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My Super Franken AP Safari and AP Panda 44mm with Swiss ETA 7750 (Pic heavy!)


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Lovely weather this morning so I thought I would snap a few pictures and share them with all of you! Before the exciting stuff here are the specs and a few thoughts on each just in case anyone is thinking of getting either of them etc. 

 
First up the Super Franken Safari which was built by the one and only Domi
 
Genuine ETA LWO 283 Movement
Genuine Audemars Piguet Dial
Genuine Audemars Piguet Safari Hornback 
Genuine Audemars Piguet Deployant 
It also has all the goodies like thinned caseback, Edges best DW and Cyclops etc etc
 
Second watch is the 44mm Panda which was also built by Domi and has a Genuine Swiss ETA 7750 inside!
 
I love both of these watches for different reasons but the nicest feeling for me personally is the fact that they feel like they will never let me down. What I mean is not being worried about the chrono's not being worried about swimming and generally just enjoying them as I would the gen and never thinking I'll look at the time one day and the watch will have stopped. They actually both run as well as my Gen Hulk which is amazing if you think about it. The Panda 44mm is an absolute beast of a watch, it really has a massive presence. Of course the Safari actually feels like I am wearing the Gen and I am sure you'll agree it looks the part.
 
 
 
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Edited by ilovethiscity
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Pretty decent pair!!  Mr. A what is the difference in the hands between the gen and the rep. just curious as I haven't handled a gen up close, just looking at them inside a display case.

Hey A, the gen gens pinion is smaller in width and finer looking. The rep hands of most 42mm ROO, including the Safari, has a much larger pinion width, and is a dead giveaway when you know where to look.

I looked at the Safari above and saw it as a franken or rep right away because of the hands pinion. The gen dial is a nice touch, which allows for the correct date position. The LWO283 movement complements the gen dial nicely, letting the datewheel depth be correct.

 

In order to qualify as a "super-franken", in my opinion, a set of gen hands is needed. Otherwise it would just be a franken at best.

 

Still, this is overall an ok looking Safari franken. You can look at daytona1984's true super frankens. They are really indistinguishable from gen on the wrist. ;)    

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Yes indeed Sir, I get called out on the pinion width everywhere I go!

99% of the population would not be able to call out a stock Noob/J12 factory replica ROO as a rep anyway.

But this is RWG, so expect members to have a little more discernment than the average person on the street when it comes to watches.

 

Like it or not, its a fact that I can identify your "super franken" as a rep just by the hands pinion. 

I have my own definition of what a real super franken should look like. 

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Thanks for the explanation. As you can see, I'm still and AP noob!!!

My problem is, out here in the middle of nowhere, I very seldom see a gen of anything but Rolex subs and an occasional Omega. Very few really high end watches around here.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Yeah I completely understand your point. If I felt the hands were that bad I would have got some for it. . Seeing as I have made this (lets just call it a 'normal Franken') for a very small portion of the price of the gen I think it does the job nicely. Again I do agree it needs gen everything external to be 'super' however I get endless comments on this one way more than my gen hulk or any other franken/rep I own. Maybe that's just because it's the best colour combo etc but I do genuinely get the satisfaction of gen from this one and I can't say that for any gen insert gen dial blah blah wm9 Frankens etc I have had.

Always appreciate talking watches that's why we are all here! Thanks for the comments all.

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Yeah I completely understand your point. If I felt the hands were that bad I would have got some for it. . Seeing as I have made this (lets just call it a 'normal Franken') for a very small portion of the price of the gen I think it does the job nicely. Again I do agree it needs gen everything external to be 'super' however I get endless comments on this one way more than my gen hulk or any other franken/rep I own. Maybe that's just because it's the best colour combo etc but I do genuinely get the satisfaction of gen from this one and I can't say that for any gen insert gen dial blah blah wm9 Frankens etc I have had.

Always appreciate talking watches that's why we are all here! Thanks for the comments all.

