Cousteau Review - first impressions

[hilts]

Well - It has arrived! Angus's service was world class - he said he was going to send on Tuesday and it arrived here in UK on Wednesday! Can't beat that! But can you beat the product?

When I opened my EL 3717 I was blown away and despite a slipping day wheel (which hopefully The Zigmeister will sort) I have loved it from that moment to this. It was love at first sight. I was hoping for the same from the Cousteau..............and my bubble has been burst!

It's late here so I'm not posting pics but will in the morning, but here's my first impressions.

1 Dirty crystal. I thought at first it was a mark left by the protective film but no - it is a large amount of dirt inside the crystal - a problem I've never seen with any (certainly not "super") rep. It is particularly bad as it is silhouetted against the white hour marker - it needs dismantled and cleaned. Annoying especially as PT sent some back to factory for poor QC - seems this one slipped throught the net.

2 ARGH - squint markers! As per every photo we've seen in the run up to release, the 3 marker and the 12 markers are not aligned properly - surely this should be spot on?! 3 in particular is noticeable.

3 Positioning of hour numbers on the outer bezel - too far out - noticeably so IMO.

4 Day and date alignment - a known problem of course, but this is certainly worse than my 3717 - on it it is only the day that is out of whack. Here it is day AND date. As per my 3717, hopefully The Zigmeister can sort it but out of the box it is poor.

Not all bad news though.

1 The overall impression is good. Very solid.

2 Good colours/fonts on the dial.

3 Strap spot on.

4 AR seems good

5 Lume seems OK (but certainly not Super Lume territory)

6 Movement seems smooth for winding and runs well (for the last hour anyway!!)

In summary, I'm a little disappointed. I think by the time it has been to The Zigmeister and back, it will be spectacular, but out of the box, I'm not blown away as I was with the 3717.

For comparison, I've also got one coming from TT Andy - we'll see if he's got a better batch.

That's all for now - I'll try to get some good macros up in the next 24 hours.

Hilts

[deltatahoe]

interesting....sounds like they are having some serious quality control issues on this one....the 3 & 12 markers both being off is a pretty big deal in my book......sounds like gen valjoux 7750 day/datewheels are a must on this one too (easier fix -- you can get them cheap at cousins)....would you say the lume is: i) similar, ii) better or iii) worse than the 3717 (the lume isn't half bad on my 3717)...

i know i'll be waiting to hear if the one you get from andrew has the same issues....

deltatahoe

[dvn]

Here is mine came from Joshua

[deltatahoe]

@dvn, your 3:00 marker looks pretty good; hard to tell about the 12:00 marker. what are your thoughts on the watch? how's the lume?

[hiker01]

Here is mine came from Joshua

Hi DVN,

What are your first opinion so far? I've ordered one from Joshua, too and I should be getting it shortly!!!

Thanks for any input!!!

[hilts]

Well, the second one arrived from Andrew today. Finishing looks perfect - no nasty marks under the crystal! Won't bore you with more pics - there's already some great ones on other threads.

On this one however, I have another problem. The inner bezel is all but stuck! It has taken me nearly an hour to get it to do a complete revolution - the only reason I started is cos it was stuck at half past and I wanted it lined up with 12. Anyway, I coaxed it along careful not to damage the mechanism and it got there eventually, but clearly something not right there either.

If I took the 2 watches, I reckon I could get a good one out of the two!

Anyhoo - this new one is not even going to see my wrist - off to The Zigmeister ASAP.

Hilts

PS Andy's service - world class as always. I also got the Chopard Mille Miglia XL for SWMBO - the cheap Asian 21J one and guess what??? The date wheel is now black and the rotor is engraved - NOT as per the picks on his website - definitely better! So a result there!

[deltatahoe]

thanks for the update re: your second costeau diver -- sorry to hear about the bezel problem (thanks for posting about this -- it's something to look out for) -- what about the 12:00 markers -- are they misaligned on the second one you got?

