marblegranite Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 (edited) I apologize for the poor pics in advance. I don't have any experience as a photographer and this is the first time I ever took pictures of a watch. I must admit, it's actually more fun than I thought LOL. Even though I'm having to return the Hublot to the TD I decided to take a few pics to share with the forum since so many people are eagerly awaiting to see what the new version looks like. I'm hoping some experts will weigh in on whether this new version can be truly considered a 1:1 rep. This was my first ever rep order, a Hublot Diver V2 and an Ultimate Cartier Santos. I was so anxious all week waiting for the watches to arrive. I must have spent at least 8 hours on the forum each day reading up about movements, popular mods, learning about the history of the brands. I must have read over 70 reviews and my wishlist is now quite long. The issue I had with the Hublot was the inner bezel adjustment, which doesn't turn at all. The adjustment wouldn't turn clockwise or counter clockwise at all, even after applying a fair amount of pressure (before the experienced members yell at me I would like to clarify that I only applied more pressure after the TD directed me to ). I looked online for the user manual and watched multiple videos on the various TD websites to see if there was anything that had to be unlocked for this adjustment to work. But the TD confirmed that it should turn easily after you lift the guard, which covers the inner bezel adjustment. I was able to set the date/time and the watch appeared to be keeping time okay, but I only had the watch in my possession for less than 4 hours. Before I explain my impressions of the watch I would like to mention my experience with the overall transaction. After reading great reviews about Andrew I decided to use his services (http://www.yourtrustytime.com for other newbies out there http://rwg.cc/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png' alt=':)'>). I had been communicating with a couple of different TDs via e-mail and he was by far the most helpful, patiently answering my avalanche of questions. Even though I had a problem with one of my reps I'm still satisfied with the overall transaction. And when I reported the issue earlier today he was very helpful and answered in less than 10 minutes (although I wasn't really expecting a response until Monday since this is the weekend). I'm glad he replied so quickly and I was able to ship the watch back to him today. I can't wait for the replacement to arrive. Here is a link to the exact one I ordered - http://www.yourtrust...roducts_id=9130 I was very impressed with the Hublot. It felt very well built and solid. The guard over the inner bezel adjustment wheel felt very sturdy when opening and there is a click when it closes completely. It had a great weight to it. The crystal sticks out and I was wondering if that is how the gen is but was unable to tell by online pictures I reviewed. For what it's worth the TD's website states that the crystal has the same thickness as the gen. The thing truly is massive @ 22mm thick. I was very worried that it would be too big for me based on the posts I've read and the fact that I have a tiny wrist (6.25"). But I can happily say that it didn't bother me one bit when I had it on. Maybe it's because massive watches are the trend where I live and on the pool parties that I go to in the summer, which is the primary purpose I purchased this watch in my first order - to be ready for summer . And yes, when I receive the replacement I will have it pressure tested before getting it near water. One of the first things I checked was the lume and it looked to me that the same color lume was used in the inner bezel, the dial, and the hands, which was an issue reported in the previous version. Unfortunately I forgot to take lume pics before shipping the watch. I wanted to follow the advice of the experienced members and tighten all screws but the toolbox I purchased from http://www.watchbitz.com.au is still on the way. And honestly I'm not certain it will contain screwdrivers that would work with the Hublot screws. I was going to do a search on what other members suggest for the Hublot screws but never got around to that due to the inner bezel adjustment issue. If you have a recommendation, please show me the way. It will save me a few minutes having to find the right thread . One thing that bothered me on the Hublot Diver I received was the movement of the seconds hand, where the ticks appeared to be very visible. I expected it to be smoother since the movement is 28,800 bph (confirmed by the QC pics provided by Andrew). The Cartier Santos that was on the same order appears to have a smooth movement. The video of this watch on the TD's site also appears to have a smoother movement. I was hoping since I'm planning to have these watches serviced anyway, that it would take care of this problem and make the watch smoother. Can anyone confirm if servicing takes care of this or if the smoothness of the movement is something I need to watch for as part of QC? Maybe I have too high of expectations, but considering that both watches are 28,800 bph I expected the seconds hands to have the same level of smoothness. Now to the pics of the Hublot. I’ll post pics of the Santos after I receive the gen strap that I ordered last week. Thanks for reading. Edited March 18, 2012 by marblegranite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Nice review. You'll need to be really careful if you undo any of the black H headed screws, it's very very easy to scratch the finish on those and it really detracts from the watches finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 