Please do not mistake the points I'm trying to make sir:

1. Yes your safari is a very very nice watch, and 99% of the people you meet would not be able to call it out.

2. The 1% that do, are people like us. And we spend a ridiculous amount of time and money on reps. We are the aberrant bunch!

3. You posted your watch in Rwg where the 1% reside and lurk. It's possibly the only place your watch would get "called out" or commented upon in this entire universe. Or to put it in perspective, the only place where you could get informed feedback regarding your watch.

4. I can see that you wear your watch for yourself and nobody else. From reading your posts, I can see that you were not trying to impress anyone except yourself. That's the mark of a true enthusiast. All in all, those two are awesome pieces, and very lovely for sure. Wear them well, and apologies for any comments perceived in a negative manner. No offense was ever intended and I hope no umbrage was taken. ;)

Sent from Mars using tapatalk

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Please do not mistake the points I'm trying to make sir:

1. Yes your safari is a very very nice watch, and 99% of the people you meet would not be able to call it out.

2. The 1% that do, are people like us. And we spend a ridiculous amount of time and money on reps. We are the aberrant bunch!

3. You posted your watch in Rwg where the 1% reside and lurk. It's possibly the only place your watch would get "called out" or commented upon in this entire universe. Or to put it in perspective, the only place where you could get informed feedback regarding your watch.

4. I can see that you wear your watch for yourself and nobody else. From reading your posts, I can see that you were not trying to impress anyone except yourself. That's the mark of a true enthusiast. All in all, those two are awesome pieces, and very lovely for sure. Wear them well, and apologies for any comments perceived in a negative manner. No offense was ever intended and I hope no umbrage was taken. ;)

Sent from Mars using tapatalk

 

Thanks for the very kind words and yeah I 100% agree on all of your points above. Half the fun is sharing them with us (the 1%!) so we can all assess and discuss.. I enjoy taking the pictures and sharing them with everyone can't ask much more than an owner of the gen calling it a nice watch too..  

 

cheers!!

 

p.s question on the AP Panda it's a swiss ETA 7750 but the date change starts at like 11pm and finishes at like 12.05am bit annoying that it's stuck halfway for an hour (I am being picky maybe but just wondered if that happens on the gens) running in near perfect time and the chorines are a delight so I guess it's not a service it needs. 

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Thanks for the very kind words and yeah I 100% agree on all of your points above. Half the fun is sharing them with us (the 1%!) so we can all assess and discuss.. I enjoy taking the pictures and sharing them with everyone can't ask much more than an owner of the gen calling it a nice watch too..  

 

cheers!!

 

p.s question on the AP Panda it's a swiss ETA 7750 but the date change starts at like 11pm and finishes at like 12.05am bit annoying that it's stuck halfway for an hour (I am being picky maybe but just wondered if that happens on the gens) running in near perfect time and the chorines are a delight so I guess it's not a service it needs. 

Dear sir

 

Yes building and sharing the journey and end product are definitely what this forum is about. 

I was speaking ONLY from a fellow enthusiast and gen/franken/rep AP collector point of view, and in real life, I would honestly be hard pressed to see your watch as anything but a very nice AP. The pictures are much bigger than the actual watch, and from pics in the forum, it is far easier to scrutinize flaws and highlight them, as opposed to a 42mm item in motion on the wrist of somebody. :)

 

For your Panda, yes the date change typically starts from around 2230hrs and finish around 0000hrs, because of the ETA7750 movement used. This is normal for the movement. The gen APs (Cal.3126, very much like the LWO283 mechanically) would behave more like your Safari, with snap date changes around 0000hrs (more of an instant change).

So unless you "frankenize" the Panda and put an LWO283 movement in it (along with the onerous supporting mods), this would always be an issue. It is not a big deal for most actually.. ;)

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I have to say Mike, he's the "go to guy" for AP's, He's forgotten more about AP's than I will ever know. :1a:

 

And to the OP, these photos are really, really nice. can't fault their sharpness and clarity. Problem is, when you produce a super sharp photo of a watch the size of my alarm clock, it's a lot easier to see any flaws.  ;)

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