rwg_oldschool Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Hi ! I haven't been here for years ! so glad to see rwg is still kicking , too bad I did not remember my username and password so I've had to create a new account ! Well i'm back ! Still own my Breitling for bentley A7750 and Rolex sub ETA. Recently I was looking at the Portuguese Chronograph , the black dail with white sub-dials model. I really fall in love with the layout of the watch. I wanted to get an a7750 automatic one, but the 6 oclock problem is something I didn't want to tackle with. So I wanna get a quartz version. What do you think about this purchase? How's the quartz version? does anyone own it ? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobster Posted September 23, 2012 Report Share Posted September 23, 2012 Accuracy wise, yes the movement will be sorted, but as for looks ... very far from the genuine. Wouldn't waste my money per se, but if you're desperate for it, why not? , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwg_oldschool Posted September 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2012 Thanks for the reply! I like the watch for the way it looks, I never try to pass my reps as gens- So I would not mind slight changes (such as dial color a little off, or dial font not 99% as per gen etc..) yeah you're right an automatic watch will never look accurate when it ticks rather then sweeps. and What else is not accurate ? Dail size ? sub-dials position ? case thinkness? Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesfl Posted September 25, 2012 Report Share Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) I actually have a quartz 3714 that I picked up with my first rep purchase. I think it is actually a fairly decent rep. Not great, but decent. The case appears to be the same case used on the a7750 models. The case would probably be a good starting point for a franken project. The biggest differences are: 1. It says "Quartz" instead of automatic on the dial, 2. The sub-dial spacing is off. The sub-dials are a little closer to the center. 3. (This is the one that bothers me the most) The markings on the sub-dials are too bold. On the top sub-dial it has bold hack marks around the entire sub-dial which should be sutle. 4. Quartz tick instead of auto sweep and the way the quartz chrono resets. If you would like to see actual photos of the watch let me know. I also have the original qc pics for three different model, RG black dial, SS white dial with blued hands and numbers, and SS white dial with RG hands and numbers. Btw the quartz model is fairly cheap. Edited September 25, 2012 by jamesfl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwg_oldschool Posted September 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2012 Hey James thanks for the response and the information! I actually liked the dial layout of the watch - that was the first reason for me wanting to buy a rep. I've read the flows you have mentioned and they are not a big deal for me, knowning that if i'm buying a quartz version it's cause I like the look of the watch and wanna see how it's like (all of my reps to date are either a7750 for my chronos and ETA's / Asian-ETA's for the non crono) I understand that the quartz version is stable. I was thinking about getting the black dial with white sub-dials. I'd love to see your photos Many thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesfl Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) Hey Old School, Here are some of my photos (sorry about my bad photography skills). Please note that the strap is crap as usual. The black strap on the 3714-01 is a Bob Strap. As you can see the sub-dial spacing is a bit to close to the center of the dial and the markings on the sub-dial do not match the gen. Notice the dial says "Quartz" Looks like the same case set used on the more expensive a7750 models. QC Pic from Trevor Here are a couple of the photos Trevor sent me when I was trying to decide on which color to go with. As you can see the dealer was Trevor. Not use if he has this in Panda, but worth asking. Hope this helps you make a decision. Edited September 26, 2012 by jamesfl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) Oh lord. Top subdial is an eyesore. If the dial is swapped out for the automatic one, you'll have the best of both worlds....assuming you can get past a ticking second hand on a dial marked as "automatic", lol Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2 Edited September 26, 2012 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesfl Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Agreed. If the top sub-dial were okay, I probably wouldn't mind the sub-dial spacing so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Agreed. If the top sub-dial were okay, I probably wouldn't mind the sub-dial spacing so much. Do you know if the case and dial specs are the same as the a7750 one? If so, it might be worth a try to swap the dials. The sec @6 and chrono works on the quartz, right? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avensis Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Case is similar to 7750 version of 3714 but not interchangeable. Dial spaces are obviously not the same. Milling required to fit 7750 in that quartz watch as bezel heights, internal diameters of the cases, and thickness of two cases are all different. Personally I wouldn't tackle it but swapping is possible post-milling. Fitting just the dial will not work. With that being said, dat RG version looks fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesfl Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) Do you know if the case and dial specs are the same as the a7750 one? If so, it might be worth a try to swap the dials. The sec @6 and chrono works on the quartz, right? Not sure about the exact specs but externally it looks the same. I don't think you could simply do a dial swap as the subdial spacing looks completely different than the a7750. The secs@6 