sanro Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I just received my new Cousteau Divers 2007...and I am somehow disappointed. The watch looks great, but that is mostly the merit of the gen's design, I guess. Areas for disenchantment are: 1) The inner bezel is, of course, not aligned at 12.00h...but most importantly, the movement of the inner bezel is all jumpy and cranky. I have not seen a gen in my hands, but I very much doubt this is the way it feels in the original watch... 2) The date (day of the week) is completely misaligned. Some days better than others (MON looks fine, TUE wrong, etc). 3) When setting the time, the feeling of the Asian movement is awful, loose and imprecise. Actually, when you set the time and press the button to "leave it there" the minute hand invariably moves back one or two milimiters (i.e. one or two minutes) which makes it difficult to set it right. Is it just a bad copy or are all the Cousteaus like this? If they are, I frankly can not consider them a Super Rep, as many call it. I guess after the SFSO every other rep is going to look and feel poor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vapor Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 All of these points can be made for the CD06 as well. Some can be remedied, some not. But hey, they don't call it a rep for nothing right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soysauce8 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 just like the difference between paying $400 to $4500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 just like the difference between paying $400 to $4500 I'm sorry, but IMHO, the difference in cost from gen, has NO bearing! What is happening, is a beat up of replica watches, for no other reason than profit. I have sat back and watched this whole "super rep" saga, and I really see little difference between these so callled "Supers" and some of the $180- $250 ETA powered offerings of years gone by! In fact the ETA watches ( with genuine ETA movements) offered more than some of this latest rubbish being proffered. Super Rep..... closer to Super Rip. Time to take a stand. Where is Puggy when you need him! Offshore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMK000 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 just like the difference between paying $400 to $4500 The watch mentioned above , no way worths 400 USD. As Offshore said, is pure profit that not reflects quality. After several years of buying reps, one establishes some basic rules as a buyer. - Never buy a watch immediately on its release. Wait a minimum of 6 months. Let the problems surface first. - Read a lot (here in RWG) before you buy a watch. See and ask others on how good (or bad) the watch is bulid. - The more complex the watch , the more chances you have that something goes wrong. - Pick up your dealer carefully (hand pick, dropship, changes etc) . Even with the rules above, you can only limit defective watches down to 20% (1 out of 5) but you can never guarantee that what you receive is perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanro Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I read a lot before purchasing any watch, AMK, believe me. I was extremely happy with the SFSO and I had many doubts (expressed here at RWG already) about going ahead with the Asian movement of the Cousteau. However, I saw the CD frequently listed as a superRep side by side with the SFSO and...I as soooo happy with the Breitling that I wanted to believe the CD would be the same. The dealer is not (I don't think so) the problem. Well respected around here and the service was very good. No problem with him. Josh, for further clarification. I nearly went for the 2006 version precisely because of what you said...but the 07 looks so cool I could not help myself. And of course, you are also right about the "going for the uncomplicated". That is why the other rep I bought this time was an ETA Submariner. Just the temptation of the cool looking CD was too strong. And I am wearing it now...and it still looks great. Just not the SFSO... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pivaro Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Sorry to hear about your disappointment . Anyhow , I got my 2007 a few days back and i'm very happy with it , so i guess there are two sides to every story . I feel the watch ( mine at least) deserves fully the title of superrep . The innerbezel is perfectly alligned , the daydate-allignement is not perfect but very acceptable ( i've got pictures of gen cousteau's with worse allignement ) . No dust or debris on the inside , a beautiful crisp dial with nice lume . Setting the time doesn't feel shabby , nor do i have the problem you have with the minutehand moving . Chronobuttons feel very nice and reset is perfect . Rotating the innerbezel is something i haven't done yet , i think i will leave it as it is , so i can't compare . I asked my dealer to take his time to source me a good one and that is just what he did ( it's precious time ). I also have the steelfish so i can compare the two and the qualityfeel is there in both cases . