hackR Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 been buried with work and kids - but all is good...haven't had the time to stay up with everything RWG, but tonite i sit here wearing my new v2 Seawolf yellow dial and felt commentary was in order... sorry - no pix in this post...no need for pix - as others have posted pix of this new release...kudos to Mike - maxman for his epic thread on this piece!...like many, i was thrilled to see this piece hit the market...this version of the seawolf - especially with yellow dial - is signature breitling... so here's a quick review of the piece...once again, no pix - so please don't slam me - most that know the watch and/or me, know i'm pretty much a breiting fan - so bare with me... credentials: i own every color skyland rep (v2s) , every chrono avenger rep (v1s), and the classic ti seawolf (v1)...and this is only part of my breitling rep collection...and for those who care, i do own (3) breitling gens - a Colt chrono a73380, a blue Steelfish, a ti/gold 2002 black dial Aerospace (grail)... anyhowww - on to this pseudo-review...do i like it?...yes...is it epic?...no...is it good and does it portray the brand well?...yes, to some degree... first off - ive always loved the size of this watch...the case is well done - with the exception of the bezel...as others have mentioned, the engraving is good, but not great...of significance - the bezel 15, 30, 45 rider tab markers are shallow engraved compared to the rest of the bezel markers...it's enough noticeable to me - that it's bothersome...case-wise, someone commented on the release valve at 9 o'clock - but to me, it looks pretty good and is well-placed... i did have a problem with the bracelet...i thought it was an issue when i saw the QC pix, but I wasn't sure...one end link was 21.90mm (damn close to the 22mm it should be), but the other was 21.65mm - which creates a noticeable gap...i contacted my dealer and sent it back for return...he will be sending me a replacement bracelet...crazy to send the entire bracelet and not just the endlink - but - the watch is new and the factories are not providing the dealers replacement parts yet...yes - sending back the bracelet is a hassle - so check your endlinks' fit before accepting a watch...my dealer was ok with it - but the turnaround time is a month plus...i do love the brushed look of the bracelet - and actually brushed a skyland case/bracelet for the look...however - the yellow dial seawolf screams for the Ocean Racer rubber strap...so that's how mine is setup...i plan to use the brushed bracelet of the seawolf on one of my skylands or to tone down my skyland code yellow... the yellow dial is simply great...it is perfect?...no...is it damn close?...yes...is it better than the v1s?...yes...the yellow dial is "all breitling" to me...not toxic yellow...but much more sophisticated...how's the lume?...better than standard "rep" lume - but a giant step behind genuine breitling and/or tritec superlume...yes - it's bright and well done...but definitely not breitling caliber...psst - see above - i have (3) breitling gens and their lume is terrific...this is not... the xtal...alas, the ar is crappy...nice technical term, huh?...nowhere near breitling caliber...too clear and too reflective...breitling ar is blue'ish and is masterful in its clarity; little to no reflection...there's simply too much reflection on this watch...is it good/ok in some lighting situations?...yes...but a lonnnnng way from breitling...to me, this is the biggest tell...to see the shallowness of the rider tabs you have to look close/critical...to see the reflection of the ar on the xtal is noticeably incorrect...but only for those who know the brand and it's ar... the movement is gen eta...and while i wouldn't say it's pristine, it runs well...as written here before, it will never be "swiss" in performance, unless you actually pop it out of a sealed eta packaging yourself...mine runs well within range - so i'm happy'ish... all said and done - if you roll with a crowd that is not as breitling anal as some of us here (present company included, of course), this is a terrific piece...far from perfect and/or super-rep...i'll probably roll with it and not worry a single minute...i do that now...someday, i might send to Z for re-lume, service...and have the xtal ar'd...does it need it?...nope...but for the cost of the rep and the mods - it's still way under the cost of the gen...with tritec superlume, a service and better quality breitling-esque ar, this is a stellar piece...without these - it's still verrrrry good... i wrote this to NOT discourage sales...but rather to point out some of the "flaws" of the rep...anal flaws!...should anyone who likes the brand and/or the color of the dial buy one?...without a doubt!... R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplehd Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hack - you can always send me the watch if you're not happy with it Nice write-up from a great member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 nice work, hackR - thanks for your views Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziplepingouin Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 (edited) Thanks for this very detailed review! Would you say that the latest Avenger Skyland is a better "quality" rep than this Seawolf? Im really unsure between these two for my first rep. Edited September 29, 2012 by ziplepingouin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 From the Breitling Man himself! Great job R! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 for some clarity - i love this watch...it's definitely a looker - especially on the black rubber ocean racer strap...the "flaws" i mention above exist - but they do not significantly take away from this watch...it's disappointing that the AR and superlume is not up to snuff; which is surprising to me with all these latest high quality reps...anyone who has every owned a breitling will know they are defined by terrific AR and toxic lume...that said - i do enjoy this watch - a welcome change from all the chronos in my collection...i will probably invest some more into it, to bring the AR and lume up to par... i still think the v2 skyland is one of the best replica breitlings out of the box...none of the rep Breits are perfect - but the skyland is close...but i strongly recommend the seawolf - yellow dial - without a doubt... