RXW MM 20

[brockelhorst]

Hey All,

i recently saw pics of the MM20 for the first time and i think its gorgeous. Now i can`t really find more information about it, and i'd like to know more about it.

Gen and Rep that is. I read something about a japanese store which had it, but i didn't understand if it were reps or gens? In my understanding the Gen isn't produced anymore?

I've seen some dealers carrying it but don't seem to find any reviews of the reps, do you think they are valuable?

Cheers!

[cougaree]

Some links for you:

Gen is very nice, well finished. One thing I can tell rep from gen is the shape of the crown. On gen, the crown is very flat on top whereas it's some what domed on the rep. On the gen the sapphire creates interesting vertical distortion on the number 6 and 12.

Here is mine:

Ever since a Rolex dealer serviced mine, I have never opened my case. But, these are what I found on the web. Sometimes the best way to tell a rep from gen is to open the case. Good luck!

[cougaree]

This is a rep

[brockelhorst]

man that thing is stunning!

So the gen is actually a gen-rep? And you can get it for 980$? Do you think the southerncross website is trustworthy?

What do you think of the rep-reps, do they have major flaws apart from the crown? I imagine it would be difficult to find a decent crown and sapphire for modding it?

Oh, thank you for the link of course!

Some links for you:

Gen is very nice, well finished. One thing I can tell rep from gen is the shape of the crown. On gen, the crown is very flat on top whereas it's some what domed on the rep. On the gen the sapphire creates interesting vertical distortion on the number 6 and 12.

Here is mine:

Ever since a Rolex dealer serviced mine, I have never opened my case. But, these are what I found on the web. Sometimes the best way to tell a rep from gen is to open the case. Good luck!

Edited September 27, 2010 by brockelhorst

[cougaree]

Yeah, gen RXW is a homage of the original IMHO. I have never done any business with southerncross, I bought mine from the bay. The rep rep looks ok. Pretty good price. You can do some molding on it, but it will be difficult to find a sapphire crystal for it that looks like one on RXW. Vaccum makes pretty nice fiddy homages with sapphire crystals. He sells his for approx 600 bucks (two year old price)

[PhilR]

I couldn't find one recent experience of anyone successfully buying a "new" MM20 from southerncross. I think it was active when RXW first went out of business and had to liquidate inventory, but now it might be an automated system that just takes your money. Maybe I'm wrong, I read lots of cautionary tales about them, but nothing definite. Seems kind of sketchy to me, you can usually find a genuine used RXW in the $900 - $1200 range. Might be worth waiting for..

[cougaree]

I bought mine on the bay used for about $1000

[marinamm20]

things to look out for

Shape of the crownguard,there is a slight "v" shape inside the crownguard.

on the Gen, the pin the crownguard have a small dent.

"Marina Militare" and the bars marking the seconds on the dial is laser etched into the dial, and not printet so it apprears slight copper'ish in the color compare to the "L SWISS L" at the bottom that are printed in white letters.

on the back, many of the rep's have not the correct "treefork", on the gen the bottom is filled out, on many reps this is missing

gen

rep

and the MM20 showen earlier is a rep, as it is not a Swiss 6497, but it seems to be a russian copy movement.

Gen

rep

last, if it is a gen there should be a 3 part box "inner, outer, woodbox" plus the 2 straps, extra buckel, extra tubes, cloth

[marinamm20]

and a good place to source a gen MM20 is at www.bigwatchforum.com there they pop up from time to time.

[brockelhorst]

Thanks all of you for the detailed information!

Somehow the "marina militaire" looks slightly different on the two watches posted here.Cougarees seems to be more white? Think that is just due to the photographs?

[...]

"Marina Militare" and the bars marking the seconds on the dial is laser etched into the dial, and not printet so it apprears slight copper'ish in the color compare to the "L SWISS L" at the bottom that are printed in white letters.

[marinamm20]

Thanks all of you for the detailed information!

Somehow the "marina militaire" looks slightly different on the two watches posted here.Cougarees seems to be more white? Think that is just due to the photographs?

yes could be the light/angle - you can still see color differents between marina militare and L SWISS L on cougarees dial

[cougaree]

Thanks for pointing it out! I always thought those movement pictures were from a gen. Now I know

[cougaree]

@Marinamm20, yours looks like the early version with flat crystal. It's pretty cool.

[marinamm20]

actually, the version i bought was the mineral glass version, but i got the glass badly scratched due to a nasty fall, so i got a replacement glass in sapphier from bigwatchforum in exactly same shape and look as the mineral glass.