2 Big Bangs

[Mike1718]

I have no experience of HBB before. I have only studied the watches via the net and in these fora. I have bought:

* Big Bang Black Magic Lite - Ceramic Bezel, at Puretime for 328 $. This watch is for a friend of mine. I ordered a brushed bezel but got a polished .

* Big Bang Ice bang all ceramic, at BBhaven for 728$. This watch is for myself. I bought this after I bought the watch above but I was very hesitant.

I like both of them but i'm most impressed by the Lite due to the pricing. If you are considering a Hublot and you don't exactly what Hublot model you want I would pick Big Bang Black Magic Lite.

Of course I like the Ice Bang more (the dial, AR, strap and bezel) - I paid 400 $ more. But I think the finish is as good on the Lite version as on my Ice Bang.

A small review of the Ice bang. Everything looks OK. The strap is softer than the textured one on the Lite. Is there any noticable difference between the PVD-coated parts and ceramic parts on the Ice Bang? Yes a little more metallic finish on the Ice Bang and I assume the ceramic keeps it's finish after some use. On small flaw. I think the fit of the middle part of the case does not fit perfectly. It protrudes 0,5 mm. Compare the pictures.

The Lite watch looks almost ugly with too much red marks on the picture, but this is not impression in real life. Then it is darker and the red marks are not so prominent. Still this was on main reason why I wanted the Ice Bang.

The bezel on the Ice Bang does not have that sharp upper edge like on the Lite watch. I have read that this edge could tear your clothes. (Is it possible to smooth down with i.e diamond knife sharpener? )

How about the AR? The AR is good fine on the Ice bang. Still the single AR on the Lite is OK. It is absolutely not worth 200 $.

[Guest Sql_pl]

Nice watches, congratulations.

Would be great if you could post some daylight pics of that Icebang of yours.

As for your questions.

Yes, PVD bezels are really sharp and can damage your cloth if you try to wipe the crystal/bezel with a shirt or something.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about that because if you try to smooth it down you will damage PVD coating and SS will show from underneath.

You'd also better tighten the screws in your Icebang - the middle part may protrude because the screws look like they are very close to falling off! Tighten them asap or you may have problem with getting spare screws.

Nice watches, congratulations.

Would be great if you could post some daylight pics of that Icebang of yours.

As for your questions.

Yes, PVD bezels are really sharp and can damage your cloth if you try to wipe the crystal/bezel with a shirt or something.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about that because if you try to smooth it down you will damage PVD coating and SS will show from underneath.

You'd also better tighten the screws in your Icebang - the middle part may protrude because the screws look like they are very close to falling off! Tighten them asap or you may have problem with getting spare screws.

[wrxzzz]

I think he said it was a ceramic bezel on the lite. Either way I think you just have to live with the sharp edge. As for the piece of the case above the strap...I had the same problem but I was able to get it to seat properly by removing it and retightening the screws. it took a little work but finally I was able to get it flush.

[j4jure]

I was able to get it to seat properly by removing it and retightening the screws. it took a little work but finally I was able to get it flush.

Could you please explain what parts you need to remove to be able to do this?

Thank you.

[Guest Sql_pl]

You just need an H screwdriver.

[Mike1718]

Some more pics. It is hard to get daylight up in Sweden during wintertime.

As you can see the bezel shifts colour from almost white to dark grey depending on the

light and angle. I like that.

What one could consider is to buy a Tungsten bezel. Kimerathon at repgeek mentioned this.

But I'm satsified with this PVD-bezel.

[j4jure]

You just need an H screwdriver.

OK but do you have to remove the bezel or perhaps even dismantle the case or...? Never did it before and would like to know how much work am I in for.

Cheers

[Guest Sql_pl]

These 2 screws on top of the plate are there to fix the strap. When you unscrew them you can get the strap out and also remove the plate. No need to dismantle anything else. You just need an H screwdriver in order not to scratch screws etc.

[j4jure]

These 2 screws on top of the plate are there to fix the strap. When you unscrew them you can get the strap out and also remove the plate. No need to dismantle anything else. You just need an H screwdriver in order not to scratch screws etc.

Great. Thanks a lot, mate

[jimzilla]

Hi amd Merry Christmas to everyone. This forum has been very informative and at the same time raises new questions. I am a nooob and am looking at HBB watches and like a few. As I read these threads I change my mind in what I am looking for, which is a good thing. In reading further I have noticed the BB vs the BB Lite. There appears to be a large difference in price and I am interested in knowing what the feature/function difference is between them. Is there an overall aesthetic quality difference? Is there a reliability/quality difference between them? Regarding the Ceramic vs the PVD, are the Ceramic items truly Ceramic or are these PVD coated with different gloss characteristics?

