kgvertu Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 What probably fascinates me most is some of the users, experienced ones have commented quite strongly in both camps. Amazing to split even the best eyes. Very hard to tell as slightly different lighting left to right also, not that I would be able to anyway. My simple eye tells me the gen is on the left. Few little things but in the exact same light etc I would probably change again. Will the OP confirm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indywatchguy Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 What is amazing to me is how close they are in appearance and the huge price difference for what you get. If they are this close and the owner does not plan on wearing it in water...what is the real world advantage of owning the genuine article? Downsides to the replica: movement may not be reliable if it is an etaclone or genuine 'dirty swiss eta' (no experience with the various 3135 clones) - may have any of the other common replica ailments (we all know what they are). The genuine watch has notable downsides imho: expensive! - very high service and parts prices! - big lo$$ if dropped on concrete, lost, or stolen - you need to be careful when wearing it because it cost so much - you feel like you should wear it even after you get tired of it because it cost so much - everyone thinks it is a replica anyway. Discounting the pride of ownership that comes with the genuine watch...I see the replica as a winner and the genuine as a $$ loser if simply taken as two watches that look almost exactly alike (this being a replica forum after all). If they both were $500 I would take the genuine watch of course. The beauty is they can be worn in water!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Gen is on the left. I couldn't tell so I flipped a coin and it says gen is on the left. Both superb pieces wear them well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watcher Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Cg's tell me gen is on the right but as many have said they are both lovely watches!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sogeha Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 4 hours ago, kernow said: Gen is on the left. I couldn't tell so I flipped a coin and it says gen is on the left. Both superb pieces wear them well. There is wisdom, if I had used that method I would have been right 50% of the time, which is much better than my current score. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Posted January 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Guys thanks for all your input. It's interesting to see just how much the hobby has progressed, enough for a franken watch to be mistaken for a gen. It is a happy thing for us. Given the fact that the pics are static ones on the forum, where details could be scrutinized at leisure, a well built franken in the wild would be much much harder to call out. For those of you still curious, the gen is on the left. The one on the right has almost everything gen except the midcase and bracelet. So there you have your answer. Thank you guys for participating, except for@vipassana, who thought that both watches "don't look gen". You've missed the point of the thread, Mr Vipasanna. The point is that the rep game has come very far and the worth of the gen becomes debatable to guys with resources and patience to build such frankens. I know @alteporsche has another such hulk franken and that is another impressive piece that would pass as a gen in the wild on the wrist. Kudos to guys like him and@blackboxes. The dedication and passion in guys like them are truly inspiring! I tread softly along the fine line separating raving insanity and lucid moments of ingenuity. The issue is I've no idea which is which mostly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sogeha Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Thank you @legend, fun and informative. I really thought I was gaining knowledge, I clearly still have much to learn and I realised that when all the real detail experts weighed in on the other side. I guess we finally know who builds the best Sub and it isn't the factories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Posted January 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Thank you@legend, fun and informative. I really thought I was gaining knowledge, I clearly still have much to learn and I realised that when all the real detail experts weighed in on the other side. I guess we finally know who builds the best Sub and it isn't the factories.And Mr P I read your theory about coin flipping and had a quiet chuckle. I tread softly along the fine line separating raving insanity and lucid moments of ingenuity. The issue is I've no idea which is which mostly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altesporsche Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Yes I agree this was a great post and great example of what this hobby is all about ... the hunt and the chase to make the perfect replica. I know for a lot of us, myself included it isn't because we cannot afford the genuine watch, we just evolved in this hobby racket maybe from a day when we couldn't afford the real deal and just got hooked on making perfect replicas not to fool people but for our own satisfaction and accomplishment of building a passible rep and we just became addicted to chasing that perfect build. To be honest I really enjoy it and though I have several gen watches I love building frankens and chasing parts and learning from the gurus here on the site and Legend being one of them ! I have learned a lot from these fellas ! thanks for the post legend ! Cheers ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Well done, Legend! That was a hoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Posted January 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 Yes I agree this was a great post and great example of what this hobby is all about ... the hunt and the chase to make the perfect replica. I know for a lot of us, myself included it isn't because we cannot afford the genuine watch, we just evolved in this hobby racket maybe from a day when we couldn't afford the real deal and just got hooked on making perfect replicas not to fool people but for our own satisfaction and accomplishment of building a passible rep and we just became addicted to chasing that perfect build. To be honest I really enjoy it and though I have several gen watches I love building frankens and chasing parts and learning from the gurus here on the site and Legend being one of them ! I have learned a lot from these fellas ! thanks for the post legend ! Cheers ! Well said my friend. Except that I do not doubt for an instant that you could definitely simply go out and purchase the gen of any watch you wish. The fact is that building frankens are just more fun, minor inaccuracies at the end or not. Used gens are often not perfect either. What matters is that we build and wear these watches for ourselves, and we sometimes share our builds with others. Such projects are undertaken with personal pride and should be appreciated by all in the hobby, along with constructive comments on how to further improve or perfect them. This is what the forum should be about, and not a showdown of who has the better or more accurate build. We all could go out and purchase gens and be done with it, but where's the fun in that if we do that all the time right? I tread softly along the fine line separating raving insanity and lucid moments of ingenuity. The issue is I've no idea which is which mostly. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indywatchguy Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 Hmmm maybe I should go work for Rolex QC. I could clearly see the difference in the steel sheen. Great post@Legend!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capre Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 I read the thread to late for guessing. But i was certain that the left would be gen based on the sheen of the bracelet. Looking at the watch head only there is no chance for me to distinguish the franken from the gen and thats even when they are side by side. There is no chance anyone would be able to call you out with that franken in the wild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 14, 2017 Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 Very late to the thread as well, but I believe the point here is to visually illustrate how far reps have come over the past few years. From the days of Rolex Day/Dates with Quartz movements, no lume, 1x cyclops mag and gold plating that you could almost rub off with your shirttail, to this beautiful example that is so close to the genuine that almost half the guys here picked the rep as the gen. Absolutely amazing progress over the years. And what makes it more amazing is the price difference. A franken like this one that is virtually indistinguishable from the real McCoy for 20-25% of the gen. And as automatico stated, there is in the gen, the inevitable budget busting service and repairs. The franken movement on the other hand can be replaced every 5 years with a brand new ETA movement for less than half the cost of a movement service. Thanks legend for a great thread.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlf Posted January 14, 2017 Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 As it appears I fooled oneself, great post, thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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