kramerica2 Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 In the rep business, while no rep is perfect, most popular brands have at least 1 or 2 reps that are considered to be super reps. Now, obviously, each and his own opinion about what super actually is, but for me it probably means that the rep is so good that in real life situations without a gen next to it, no one could ever call it out, even if he knows his way around reps. As far as I can tell, no IWC rep can match my definition. Hopefully I'm wrong, can someone correct me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 New MK XVI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhorn Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) While they may not be 'super reps' out of the box the nice thing about many IWCs is that they can easily get there with some minor mods. Not to mention that there are a few suppliers of gen parts if you want to take modding to the extreme. You can essentially build a 3717 out of all gen parts for less than buying a gen. Edited February 21, 2012 by tomhorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramerica2 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) Thanks for your answers. @tomhorn: You're maybe right, but at the moment I'm looking to spend ~350$ and I want a good rep. @FxrAndy: It's a nice rep, but completely lacks an AR and it's date font is way off. Those are very obvious flaws that are easily spotted by the trained eye. Edited February 21, 2012 by kramerica2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drury Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 the ingy for example, if (!) you should be able to find the datewheel for it. not super, but (in)credible with little effort. maybe more so than superreps from other brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Although I haven't seen the latest I always felt that the 3717 and a couple of the derivatives were pretty darn good. I have heard nothing which says the Portuguese series movements have been rectified but aesthetically they were fairly good as well. As someone else mentioned with a new datewheel the Ingy can be really good too. I have not seen a review of any of the new Aquatimers but the problem typically was that the inner bezel was not lumed and that is a fatal flaw. And then of course there is the 1st generation non-functioning power reserve Big Pilot. The only thing with that one is that you have to make sure you get a raised datewheel and need to reset the power reserve toward the end of the 7 or 8 day range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 So if you happen to meet an expert on a day from 11 to 19 of the month who even cares that your ones don't have serifs on them. Ref the AR I will tell you when I get mine this week 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) What about the new "GERMAN Team" Spitfire German (now there is a contradiction of terms) is it not 1:1 super rep? I quote "German Football Team Limited Edition!!! Made with a Genuine Watch as Sample.... Refer Side by Side Pics... 1 : 1 Against The Genuine On External and Internal Casework... Genuine Movt Can be Ported Over... Totally Interchangeable!!! Original Superlume C1 on Markers and Needles... Limited Initial Stocks!!! Immediate Delivery!!!" During the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the RAF fighter of the battle, whereas in fact, the more numerous Hurricane actually shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. The Spitfire units did, however, have a lower attrition rate and a higher victory to loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes. Edited February 21, 2012 by Gran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramerica2 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thanks Gran, that does look interesting, BUT: 1. I couldn't find any reference to the gen at IWC website, still looking though.. 2. A super rep with a faux split sec? Not in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig88 Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 The BP's are fairly damn accurate. But then again I can pretty much spot a rep in a second on both the models which implies that people that know a bit about them can too. At least with some of the pams you'd either need to turn them over, inspect them thoroughly or have a gen on hand to compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I'm not much of an IWC guy, but the 3707 GST Titanium Chronograph is often referred to as one of the original super-reps, isn't it? It holds up very well up close, and it's been out of production so long, that most people can't remember what the tells were! A genuine dial would probably take care of most rep guys with long memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 2. A super rep with a faux split sec? Not in my book. That is always a valid argument...dident realize this one was suppose to have split seconds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I'm not much of an IWC guy, but the 3707 GST Titanium Chronograph is often referred to as one of the original super-reps, isn't it? It holds up very well up close, and it's been out of production so long, that most people can't remember what the tells were! A genuine dial would probably take care of most rep guys with long memories. Totally forgot about that one. It is a super rep although the ti finish is not identical to the gen. That has been my complaint about all the earlier IWC ti reps - Ingy Chrono, GST, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Totally forgot about that one. It is a super rep although the ti finish is not identical to the gen. That has been my complaint about all the earlier IWC ti reps - Ingy Chrono, GST, etc. I can only recall one or two guys on the rep boards who got the 3707 in steel, but that would take care of that tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomhorn Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) @tomhorn: You're maybe right, but at the moment I'm looking to spend ~350$ and I want a good rep. Buy the 3717, or Mk XVI then. Swap in an ETA datewheel and you'll be good to go for that price. Significantly less if you find one on the sales board. Edited February 21, 2012 by tomhorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 There is a phrase in some ones sig here though Something about sticking to gens as you will never be happy with reps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramerica2 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Never happy with reps? I'm extremely happy with my rep 5th gen PO, was very happy with my rep SOSF, and probably will be happy with my future Avenger and there are more to come (AP, Ebel, PP and more). Sure, when there isn't a decent rep around and I really like the watch, I'll take the gen route like I did with my beloved speedy. I like many of the IWCs, but modding of any kind is problematic for me. I lack the skill of doing it myself, and sending it away is expensive and could cause customs issues. It seems that the rep industry took a giant leap in the last couple of years, but for some reason the IWCs were left behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrgod Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 On both the Ingenieur and Mark XVI, the tells for me is rather shallow caseback engravings. I have never handeled an 3717 replica, but from pictures it seems to have better engravings. There is also the 2892-powered Portofino, which has flown under the radar on the replica forums... I think that one is up there with the XVI.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I can only recall one or two guys on the rep boards who got the 3707 in steel, but that would take care of that tell! Too funny. I actuall bought one of each (ti and SS) and added Swissie and a gen dial. The ti resides with my teenage son who loves it. The SS has been sitting in my desk for years ever since I stripped the crown or maybe the tube. All I know is I can't screw down the crown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerthat Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 For IWC models as mentioned above best value is a used member sales watch ; they come up quite often with various levels of mods and price points Without any mods at all IWC does seem to fall short but with a cheaper dollar amount of mods than other brands a super rep is achieved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 For IWC models as mentioned above best value is a used member sales watch ; they come up quite often with various levels of mods and price points Without any mods at all IWC does seem to fall short but with a cheaper dollar amount of mods than other brands a super rep is achieved Well put. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbjoer Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 2. A super rep with a faux split sec? Not in my book. That is not even a rep. It's just fake.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrincha Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 How bout the Portofino non-chrono? http://puretimewatch.com/product/portofino-automatic-ss-white-rg-stick-on-brown-leather-strap-a2892/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Puretime just listed a pile of IWC's. Mostly the seconds at six type, I've no idea if the movement is any better as those were a disaster last time, but there has been a trend to jewelling these transfer gear setups recently so who knows.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadweller4000 Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 The only "super"-rep IWC I know out of the box, was the GST. The ti color is not that off, as ti changes its color a bit over the years as far as I know. All other IWC reps in my book need at least some minor modification. Usually ETA datewheels, relume, AR... The good thing is, IWC uses pretty much standart ETA movements, they will fit inside most rep cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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