Your Biggest Disapointment

[tvt]

We have the opposite of this thread going on now so I thought I would start a new one on the biggest let down watch you have.

In other words you were really excited to get it and then never wore it deu to size or quality or style or whatever. Or maybe you USED to love it and now it has lost favor.

For me I have several watches I have NEVER worn and I don't even display. The two most notable I guess are a PAM 251 (I think that is what it is, a white faced 196) and a Cartier Santos 100. Both are nice watches but the PAM is a first gen with the off color face (more silver than white) and NON recessed sub dials. While I actually like the way it looks I just think it is TOO far from gen for me to wear. This is absolutely idiotic because no one knows what it should look like and I don't care if I fool anyone, and yet I don't wear it. Plus I never really found a good deployant for it.

The Santos is a great looking watch but somehow to formal for me. I tend to dress very casually and since I work for myself in a casual setting I just don't wear suits and the like very often. Plus the strap issue is a problem, so again, it has NEVER been worn and just sits in a drawer.

Another canidate may be the cartier Roadster. When I bought it years back I thought it might be a new classic yet I think it aged pretty quickly. I still like it and I am lucky to have the one really accurate version ever made (I did have to replace the hands to get it there) but because it is mostly POLISHED SS and I am more of a brished kind of guy I rarely if ever break it out.

What about you guys?

Edited December 13, 2006 by tvt

[Craytonic]

All rolex for me

1) MBW 1680 - huge letdown, just did not like it. Felt like a toy & I hated the bi-directional bezel

2) MBW 16610 - Not impressed

3) Various other rolex subs - just never wear them, but I keep buying them

Santos 100 is a funny watch. HUGE, such that it is hard to wear with a suit. yet still a "dressy" watch and strap.

[swdivad]

My biggest watch purchase disappointment was a mini fiddy I bought from ebay ($US200 arrgh!)...

Wore it a few times and the movement died within a few weeks.

My second biggest disappointment(s) are whenever I try to buy and love the Fiddy.... I just can't find the love :-(

The third would be the new sapphire 212 AR coated crystal... Bought a whole watch to do the transplant and it just wasn't good at all.

[flavor flav]

genuine 16610......not worth the $$$$ it's not much better than the reps except the fact i sold it for a small profit so as for resale it gets high marks here but genuine omegas are much nicer. sold it.

as for reps....VC 1755 jubilee. looks amazing! i mean really really good! especially for the money. rose gold coler is awesome and all functions work even power reserve...but the display back displays a cheap POS asian movement and a plastic spacer! so i never wore it. it looks so good i can't bring myself to sell it i even have a sirtoli strap on it that cost more than the watch but that display back.......

[omni]

Omega BroadArrow rep, white dial, blue hands, steel bracelet. I must have just drooled over that watch in the pictures for days, but stupidly never went down to an AD and looked for it, well, actually it wouldn't have done me any good because since then I've looked at my local AD and they never carry it. But I bought the rep. and was completely turned off by how it looked on my wrist. I wore it for over a month just trying to get to like it but it never took. It seemed to me to lack the form, style and function I was after, obviously a personal thing for me and a conundrum. The rep. was fine, datewheel was too small but the rest of the watch a good representation. Gave it away immediately.

[dadog13]

biggest disappointment...even if not really a disappointment, probably the 196 and the 029...i have them but don't remember the last time i had them on my wrist...but they remain my beauties...and i love them even if they often sit in my watchbox!

[V]

It HAS to be the FIDDY....

I bought it and didn't liked it... Then I put expensive straps on it and still didn't liked it..

Then I have put saphire and did a great relume on it... Still didn't liked it...

I didn't liked as well the 029 (the tux dial looked cheap to me) but I haven't tried to love it.

With the fiddy, as David said, I just cannot feel the love.

[Chronus]

PAM001 - Never wore it, and now I have 2x PAM036 it may never be... just sits in the drawer

PAM092 - I really like this one but it never got worn and is now gone... I really liked it too but money was scarce and I was made an offer

MBW Two Tone Sub Silver Serti dial with solid 18k midlinks - wear it sometimes but not as often as I should considering the cost!

Actually I should say any RLX ... I just hardly wear them!

