HaydenM Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hey all I have recently been looking to buy my first rep and have been recently taken by the Rolex GMT II. I have looked around and unfortunately they all seem much the same to me. I was wondering if there is anything to look out for in a Rep GMT. Is there a certain movement to go for / steer clear of? What are some obvious tells with a GMT and does anybody know a GMT rep that does not have / (more likely) these tells are minimised. Thankyou HaydenM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duke1973 Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 Are you referring to the older GMT II or the newer Ceramic bezelled GMT IIc? If it's the ceramic model they are pretty good reps IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 The only high quality GMT IIc currently available is from the N-Factory, which would explain why they all look the same to you; yes? The tells would be that the replica has no AR coating under it's magnifying cyclops lens. Also, the numbers on the genuine ceramic bezel insert are pure platinum and on the replica are pure paint. There is an interesting school of thought on the movements available in this watch, which is exactly opposite other watches and that is this ... the asian 21j movement is the wise choice, since it is a purpose-built GMT movement. If you buy the GMT IIc with a Swiss ETA movement inside, it is a non-GMT movement with some extra gears and clutches screwed to it. Not optimal. note: there is talk of a new breed of GMT module for the reps .. it's only been reported on ONCE and it is a huge improvement over the existing GMT modules, making it safe and wise to purchase the Swiss ETA GMT IIc **if** this new module is inside of it. Who can guarantee it's in there? No one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rymeister Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 Hi jkay what movement would you say this is and do you think it has the module in it you were referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 I have never personally seen this new improved gmt module. The Zigmeister posted a commentary on it within the last two weeks here on RWG. He received it for a service. If it becomes standard, it's great news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydenM Posted February 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) Duke. I was referring to the IIc i am pretty sure. In particular stainless steel case and bracelet and the black bezel insert with the large white numbers. Edit: which is best, correct hand stack or incorrect? Edited February 18, 2012 by HaydenM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 correct hand stack has not been available in years. And it was an inferior design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrgod Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 correct hand stack has not been available in years. And it was an inferior design. The CHS movements are available again.. At least listed on Trustytime. http://www.yourtrust...roducts_id=3030 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duke1973 Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 Noob Factory GMT IIc with incorrect hand stack (the only it comes) is what I would buy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 General consensus is that the CHS, correct hand stack, is not a reliable movement. There have been a few exceptions. The ICHS, incorrect hand stack, is only detectable with a loupe, macro pic, or Kal-El's vision. The 21J DG3804b Chinese movement is a GMT designed piece, not a conversion. It is reliable, and when it's time to service you simply remove the movement, hit it with a hammer and buy a new one from Frei or most suppliers for $25. Both the Asian 2836-2 and the 'Swiss' ETA 2836-2 are converted/modified movements to make it GMT. Most work OK with no issues. Consensus is that if you opt for the 'Swiss' you will be getting an Asian anyway, the genuine Swiss ETA not really being available. Depending on your skill level you can put in your own movement, such as an ETA 2893-2 which is a genuine, from the ground up GMT movement. Some 'experts' have said it is better than the Rolex GMT movement. It takes some work, fitting and shimming, to get it to fit correctly, and it is expensive, about $260 and up. It takes the same hands as the Rolex Tudor, and the GMT/4th hand is the same as the Rolex 1575 GMT movement. All very available. To my knowledge, the case, bezel and insert are the same for all the GMTIIc from our recommended dealers, the movement is the only difference. So, it comes to personal preference and cost. As this is your first rep, you might think about if you are the kind of nut as we are that won't stop at one rep, and move on to modding/building as we learn more. If so, I'd recommend the 21J movement, wear it for a while, buy the 3 or 4 or 5 reps that catch your eye reading this forum, and in a year or two or three you'll look at this one with that certain stare most of us get, and tear it apart to make it better. It is inevitable. There is no cure for this. Even those who have 'graduated' to buying a genuine Rolex still come back here to the reps. You're gonna love this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 IF you are looking for a 16710 (older model GMTII) Pepsi bezel I saw one for sale on the sales forum just a few minutes ago. It's a noobfactory version that has been modified. Great