Edge's Guide To Replica Forums

[Edge]

.....my impression reading threads on this board is that this is only true after they have been serviced. This due to big variations especially with respect to lubing of the movements when delivered from the factories.

Any comments?

It is my experience that the ETA movements Barely ever have any reliability issues upon arrival. I personally have 5 ETA movements which have never ever been serviced and ALL run to within +3 seconds a week. I have not had any issues with them at all, and do not know of many if any members who have HAD TO have their ETA serviced, some people do but to be honet in my experience there has been no call for it apart from prevention.

[Watchmeister]

Edge-

Fabulous post. Man, I wish this was available when I got started.

[KB]

Well what can I say Chris, except it looks like it's my turn to pin it

Ken

[jwe]

does watchmaster has a site?

[retep]

does watchmaster has a site?

no

[fellfell]

Sir

Your article is very very intresting. I am a no expert collector of replica and your indications are very preciously for me.

I have an answer for you: in your article you says that the best replicas are MBW (Maria’s Best Watch) and WM (Watchmaster). I have try the two names in the page of sellers but I have not found. Please have you indications about the sites or emai address of MBW or WM ?

tHANKS

[mums-mums]

Thx for all useful and instructive advices.

Regarding the "The Replica Watch Report" it is also available as downloadable (and printable partly or totally) PDF from same source as the printed book. Very practical when residing at the other end of the world.

evenR4u

Edited September 6, 2006 by mums-mums

[Pugwash]

May I add a "how to post" hint?

When you reply to a large thread, you really don't have to quote the entire bloody thing! With Pictures!

[donce]

Would you please send me the info on the MBW/WATCHMASTER? Or how to aquire one?

[Waxon Waxoff]

Thanks a lot Edge. Lots of good info in the two posts for a newbie like me.

[Corgi]

Thanks for finally explaining what "mbw" means.

I've wanted to know for a while but was always too embarrassed to ask.

[crystalcranium]

I can attest to the tremendous accuracy of the stock SS Submariner today. I bought an ETA version from Paul about 8 months ago for $119 + a $25 WU charge and it was money well spent.

This watch, aside from the problem all submariners suffer from, the assumption that all of them are fake, is good enough to pass for the genuine article in anyone's hands except for a skilled jeweler. My bracelet treatment trick has given my Sub a new feel that puts it in rarified air. The date font suffers from crispness problems under a 7X loupe but most people don't go around carrying inspection loupes. The rehaut is great, the date mag is a spot on 2.5X, the pearl is passable if you keep the loupe in the pocket, the crown is crisp.....what a step up in quality from Subs of 5 years ago that had a litany of problems.

It's a tremendous value for the price regardless of it's status as a replica. As a $120 watch, it can stand on its' own and be proud. BTW...adjusted to +- 3 sec/day on the wrist.

[flyby75]

Thanks Edge, for the review.....Very helpfull.

[rfgarcia0283]

Edge,

That was an amazing post! You answered many of the newbies questions about subs! Thank you!!!!

[Flashman]

Great post Edge, I am learning more from this site than when I was at university!

[JimmyT]

Edge’s Guide To Replica Forums Part II

Who has the best……..???

This instalment in my guide to replica forums workbook is an attempt to alleviate the questions of “Who has the best………??”

Such questions tend to anger the general populous and end up in members getting flamed. The very simplistic approach that many members take is what I like to call the

“Seek and Ye Shall Find” Response:

Usually consisting of comments of the order, “Jesus Noobie, use the Search function!!” or just “Search”, usually something of that kind. This is neither an answer to the question nor a flame, it is a directional repose to much maligned question.

There is also the;

“AAAAAHHHHHH, Jesus We HATE NOOBIES!! Response:

Which I feel is pretty self explanatory, people will FLAME and flame hard if they find you asking a “who has the best??” question.

Now for my approach, well you are reading it lol. I am writing this to try and educate the new members as to what is likely going to happen should you happen to ask this question.

Please do not ask a who has the best question as they are not usually dealt with amicably.

Now for the crux of this post.

If you want to try and decide who has the best then you will have to research any updates to the information given in this post, as I will not be updating it regularly.

Submariner –

The modern Rolex Submariner Replicas have become VERY accurate. So much so that from the distance that someone’s wrist is away from you it is almost impossible to tell.

