Another newbie question.

[akelly]

I am awaiting my first rep and i'm curious on how many years of wear I can expect from it. I understand there will be some normal maintance on the rep just as the orginals. With this maintance will it last as long??

[Drizznay]

Not to give a pat answer but it really depends on the rep itself. Did you get an asian movment? Swiss movment? Is it a chronograph or any other complication? Automatic winding or manual wind? Then theres the case itself. Is it stainless steel or two tone? Is the crystal mineral or sapphire? Yea I know lots of questions but there is a lot that can determine the life factor of a rep; not to mention how often you wear it and what you do when you wear it. So what did you order?

Oh yea and on a crazier note your screenname freaked me out cause it is my first initial and last name so at work/school/some emails i have akelly as my login!

[TXJB]

As DRIZZNAY stated, you have variables to consider.

My opinion is that IF you have a sapphire crystal, triploc crown and a Swiss ETA movement, you can expect many years of service IF you look after your investment.

By that I mean to keep crown screwed down tight, check "O"ring on case tube, check case back for tightness AND have it looked at by a watchmaker in around 4-5 years. Oiling is a quick job on most "simple complication" watches and needs to be done. All seals should be replaced at the time of oiling.

let us know what you have coming, but in any event, ENJOY it

TXJB

[akelly]

As DRIZZNAY stated, you have variables to consider.

My opinion is that IF you have a sapphire crystal, triploc crown and a Swiss ETA movement, you can expect many years of service IF you look after your investment.

By that I mean to keep crown screwed down tight, check "O"ring on case tube, check case back for tightness AND have it looked at by a watchmaker in around 4-5 years. Oiling is a quick job on most "simple complication" watches and needs to be done. All seals should be replaced at the time of oiling.

let us know what you have coming, but in any event, ENJOY it

TXJB

Hey, thanks for the responses. I have the LV Ulitimate Sub from PT comming. As far as wearing the watch, it will be in my weekly rotation of my favorite orginal TAG's and Explorer II. So I figure it will be worn alot at first then, a few times a week.

[Watchmeister]

I suspect you're weekly rotation will become a monthly one and you're wallet may end up somewhat lighter. You're friends may also be wondering how you came up with a million dollars for you're new watch collection as well.

[kanerich]

I hate to be the dissenting voice in this, but it's a complete crap shoot. The fact is, what often goes wrong with a rep has nothing to do with the movement, crystal or case. Too often I hear someone say confidently "it's got ETA so it'll last just as long as gen!" Yes, the movement will. But you don't wear a movement, you wear a watch.

The tube/crown is a weak point for many watches, including rolex reps and the Panerai 183. This can happen within literally months with regularly worn 183's. If your tube/crown strips, you will need to buy a replacement. This may be easy or hard depending on where you live and how resourceful you are. For Rolex reps, not such a problem. However, no one has sourced 183 tube/crown assemblies.

The Navitimer's weakness is that the painted bezel insert sometimes bubbles and peels within a year or so. If you don't mind wearing a Navitimer that looks a little more fake than most, that's OK, but it's going to bother some people. Again, no reliable source of parts.

The VC Overseas reps suffer from bad clasps and bracelet screws. Hope you're friends with a watchsmith if something goes wrong there.

I bought an eta sub and spent good time and money modding it. Unfortunately, it also had hands that were not properly installed, and eventually they scratched the dial. Hard to wear a Bolex with a gouged dial. The dealer was kind enough to send me a new dial, but it didn't fit -- the Chinese factory had ever so slightly modified the case and dial since I had bought my rep. So there went that watch.

Pam reps often need reluming within a year or two, as the cheap lume put on at the factory become uneven and even cracked and discolored. This is something many members have done anyway, but again it's an issue.

How long any specific rep lasts depends entirely on parts availabilty, your luck in having got a good one in the first place, and resourcefulness in making fixes. So I don't think any blanket assurance of reliability of reps in general (as opposed to specific models known to be reliable and/or have good part supplies) can possibly be made.

[jonthebhoy]

Our resident expert (Nanuq) is offline at the moment. He would be your best bet to answer this question.

JTB

[akelly]

I hate to be the dissenting voice in this, but it's a complete crap shoot. The fact is, what often goes wrong with a rep has nothing to do with the movement, crystal or case. Too often I hear someone say confidently "it's got ETA so it'll last just as long as gen!" Yes, the movement will. But you don't wear a movement, you wear a watch.

The tube/crown is a weak point for many watches, including rolex reps and the Panerai 183. This can happen within literally months with regularly worn 183's. If your tube/crown strips, you will need to buy a replacement. This may be easy or hard depending on where you live and how resourceful you are. For Rolex reps, not such a problem. However, no one has sourced 183 tube/crown assemblies.

The Navitimer's weakness is that the painted bezel insert sometimes bubbles and peels within a year or so. If you don't mind wearing a Navitimer that looks a little more fake than most, that's OK, but it's going to bother some people. Again, no reliable source of parts.