looking watch. It's more expensive than a new one, but all the correct mods have been done. AFA putting a 2893-2 in a GMTIIC (Ceramic) model, a couple of folks have done it, but it's a very difficult fit and the tolerances are exacting. I wanted to do it with my GMTIIC and The Zigmeister wouldn't do it, as it had too many compromises. Pretty much all of the latest GMTIIC's are nice watches, and the prices are reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydenM Posted February 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) Okay now to the clincher. If looked around and it is (for newbie me) difficult to find aMaster IIc. I am wondering if anybody would know the cost or where I would be able to find the following. ((which TD do you guys recommend aswell)) I believe that I will go with your advice: 21J DG304b movement, n-factory, black bezel insert. Edited February 18, 2012 by HaydenM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rymeister Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 One for sale on rwg http://www.rwg.cc/topic/143198-gmt-iic-21j/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grejyedi Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 The ICHS, incorrect hand stack, is only detectable with a loupe, macro pic Or if you move try and move the Hour hand and find that the GMT hand moves. You don't need a loupe to see this. Some 'experts' have said it is better than the Rolex GMT movement The Rolex movement has an independent adjustable hour hand - the ETA has an independently adjustable GMT with hourly jumps (except where it has been specifically modified such as Omega). The Rolex type movement is the only ueseful one for travelling as you do not have to resyncronize your watch. How can the ETA be better than the Rolex movement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 One for sale on rwg Perfect! A known-good watch from a long-time member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydenM Posted February 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 The watch here on rwg does look really good. My only problem is that at the moment I don't currently have the means of payment set up as generally I don't purchase things online. So I assume by the time I would be able to have these set up it would be sold. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 OK then, here is a direct link to the A21j GMT IIc on TimesShop's web store. http://www.timesshop.net/6429-rwi-promotionro1174-rolex-gmt-master-2-ceramic-bezel-black-dial-ss-ss-asian-21j-automatic.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Or if you move try and move the Hour hand and find that the GMT hand moves. You don't need a loupe to see this. The Rolex movement has an independent adjustable hour hand - the ETA has an independently adjustable GMT with hourly jumps (except where it has been specifically modified such as Omega). The Rolex type movement is the only ueseful one for travelling as you do not have to resyncronize your watch. How can the ETA be better than the Rolex movement? You have better eyes than mine. The Rolex movement GMT hand is "quickset" just as the ETA 2893-2 is. They both 'jump'. You can move/jump the GMT hand without hacking the watch on either movement. Some experts say the ETA is better designed. It's on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grejyedi Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Well if you look at this video which is a gen, the first position moves the hour hand in hourly jumps, and the second position moves the 24 hr, and minutes and does not jump. The Rolex brochure says: The GMT-Master II has a 24-hour hand and an independent, adjustable 12-hour hand that makes it possible to set the hour for a new time zone while the watch continues to function, maintaining the exact time. The two hour hands allow the time in any two time zones to be read simultaneously. It dosn't work the same way as the ETA GMT. I wish it did as it would save me a lot of effort when travelling - all you have to do on the Rolex is to move the hour hand to the new time zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 True, but on the ETA 2893-2 all you need do is to move the GMT hand in 'jumps'. That is no less effective when traveling. Further, when I use a modified 2836-2 or a DG GMT watch while traveling, the GMT hand is always set to GMT/UTC. I simply turn the bezel and read the time off the 4th hand at the bezel. To me, that's less effort when traveling than working the crown. I'd guess that it is a personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydenM Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 So are there any reps that actually have the correct to Rolex style of movement? If not, does it affect the usability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 There is a very new movement which is a close 3135 rolex copy, but it does not take genuine parts so you can not fix it if it breaks. It is too new to know if it is well designed and reliable. We are talking just a few months, here. There are no GMT versions of this new movement. Do a search for SA3135 to read more about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydenM Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I think I will just go with the 21J Asian movement suggested before so if it dies I just buy a new cheap one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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