There are different variations on the Submariner;

With Date:

16610 – Base Stainless Steel Submariner

16610LV – Commonly known as the LV, 50th Anniversary Green Bezel Black Dial Variation of the Standard Stainless Steel Submariner, comes with a maxi dial, meaning that it has bigger indices.

16613 – Two Tone Yellow Gold/Stainless Steel Submariner

16618 - Solid Gold Submariner 18k Yellow Gold

1680 – Vintage Submariner, Standard Stainless Steel, but has Red Submariner Text instead of white (Red Line), many were later serviced by Rolex to have the Red Text replaced with white, so there are both red and white variations available.

16800 – Is a transitional submariner between the 1680 and it’s newer descendants.

Please note that Genuine parts for the 1680, 16800 and 16610 are Generally NOT interchangeable, as they have different crystal variations.

No Date:

5508, 5512, 5513, 5514, 5517, 6200, 6204, 6205, 6536,

6538, 6538A, 14060, 14060M

Of note:

5512/5513 – First “superlative chronometer” Submariner’s Can come with standard submariner dial or with so called “Explorer dial” with 3,6 and 9 indices. Supremely rare and very sought after.

6536/6538 – The Much Adored so called “Bond Subs” these are the watches that were made famous by James Bond in the early Bond Films. Connery (Sir Sean to most of you) was a big fan of these watches and wore them in his Bond films. They lack Crown Guards and are also Very Rare and highly sought after.

In general the Rolex submariner is the most sought after replica watch, as most of you who come here are originally looking for a Sub……Aren’t You??

It is from then that taste in other watches develops or is UNLEASHED lol, with a massive Panerai and Omega craze the buying never stops.

The main differences between the Vintage and the Modern Submariners are the crystal type and also the pearl. The modern submariners that most of you know and worship have Sapphire Crystal and metal surround pearls. The pearl for those of you who don’t know is the bit of lume (white bit) at the 12 O’clock index on your bezel.

In the vintage models this pearl is surrounded by acrylic and NOT metal as in the 1680, and the crystal is raised and called a “Tropic”, which protrudes greatly from the watch to give in my humble opinion a FANTASTIC look to the watch.

Now to the dealers……..

Most of our dealers carry MANY variations on the submariner, including Date and No Date, Modern and Vintage. The main thing that you have to decide on is what variation that you want, Two Tone, Stainless Steel, Full Gold…..Blue, Black, Green….

The options are vast but you will decide on one. Then it is time to decide upon Who has the best??

There are in MY OPINION 3 different versions of this watch…..

Asian, Swiss (ETA), and MBW.

Asian –

Most of the dealers will carry some subs in Asian movement variations, they usually run at about $100-130 and are aesthetically very accurate. The Crown Guards and Insert are generally not bad and the dial is acceptable. They generally have all of the same characteristics of the more expensive ETA models but with the cheaper movement.

Asian movements are as far as I am concerned a gamble, completely hit or miss. Some people swear by them, some people swear at them. If you do choose to go with the Asian version you will have a very nice looking sub with a movement that usually works but is a touch unreliable, best to get it serviced quickly, as after a service it would appear that most of the issues are solved and they will run for a substantial amount of time.

Swiss (ETA) –

So Called Swiss movement which is in truth no more Swiss than fly in the air, however in replica terms an ETA is a Swiss movement. These are EXTREMELY reliable movements which are routinely used in Genuine watches, so reliability is much much higher. The cosmetics of the watch are ostensibly unchaned. Price is usually $200-220

There are now Josh’s perfect Sub and PT’s Ultimate sub, both of which claim to be as close to gen as possible, they have extremely nice crown guards and bezel inserts, and the general look of the watch is very close to the genuine. There have been some alignment issues with the Cyclops on the PT version, but that is easily fixed. These editions usually run for more as they are closer and generally thought to be very good quality almost that of MBW’s, they usually run at approx $280

MBW (Maria’s Best Watch)/WM (Watchmaster) –

Now Maria was a dealer here who provided very High quality Rolex reps. This mantle has now been taken on by Luckyyy and George. MBW watches are widely regarded as the most accurate replicas available along with WM replicas these are the most sought after variations on the submariner. Watchmaster makes very similar watches to MBW and both are considered as good as it gets. They are cased 1:1 so the big benefit is that they accept Genuine Rolex Parts, and modifications are a common occurance. The bezel insert will readily accept a genuine pearl and they will take Genuine Inserts, and even crystals and suchlike.