I got a PreciousTime YachtMaster Rolesium which I like but hardly ever wear either.

As well as some eBay Daytonas and Subs and GMTs I got ripped off on last year before I found RWG and all were unworn too! :wounded:

There's also a Xemex I got from narikaa which is nice, but I've never worn it!

Edited December 13, 2006 by Chronus

[chrgod]

Two Breitlings are my biggest disapointments... Some months ago I got a liking for the Chrono Avenger Titanium. As production was soon to be stopped for the titanium versions of the Seawolf and CA, I decided to buy it... Even though I knew there were two versions of it, I somehow managed to end up with the wrong version.

I had very great expectations for this.. but my most expensive rep turned ot to be a disapointment, too light and toylight feel, cheap-sounding bezel, bad pearl, wrong date font, noisy 7750, bad "Breitling" engraving on the clasp and not very good dial. The very thick case was also wrong for me.

I had hoped to trade it on here in Norway, but those who handle it, says it feels too light.. So much for choosing the expensive "correct" Titanium version..

The white face Navitimer SS is a very good replica, no question about it.. The white face version has the correct black subdials. Excellent datefont, which are not too deep as on the 3-6-9 Navis, excellent metal bracelet and nice feel. But somehow the white face and shiny bracelet did not do it for me. I sold it. However when looking at the pictures I start to regret it.. A genuine black dial, caseback and leather bracelet.. And it would have been a killer.

But, at last I got the new 3-6-9 Navitimer on black leather, which is a keeper, even with the sunken date.

[fitmic]

It's really non of my business, but are you trying to sell the Avenger for $500?

[Pugwash]

I've been disappointed with Every Omega I've ever got, once the new-rep glow has worn off.

Why? The steel straps are uncomfortable and not as fine-tunable as straps that clunky should be.

However, almost all of them have been woken up with a leather strap, or even the black NATO on the MoonWatch. Thank $DEITY that I've managed to get almost all of them on leather otherwise I'd have a dark dusty corner of my watchbox marked Omega.

ps. Just in case anyone was wondering, I now do in fact love my Omegas as is only correct. Oh, and the Moonie wasn't as bad as the others.

[chrgod]

It's really non of my business, but are you trying to sell the Avenger for $500?

Not trying to sell it here on RWG, fitmic.. But I was thinking about trying to sell it on QXL.no , and made the picture for that occasion.. (7750 based Reps like these were easily sold for 4000 NKR. But Qxl changed their friendly policy against replicas before I got around to sell it.)

I will edit the picture and remove the sales text, it is inappropriate here.

[Quarks]

My biggest disappointment would be Breitling Chrono Avenger. Looks great in pics but when I got it, I can't seemed to maintain that special connection so off it went..... in azjgav's hands. However, I did have an appeal for Breitling Seawolf but in SS instead of Ti. A fantasy but a watch I love wearing. No disappointment there.

swdivad & V: Never had a thing for 1950 but lately, I have caught the fiddy bug and has since put a little gamble by ordering from EL, the best fiddy, Davidsen's hands & canon fix & sapphire AR crystal. Will be sending to The Zigmeister for mods & relume. Tell me I am making a big mistake To top it off, I just placed an order of an expensive strap as well..... Maybe I'll update my biggest disappointment if this turned out to be !@#$%

[V]

swdivad & V: Never had a thing for 1950 but lately, I have caught the fiddy bug and has since put a little gamble by ordering from EL, the best fiddy, Davidsen's hands & canon fix & sapphire AR crystal. Will be sending to The Zigmeister for mods & relume. Tell me I am making a big mistake To top it off, I just placed an order of an expensive strap as well..... Maybe I'll update my biggest disappointment if this turned out to be !@#$%

Well that fiddy bug made me buy it in the first place because to be honest i didn't liked it that much..

Anyway.. with the fiddy its either you love it or hate it.. I wish it is the first for you

[crystalcranium]

Omega Broad Arrow White dial blue hands. I was hot as hell for it and it just doesn't get much wrist time. My wife hates the bubble crystal and constantly refers to it as 'your goofy looking watch with the dumb crystal". Tough to not let that kind of review keep it in the drawer.

