rsv123 Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 I picked up my 3717 on Saturday. No pics at the moment as the wife is away and has the digital camera with her. I have included a short review (after 2 days of wear) below. The good:Excellent dial, everything is crisp, in the right place and the right colour.Case and bracelet well made and solid - feels heavy but not ridiculous; like some PAMs on a bracelet can.Great attention to detail, the minute hand is bent at the tip (like a gen) to reduce the parallax effect, nice signed crown, etc.Good lume. Looks like it's either real superluminova or very close, as just brief exposure to bright sunlight was enough to have the hands and the 12,3,6,9 indicies glowing like a champ (NOTE: bright sunlight in Scotland during March is like dusk in Hawaii!)No problems with the chronos - everything works, resets and feels good.Timekeeping is excellent. The watch is -3 secs after 2 days! This is the best timekeeping I have seen from an Asian 7750, ever!The date wheel has been printed or fitted to be misaligned (and with the wrong font). You can move the position of the date using the crown to adjust it slightly, but the next day it will be misaligned again. It can look OK from some angles and bad from others. This is a great watch and it is crying out for a datewheel project. I can feel a swap with my GST chrono coming on..."IWC" engraving on the bracelet is a little rough, looks like it has been laser etched.A/R coating is quite light. I think the gens have pretty strong A/R coating - as this seems to often show up in photos of the gens.The ugly: [*]As usual for a rep the supplied strap is worthless. Looks cheap, smells like plastic and feels like plastic. Wearing it with an otherwise great looking and convincing rep is an insult to the watch and any observers. The buckle is fine, seems the same as the one from my FA Jones rep. Overall I am VERY happy with the watch, this has to be one of the most flexible watches available, it looks good with everything from jeans and a old t-shirt to a 3-piece suit. The dial is very clear and easy to read - the chronos just kind of disappear into the background when you take a quick glace to read the time, exactly as it should be. The replication of the case, dial, hands and bracelet is superb - there is nothing to fault it without resorting to a loupe. The negatives are minor and are things we can sort ourselves if they bother us. Accuracy: 96% Quality: 94% Overall: 95% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinsic Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Ubi...you know what to do! We'll be eternally grateful for a date/day wheel project for this IWC... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Datewheel, daywheel or both? It could make sense if they are usable on the GST Chrono's as well otherwise as far as I know Eddie has only sold 30 of a 100 total pieces. Well I guess it would be a labor of love. The tricky part is that the day wheel doesn't line up straight on all days on gens either. Always wondered why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) Congrats on getting yours! Sounds like everyone is enjoying it! Do you feel like it is worth the extra money? A high end rep? Just curious...... I consider a watch like a big bang high end project and that has double sided AR and no font type issues... Just curious if a project is a small high end one, how you guys feel about light AR and date wheel issues? (perfectly acceptable issues with our standard 200-300 rep) Is the only advantage to these projects that we just get a unique watch or is it accuracy too? Just curious what the forum thinks, since in all fairness we are paying more and to get a pilot chrono even with issues it is worth it to me because I love the gen. My point and question is what denotes a high end project that is 100 or so more vs. one that is not? quality wise? Datewheel, daywheel or both? It could make sense if they are usable on the GST Chrono's as well otherwise as far as I know Eddie has only sold 30 of a 100 total pieces. Well I guess it would be a labor of love. The ricky part is that the day wheel doesn't line up straight on all days on gens either. Always wondered why. Edited March 18, 2007 by chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv123 Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Datewheel, daywheel or both? It could make sense if they are usable on the GST Chrono's as well otherwise as far as I know Eddie has only sold 30 of a 100 total pieces. Well I guess it would be a labor of love. The ricky part is that the day wheel doesn't line up straight on all days on gens either. Always wondered why. The daywheel (which I thought might be the problem) seems to line up fine. The problem is with the datewheel, since the wrong font has been used - it is ever so slightly too small - this means the date can appear slightly above the day, in the 'top' of the date window. On the gen the number fills the window, on the rep there is a tiny bit of space that allows it to be within the window but not correctly aligned with the day. Dunno why the correct font was used for one and not the other, must have been a supply/timing issue. It would be fixed by fitting just a standard ETA 7750 white on black datewheel. On many watches it probably wouldn't bother me, but since I have a feeling this one is going to get a lot of wrist time, I think I might have to find a fix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv123 Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Congrats on getting yours! Sounds like everyone is enjoying it! Do you feel like it is worth the extra money? A high end rep? Just curious...... I consider a watch like a big bang high end project and that has double sided AR and no font type issues... Just curious if a project is a small high end one, how you guys feel about light AR and date wheel issues? (perfectly acceptable issues with our standard 200-300 rep) Is the only advantage to these projects that we just get a unique watch or is it accuracy too? Just curious what the forum thinks, since in all fairness we are paying more and to get a pilot chrono even with issues it is worth it to me because I love the gen. My point and question is what denotes a high end project that is 100 or so more vs. one that is not? quality wise? I don't think the price