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krpster Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 once again, no pix - so please don't slam me OK no slamming but I am going to bounce you I still would like to see yours...watch that is Great insightful info as always R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Hey R...been waiting for you thoughts on the new SW. I'm sorry to hear about the SEL Issues. It dosen't make the purchase of a new watch that much fun when you have to send the dam thing back to China town. One thing I have noticed about reps Is they dont have the production consistency of gens. Two people can order the very same rep. One person can get one with no issues to speak of...and the other has several issues. Some have better ar and lume for example. Mine had a loose clasp and very tight bezel. But the fix was easy on both counts. The clasp just needed a new clasp tube and the bezel a little lube. I feel that my lume Is good and I'm satisfied thus far. It's not a torch like the gen or Zigmeisters lume... but It's not bad Imo. The ar on mine is also pretty good. Again not as good as gen or Chiefs...but not bad for rep ar. I know you have more experence with Breitling gens than I do R...so your opinion should be more valued than mine. That said... I did get a chance to try on a black dial SW last week. I felt that the rep holds up pretty good to the gen. But of course under close scrutiny by those really familiar with the SW...or Breitlings In general....well the flaws will be seen. But I guess that can be said for most reps If not all. I would like to put a gen bezel on mine...If at all possible. The rep bezel is not bad but not as smooth or refined as the gen. I had my watch guy seal off the HE valve.. so now I can go swimming without worry. Overall I'm very happy with mine. I hope with some time and maybe a few mods you will like yours just as much. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts/opinions with us R....much appreciated sir. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 @Mike - thanks for your comments...i'm really quite happy with my Seawolf...i do highly recommend it...the flaws will only be known to hard core breitling addicts...the SELs was a surprise because i was really surprised they were off 0.3-0.4 mm...while that doesn't sound like a lot, it produces a noticeable gap...waiting on returns/mods/etc is pretty common in this hobby - so i'm good without the bracelet...and i did put it on the OR strap... the ar is hard to describe on this one...it's clear, not really blue...there's a slight reflection - but that's only in bright light conditions...the lower the light, the better the ar looks - if that makes sense...the lume is a notch up from the skylands and previous edition breitling reps...but it doesn't seem as strong as i would expect it to be...the factories don't use tritec lume, so i would never expect it to be breitling-like... this one is a keeper - so i'll probably get it re-lumed at some point...and get the xtal AR'd...but in reality - there's not a lot of need to do so... what really does bug me - is the bezel...i can handle the fact that the 5,10, 20, 25, 35,40, 50, 55 are not crisp, but it's the shallow engraving of the 15, 30, 45 that bugs me...but the "normal" person wouldn't notice it... all in all - the yellow dial is stunning and really makes for a sharp looking badass watch...especially on OR rubber... R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBOGH Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Nice review. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 @Mike - thanks for your comments...i really quite happy with my Seawolf...i do highly recommend it...the flaws will only be known to hard core breitling addicts...the SELs was a surprise because i was really surprised they were off 0.3-0.4 mm...while that doesn't sound like a lot, it produces a noticeable gap...waiting on returns/mods/etc is pretty common in this hobby - so i'm good without the bracelet...and i did put it on the OR strap... the ar is hard to describe on this one...it's clear, not really blue...there's a slight reflection - but that's only in bright light conditions...the lower the light, the better the ar looks - if that makes sense...the lume is a notch up from the skylands and previous edition breitling reps...but it doesn't seem as strong as i would expect it to be...the factories don't use tritec lume, so i would never expect it to be breitling-like... this one is a keeper - so i'll probably get it re-lumed at some point...and get the xtal AR'd...but in reality - there's not a lot of need to do so... what really does bug me - is the bezel...i can handle the fact that the 5,10, 20, 25, 35,40, 50, 55 are not crisp, but it's the shallow engraving of the 15, 30, 45 that bugs me...but the "normal" person wouldn't notice it... all in all - the yellow dial is stunning and really makes for a sharp looking badass watch...especially on OR rubber... R- Well said R. I'm getting ready to order a OR strap from Josh. I have one for my SA and It is very nice. It may not be as good as the gen but It's very nice none the less. I would like to pick up a gen clasp one day for the OR. But the rep clasp will do for now. I guess I got lucky with my bracelets SEL. There are no gaps what so ever. May be my favorite part of the watch. The dial is also very good....as you mentioned earlier. But part of the fun In this hobby can be making a good rep even better. So I say It's all good In the end. Thanks again R..cheers. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indywatchguy Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Where can I purchase the black rubber ocean racer strap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indywatchguy Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 @HackR I heard the Seawolf was a super rep but you disagree. What rep would you consider to be a SUPER rep? Thanks btw nice review but no pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 the only super rep is a gen living with the flaws and ignoring 'em is my fail safe almost no one is gonna is know the difference anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted December 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 @Indy - my friend chrono is right...in breitling, i think the better reps (not sure i would say super) are the v2 Skyland Avengers...i own (3) gen breitlings: a Colt chrono, an ti/gold Aerospace, and a blue dial steelfish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Good write up Hack, very informative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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