Be prepared to drop $360 on MBW watches and regularly prices for these are in Euros at approx €300.

Who has the best???

This all depends on what you are looking for. The Asian versions are very good if you are looking for a watch that is pretty close in appearance and wont cost you too much money, they are generally pretty accurate and have had good review’s about value for money. They have reliability issues and are NOT as close as some of the other versions to genuine, but very good for the money, and good for those on a budget or wanting more watches.

The Swiss Eta Versions are more reliable and generally slightly better made, IMHO. They have none of the reliability issues that the Asian versions have and are again pretty close to the genuine. They too have there problems including crown guards, bezel insert, pearl and dial, all of which will allow for it to be spotted on CLOSE inspection. Also the datemag is often not 2.5x on the Swis and Asian standard sub reps.

PT/Josh versions are more accurate with better insert and far improved crown guards. They are more accurate but on occasion need the Cyclops aligned. The general appearance apart from these alterations is the same and they are basically slightly modded ETA versions. ETA versions are IMHO perfect for those who want an accurate watch that will keep on ticking for years, without ever really worrying about it’s small inaccuracies and without really wanting to mod it.

MBW/WM versions are considered the crème of the crop especially as far as Vintage models go, they readily accept genuine parts and are more accurately cased. They too have pearl problems and also need croen guard work, and are of course more expensive. Perfect for the modder who wants to create his/her own Frankenwatch to suite his/her own tastes. These are the most expensive versions but are also the easiest to modify, some of them having as many genuine parts as replica.

So…..

Only you can decide who has the best version FOR YOU!!! There is not a set standard as some of you will be looking for the most accurate some of you will be looking for accuracy but with a budget, all sorts of things must be taken into consideration, and for that reason we do not have a standard BEST.

What is important to you may not be important to someone else, and PLEASE PLEASE EVERYONE REMEMBER……..

THEY ARE STILL REPS……

No matter how good they look, someone will always be able to tell the difference, if they know what they are doing , and remember if anyone ever sees inside your watch it’ll be a dead giveaway so NEVER EVER TRY AND PASS A REP AS GEN.

Never try and put it on a genuine watch website such as Timezone or suchlike as it’ll be outed within MINUTES, no matter how good you think it is it’s STILL A REP, and NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER try and sel your rep as a Gen. This is completely uncalled for and I will personally be over the moon should you get jail time.

I hope this helps and please from now on don’t bother asking who has the best, whether it be subs, planet oceans or whatever you have to do the research on the different models and then MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND, what’s important to you?? Then decide on a watch, NOONE else knows what you want so we don’t have standard BEST editions, each to their own.

A rep is a rep, and ALWAYS remember that.

Who has the best sub???

Rolex so buy a Genuine if it bothers you that much!!

I hope you have found this informational and also that it will make you realise that you CANNOT get an individual answer tyo a who has the best question it will always be personal preference.

Enjoy

Edge!

Great stuff Edge & I'm a noob on the block,

I've only been here a week or so and have learned a ton of stuff from you guys.

apart from the odd question and PM I've found that sitting and just reading the threads can give you so much info that you could not possibly glean from stumbling around site after site like I used to.

The only thing I've had a little trouble with is a lot of folk here talk on a first name basis - " I bought a great watch from so & so " and it takes a while to workout who they all are.

One of my best friends is the "Links" tap at the top and then on to the Dealers sites.

Good stuff, I'm hooked !

Jim T Melbourne Oz

[jay1]

great post thanks for the info

[jay1]

great post

[kitersoze]

wow, thanx for the post and advice. sorry i had posted several times before i saw toad's guide, which linked me to this post.

oh, btw, so who's got the best rep's? i just couldn't help myself...

[twarren]

Great post!

I'm new here and trying to learn a little before making a purchase for a xmas present for my husband.

Is there a post like this anywhere about Daytonas? I searched and found a review but am still confused about the whole sec@6 thing..... Is the Daytona basically not a good rep to start with?

maybe this isn't a good place to ask this....

[maxman]

The infomation on this fourm blows my mind, it really does. Thanks for the great read. Mike

[clamul]

very interesting post for me being new to this forum

Edited January 19, 2009 by clamul

[mbjoer]

Just clicked on the links to rwg and they no longer direct to the correct place.

Guess there are other aspects of the guide that also have changed over time.......

Time for an update?

[bravehart]

Great advice for a newbie like myself

[Agrippa]

Spam alert regarding tiff methinks.