently got several orders from me, the sapphire makes a huge difference in the overall "feel" of the watch.