Thanks in advance.

Jim

I have no experience of HBB before. I have only studied the watches via the net and in these fora. I have bought:

* Big Bang Black Magic Lite - Ceramic Bezel, at Puretime for 328 $. This watch is for a friend of mine. I ordered a brushed bezel but got a polished .

* Big Bang Ice bang all ceramic, at BBhaven for 728$. This watch is for myself. I bought this after I bought the watch above but I was very hesitant.

I like both of them but i'm most impressed by the Lite due to the pricing. If you are considering a Hublot and you don't exactly what Hublot model you want I would pick Big Bang Black Magic Lite.

Of course I like the Ice Bang more (the dial, AR, strap and bezel) - I paid 400 $ more. But I think the finish is as good on the Lite version as on my Ice Bang.

A small review of the Ice bang. Everything looks OK. The strap is softer than the textured one on the Lite. Is there any noticable difference between the PVD-coated parts and ceramic parts on the Ice Bang? Yes a little more metallic finish on the Ice Bang and I assume the ceramic keeps it's finish after some use. On small flaw. I think the fit of the middle part of the case does not fit perfectly. It protrudes 0,5 mm. Compare the pictures.

The Lite watch looks almost ugly with too much red marks on the picture, but this is not impression in real life. Then it is darker and the red marks are not so prominent. Still this was on main reason why I wanted the Ice Bang.

The bezel on the Ice Bang does not have that sharp upper edge like on the Lite watch. I have read that this edge could tear your clothes. (Is it possible to smooth down with i.e diamond knife sharpener? )

How about the AR? The AR is good fine on the Ice bang. Still the single AR on the Lite is OK. It is absolutely not worth 200 $.

[Guest Sql_pl]

You can find answers to your questions with a quick use of "search" feature which I highly recommend.

Anyway I can give you some hints.

There are two main HBB categories :

- the "first factory" HBBs that are from the very first factory that replicated them - these are beng sold by cartel dealers - Josh, Angus, Andrew, King

These are the best in terms of quality and appearance.

You can get them in 2 grades - Ultimate and Lite. The main difference in Lite used to be lack of AR on the crystal and use of PVD instead of ceramic. Now that they managed to get cheaper ceramic parts they are usually the same watches as Ultimate models but with no AR.

- What is also available is tons of "other factory" HBBs - these are often powered by 21k bph a7750 movements but you can also find some with newer 28k bph. In this category it is hard to describe specific flaws because there are so many versions that they are hard to count. Some have incorrect screw down crown, some have black pushers whan they need to be SS etc etc. All of these watches come with inferior quality rubber bands and usually not perfect fit of case parts.

I do not intend to shill for cartel dealers but the truth is their HBBs are the best and worth additional money.

Thanks!

[jimzilla]

Thank you for your time, effort and recommendations they are much appreciated. I was in China recently and visit there often. I noticed a friend of mine there who had a rep, and well...thi shas turned into an addiction overnight, and afascination for the associated knowledge. I am an Engineer by academia, also a modeler (RR) so I am intrigued with mechanisms, attention to detail, and accuracy. Obviously you ar enot going to get for $300-700 what you would get for 15,000...but the knowledge is the best part.

Since you were so kind to answer....and in the interest of no good deed goes unpunished...I know what the difference is in BPH are for 21.6 vs. 28.8 but does it really make a difference in teh watch? The AR is is the AR but hardly worth a delta of $200.... I may visit Angus next trip to China as he has invited me. I like the All Black, the Hour Glass and Bing Bang Black Magic, and Big Bang Ice Bang...to name a few so I am interested in learning teh differences from bands to dials..

Any insight would be appreciated...

Thanks againa nd merry christmas!

Jim

You can find answers to your questions with a quick use of "search" feature which I highly recommend.

Anyway I can give you some hints.

There are two main HBB categories :

- the "first factory" HBBs that are from the very first factory that replicated them - these are beng sold by cartel dealers - Josh, Angus, Andrew, King

These are the best in terms of quality and appearance.

You can get them in 2 grades - Ultimate and Lite. The main difference in Lite used to be lack of AR on the crystal and use of PVD instead of ceramic. Now that they managed to get cheaper ceramic parts they are usually the same watches as Ultimate models but with no AR.

- What is also available is tons of "other factory" HBBs - these are often powered by 21k bph a7750 movements but you can also find some with newer 28k bph. In this category it is hard to describe specific flaws because there are so many versions that they are hard to count. Some have incorrect screw down crown, some have black pushers whan they need to be SS etc etc. All of these watches come with inferior quality rubber bands and usually not perfect fit of case parts.

I do not intend to shill for cartel dealers but the truth is their HBBs are the best and worth additional money.

Thanks!