Flip side, the one I'm most impressed with that I didn't have tremendous expectations of is the IWC GST Chrono white dial gold hands. Cool, classy looking watch but I also lucked out with a top notch asian 7750. This watch, after adjustment, keeps better time than my genuine SMP Chrono. I've had it for about 4 months now and it runs a consistant +2-3 sec/day. It winds very smoothly in manual mode. Sharp, accurate timepiece.

[Watchmeister]

Fiddy and 217. Kept the Fiddy as it is the infamous 4rth version and has been Ziggified. Looks good but just doesn't sit comfortably on my wrist which is odd becausse I am very comfortable wearing 194 or 187. Dumped the Ziggified 217 as the upside down engravings drove me nuts and the CG on the other side bugged my left arm. The IWC FA Jones, although prettty, feels like a cheap watch. Even the Laureus Chrono feels odd on. But the most painful ones are definitely the WM's. I feel the love. They are nice pieces and I do appreciate them but never wear them. It simply occurred to me one day that there are probably a couple hundred "vintage" PAM's and wearing one which looks like it is one, IMHO, is ridiculous. No disrespect to the vintage fans as some of those pieces are beautiful. But in truth you are far more likely to see someone wearing a gen Newman Daytona than an early PAM.

[Usil]

I had to have my Breitling Chrono Avenger and after wearing it a few times it sets in my watch case. I still look at it and consider it every once in a while but never put it on. Don't want to sell it though. I might change my mind some day.

My Breitling Navitimer 'Series Special' was a must have and I do try to wear it every once in a while but it just seems too small any more. I guess that my wearing PAMs has changed my perspective on what size watch I like. This may also be what is effecting my not wearing the Chrono Avenger. There must be a Breitling solution for me but I don't know what it is right now.

My Sub I bought last Summer (Green Bezel), I guess is my obligatory Rolex and it is a good looking watch with the silkiest smooth movement of all my watches but it just feels way too small and it too just sets in my case.

What I wear the most now a days is my Fiddy and my Omega Railmaster XXL. But I still like the collection I have and do not count it a loss that I have the watches I have. They give me options. It is always good to have options. Where else can we say (afford to say) - shall I wear my Rolex or my Breitling or my fiddy or my 196 or my 111h or my 187 or my Casablanca or my IWC F.A. Jones or my VC or my...

Life is good.

Usil

[ubiquitous]

Let's see... Most disappointed.

There's just so many... Where do I start? Perhaps I'll cover the ones I didn't keep. As most of the reps I receive tend to fall a bit short on expectation, I usually end up modding them to address the areas that I feel could use improvement (and many of these I end up keeping).

I'll kick things off with the 1st generation Daytona 116520's (secs at 6:00). I had such high hopes for these... The pics of this thing looked great- Nice dial, case looked good,a nd running secs at 6:00. Of course, pricing at this time was $1100.00 for the Swiss 7750, and as it was new, I wasn't prepared for the reality that arrived in my mailbox. When I eagerly opened my parcel, I came to discover: Bad dial, case was so-so (too thick), and worse, the movement was flakey. I must admit to trying a couple of pieces... a white dial, two black dials, a 116509 (which I enjoyed for a longer stint than the others), but they just didn't do it for me. So, off they went. This experience was what motivated me to build an El Primero...

Please don't mind the crummy pics.

Next on my list... The MBW 1680. Don't get me wrong... This is a great watch, but after having owned a very nice MBW 1665 Sea Dweller, the Submariner just didn't feel right. Been through 5 of these... With each one, I really wanted to like the watch, but in the end, it just didn't woo me. The SD's thicker case always got the preference...

Next disappointment... The IWC GST. I loved this one in pictures. And I loved this one in my hands. I just didn't love it on my wrist. The watch felt too bulky- Much larger than it's 40mm physical dimensions would lead you to believe. And the bracelet was always just slightly off- Either too tight, or too loose. I found myself taking the watch off during the day at the office as it was just so uncomfortable. So, this one had to go...

One of my more depressing disappointments was my TW Best AP Royal Oak Jumbo. I was absolutely smitten with this one, but could never get it to fit my wrist right; the bracelet links were just too stiff and the long case/lugs caused this one to overhng my wrist. Sadly... Like the GST, this one just never fit correctly

There are a few others, but this one covers the more significant ones for me... The ones I had very high hopes for, but felt let down when I opened them up for the first time.