I actually like this watch a lot greatest HUBLOT there is ...but when i buy it I will end up never using it...how often can you really sport a great watch like this? certainly not a watch to wear at work unless you are a life guard or professional diver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marblegranite Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Thanks for the feedback guys. I had the same concern as you Gran. But what can I say, must have been love at first sight . I had to have it. I tried to talk myself into waiting for reviews of this V2 to come out before placing my order but I wasn't strong enough . I know the pics suck, but can you guys tell if this really is a major improvement over the first version? BTW - about to place my second order and I can blame your review of the Chopard Mille Migle chrono for it . I'm ordering the white dial version. Thanks for the heads up on the a07.211 movement for that watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Thanks for the feedback guys. I had the same concern as you Gran. But what can I say, must have been love at first sight . I had to have it. I tried to talk myself into waiting for reviews of this V2 to come out before placing my order but I wasn't strong enough . I know the pics suck, but can you guys tell if this really is a major improvement over the first version? BTW - about to place my second order and I can blame your review of the Chopard Mille Migle chrono for it . I'm ordering the white dial version. Thanks for the heads up on the a07.211 movement for that watch. Thanks! And yes follow the call of love Dont listen to me, I am an old fool Dr.Gran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 I know the pics suck, but can you guys tell if this really is a major improvement over the first version? The case back now has a ship instead of the word HUBLOT and the He Valve is in place instead of just a screw head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marblegranite Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 The case back now has a ship instead of the word HUBLOT and the He Valve is in place instead of just a screw head. Thanks JKay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolonusTM Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 (edited) Thanks Marblegranite for a nice review. I am still waiting for my diver 4000 to come - with new stock I think there are more differences between V1 and this version: - height is correct since V1 version wasn't so tall (the manufacturer based on King Power caseset) - a bit different machining overall (more accurate on V2 version) i.e. bezel now looks more correct to the gen - the inner bezel is unidirectional as on a gen (movies on TD shows pre-production item with bidirectional bezel, as on V1) - movement was changed to modified A7750 - which is closer to gen (HUB1401 is 7750 based) As for seconds hands smoothness - it is a long hand on the Diver, which makes all ticks more visible. Never be smooth, more important if ticks "steps" are equal to each other... BTW I am wondering if you could repair the bezel thing yourself.. what exactly happen? You unscrew the bezel crown and what then? The crown moved freeley without engaging the inner bezel? Or maybe it was screwed in so hard you believed it was stuck? The construction makes it disengaged from inner bezel when screw in or screwing back after regulation. Inner bezel is in operation only when the crown is fully out, not pressed. When you press the crown toward the case (for i.e. purpose to safely screw it back) - it disengages from the bezel, otherwise you could do unwanted changes to bezel position when securing the crown. Edited March 20, 2012 by PolonusTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 I was wondering this myself. OP, was this a standard waterproof screw down crown for the bezel and if it was, did you loosen it before you tried to adjust the bezel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsb5 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Thanks for shedding some light on this watch! Ive been trying to hold back myself from buying until a detailed review was posted. Especially since my wrist is only 6.75" Now i can place my order! Do you have a wrist shot by any chance? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marblegranite Posted March 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 (edited) Thanks Marblegranite for a nice review. I am still waiting for my diver 4000 to come - with new stock I think there are more differences between V1 and this version: - height is correct since V1 version wasn't so tall (the manufacturer based on King Power caseset) - a bit different machining overall (more accurate on V2 version) i.e. bezel now looks more correct to the gen - the inner bezel is unidirectional as on a gen (movies on TD shows pre-production item with bidirectional bezel, as on V1) - movement was changed to modified A7750 - which is closer to gen (HUB1401 is 7750 based) As for seconds hands smoothness - it is a long hand on the Diver, which makes all ticks more visible. Never be smooth, more important if ticks "steps" are equal to each other... BTW I am wondering if you could repair the bezel thing yourself.. what exactly happen? You unscrew the bezel crown and what then? The crown moved freeley without engaging the inner bezel? Or maybe it was screwed in so hard you believed it was stuck? The construction makes it disengaged from inner bezel when screw in or screwing back after regulation. Inner bezel is in operation only when the crown is fully out, not pressed. When you press the crown toward the case (for i.e. purpose to safely screw it back) - it disengages from the bezel, otherwise you could