calatrava Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 As promised, this is the side by side photo comparison of the genuine and replica versions of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas. To make things a bit interesting, I will not state ahead of time which is the gen and which is the rep. I have however kept the relative position of each of them constant between photos. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 By the way, the replica is from Hont, and appears to be the cartel version. Like many others have noted, the screws on this are a bit weak, and I sheared off one of the screw heads while resizing the bracelet. The problem seems to be that the threads are at the top of the shaft, where the screw head is, so it is weaker than most bars, where the screw head and threads are at opposite ends of the bar. The screw head and threads being on the same side is similar to the design of the genuine watch, but this is an instance where it would have been better to deviate from the genuine construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGGodwin Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 Gen is on left... Date wheel font. Am I right!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 gen on right...interesting differences in crowns...never noticed that before...the "windows" on the ship are present and crisp...and the bracelet finish is much crisper...and the cross is a tell... rep on left has eta dw...gen has in-house movement with its own dw... amazing replication, though... @calatrava - do you own the gen?...where did the gen come from?...$10k plus timepiece... thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermanx Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 I say right, a/r and cross... Both look great. Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Gen on right for sure. Great comparison. Now I miss my modded VCO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I purchased the gen recently as my first high-end watch, it was $9K from an AD, which was just before the price increase to $12.3K MSRP. The gen is on the right. The overall fit and finish is much better on the gen, but the differences are subtle, things are just crisper in general on the gen. This is quite obvious on the bracelet links in a side by side comparison, but on its own, the rep is exceptional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Sweet pictorial. The gen is definitely nicer, but if gen dials were easier to obtain, one could build one heck of a franken with the cartel as a base. I've often thought that a Rolex sub DW overlay would be a very good stand-in for the VCO DW. But that all said, I still have my old VCO in bits and pieces somewhere. I finally gave up on it due to the screw issue you mentioned. Anyhow, again, beautiful watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Sweet pictorial. The gen is definitely nicer, but if gen dials were easier to obtain, one could build one heck of a franken with the cartel as a base. I've often thought that a Rolex sub DW overlay would be a very good stand-in for the VCO DW. But that all said, I still have my old VCO in bits and pieces somewhere. I finally gave up on it due to the screw issue you mentioned. Anyhow, again, beautiful watch. Thanks. Yes, it would be nice to have more ready access to the gen dial, the guilloche is much more pronounced on the gen, and the larger arabic numerals in white gold have wonderful visibility. I do wish they upgraded the screws by going to a more traditional design of screw heads and threads at opposite ends, since that would make the bracelet more robust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krpster Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Very nice comparo. Thanks. I notice the lug/end link shape is quite different in the profile too. Appears that the gen has a steeper angle. Both look amazing and the rep is actually quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Biggest tells quite frankly are the oversized crown (just noticed that with this review), DW window shape and the Maltese Cross on the rep.. Otherwise (aside from the shitty screws) a very good replication Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txcollector Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Sweet pictorial. The gen is definitely nicer, but if gen dials were easier to obtain, one could build one heck of a franken with the cartel as a base. I've done that with the white and black OEM dials. The rep dials are too dull in comparison with the OEM. Like calatrava mentioned the numerals are also noticeably different on the OEM as well. @calatrava, any word on the crown? what makes the rep stick out so much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) @calatrava, any word on the crown? what makes the rep stick out so much? The main issue seems to be with the crown itself, which is much too tall on the replica. I don't think the crown guard is the source of the problem... thankfully, since it would be much more involved to fit that instead. Also, the crown itself is a bit rounded at the top and bottom edges, unlike the replica's which is very angular. Edited April 12, 2011 by calatrava Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 I've done that with the white and black OEM dials. The rep dials are too dull in comparison with the OEM. Like calatrava mentioned the numerals are also noticeably different on the OEM as well. @calatrava, any word on the crown? what makes the rep stick out so much? I've looked at the photos of your white VCO fraken, the OEM dial does wonders. Did you have to do something with the datewheel? Also, which replica did you base this franken off? Was it a cartel rep, or the Silix rep? The finishing on your bracelet looks much better than mine, in particular the polished parts of the links... did you do any custom work on the bracelet, or did it come looking like that? It's a bit frustrating that there seems to be pretty accurate VCO replica parts floating around, but they are spread out over a bunch of versions. It doesn't make too much sense to me to buy three $250+ replicas to put together a fairly accurate version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 I've done that with the white and black OEM dials. The rep dials are too dull in comparison with the OEM. Like calatrava mentioned the numerals are also noticeably different on the OEM as well. @calatrava, any word on the crown? what makes the rep stick out so much? I had forgotten that. Now I remember that fiasco getting one of those gen dials from our unorganized friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) So, an update on my VCO replica. Since receiving it on Saturday, I've done some minor tinkering with it: 1. When I posted my initial comparison shots of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas replica, one of the things that bothered me was the improper alignment where the bracelet attaches to the watch head. So, I removed the screws on the back which attached the bracelet, and reseated the bracelet, and tightly fastened the screws. These caseback screws are more robust than the bracelet screws, since the screw head and threads are on opposite ends, unlike the bracelet screws. 