I also got the Chopard Mille Miglia XL for SWMBO - the cheap Asian 21J one and guess what??? The date wheel is now black and the rotor is engraved - NOT as per the picks on his website - definitely better! So a result there!

i'm curious -- did you go for the white dial or black dial version of the chopard xl?

thanks in advance; enjoy the watches

deltatahoe

[hiker01]

Well, finally received mine from Joshua today........and no surprise here....., I might as well qoute your 1st post verbatim! Exactly same problems! I suspect all these Costeau came from the same plant!

Well - It has arrived! Angus's service was world class - he said he was going to send on Tuesday and it arrived here in UK on Wednesday! Can't beat that! But can you beat the product?

When I opened my EL 3717 I was blown away and despite a slipping day wheel (which hopefully The Zigmeister will sort) I have loved it from that moment to this. It was love at first sight. I was hoping for the same from the Cousteau..............and my bubble has been burst!

It's late here so I'm not posting pics but will in the morning, but here's my first impressions.

1 Dirty crystal. I thought at first it was a mark left by the protective film but no - it is a large amount of dirt inside the crystal - a problem I've never seen with any (certainly not "super") rep. It is particularly bad as it is silhouetted against the white hour marker - it needs dismantled and cleaned. Annoying especially as PT sent some back to factory for poor QC - seems this one slipped throught the net.

2 ARGH - squint markers! As per every photo we've seen in the run up to release, the 3 marker and the 12 markers are not aligned properly - surely this should be spot on?! 3 in particular is noticeable.

3 Positioning of hour numbers on the outer bezel - too far out - noticeably so IMO.

4 Day and date alignment - a known problem of course, but this is certainly worse than my 3717 - on it it is only the day that is out of whack. Here it is day AND date. As per my 3717, hopefully The Zigmeister can sort it but out of the box it is poor.

Not all bad news though.

1 The overall impression is good. Very solid.

2 Good colours/fonts on the dial.

3 Strap spot on.

4 AR seems good

5 Lume seems OK (but certainly not Super Lume territory)

6 Movement seems smooth for winding and runs well (for the last hour anyway!!)

In summary, I'm a little disappointed. I think by the time it has been to The Zigmeister and back, it will be spectacular, but out of the box, I'm not blown away as I was with the 3717.

For comparison, I've also got one coming from TT Andy - we'll see if he's got a better batch.

That's all for now - I'll try to get some good macros up in the next 24 hours.

Hilts

[dadog13]

a lot of issues on a "super priced rep"!...sorry to hear guys for all of the mentioned problems...I will wait a little more before getting this one...

[hilts]

I'm trying to be positive, but Hike - it looks like you and I were the guinea pigs! Hopefully the QC will improve big time for dadog and others who have held off buying this far.

Delta - it was the black one - definitely better than his pics - looks like the Ultimate, but I'm pretty sure it's just an improved Asian 21J movement. Maybe I was just lucky!!

Cheers

Hilts

[importr]

I got mine yesterday (from king), and the only noticeable issue is the very slight misalignment of day/date wheels.

no big deal, considering that it couldve been worse!

[mumum]

These super reps, like the HBB, all seem to have several issues. I too will wait based on your reviews. Very much appreciated. Lets see if the QC improves, personally I doubt it will happen soon.

[ravishingrick]

Received my Swiss IWC CD yesterday, not to happy with the QC. Same problems as already stated here, dirt under the crystal, 1 fine scratches on the dial, sloopy lume, a bit of paint chipped off the 2 marker.

[Guest pma45]

Sorry to hear about the quality control.

[Usil]

I am definitely not liking what I am hearing on this new rep. I think that using a dealer that hand inspects the watches for major defects before he sends it off is the way to go for such an expensive rep. I prefer the dealer to send the bad ones back rather than my getting involved in the whole mess. It is worth a few bucks extra.

