Photos of a blacksteel

[breitling&omega]

I posted some pics of a blacksteel sitting in what appears to be an original breitling case-is that a dead giveaway. It this real or fake? Tell me what you see and why you think it is real or fake.

[anton]

Thoe are pics of a genuine Blacksteel. The case is an inner leather with an outer bakelite box. The lume dots are evenly applied and are a perfect circle with white outline, even at 3:00.

[gillorin]

Sharp engravings, numbers perfect distance from the subdials, date font (can be modded, but still), and also dial printing is perfect.

[setb]

looks real to me

[wheaton26]

if you look closely in the fourth picture, the lume dots are not perfect. could this be the v2? if so, where do i hand over my money?

[breitling&omega]

Thanks guys for taking the test and answering my post. I will post the answer later for anyone else that wants to know 100% if this specimen is the real deal or a rep.

But just how different is the rep vs. the real feel if one were to compare one to the other in your hands? Will the rep stand a chance?

1)How is the quality of the rubber on the rubber band, the clasp or in this case the much more simple pin?

2)Are their weight identical?

3)Will the push button for the stop watch and the crown be a giveaway?

4)And finally the 3 -dimensional aspect with the arms and the details of all the markings on the dial be easily picked out with the naked eye under close inspection?

[b16a2]

It's a gen, the fourth picture is slightly blurred given the impression of misplaced lume dots.

1) I havent seen one in person but I have heard they are of very good quality

2) Yes same weight - uses auto chrono movement - remember the Breitling Calibre 13 movement is based on a 7750, so the weight will be the same (within grams)

3) They might be a hair different in length (I think the so called V1's were slightly too long) but the V2's certainly dont look any different to me. Even the V1's you wouldnt notice on the wrist, its only obvious in macro/really close up pictures

4) The biggest giveaway is the lume dot's V1 has half a lume dot at 3, the V2 generally comes with slightly misplaced ones. It would take a very close inspection of this watch to tell it from the gen. Even if you had them side by side, it would take someone who knows what theyre looking for.

[breitling&omega]

I have read all the posts that I can find about the blacksteel rep, and it seems the emphasize has always been on the lume dots. This is why I want to know how the rest of the watch stands up. But since we can only post pictures, it really limits when any can do to verify if the one shown is real or a fake. My goal is to get a real and a rep in my hands and really study it for details.

[andreww]

100% genuine.

As mentioned before, the true "tell" is the lume dots. Not just the placement or presence of a "half dot", but the way they are applied. The rep has blobby, orb like dots while the gen's are flatter.

[coolfire]

I have read all the posts that I can find about the blacksteel rep, and it seems the emphasize has always been on the lume dots. This is why I want to know how the rest of the watch stands up. But since we can only post pictures, it really limits when any can do to verify if the one shown is real or a fake. My goal is to get a real and a rep in my hands and really study it for details.

Not attempting to crap on this thread, but since you have read all posts which are blacksteel-related, you should have gathered enough information on the rep & gen details. And may you share with us on here what the purpose of your study is for?

Anyhow, It's a gen.

[breitling&omega]

Thanks guys for taking the time to respond. I appreciate the information to what you'd should focus on when distinguishing btw a rep from a gen blacksteel. The members here are very detailed orientated and certainly very knowledge-perhaps even better at pointing out the differences to some collectors of genuine pieces.

Those photos I had posted earlier was of a geniune blacksteel, a watch I have in my collection. I signed up here to learn from everyone here and am glad that I had done so. I have learned much of the emphasize once again was on the lume dot-when judging a photo, without the aid of handling the actual piece. I would love to get my hands on the best rep money can buy, which probably is the much anticipated v2 and examine them closely in my hands to see if really other aspects of the rep are as good as many have said here on this forum.

Of course, the blacksteel being a limited edition, is not something one would find easily at a Breitling AD. Actually, I checked out all the stores in Manhattan last month and no one had one in stock. If anyone here has a genuine blacksteel and a rep, I would love to hear your opinion. Anyone here think an eyepiece over a rep and a gen will easily seperate the two, checking the details/quality of the dial or the marks on the finish?

take care

[takashi]

I will be very convinced on the case of a rep vs gen Breitling (really close) but still the reps usually fall short on details such as number stamping on the dial, lume quality, hands quality and so on. Even the datefont, the rep has correct font but the colour is wrong. The gen comes with charcoal/anthracite colour datefont.

[andreww]

Put it this way, it is easy for some of us to easily judge a close up photo as a rep or gen. When handling the actual article it is sometimes not quite as easy. The V2 Blacksteel is an excellent looking rep. Without the aid of a macro lens or 3x loupe it would likely take most of us a minute or two to tell the difference. These new reps are just that good. Knowing the gen intimately is not enough to differentiate. You have to know the rep as well to understand the differences.

[breitling&omega]

Without the aid of a macro lens or 3x loupe it would likely take most of us a minute or two to tell the difference. These new reps are just that good. Knowing the gen intimately is not enough to differentiate. You have to know the rep as well to understand the differences.

hi Andrew. I see you are from Toronto, my hometown before moving to the states. btw. there is currently a blacksteel on ebay from toronto

You mention using a lens. But what would you focus on? Would you simply look for imperfections due to lower quality control on the rep? and learn as you go looking back and forth? or are you aware of any special details which are simply not cost efficient to duplciate when making the rep?

Without the aid of a macro lens or 3x loupe it would likely take most of us a minute or two to tell the difference. These new reps are just that good. Knowing the gen intimately is not enough to differentiate. You have to know the rep as well to understand the differences.

hi Andrew. I see you are from Toronto, my hometown before moving to the states. btw. there is currently a blacksteel on ebay from toronto

You mention using a lens. But what would you focus on? Would you simply look for imperfections due to lower quality control on the rep? and learn as you go looking back and forth? or are you aware of any special details which are simply not cost efficient to duplciate when making the rep?

[andreww]

Thats the thing, you have to know what to look for. We have the luxury of seeing every new rep release, we compare each release with extreme macro shots of the gen. We see the differences very clearly, simply because we know where to look. I would say that you could run the Skyland rep in front of many an AD employee without them batting an eye (obviously not recommended), but this is simply because they don't know what to look for.

[chazglenn3]

I also thought that the rep had red paint on the center of the sub dial hands where the gen is gold...

[breitling&omega]

Good Catch. I didn't notice that until you pointed that out.