Edit 31-08-12 Big Pilot w/working PR (Asian23j) St.Exupery Edition - accuracy

[Smab]

Hi to everyone. I recently picked up my BP St.Exupery Ltd from my watch box ("Platinum Edition" with tobacco brown metallic dial and white markers with silver outlines), which I aquired a couple of years ago from PT. This is the edition with working PR and sunken ( )datewheel.

Quite a nice made REP, very nice finished dial and hour markers. The PR subdial is silver.

PS:I have seen this in other edition with the fixed PR (non-working) and it looks much less refined (at least as far as I can tell from the pictures). Dial and hour markers looks poor compared to the one I have.

Also AR is among the best I have seen on a rep, perhaps only beaten by the Concord C1.

Reason I post this, is to learn about the experience the rest of you have regarding accuracy of this movement and how reliable it has turned out to be over time. I do not have experience in how it works over longer time, as I have not used it much, since I disliked the strap that came along, and never felt it fitted quite right on my wrist (22-18 strap with rivets and deployment buckle). Also I did not like the look of the 22-18 strap, as it is quite thick at the lugs, but tapers dramatically about 1 inch from the lugs and is very narrow (18 at the buckle end). So the strap looks very thin compared to the quite large watch case (+46mm).

Recently I forced a 24-22 Bob strap (Breilting style) on the 22mm lugs, and actually was able to get it fixed. The watch looks more balanced with a wider and thicker strap, that does not taper so much in the width as the original design strap. Sad part is I am not able to use the original deployment buckle, which is very nice.

Bottom line, this is a very accurate movement (at least mine, for the time beeing) as it has only gained 4 secs over the last 24 hours, with the PR pretty much fully wound. Also the PR is very long lasting. PT said it was 50+ hours, but I have not measured it. I have no doubt that it is at least 50 hours, perhaps as much as 60 hours PR to this movement.

Pro's:

Accurate movement

Very long PR

Working PR (which I find very useful and the PR meter moves quickly upwords during the day as I wear it)

(I do not see the point in a watch with non-working functions, or faux subdials, even though many choose the faux PR version to get better datewheel (non-sunken))

Very good AR

Nicely finished case and dial, as well as dial elements (hour markers etc)

Lume is OK, but not great, it lasts quite long, but is not very strong.

Very legible dial with big hands and accurate minute markers along the edge of the dial, very easy to read time by the minute at a quick look. So I understand the philosophy of the original Flieger Uhr, it was made big, so the pilot could easily read the accurate time while in flight and in dim lighting.

Con's:

Wrong caseback

Fish crown (both fish crown and Probus Scafusia is correct for the 5002/5004, but not for this Ltd St.Exupery).

Sunked datewheel (they even added a small cyclops over the date window to make it look not so sunken;-)

(You can get the one without sunken datewheel, but only the one with the fixed PR (non-functional))

Manual winding is a little strange, it works fine, but now and then it sounds like some strange clicking noises, like some tooth wheel jumps over or something, does not feel right, but the watch continues to work fine. I guess one should avoid manual winding also on these Asian23j movements, as they say of the A7750, which should not be wound manual at all).

Recessed button at 8 o'clock for quick change of date - this is not a function of a GEN Big Pilot at all. Date changes via the crown.

Last but not least, this particular model was only issued in 1 (one of a kind) example by IWC (Ltd Platinum), so the probability that You ever see a genuine one (the one and only GEN was sold at an action for 50.000 CHF), is quite small. Obviously wearing a REP among IWC conossieurs would be very little credible, since it is more or less non-excisting as a GEN;-).

Here is the GEN, BTW:

http://www.worldtempus.com/en/news/top-news/detail/article/1274100196-iwc-50000-swiss-francs-for-the-big-pilots-watch-edition-saint-exupery/

And here is my REP:

[Smab]

Another 3 seconds fast this morning. I am very well pleased with accuracy of this movement. Still remains to see how it will perform when PR is down to 2-3 days. When I remove it in the evening, it goes from 7 days (max) down to a little more than 6 days in the morning, and at lunchtime it has already climbed back up to "7 days" (max, is of cource not actual 7 days on this REP, only the PR meter position, PR is +50 hours). PR gains very quickly on this movement.

One part I forgot to mention about Con's: Rotor is rather noisy, but at least I can hear that it winds the movement at the smallest hand motion;-) Any advise how to make the rotor less noisy? I have read through the topics, did some search, but have not found anyone mention this particular movement and how to fix it. Someone regarding other movement talked about some different lubricants, but one must be careful to lube anything in the movement, without proper knowledge and proper lubricant. Wrong lubricant may ruin the movement and cause pollution of the movementparts with lubricant all over, where it shall not be.

BTW: any opinions on different strap options for this model with tobacco "metallic" dial and white markers with silver edges?

I found these:

http://www.watch-band-center.com/watchstrap-p16665h1063s468-Watch-strap-Aviator-.html

http://www.watch-band-center.com/watchstrap-p16664h1063s468-Watch-strap-Aviator-.html

http://www.watch-band-center.com/watchstrap-p13552h1063s468-Watch-strap-STEINHAR.html

http://www.watch-band-center.com/watchstrap-p9992h1063s468-Watch-band-Aviator-S.html

http://www.watch-band-center.com/watchstrap-p9993h1063s468-Watch-band-Aviator-S.html

http://www.watch-band-center.com/watchstrap-p10290h1063s468-Watch-band-22mm-dark.html

Am not quite sure what color combination and color stitching would be the best for my St.Exupery.

I would like strap with rivets, to maintain the "Aviator" style look, but at the same time I wish to avoid the Big Pilot style with massive tapering from 22 to 18mm about 1" from the springbars, making the overall strap look quite narrow and out of proportions, compared to the rather large watchcase.

[Jesseharmon81]

Great looking watch! I'm in the market for a BP 5004, haven't come across this one yet!

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