And, I don't know that complaining about these makes any difference in quality. Don't they just order another one or get another from the same batch? Does any quality feedback get back to the assemblers and do they care or would they act on the feedback?

Usil

[Richard Tracy]

Thanks for posting,..

I noticed all the alignment problems in the other reviews, and that is one issue that I can't get past..

as to me it speaks 'fake' louder than any..

There may be a way to straighten them however.. as I was able to do that with my Gst..

Too bad we can't trade in our older versions for the newer releases when they come out,..

that way these purchases that fuel the machines for updated models, would not be easier on the wallet..

though a new dial replacement would work as well...

[archibald]

It's no fun getting a rep w/ issues--my usual process is to get [censored] as hell for 5 minutes, then remind myself that the QC on our reps is right on par for low-cost Chinese watches, which is what our reps, super or not, are. The good part is that 95% of the QC issues I've encountered have been completely resolved by the dealer or fixed by my watchsmith.

BTW--I hear credible rumors of an "improved" Couteau v2.0--can anyone elaborate?

[swemoose]

I have heard the same rumors.....

[crystalcranium]

Just read through this thread and I've decided the "super rep" nomenclature is meaningless. Anyone who touts the "feel" and "quality" of these overpriced $400-$600 "same ole thing" from our Chinese friends is busily blowing smoke up their own a#@es to justify the higher price.

[Guest TTK]

I have access to the CD.....but have resisted bringing them in yet......the dirt on the dial is caused by swarf as the inner bezel rotates...( same problem as the older Navitimers )........I'll wait and hand pick all mine for sale.......I don't want any back.....

[eddhead]

I have access to the CD.....but have resisted bringing them in yet......the dirt on the dial is caused by swarf as the inner bezel rotates...( same problem as the older Navitimers )........I'll wait and hand pick all mine for sale.......I don't want any back.....

you da' man

[Jawo]

I am so regreting I bought this watch based on the issues stated. The watch is on its way from Joshua and I prey that there won't be as many problems. I can deal with the dust since I have tools to remove the case and the movement should be fairly easy to take out. I light burst of air from an air can should do the trick. Something I won't be able to get over though is the damn misaligned bezel. Nothing drives me more nuts. This is the pic from Joshua's site:

The bezel looks spot on here. I think that what you see is what you should get. It is not an unreasonable expectation. Especially from a so called "Super Rep."

[slojo]

BTW--I hear credible rumors of an "improved" Couteau v2.0--can anyone elaborate?

I have heard the same rumors.....

@ archibald and swemoose

Do reveal more about these "rumours" - I was about to give in to temptation and order one of these beauties but in light of your comments might just hold fire for the time being...

[hilts]

2 weeks in now with the first one from Angus - date wheels appear to have lined up pretty well, no probs with bezel here. Good time being kept. Chrono works a treat. AR is superb - damn close to on par with gen BP. Lume shines well all night - appears at least as good as my gen Seadweller but maybe not quite as bright as my gen BP.

Love this watch! Only remaining problem is the swarf on the underside of the crystal - watch going to ZZ for a service next week so after that I think we're as good as a rep is ever going to get.

The second one from TT - still in the box - the dodgy bezel really annoys me so going to ZZ and we'll see after that.

Would a v2 be any better? I doubt it - without decent QC it'll be no different I suspect. Only way we'll get better QC - pay more!!

I think that a good v1 watch with a clean up and tidy from someone who knows what they're doing IS the v2 watch we're looking for.

Cheers

Hilts

[archibald]

@ archibald and swemoose

Do reveal more about these "rumours" - I was about to give in to temptation and order one of these beauties but in light of your comments might just hold fire for the time being...

I wish I could--I was talking to a usually in-the-know guy, bitching about missing the first run, and he said, "You're lucky you missed the first release--they're doing an impproved version." He didn't know what the improvements are, though. Hopefully, the improvements will address the day alignment, the "10" and "15", and the bezel alignment.