Now, of course, I must say that every Rolex I've rec'd has had some degree of issue, be it mechanical (i.e. DW's) or aesthetic (16610 frankensub, etc), but modding helps overcome those 'problems'. If it's a piece I intend on keeping, I don't mind spending a bit extra in genuine parts for quality results.

[Bignasty]

187 for me. I bought the EL version. Loved it when I first got it but then the problems started. The screws were stripped that hold the strap in place. And of course the bezel markers evidently fall off of many peoples. So I proceeded to mod mine to make them stay in place better. Just put a bad taste in my mouth. Now I will never buy another PAM submersible model ever again!

Still wair it occassionally but it doesn't get the love I thought it would when I first saw its picture.

Secondly I would have to say pretty much all of my Rollie reps, except the Daytona, I don't wear any of them much at all.

[By-Tor]

@Ubi: I agree about the red 1680. The dial is just off, and the wach in unmodded state is quite inaccurate. The white version or the 1665 are much better choices.

I still loved mine... but I just couldn't stand the red SUBMARINER font.

[Richard Tracy]

Hmmm.. I was just thinking that Tvt would post just this kind of thread... and here it is...

Let's see,.. the biggest,.. that would be my $430 plus shipping,... mbw drsd,..

After all the hype,. the watch, imo, was no better than the $60 specials that

I purchased for curiosity sake.

The face was cheap looking,.. the case, with band was light as plastic...

and the crown guards the same as any other rep....

Then when I put it on... it was so small, and the caseback so pointed, that it looked like a

little ice cream cone on my wrist,...

I know that this means that I would not enjoy a genuine drsd... so I guess it's a cheap

was to discover that fact...

[baltic]

I think the biggest disappointment was the IWC FA Jones. I loved the pictures when I saw it - the perfect dress watch, with the steeled hands. However when I got it it just didn't do it for me. My 183 felt more substantial and I just can't get away with white faced dials, sorry... I flipped it to someone who hopefully appreciates it more than me!

[tomtofa]

Biggest would be the Yachtmaster. They look sooo good in pictures - crisp, bright, with the splash of red breaking the silver. I had one of the early ones, but seldom wore it. Silver hands on silver dial doesn't make for the easiest read...for some reason didn't fit quite right on my wrist...sold it.

After a couple more generations came out I decided I hadn't given it a fair chance - they really looked great in the pics. Had this one The Zigmeisterfied, w/super lume and lacquer, and a serviced movement to last forever. Hard to read, didn't feel right on the wrist...sold it.

[Estaban]

biggest disappointment...even if not really a disappointment, probably the 196 and the 029...i have them but don't remember the last time i had them on my wrist...but they remain my beauties...and i love them even if they often sit in my watchbox!

Give them some love. Those are two of my favorites.

My major disappointments are the Omega POs. I've owned swiss versions of both the 42.5mm and the 45mm. The gap in the bracelet is inexcuseable. Lugs are too long. Why do you think there are 7 generations of this watch. Because there is too much wrong with them. The SMP is a much better choice.

[tvt]

I listed my disapointmenbts already but there are some universal things that really bug me about many watches. Whenever I get one with these items I will be disapointed:

1) Crappy bezel. I pretty much avoid any watch with a rotating bezel because they more or less all suck and then I feel like the watch is cheap and crappy. There are a few exceptions. My 2004 Bond 007 SM has a great bezel and my PAM 87 has a course click that is very similar to the gen (which is to say it is kind of crappy, but again so is the gen).

2) Metalic blue hands. I just hate the way these things look. Again, they always feel super cheap to me and scream FAKE WATCH! I know some gens have them and I cannot put my finger on it but somehow they seem different and I have never seen a fake with blue hands that I like. I made the mistake of buying a few in the past... no more.

3) Noisey movements. The Asian 7750 is notorious for this. On wrist it is not too bad but when you crack open that package and see the watch and then pick it up only to loudly hear "WRRRR, WRRRRR, WRRRR" in a course,m grating way... well it is hard to feel too good about the watch at that point.