TomRiddle Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 how often do you see, "if only that had.." basically, I know some people try to pass off reps as gens and thus if the gen doesn't have AR, the rep shouldn't as well.. but honestly speaking.. in reality, isn't the effect the opposite? people see a watch with great AR (HBB, SFSO, etc) and are convinced it is the gen BECAUSE of how marvelous it looks..? Nobody ever says, "wow that is a fake cuz the real one ain't that clear" .. more than anything most if not all comments from people convinced you're wearing a gen is because of the quality of the crystal.. case in point, the IWC Exup's.. the reviews have been downright mostly due to the lack of AR.. even though the gen doesn't have AR or has a weak AR as well.. it doesn't seem to matter.. this watch would've benefited STRONGLY from great AR.. seriously, the only thing holding me back from purchasing this bad boy is the supposed lack of AR are we at a point in reps now because of the watches and how they look that double AR is simply mandatory? imagine the FM's, AP's, MontBlanc's, VC's, etc etc etc which would look doubly much better with really strong AR ...anyhows my question to you all: Are things at a point now where double AR or strong AR is mandatory to be applied to the reps? what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahchard Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I think AR is pretty good to have.... but on the outside??? would it be prone to scratches then??? I am very clumsy with my watches and always used to scratch me cheap seiko or casio's when i was a kid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Interestingly a lot of owners of gens detest double AR and have it taken off - you see this in quite a few TZ sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I think the whole AR issue has been exaggerated. Yeah, the double AR looks cool on a Steelfish, but I could live without it too. It's not a big deal to me. However I like the blue hue on the genuine PO... especially the orange version where it's much more apparent. The only watch that really should benefit from AR is the TAG Link chrono, which is very reflective watch. Both gen and rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CY0811 Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Cant live without DOUBLE AR after having it on some watches....sad but true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Sadly, I'm one of those that need to have double AR to be really happy. That being said, I noticed a tiny scratch of the AR on my HBB today, and suffice to say I was not pleased. Still worth it for me, though. I do question whether the AR used on our reps is anywhere near the quality that the chieftang AR achieves...I don't know whether it's all the same thing, but I suspect not. I personally would go as far as to get models that have no AR on the gen, AR'd aftermarket just because I like what it does for the finish of the watch to such a degree. If I were to get an MBW PP Nautilus, I'd probably have it AR'd, even though the gen I'm sure doesn't have it. And By-Tor, it's funny you bring up the Tag Link Chrono and how much it could improve with good AR, because until I ran into some unforseen expenses, I'd planned on doing exactly that.... I wish I'd been able to get it done, just to have been able to see how it would've changed the look of the watch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMK000 Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 AR (double if possibe) was a necessity since 5-8 years ago and still is ....even more now. Who wants to have a "mirror" dial watch. ... I still remember one blue dial Oxxxa seamaster that I baught from Paul 5 years ago (still have it). Could comb my hair on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CY0811 Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 The makers should read this thread damn it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Do I think it has be come an obsessive issue? Yes, but for the right reasons. We are in the rep game. We are constantly striving to get good quality accurate reps. AR coatings on the gens are what set the look of the gen from the rep. It makes the dial so much clearer and crisp. Now that replica's are becoming available with AR, the reps that require it (if the gen has it) then it should be applied. AR coatings take a fair amount of abuse before they are scratched, but they are far softer than that of Sapphire glass. If it does beomce scratched, then it can be removed fairly easily. Better to give us AR on the watches that require it, and for us to remove it if we wish/need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribal Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 AR on the insude the glass is a good thing, but outside it's not necessary in my opinion.... You scratch the AR by wearing..... So i decided on my doubleside AR Breitling Evo to remove the outside AR. ...and it looks much better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRiddle Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 i mean, it doesn't have to be double-sided AR... even just ar on the underside is ok as long as it is strong enough.. mnho, i think AR is becoming a necessity these days as reps are becoming more complex dial-face wise... I made this thread because I was on the edge of getting the IWC Exupery but upon doing my 'research'.. nearly everyone complained of the non-existant AR on it that's what had me thinking... everyone's favorite watch has one thing in common.. really really good AR and i think it's becoming a necessity now as we go forward... the reps like FM's, montblanc's, AP's, IWC Diver's, Breitling's, etc... I think lack of AR or weak AR hurts the overall presentation of the watch.. and like I said... in reality no one's gonna point out your watch and go, "man that's a fake look at how clear that crystal is! the genuine doesn't have AR" it's more like they're actually fooled that it is a genuine because of the watches' presentation.