do unwanted changes to bezel position when securing the crown. Thanks Polonus for the detailed overview of the improvements. That makes me even more comfortable with this impulse buy . I read a thread stating that the inner bezel was bi-directional in the V2 but that didn't bother me since I'm not planning to take it off to let anyone else operate it. And even if I did I don't think there is a very big chance that someone would know that the gen, which only had 1,000 units made, is only unidirectional. I was wondering this myself. OP, was this a standard waterproof screw down crown for the bezel and if it was, did you loosen it before you tried to adjust the bezel. Yes, the crown is screw down. I tried to operate the inner bezel adjustment "wheel" (not sure how to call it) with the crown screwed in and screwed out in all positions (in the position to manually wind, in the position to adjust the date, and in the position to adjust the time). The inner bezel adjustment "wheel" would not rotate clockwise or counter clockwise no matter how much pressure I applied. I even tried it with a piece of cloth to avoid my fingers from slipping. These attempts were all done with the guard that covers the inner bezel adjustment "wheel" open, as there is no way to operate it when this guard is in the closed/locked position. Let me know if this is confusing and I can try to explain it better. Do you have a wrist shot by any chance? In my eagerness to ship the watch back for a replacement I forgot to take lume and wrist shots. The watch is massive though, especially for it's thickness. What I was worried about was the watch going over the edge of my wrist and that was not the case, barely LOL. The thickness and the width I can live with, what would have bothered me was if the height of the watch was longer than my wrist. Edited March 20, 2012 by marblegranite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolonusTM Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 (...) Yes, the crown is screw down. I tried to operate the inner bezel adjustment "wheel" (not sure how to call it) with the crown screwed in and screwed out in all positions (in the position to manually wind, in the position to adjust the date, and in the position to adjust the time). The inner bezel adjustment "wheel" would not rotate clockwise or counter clockwise no matter how much pressure I applied. I even tried it with a piece of cloth to avoid my fingers from slipping. These attempts were all done with the guard that covers the inner bezel adjustment "wheel" open, as there is no way to operate it when this guard is in the closed/locked position. Let me know if this is confusing and I can try to explain it better. Now that is confusing the crown on 4 hour position is only to be used when dealing with A7750 inside (time, date etc.) - it doesn't affect inner bezel at all. I am writing it since you mentioned trying to rorate bezel in "all positions (in the position to manually wind, in the position to adjust the date, and in the position to adjust the time)". But back to the bezel - your crown (that one on the 2 pm) probably miss the small gear at the end of the shaft. I think it is that way, since that loose gear would stop the movement eventually - that's why I assume it is missing at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Do you have a side by side pic? Maybe vs. a HBB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marblegranite Posted March 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Now that is confusing the crown on 4 hour position is only to be used when dealing with A7750 inside (time, date etc.) - it doesn't affect inner bezel at all. I am writing it since you mentioned trying to rorate bezel in "all positions (in the position to manually wind, in the position to adjust the date, and in the position to adjust the time)". But back to the bezel - your crown (that one on the 2 pm) probably miss the small gear at the end of the shaft. I think it is that way, since that loose gear would stop the movement eventually - that's why I assume it is missing at all. That's what I thought initially as well. Both crown operations are independent - one is strictly for the A7750 to wind, set time, and set the date and the other to adjust the inner bezel.. But since I was unable to find actual instructions or the user manual to confirm this, I thought I'd try it before shipping the watch back to China. Do you have a side by side pic? Maybe vs. a HBB? Sorry flyingdutchman that was my first rep order. I could have taken pics side by side with the Santos 100 that arrived with the Diver. But unfortunately I didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Maybe your bezel adjusting crown was cross-threaded at the factory, freezing it on place. Too bad the "dealer QC" could not catch something as obvious as a completely seized crown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marblegranite Posted March 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Maybe your bezel adjusting crown was cross-threaded at the factory, freezing it on place. Too bad the "dealer QC" could not catch something as obvious as a completely seized crown. I thought the same thing. It would be pretty simple to verify that it was working as part of QC. But since he has been so responsive I didn't make a big deal out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indywatchguy Posted September 2, 2012 Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 How is the replacement Hublot Diver treating you? Any wrist shots? How long did it take to get the replacement? I'm very interested in buying one of these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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