TeeJay Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Okay, this is going to be slightly different to my usual reviews. I'm not actually going to be grading this watch in any way, simply making some observations and showing a few photos of it. I'm sure folks are more than familiar with my bastardized GMTSub, and how, once I put it on a bracelet rather than a strap, it was my beater until I murdered the movement through nothing more than impatience and sloppiness. Fear not, there will indeed by a V2.0. Faster, better, and stronger than ever (well, not necessarily faster, but hopefully better, insha'allah ) From that, you would be safe to assume that I really like Rolex watches with a GMT function. I used a Panerai 029a with GMT on vacation in Spain last year, and, it was actually pretty cool to know the time at home (even though it was only an hour different ) and I actually like the Rolex GMT even more. For anyone who travels or needs to track a second timezone for any reason, a GMT is a must for your collection. I never intended to buy this specific watch for my collection, but rather as a prize for my best friend's stag do in May. I'm not sure yet what we're going to be doing, darts, karting, batting cage etc, but, I said that if we do something competitive, I'd provide a prize, and, given how many of my friend's friends travel, I figured they would benefit from the GMT function, so I thought this would be an ideal fun gift (and not expensive for me to provide). I've always stayed away from the bi-colored GMTs in the past, thinking that the all black insert, being closest to a Submariner, would look the best for when the bezel is set to a different timezone, ie, the 'level' of the colors would not change, just the position of the numbers, where on the bi-colored inserts, once set to another timezone, the 'level' is altered. I didn't think I would actually like how that looked, but, now that the watch is actually in my hands, I actually really like it. My reference material for this, was By-Tor's excellent review, as that showed me some things to look out for, as well as providing first rate photos to compare the watch to. This watch was purchased very cheaply, and, although out of the box, it had some flaws which folks might not be prepared to accept, it immediately struck me as a very nice watch. The bezel has nice sharp teeth, and ratchets cleanly and solidly, with no sloppiness or 'wobble'. This really is a case of 'locking in' the timezone The crown is well marked, and easy to operate, with a very positive action with the movement. No 'slack' on the operation at all. On the far side of the case, is an etched coronet. I know this is a tell, but it would certainly not be difficult to buff this out, or even simply ignore. The caseback is a bit of a dog's dinner... The sticker is a mess, and the etchings have an incorrect spelling (as well as this being the wrong caseback for this model watch ) The gasget was actually badly crimped, so that had to be replaced. A little frustrating, but not a problem. The bracelet was actually not too bad, but the leaves had gibberish stamped on them, and the leaves of the diver's extension would not lock closed. Something someone might be able to ignore, or modify. I don't think people would accept such a level of detail from a 'trusted dealer', but, given this did not cost as much, it is certainly acceptable for the price paid, especially if modifications are planned. The watch has a Maxi Dial, but only regular size hands... Still, not bad. The lume of the hands and markers is a good match, and quite a strong glow. The dial markings themselves are all clean, correctly spelled, and evenly printed. Of course, to an expert, this kind of rep could never pass for gen, but, to the average Joe Sixpack, it does not scream 'fake' due to any spelling errors or other poor presentation. As mentioned above, this watch is to be a prize, rather than an addition to my collection (unless I win it ) and the spelling flaws are the kind of thing which a non-collector would likely be put off by, and could lead to embarassment, so I figured it was in the best interests to modify the watch. First to be replaced, was the caseback. I'm not sure if this is the correct back for this model, but, it's sterile, so at least it has no spelling errors which could draw unwanted attention... To correct the issue of the incorrect spellings on the clasp leaves (and because the diver's extension would not lock) I replaced the entire bracelet. Again, probably not accurate for this model, but, at least these parts are functional, and have correct spellings... I also reset the insert position so it was 100% in line with the dial markings when the bezel was locked. This was the end result: Overall, I am very pleased with the quality of this watch. It was certainly good value for money As for price, this was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 That is a great value prize. Good stuff!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Amigo, good write-up and excellent price! I love my Coke, and right now I have it on a NATO Strap with Red Line! Thanks for the post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Well at 20 quid u cant go wrong i guess Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Thanks for the feedback, amigos, it's much appreciated I think the key thing to remember with this watch, is 'budget pricing'. If it had cost $108, I think people would have been frustrated by the spelling errors, and possibly even sent it back. I'm not sure if I would have sent it back, but I think I would have been disappointed (but not too much to prevent me wearing the watch, or modding it ) but for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest asim Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 20 quid??? haha not bad at all in that case! wear the watch well bro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numptyj Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 If I'm not mistaken that is Tesco 'Cola' in the background...not atcual coke haha nice write up dude! Looks alright for twenty notes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 20 quid??? haha not bad at all in that case! wear the watch well bro! Yup, 20 plus a fiver for postage The question now, is do I only wear it long enough to 'evaluate' it, or do I substitute something else as the prize and keep it for myself If I'm not mistaken that is Tesco 'Cola' in the background...not atcual coke haha nice write up dude! Looks alright for twenty notes! You're not mistaken No brand-name colas for me, I like the generic That said, Sainsbury's .18p Econocola tastes like dishwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Excellent watch- especially for the price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Excellent watch- especially for the price! I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprized. Okay, sure, some of the things, like the caseback, clasp leaves etc, weren't great quality (but for that price who's complaining...) but they were easily modifiable, so an acceptable watch for someone either getting into reps, or looking for a 'fixer-upper' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammandel Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hey TJ! Couple of things; what do you mean by "bezel locked?" I thought it rotated freely with no clicks on a GMT master and also the printing on the clasp, you say it may not be correct for this model but is that font correct for any gen rolex at all? Just a little curious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Cool!! Some people often forget what this hobby is all about: Fun! Enjoy your nice "budget" GMT my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hey TJ! Couple of things; what do you mean by "bezel locked?" I thought it rotated freely with no clicks on a GMT master and also the printing on the clasp, you say it may not be correct for this model but is that font correct for any gen rolex at all? Just a little curious! I'm not sure how free floating the GMT Master II bezel is, although I know the GMTIIC bezel has 'soft clicks'. The bezel on this watch rotates in the same manner as a submariner, with absolutely no play in it at all. When it clicks into place, it is solidly in place until being clicked further forwards With regards the clasp, externally, it looked fine, it was simply the lettering in the internal leaves which was gibberish. Externally, it looked fine, that's why I saidthat someone might be able to ignore it, as chances are they wouldn't actually check that detail often I simply replaced the parts so that the new owner wouldn't have to explain any incorrect spellings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Cool!! Some people often forget what this hobby is all about: Fun! Enjoy your nice "budget" GMT my friend. Thanks, bro, you're quite right, at the end of the day, the hobby is all about fun, and I have to admit, modifying this watch is probably the most fun I've had with a watch for quite a while I know it's not perfect, but for the price, I wasn't expecting it to be a Super Rep I'm certainly going to enjoy it for as long as I can while I evaluate it's performance, I guess I'll just have to try hard to win the stag contest so I get to keep it and if I don't win, well, I'll just have to buy myself another one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krayfish Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 DUDE!! Long time no chat.........hey for the money, I really dont think you can go wrong!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 DUDE!! Long time no chat.........hey for the money, I really dont think you can go wrong!!! It'snbeen a while, bro, I hope all's well with you Indeed, for the money, you really can't go wrong I just put the watch on my rubber strap, to prevent the bracelet getting scuffed up during the shakedown period, and I think it looks awesome I really like the Yacht-Master I got from the same dealer, but it's going to be hard parting with this one when the time comes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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