ticks and the chrono does work. Case is similar to 7750 version of 3714 but not interchangeable. Dial spaces are obviously not the same. Milling required to fit 7750 in that quartz watch as bezel heights, internal diameters of the cases, and thickness of two cases are all different. Personally I wouldn't tackle it but swapping is possible post-milling. Fitting just the dial will not work. Avensis are you speaking from experience? Are you certain about milling being necessary? I haven't actually opened the watch to check out the inside of the case. I just figured that there must be a spacer in there to fit the quartz movement. I didn't think the makers would spend the money to make a completely different case just to offer a low priced quartz version, but I guess it is completely possible. Curious if you have actually taken a stab at the conversion? Edited September 26, 2012 by jamesfl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobster Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 If the rep makers could build this 3714 fully based on the 7750 model but insert a quartz movement, I'd be happy. When wearing the watch, people don't even notice whether the seconds sweep or not. Having said that, you already know about the sweeping quartz movement that Bulova use.... if the Chinese could build such a movement for this watch, I'll be buying every dial and case option that the 3714 comes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwg_oldschool Posted September 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Thanks for the photos James ! they are really good actualy! @Lobster: but the sweeping quartz movements have only the chrono hand sweep, the small-secs hand still ticks , or maybe i'm talking rubbish? :-) It can get even cooler if they would produce a quartz movement with the chrono and small-secs hands both sweeping. There used to be an Omega "speedsonic" chrono with a tuning-fork movement which had all hands sweep, how sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobster Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Thanks for the photos James ! they are really good actualy! @Lobster: but the sweeping quartz movements have only the chrono hand sweep, the small-secs hand still ticks , or maybe i'm talking rubbish? :-) It can get even cooler if they would produce a quartz movement with the chrono and small-secs hands both sweeping. There used to be an Omega "speedsonic" chrono with a tuning-fork movement which had all hands sweep, how sweet. You're right Bud. And that Omega movement is exactly what's needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avensis Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Avensis are you speaking from experience? Are you certain about milling being necessary? I haven't actually opened the watch to check out the inside of the case. I just figured that there must be a spacer in there to fit the quartz movement. I didn't think the makers would spend the money to make a completely different case just to offer a low priced quartz version, but I guess it is completely possible. Curious if you have actually taken a stab at the conversion? Unfortunately, yes. Bezel is thicker as well as the case, and case internal diameter is a bit smaller to accommodate the quartz movement inside. I suspect it is a completely different watch from a different factory. Useful if you're building franken because you will have to mill the case anyways with both versions, which I am doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwg_oldschool Posted October 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 OK so I have ordered a "Panda" (suppose to be black dial with white sub-dials) Portuguese chrono quartz from some dealer ( not one of our known dealers though) Watch works, chrono is ok (small minutes hands not as accurate). overall good and keeps good time. The watch received actually has SILVER sub-dials and not white ! My first ever quartz chrono rep .. Here I go :-P Let me know what you're thinking - Here's a quick and dirty shot : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icoopernicus Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 It actually looks okay, I suspect that it is probably very light (being quartz and on leather) and the "12" and "6" numerals just look wrong with the odd subdial spacing. My first ever rep was a quartz day date carrera in 41mm size, this looks much better than that watch did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwg_oldschool Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) heh thanks for the comment! So i've heard - the gen is 41mm , this rep case is about 43-44mm so I guess if they'll make the case 41mm like it should have been - the sub-dial spacing wouldn't look as bad as it does now Oh and the silver subdials should have been creamy white! Well I didn't expect too much $135 this watch shipped with DHL, but it works ok for telling the time and the chrono works too , kind of an odd feeling as I shake it once in awhile (used to spin the rotors on my automatics) Edited October 9, 2012 by rwg_oldschool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesfl Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I just measured my quartz rep and it was 41mm the same as my gen. I also weighted both and there was only a 19 gram difference between the gen and the rep. The gen is on a deployant which I am sure adds some weight. I think the contrast of the panda dial really accents the incorrect sub-dial spacing. A big plus for your panda though is the numbers. The "4" is arched and all the numbers appear more rounded like the gen and not flat like the typical 3714 rep. The markings on your top sub-dial also appear more accurate then on the quartz rep I have!! Hopefully the other IWC reps will benefit from the new shaped numbers on your watch. Do mind sharing which dealer you ordered the watch from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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