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 The quality of the inner bezel mechanism is not uniformly bad. My 2006 has an excellent mechanism but it is out of line. In fact as far as I know all are out of alignment relative to the gen. It relates to the underlying "cog" and the number and placement of the teeth. The gen mechanism has different teeth count and placement of them. The rep manufacturers preferred to play with the layout of the inner bezel rather than making a more precise mechanism. Since it is the same manufacturer as the 2007 I would not expect it to change. I do hope the Slevin, when it comes out is better. I am happy with my 2006 but only after having mods done including movement swap, datewheels and relume. On the 2007 I am wondering if the right super lume orange is readily available or whether it has to be mixed. By the time I got done with mods though on the 2006 I am into it for close to $700 for a $6,000 watch. Oh well, I am enjoying it though. And on the whole issue of "super reps", the best ones will be the simplest ones. As reps are made of more complex watches it becomes ever more difficult to make them "super". IMHO, original movement reps are the only super reps. And those are going the way of the dinosaurs other than the simplest ETA 28xx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanro Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I guess I have been unlucky, then. Because my inner bezel has real trouble to rotate. Not only it doesn't rotate smoothly, but it gets stuck all the time. Turning it around one full time is a lengthy and even painful (for your fingers) process... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TTK Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I decided to stop carrying the Cousteau for all the reasons stated above.....whilst I can cherry pick a good one......the lack of QC continuity meant that for every 10 I looked at...I could only pickout perhaps two that were OK.....not a good ratio.....I sold in total about 8-9 of them...and none have come back but I have no confidence in the mechanics of the bezel......from the first to the last samples all have failed to impress me therefore I won't stock them......not when there are great reps such as the Ferrari or even the latest Corum....beautiful and reliable.....no Cousteaus for me...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Based on what I have heard I am counting myself lucky on my 2006 CD and taking a pass on 2007 CD. Will have to wait and see on the Slevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 (edited) I am also going to buy IWC CD '07. I hope that I will find a good dealer who will inspect the watch. Edited October 17, 2007 by Cosmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vapor Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I am also going to buy IWC CD '07. I hope that I will find a good dealer who will inspect the watch. If you need it in Europe I'd recommend PT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slai Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I decided to stop carrying the Cousteau for all the reasons stated above.....whilst I can cherry pick a good one......the lack of QC continuity meant that for every 10 I looked at...I could only pickout perhaps two that were OK.....not a good ratio.....I sold in total about 8-9 of them...and none have come back but I have no confidence in the mechanics of the bezel......from the first to the last samples all have failed to impress me therefore I won't stock them......not when there are great reps such as the Ferrari or even the latest Corum....beautiful and reliable.....no Cousteaus for me...! This is precisely the reason I decided to get my Cousteau from you instead of another dealer. Tremendously happy with it, especially after The Zigmeister worked his magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TTK Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 @slai.....glad to hear that.....as I said....if I cherrypick them then there should be no real problems.....but the ratio of good ones to bad is not good.....it is in my opinion...not a super rep....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thl Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 @slai.....glad to hear that.....as I said....if I cherrypick them then there should be no real problems.....but the ratio of good ones to bad is not good.....it is in my opinion...not a super rep....! Hi Neil, it's fine to hear you again... THL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertk Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I guess I'm a lucky one. On mine the inner bezel turns smoothly. This watch seems very well made and is keeping excellent time. Chrono's are smooth. Can't complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pix Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 - Never buy a watch immediately on its release. Wait a minimum of 6 months. Let the problems surface first. Mmm, if we all behave this way, the problems will never be raised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daytona4me Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 When people start paying upwards of $450-$500 for a replica I think you are already setting yourself up for disappointment. Why?? Because your expectation (deep down your hoping) that for $450+ you will receive something that is 200% better (cuz it cost 200% more) than the Omega UPO that you purchased or the...