2. I also filed down the edges of the links which come together at the clasp, since it was preventing the clasp from coming together securely, and I filed down one of the screws on the side of the watch, which attach the endlink to the rest of the bracelet, since it was sticking out, but was too tight to remove and reseat. 3. Used threadlock on the bracelet screws. Be careful with these screws as they are very weak. I sheared off the top of one screw head while resizing the bracelet, and had to use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the screw. I find that reversing the direction when encountering resistance helps seat the threads properly, and makes fastening the screws more pain free. Anyhow, the fit is now much better, see the attached photos. I just wanted to say that flaws aside, this is really quite a decent rep, not quite at the level of the super replicas, but it looks credible on the wrist. Some things which could be done to the existing rep aftermarket include: 1. Polishing the polished indents on the bracelet links more throughly. Currently, it is not quite mirror smooth, and there is some unevenness to the polishing. 2. Smoothing then brushing the interior edges of the bracelet. Currently, the edges are not uniformly finished, some parts are smooth and some are brushed. Things which would require a retool at the factory, or a more involved mod: 1. The connection between the endlink and the rest of the bracelet is a bit abrupt, it seems to have just a bit too much of a gap, and there is an awkward kink where they meet, perhaps because of my smaller 6.75" wrist. 2. The lume on the dial and the hands should have the same color. While I would certainly prefer the whitish lume color, even the greenish lume would be okay, as long as both the hands and the dial indices had the same colored lume. 3. The dial could be more shiny, maybe a clear coat of lacquer would help? 4. Switch to either hardened steel bracelet screws, or a design where the screw head is opposite to the threads. Edited April 12, 2011 by calatrava Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 This is one great thread Thank you Gunnar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Another observation when viewing my replica under a 10x loupe... the surface of the polished bezel has small pits, even though it looks shiny to the naked eye. I believe this is one of the reasons why it doesn't have the mirror finish that the gen does. I remember from shop class the need to work though the various grades of sandpaper, otherwise it's impossible to get a high quality shine to a wood surface after lacquering. The same concept applies to metal finishing... it looks like they went from a coarse polish to a fine polish too soon, and skipped some of the intermediate polishing steps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangers158 Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 The rep fairs poorly in this case. I had 2 of these, one white and 1 black. There is a huge gap between the case and the lug. Until they release a better case, I do not see any point modding the rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txcollector Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 The rep fairs poorly in this case. I had 2 of these, one white and 1 black. There is a huge gap between the case and the lug. Until they release a better case, I do not see any point modding the rep. not sure which version you bought but I have 3 and none have that problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted April 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 not sure which version you bought but I have 3 and none have that problem. My VCO replica is from Hont, and from looking at the bracelet, it looks like the quality of fit is very dependent on how accurately the attachment screw holes are aligned, and how even and sharp the edge of the endlink is. I don't think this is so much a function of the dealer, as it is that there seems to quite a bit of variability in the parts used to put together VCO replicas. In particular, the number of caseback variants is quite staggering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPN Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Great comparison. I wonder why they decided to use such a strange font for the date? It seems that the one used on the gen is easier rep...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 As a side note, there is now a replica with a correctly shaped trapezoid date window instead of the cartel square window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPN Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 As a side note, there is now a replica with a correctly shaped trapezoid date window instead of the cartel square window. That's great. Do you know if they've also started using a more similar font, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calatrava Posted September 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 That's great. Do you know if they've also started using a more similar font, too? No, it just uses the standard ETA date wheel. Changing the font requires a custom date wheel overlay, and there just isn't enough demand for that. Even the Rolex submariner from Noobfactory doesn't have a custom date overlay, so I would not ever expect that to happen with the VCO anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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