watchman12345 Posted December 29, 2012 Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 I've posted in a few threads about this watch, but wanted to put a few of my own thoughts together. 1) THE DEALER Wanted this as soon as possible so I went with puretime. The experience was OK, but they didn't answer my QC questions and just shipped which wasn't great. Anyway I'm happy with the end product so can't complain really. 2) THE WATCH This is the best replica I've gotten so far. It screams quality. The Case is very well made, and the crown and tube feel very good. I've never had a rep crown screw in so effortlessly. The crystal is domes sapphire with a very slight blue tint to the AR. It's marginal and the blue dial means it's pretty much unnoticable. Some people say the dome of the sapphire isn't enough and I think they might be correct. At times you can see the bend at the end of the hands (gen feature) which is probably because there is not a whole lot of doming going on. The movement is a pearlage decorated "Asia 2836"... I think it is a Seagul ST2130 in reality. No complaints so far, after one quick attempt at regulating ir runs 6/7s fast per day. Could probably get it tighter if I wanted. The date changes exactly at 12 and changes with a rather noticeable "CLICK" that doesn't seem to happen on other ETA clones or indeed the gen itself. It feels fine to wind etc, but is not as smooth as other ETA clones I've had of the gens. The rotor is slightly noisier too but you'd really need your ear to the back to hear it. The dial is really amazing. The blue colour and the way it changes with lighting is just beautiful. The lume dots are perfectly formed and the hands quite clean. Being super picky there is a few 1-2cm hairline marks but they need serious inspection with a loup to see. I couldn't photography them even with my DSLR. One of the hands has a slight mark at the edge too, but I must say the finish of the dial and hands beats any rep I've had hands down. On the super-nit picking theme, the date is indeed about 1mm justified to the left. It's marginal but it is the case. Also the lume is poor. I doubt it's super-lume, but saying that the quantity applied is so small that even the gen doesn't glow well. I've never held a gen IWC croc strap so I'm not in a great position to compare. The rep strap is nice, it's quite soft and well made, but I'd imagine still quite a bit away from the gen. There has been a lot of talk about the price of this watch. Your talking for $310+ shipping for the Asian version. Serious money. Is it worth it? I think it is. I've seen the Explorer II QC shots and general impression and I'm pretty sure I'd prefer to pay $50 extra to eliminate some of the issues. The quality is superb. I'm a happy camper with this one. So much so I am tempted to get the swiss version, although I may wait and see if they do a V2 and dome the sapphire even more. Pics; (iphone only unfortunately ) Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted December 29, 2012 Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 Thanks for the review, watchman. iPhone or not, those are great shots of a beautiful rep. I have a request: Could you take a wristshot from the side, so I can see how high the case sits on the wrist? As you might guess, I'm on the fence on this one, but very close to falling off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchguy2 Posted December 29, 2012 Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 Great review, thanks! In the near future I need to try one myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman12345 Posted December 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 Enjoying a few drinks so can do better one tomorrow! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted December 29, 2012 Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 Thanks for the review and the pics. I have been on e fence on this one as well. Could be time to take the plunge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman12345 Posted December 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 I'm mad about it at the moment. Really goes well with lots of things too. It's surprisingly at home with jeans as well as a shirt and tie... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted December 29, 2012 Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 Thanks for the shot! I seem to be falling off the fence... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Thanks a mill for the feedback and writeup watchman, this is on the top of to buy list for me atm. The dial just looks outstanding, I love sunburst dials. The case finishing looks damn good also. How does the screw down of the crown feel on this, pretty solid with good turns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman12345 Posted December 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Yeah the crown is prob the best of any rep I hav. Catches first time and about 4 half turns to screw down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman767 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 I'm chuffed to bits with this watch! Nuff said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeSentier Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 I'm chuffed to bits with this watch! Nuff saidi What kind of strap is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folex Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 glad u pulled the trigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niek Posted January 8, 2013 Report Share Posted January 8, 2013 It's a Hirsch strap, do you like it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman767 Posted January 8, 2013 Report Share Posted January 8, 2013 Its a Hirsch Leonardo PRINCIPAL - Leather Watch Strap in BLUE I alternate the straps . The Leonardo gives the watch a sporty look. For a more dressy look i use the IWC strap from AD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machete Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 (edited) Hello all, does this watch has a 20mm strap size? What about buckle size? Edited January 13, 2013 by machete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 I love this watch. This is such a great rep. The only thing holding me back from buying this is the thickness of the watch. I like my dress watches on straps to slip under my cuff easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameIsPeterAndImOld Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 (edited) Nice watch. How's bad is the lume really? Edited January 13, 2013 by MyNameIsPeterAndImOld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman12345 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 The lume is terrible to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ingenieur Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 hi, do you guys know what's the lug size for this beautiful watch? 21mm or 22mm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prancuzas Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 22. Buckle - 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
californio Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Does anyone make a 1:1 Date Wheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 is the datewheel off? On the 3717 the stock eta wheels look good. I know the original Ingenieur date wheels on the reps were not perfect butI thought they were improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 From what I have seen on the DW it is good even worth buying one to fit to the original rep ingy in place of the impossible to get lello DWs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monga Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) Ok, this might seem a strange question, and I'm going to preface this by saying I was 10 seconds from pulling the trigger on this watch , but...does anyone else feel a little weird about buying a rep of a watch that is supposed to have some proceeds go to charity? Maybe a silly question but my conscience got the better of me. Maybe I should just man up and buy it and donate $30 to the foundation. What do you guys think? Edited January 31, 2013 by monga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 monga you are in the Rep world ,donate if that makes you feel better about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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