__(fill in)__ that is your favorite $200-$250 watch. It is just not the case unless you purchased something that has been modded. I find myself agreeing with Neil in saying that a Ferrari or the new Corum is on my radar far quicker than a Cousteau. I'm trying a Tag Aquaracer blue dial to see if it get's me off. If not, I'm going straight to the Corum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usil Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Darn. Finally get home to the US and was going to have TTK pick me one out and now looks like not a good idea. Usil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepsea Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 (edited) When people start paying upwards of $450-$500 for a replica I think you are already setting yourself up for disappointment. Why?? Because your expectation (deep down your hoping) that for $450+ you will receive something that is 200% better (cuz it cost 200% more) than the Omega UPO that you purchased or the...__(fill in)__ that is your favorite $200-$250 watch. It is just not the case unless you purchased something that has been modded. %100 agree with this one... -- I've inspected both gen and A7550 rep... Gen has no wrong day/date misalignment, date and day sits perfectly. This is one dead giveaway... -- And I can't see the difference with this watch and other A7550 powered $250 watches. (except for double ar) What makes it $150 more expensive? Answer is: the demand... Don't demand it, it will lower... On the other hand swiss powered is very expensive too. It was around $1050-1100 right? wtf... Edited October 19, 2007 by deepsea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 I just received my new Cousteau Divers 2007...and I am somehow disappointed. The watch looks great, but that is mostly the merit of the gen's design, I guess. Areas for disenchantment are: 1) The inner bezel is, of course, not aligned at 12.00h...but most importantly, the movement of the inner bezel is all jumpy and cranky. I have not seen a gen in my hands, but I very much doubt this is the way it feels in the original watch... 2) The date (day of the week) is completely misaligned. Some days better than others (MON looks fine, TUE wrong, etc). 3) When setting the time, the feeling of the Asian movement is awful, loose and imprecise. Actually, when you set the time and press the button to "leave it there" the minute hand invariably moves back one or two milimiters (i.e. one or two minutes) which makes it difficult to set it right. Is it just a bad copy or are all the Cousteaus like this? If they are, I frankly can not consider them a Super Rep, as many call it. I guess after the SFSO every other rep is going to look and feel poor... everything here can be reasonably taken car of if you can get an appointment with Ziggy.. the movement is good .. but not serviced well before being released.. date wheel etc. is basic horology for Ziggy.. not for us.. granted it will never be like a genuine but after good servicing should be 100 % better..Quality of service from the factory is sadly .. hit and miss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawo Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 everything here can be reasonably taken car of if you can get an appointment with The Zigmeister.. the movement is good .. but not serviced well before being released.. date wheel etc. is basic horology for The Zigmeister.. not for us.. granted it will never be like a genuine but after good servicing should be 100 % better..Quality of service from the factory is sadly .. hit and miss. I agree with this point. I have had no problems with ETA 2386 or 2896 movements. Rolex, Omega's etc.. The Asian 7750 though is really hit and miss. For me to buy a rep now, I have to really love it if it is an Asian 7750. It is hard to assure that the quality of the rep is going to be stellar when it comes out of the factory. Most factory workers make about a $1.00 an hour. Here is a quote from Business Week: The cost of Chinese factory labor is a paltry 64 cents an hour. Although that figure is rough, since it's pieced together from sketchy statistics, it's still the most thorough estimate ever compiled. It includes both wages and employer contributions for benefits and social insurance. And it covers not just city factory workers, who get the most attention, but the more numerous rural and suburban factory workers as well. For comparison, hourly factory compensation in the U.S. in 2002 was $21.11, and an average of $14.22 in the 30 foreign countries covered by the existing BLS report. This report was compiled back in 2004. I estimate a 30% increase since then. Not a big motivator for quality assurance. There is no doubt that they are making a killing. When I buy an Asian 7750, I have to bank and reserve for a visit to The Zigmeister. I have purchased a few ETA's off Ebay for $160 for a swap. While with The Zigmeister, I get the superlume, datewheel upgrade if needed and of course the movement swap. Roughly about $400 in parts and service. It might be a lot, but I feel a little better about the quality and love of the watch. Everything is about perceived value. If you think it is worth it, buy it. Here is my Cousteau with the mentioned upgrades. About a $800 bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Wear it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanro Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Josh called for the watch back...he is going to sort it out. Lanikai, Jawo, I would love to go the The Zigmeister way but...1) he is not taking up any more work until next year, and 2) Spain is far from Canada...do you think there might be customs issues with watches going back and forth between Spain and Canada? Tempting, anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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