The VC Overseas reps suffer from bad clasps and bracelet screws. Hope you're friends with a watchsmith if something goes wrong there.

I bought an eta sub and spent good time and money modding it. Unfortunately, it also had hands that were not properly installed, and eventually they scratched the dial. Hard to wear a Bolex with a gouged dial. The dealer was kind enough to send me a new dial, but it didn't fit -- the Chinese factory had ever so slightly modified the case and dial since I had bought my rep. So there went that watch.

Pam reps often need reluming within a year or two, as the cheap lume put on at the factory become uneven and even cracked and discolored. This is something many members have done anyway, but again it's an issue.

How long any specific rep lasts depends entirely on parts availabilty, your luck in having got a good one in the first place, and resourcefulness in making fixes. So I don't think any blanket assurance of reliability of reps in general (as opposed to specific models known to be reliable and/or have good part supplies) can possibly be made.

Thanks for the very informative response!

[Johnkaz]

Yes I agree with John ask Nanuq.

Welcome.

Cheers Johnkaz.

[cornerstone]

One thought just occurred to me - when you ask that question here a lot of people think 'how long does a Asian rep last versus a Swiss ETA movement' or 'rep versus genuine'. But you might be thinking they're just total crap - to which I would say they're pretty good watches - better than you could get by spending the same money retail. Of course mechanical watches bring more risks than battery powered quartz - but it's part of the 'charm'!

There was a poll on the old RWI, where if my memory serves me 25% said they had some sort of problem with their Asian movement in the first three months - but the odds seemed fine. The comment above that it is a 'crap shoot' is quite right, you play the odds to be sure. But then it is possible to swap over the movement in a non-functioning watch. I have an Asian movement in my rep, and it works great (touch wood!)

Best of luck

[azgjav]

hi,

i second what kanerich said, u're wearing a watch, not a movement. get a simple swiss eta workhorse and u can care less abt the movement breaking, u'll just need to look after the cosmetics/hardware of ur watch. u can send the watch to a trusted watchmaker and get them to guage the quality of the case, dial, construction, QC etc and tell u if it's gonna last long. about pams. the stock lume on my oldest one has faded and is showing signs of flaking...

one more thing to add..it all depends on ur lifestyle and in what occasions u use the watch for as well...it's true even for genuines.

that being said, having a watch is all about enjoying it. no pt getting one which is built like a tank, can last u for decades but just doesn't speak to u..it's still a waste of $$ cause u're not enjoying it.

alrighty, go get urself a nice one and enjoy it while it lasts!

[akelly]

Thanks. I'll wear it well.

[kanerich]

hi,

i second what kanerich said, u're wearing a watch, not a movement. get a simple swiss eta workhorse and u can care less abt the movement breaking, u'll just need to look after the cosmetics/hardware of ur watch. u can send the watch to a trusted watchmaker and get them to guage the quality of the case, dial, construction, QC etc and tell u if it's gonna last long. about pams. the stock lume on my oldest one has faded and is showing signs of flaking...

one more thing to add..it all depends on ur lifestyle and in what occasions u use the watch for as well...it's true even for genuines.

that being said, having a watch is all about enjoying it. no pt getting one which is built like a tank, can last u for decades but just doesn't speak to u..it's still a waste of $$ cause u're not enjoying it.

alrighty, go get urself a nice one and enjoy it while it lasts!

I completely agree. This is a fun hobby no matter what, I am not denigrating on that at all.

Just to be clear, I really enjoy rep collecting and futzing about as a hobby . . . but I do not consider my watches heirlooms or investments and I firmly disagree with people who seem to think their reps are going to last 50 years just because the movement is ETA. Obviously I don't want to buy crap as that would detract from the hobby, but I understand that there's going to be a certain amount of tinkering and some watches that have to be written off sooner rather than later. If I enjoy the hobby now, it's worth a grand or two a year to me regardless of what happens to these watches in 5 or 10 years, so that doesn't trouble me. But that doesn't mean I have to fool myself about how great they are. They are what they are.

Edited May 20, 2006 by kanerich

[MAHLER]

I have the LV Ulitimate Sub from PT comming.

I have also purchased the Rlx from PT (the Black).

The movement is precise and reliable.

According to the statistics of longevity of the synthetic lubricants I believe that you can be calm for at least 4/6 years before lubrication.

If you are able not to make swims with him to the wrist it is a replica of a sub it is not a genuine.

I recommend you to lubricate the bracelet with arexon svitol.

http://www.carrarodante.it/public%5Cartico...ni/cod-4128.jpg

For not lose the screws of the bracelet I recommend you to unscrew her and then to pass some glue in gel on the heads of screws and to close without tightening too much.

http://www.expobg.it/commerce/images/colla_attakpocket.jpg

once dry you can remove the residues with a product to remove enamel from the fingernails that use the women.

Regards.

Edited May 21, 2006 by MAHLER