of this rep is particularly high. I paid the exact same price for an Asian PAM Daylight when they first came out a couple of years ago (and that was supplied on a crappy strap, with no bracelet and had no A/R + the movement developed a fault within 24hrs)! The price could go 2 ways - either other dealers start selling this, and it falls, or it really is a private project and as people start to realise they can only get one from Eddie, the price stays the same. In the past, the early adopters have typically paid more, with the price dropping as other (volume) dealers start to compete. Limited (or no) A/R coating is not unusual on a rep at any price point. The reps that do have are the exception to the rule. I am enjoying the watch, it's better than I had hoped in many ways, and I think I can resolve the minor problems that it has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Well the photos of it look really terrific! I don't think the price of this rep is particularly high. I paid the exact same price for an Asian PAM Daylight when they first came out a couple of years ago (and that was supplied on a crappy strap, with no bracelet and had no A/R + the movement developed a fault within 24hrs)! The price could go 2 ways - either other dealers start selling this, and it falls, or it really is a private project and as people start to realise they can only get one from Eddie, the price stays the same. In the past, the early adopters have typically paid more, with the price dropping as other (volume) dealers start to compete. Limited (or no) A/R coating is not unusual on a rep at any price point. The reps that do have are the exception to the rule. I am enjoying the watch, it's better than I had hoped in many ways, and I think I can resolve the minor problems that it has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv123 Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Well the photos of it look really terrific! Hope you get yours this week and I hope my wife returns with the camera so I can post a few photos (although my photography skills leave a lot to be desired). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff g Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Even with these minor problems concerning the day date alignment, I too feel as though I can live with it, considering the overall looks and feel of the watch. Three or more years ago I paid over 400.00 for the original Pam 112 that Eddie was the first guy to sell, and close to 400.00 for the first Daylight (NO blue screws) that he sold as well. For my money, the Pilot Chrono is still a better deal as far as QC issues are concerned than either one of those watches. The price will probably eventually come down on this model, because although it is Eddies baby right now...other dealers will certainly want to get it. In the event that the day/date problem can be easily fixed with the same wheel that the GST utilizes, then that would be the way to go IMHO. That or maybe Eddie can get the problem resolved in his future sales of this same model by the current fabricator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterLuke Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 (edited) Even with these minor problems concerning the day date alignment, I too feel as though I can live with it, considering the overall looks and feel of the watch. Agreed - Better AR and day / date font would be a very nice touch, I'd go for it if it was a reasonable cost and I didn't have to send through customs again. And of course everyone would like 100% perfect straight off if they could get it, everyone here cares about that stuff to a pretty large extent or they wouldn't be here at all. But as you say, I can live with it, it's far from being a dealbreaker. No way would I miss out on this beauty just for that! edited 'cause i can't spellll Edited March 19, 2007 by MasterLuke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv123 Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 Agreed - Better AR and day / date front would be a very nice touch, I'd go for it if it was a reasonable cost and I didn't have to send through customs again. And of course everyone would like 100% perfect straight off if they could get it, everyone here cares about that stuff to a pretty large extent or they wouldn't be here at all. But as you say, I can live with it, it's far from being a dealbreaker. No way would I miss out on this beauty just for that! Absolutely - the A/R (which I think is better than my first impressions, maybe just not showing the blue tint as much as I expected) and the improved date font are very minor issues on an otherwise excellent rep. I am loving mine and do not regret buying it one little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Mine landed today as well. It really is a good rep. No regrets either. The Thursday is off. I may well experiment with it and see if a different movement makes any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidxer Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 sweet... can't wait to get mine... apparently tomorrow... :thumbsupsmileyanim: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilts Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I agree with all the others who have got this watch - it is simply superb - there are minor niggles but overall it is superb. Still can't wait for the Cousteau though!! Hilts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv123 Posted March 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 If they can get the decent lume (as the 3717 has), it will be great! By the way, after 4 days I am at -10 secs, pretty good going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv123 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Have added some pics to the original post of the 3717 on a (real) alligator strap. Still at -10 secs after 5 days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I am good to within a few seconds after two days on a winder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Great looking piece, rsv! This might be my first rep purchase after a 10 month hiatus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I really like the look of this on the strap! It's such a classy looking watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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