Devedander Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 (edited) Preface: I am a noob to watches and reps alike, so take everything I say with a grain of salt as I may well be way off base. Most of what I say are probably "noob" impressions and more seasoned rep enthusiasts may know better. Please feel free to comment and correct me on any points! Today I finally received the much touted Noobmariner from TTK (Dealer review here). Now ByTors review makes almost any other review unecessary, so I will keep the color commentary to a minimum. At first impression it's a very nice watch and the steps TTKs watches go through are of of course appreciated. The watch is a little lighter than my Daytona but still feels very nice and solid. The bracelet has a nice brushed finish and clast and bezel both function well with a very acceptable level of resistance. By Tor nailed most of the impressive aspects of this watch in his review and for the most part he was spot on. However I noticed a few noteable issues that I feel are worth mentioning - bear in mind that I am focusing on the negatives pretty exclusively here becuase By Tors review covered the positives so well. Please keep this in consideration as I am not trying to slam this watch while ignoring the positive aspects, By Tor just covered the positives so well it would be silly to cover the same ground again. If you have not read ByTors Review then I strongly suggest you do (as well as many of his other reviews - Thanks By-Tor!) First off the date mag does look small to me, however I have virtually no hands on time with gen subs so it may be more accurate than I think... however I believe the date is supposed to fill the date mag almost completely, which from the picture below, it falls some short of; as well as appearing to be ever so slightly crooked Also of note was that one of the SELs has what appears to be some welding issues This is one actually stands out quite a bit under sunlight (these pics are poor indoor lighting - I know Pugwash... I know!) and is rather disparaging because, being near so many tight, straight lines brings it out and makes it seem more significant than it should for it's size. Moving on to the clasp there is a rather odd divet that appears similarly on bothsides and appears possibly to be a result of the forming of the clasp Last thing I noticed on my first impression is that the inside of the clasp has a decidedly dirty and rough appearance which is pretty minor as I doubt many people will be seeing that part of the watch ever. Overall the watch has a sharpness and the bracelet edges are VERY sharp (which I figure a few minutes with some sandpaper will help resolve) which will probably get some attention to give it a more finished feel. Other than those issues it seems that the watch is a very nice rep! Feels good on the wrist (other than the afore mentioned sharpness) and is very attractive. For just over $100 it seems like a very solid value and it's nice to know that it has been checked and should be functioning to a reasonable standard. I don't think I will be selling anyone on this watch that By Tor didn't already sell, but for what it's worth, it seems like a solid value even with the little issues here and there. I am considering asking TTK if anything can be done about the SELs but even so it's quite a nice watch. I believe you could probably get a better overall fit and polish for a few hundred more (or a gen for a few grand more ), but if $100 is your price range and you are in the market for a sub I don't think you will be dissapointed with the noobmariner. I think this will be getting some good wrist time in the upcomming days. Apologies for the poor pictures. I can't find the charger for my "good" camera and so these are shot with my spare camera. Overall fit and finish: Good Accuracy: Good Value: Very Good Recommend: Yes Must do: Take some tape and sandpaper and soften up the edges; ESPECIALLY the crown which will bite the back of your hand if you dont! UPDATE: Now the exact same watch is offered by many dealers under other similar names such as Nympho Mariner and Beginnamariner. Edited December 18, 2006 by Devedander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Good review...thanks. But I'm not so sure about the "date issue" that members constantly talk about. I can't see much difference in the date mag and the cyclops. There could be small difference though... but hardly noticeable without zoomed pics. Here's two genuine pictures for reference: And just for the interest... this comparison shot shows that the date magnification is actually BIGGER on the replica GMT Master (rep on the right). They probably use different crystal though. PS: I mentioned the sharp bracelet edges in my review, but I definitely didn't have those issues with the SEL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted November 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 (edited) Good review...thanks. But I'm not so sure about the "date issue" that members constantly talk about. I can't see much difference in the date mag and the cyclops. Here's two genuine pictures for reference: Agreed that those pics make it look ver similar... somehow despite looking totally right in the pictures, in real life it looks small. This is likely due to my lack of hands on time with gen subs... sometimes pictures lie The Rep GMT is how I thought the sub should feel IRL, but obviously is not what it should really look like. Either way it's very clear and easy to read and well aligned so I am very happy with that aspect. Thanks for reading my review... heck you are the reason I have the watch to review Edited November 21, 2006 by Devedander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWSmoot Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 For comparison....here is another side by side... Gen on top Noob on bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted November 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 For comparison....here is another side by side... Gen on top Noob on bottom Best I can make it it might be a TINY bit off, but I do think most of it was what I had in my head it should look like vs what it really should look like... I think all the spot a fake guides that talk about how big the date should be have pushed my mind to go a bit past real... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 For comparison....here is another side by side... Gen on top Noob on bottom doesn't get much better than that for a rep nice, review nice photos - very nice addition to the board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted November 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 doesn't get much better than that for a rep nice, review nice photos - very nice addition to the board Thanks! Yeah when it's all lined up like that I doubt that's a difference I could tell with my naked eye unless they were right next to each other, and even then I would probably only notice it as a subliminal feeling... I am too new to reps to call out how good of a rep it is, but I can say I am impressed overall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRG Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 It's not far off is it? That's what I found comparing against my Boss's gen. Here are some pics trying to show the difference in rehaut has on the magnification, first is 0mm, second is with the crystal 3mm above the date wheel and the second at 4mm. I estimate the noobmariner date sits at about 3.5mm or so below the crystal. A small difference make a big difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Today I finally received the much touted Noobmariner from TTK They're great, eh? I love my Noobmariner too. It's a superb watch to practice photography with. Lighting and photographing it starts off easy with a very smooth learning curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethebest Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 They're great, eh? I love my Noobmariner too. It's a superb watch to practice photography with. Lighting and photographing it starts off easy with a very smooth learning curve. Absolutely great watch for the price. I would buy one but I already have two Subs ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbob Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=15581 look at the 2 last images, booth dates are on 21 both are green bezel version 1 original otherone rep. There is a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted November 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 They're great, eh? I love my Noobmariner too. It's a superb watch to practice photography with. Lighting and photographing it starts off easy with a very smooth learning curve. Yeah... I actually usually can turn out a decent pic, but lately work runs me late and my lighting indoors is poor... if I didn't already have a dozen other hobbies vying for time and 3 jobs I would get one of those little light booths setup by now As it is my lighting is usually generated by a 5 flourescent bulb 70's style lamp... I know... I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 As it is my lighting is usually generated by a 5 flourescent bulb 70's style lamp... I know... I know My lighting currently sucks too. I'll be fixing it all soon. Maybe I can do a post about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 I believe the date is supposed to fill the date mag almost completely, which from the picture below, it falls some short of; as well as appearing to be ever so slightly crooked On Rolex I am more than a noob, I am a complete ignorant, but, as I had to beat my head against the PAM cyclops and get a smattering of optics, here I wish to reassure the Rolexers fellows that their concerns about the date mag might actually be oversized. First, it would be impossible for the date image to fill the cyclops almost completely without showing distortion along the borders. If you found pictures of date filling the cyclops, those pictures must have beeen retouched. On PAMs we found that even the pics on the official site had been retouched. Real gens showed lesser magnification than the 'official' pics. Second, magnification may even vary on different exemplars of a same model, due to tolerances, different production batches, different thickness of the gasket on which the crystal sits (which affects the distance between the cyclops and the date window that greatly affects actual magnification). So, as long as magnification is acceptable, it does not make for a feature that qualifies your watch as a rep. Third, if you are really unsatisfied with your cyclops (because of bad centering on the date axis, or poor mag power, or what), re-positioning it or replacing it with a better cyclops should be quite simple due to its being placed on the outside of the crystal. And, while websurfing in search for PAM cyclopses, I stumbled upon tons of Rolex aftermarket crystals and cyclopses for a few dollars. So, keep up! With apologies for my intrusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaca22 Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 (edited) ..... Edited November 14, 2007 by vaca22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted November 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 No apologies necessary and not an intrusion at all! Interesting to know and I will keep it in mind... not sure about removing and replacing cyclopses and what that entails so I will probably just be happy with mine, and it has occured to me that pictures lie sometimes and most of my experience with Subs is via pictures, not hands on time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrgod Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 A nice review. The finishing on most of the Subs are a little rough.. Thats probably why the gens cost some 1000s more.. But with some polishing and care, it can be made much better! I agree with the date mag. To me, the noobs magnification is too small. But, at the end of the day, I suppose it is down to personal taste of what matters.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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