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I think AR is pretty good to have.... but on the outside??? would it be prone to scratches then??? I am very clumsy with my watches and always used to scratch me cheap seiko or casio's when i was a kid... I don't care too much about AR one way or the other, other than if the gen has it the rep should too. But whatever the situation, I definitely dislike the AR on the outside. I many times will buff out any minor scratches or rub marks on the watches I wear. I was really [censored] one time when I took one of the chronographs and tried to buff out a rub and found that the rouge took off a corner of the AR as well. It is just a small corner and you can only tell if you know where it is at and hold the watch at a certain angle. But it still [censored] me off. -T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I require AR on a rep only if the gen has it. You don't hear people complaining about the lack of AR on rep Subs, for instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolfire Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I require AR on a rep only if the gen has it. You don't hear people complaining about the lack of AR on rep Subs, for instance. Precisely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sql_pl Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Double AR is now a MUST HAVE for me. After the HBB and CD... I just can't wear watches like my good old cased 196 which I absolutely loved before I tasted double AR... Same thing was with my Ingenieur... was great but lack of AR totally ruined it for me and I sold it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 In terms of accuracy to gen, then sure, I guess if it's supposed to have it, then it's something a decent rep should have. That said, I've read people not liking the double AR on watches like the Planet Ocean, because the outer coating gets scuffed, and then detracts incredibly from the appearance. Looking at it from that perspective, I'd say double AR is an unnecessary complication, when a single interior coating would be sufficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Same thing was with my Ingenieur... was great but lack of AR totally ruined it for me and I sold it... Get it back and put Chieftang AR on it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Double AR is now a MUST HAVE for me. After the HBB and CD... I just can't wear watches like my good old cased 196 which I absolutely loved before I tasted double AR... Same thing was with my Ingenieur... was great but lack of AR totally ruined it for me and I sold it... Yup, we're of the same mind on this issue...and also in terms of rep preferences... Sometimes I wonder whether part of the reason I'm such a stickler for AR, is that I've had the dual reinforcement of associating it with the really high quality watches that it's come on (cousteau/HBB). The truth is, though, that I like it independently of any of that. I would AR any watch I would want to keep...with the obvious exceptions of the Rollies and some of the Pams- but ironically, and perhaps not co-incidentally, I'm not a huge fan of either of those brands. I know that when I go for my requisite Pam, I'm going for one that has double-sided AR. I'll make buying decisions on the basis of the presence of AR. I know it's a little extreme and ridiculous, but so much time went by in our hobby without this obviously needed mod, that it began to spiral into a neurotic obsession for me...whereby I started fixating on it. That's what has me irritated with some of the pricing on the new models. If I want AR, I have to pony up for the prices on the new models. For example, I would be *totally* happy with the asian SFSO, if it came with AR....and was $175 instead of $140. The uPO offers this possibility, but quite purposely I imagine, the super-reps don't. I know that the super-reps have more going for them than AR...but I think that the makers realized they could capitalize on our desire for AR, and are milking it now for way more than it's actual value. I'm their perfect victim, in that sense... Getting it done after-market is costly when you consider the cost of removing and replacing the crystal.... I would be going hard after a MBW PP Nautilus if it had double AR, and the absurd thing is that the gen doesn't have it....but damn would it look stunning with that blue-ish dial. My bottom-line is that watches look better with it...universally. I think the whole issue of possible scratching is way overblown...and this is coming from someone who only yesterday spotted the first scratch of the coating on their HBB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreeman420 Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 I think some watches benefit from AR coating. My TT EVO looks spectacular with the AR. I couldn't see having it without. I couldn't imagine any Rolex having AR coating however. It just wouldn't look right against their design of dials. Maybe it's because I'm used to it, or just that I like the design of Rolex just the way they are. The coating would take away from some dials IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRiddle Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Get it back and put Chieftang AR on it!! chieftang has entered into lore territory now tis true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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