- 16/8/09
- 7,846
- 66
- 48
First off this rep was donated to RWI by MarvellousReplica for the RWI 2012 calendar photo contest. Thanks to MarvellousReplica, ahw676, and Pix for their donation of watch and hard work.
I ordered an extra strap with this watch for my Gen Superocean from a few years back that has the same lug dimensions. MR was very helpful and keen on making me a happy customer. He did and I will be ordering from him again in the future.
It arrived nicely wrapped in bubble wrap boxed up in a Styrofoam carton inside a cardboard box. First rep I have received like this and think it's a fantastic idea and another reason to recommend MR. The watch simply cannot be damaged packed like this without many hundred pounds of crushing force.
On to the review. First off as a Gen Briet owner I am super anal about these types of reps so don't take my nitpicking as gospel here. This is a very good replica.
It's a very solid rep in general. I broke it right down the other night. The dial is fantastic. The lume dots on the rehaut are a mess. MR picked out the best one for me knowing about the breakdown shoot. Once the movement was uncased I realized that although the AR is very good, the quality of the sapphire is horrible. Not noticeable once the watch is cased up but low quality for sure. this could not be photographed with the time I had in the light box but graining and tunneling were the main issues.
The strap is dead on to the Gen. Dead on! Only problem is the Gen sucks just like all tang style Briet rubber. This watch needs a bracelet or a deployment but none are available in this size. Looks like a Gen if you want comfort ect. I have since put this on my Gen bracelet and if the Rep factories like money, it may be something to consider in the future. :wink:
This next thing bugs me the most about replica dive watches. A sloppy bezel. And the Abyss is no different. Why can't they produce a tight bezel? The bezel is acceptable for a replica but it just doesn't fit in with the solid construction of the rest of the case set.
On to the good. The dial and hands are simply stunning. The Gen is super readable and so is this. I picked the white for this reason. The multi level dial is very very cool. I took a couple of angled shots to highlight this. The movement and dial need to be uncased to truly see the dial as it should be seen!
The case construction other than the bezel is suberb. Rivaled only to the seawolf replica IMO. The case back is thick and solid and quite true to Gen construction. The case back gasket may be the best I've seen in a rep. The He valve is 100% functional! Gaskets and all. Cool feature. I'm still going to epoxy it cause I don't trust reps as far as I can throw em.
Looks like we got a Gen 2824-2. This is not a recycled movement. It's far too pristine for that but it may be a stunningly good replica. Jury is still out on the Reps with ETA movements in them so we'll leave it at that.
Really a great rep all in all. The size is the reason this watch will be on my fathers wrist for Christmas. He is a huge Briet guy and this will fit in perfectly for him. The watch wears EXACTLY like a seadweller. Even the bezel profile is the same. If you love your non DSSD Rollies, this watch is for you. Me, not so much. This is just simply far too small for me but a beautiful piece non the less.
Thanks for reading! Thanks again to MR and the mods at RWI for a great contest all in all. Calendars can be ordered here: http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/taking-orders-for-2012-rwi-88350
I ordered an extra strap with this watch for my Gen Superocean from a few years back that has the same lug dimensions. MR was very helpful and keen on making me a happy customer. He did and I will be ordering from him again in the future.
It arrived nicely wrapped in bubble wrap boxed up in a Styrofoam carton inside a cardboard box. First rep I have received like this and think it's a fantastic idea and another reason to recommend MR. The watch simply cannot be damaged packed like this without many hundred pounds of crushing force.
On to the review. First off as a Gen Briet owner I am super anal about these types of reps so don't take my nitpicking as gospel here. This is a very good replica.
It's a very solid rep in general. I broke it right down the other night. The dial is fantastic. The lume dots on the rehaut are a mess. MR picked out the best one for me knowing about the breakdown shoot. Once the movement was uncased I realized that although the AR is very good, the quality of the sapphire is horrible. Not noticeable once the watch is cased up but low quality for sure. this could not be photographed with the time I had in the light box but graining and tunneling were the main issues.
The strap is dead on to the Gen. Dead on! Only problem is the Gen sucks just like all tang style Briet rubber. This watch needs a bracelet or a deployment but none are available in this size. Looks like a Gen if you want comfort ect. I have since put this on my Gen bracelet and if the Rep factories like money, it may be something to consider in the future. :wink:
This next thing bugs me the most about replica dive watches. A sloppy bezel. And the Abyss is no different. Why can't they produce a tight bezel? The bezel is acceptable for a replica but it just doesn't fit in with the solid construction of the rest of the case set.
On to the good. The dial and hands are simply stunning. The Gen is super readable and so is this. I picked the white for this reason. The multi level dial is very very cool. I took a couple of angled shots to highlight this. The movement and dial need to be uncased to truly see the dial as it should be seen!
The case construction other than the bezel is suberb. Rivaled only to the seawolf replica IMO. The case back is thick and solid and quite true to Gen construction. The case back gasket may be the best I've seen in a rep. The He valve is 100% functional! Gaskets and all. Cool feature. I'm still going to epoxy it cause I don't trust reps as far as I can throw em.
Looks like we got a Gen 2824-2. This is not a recycled movement. It's far too pristine for that but it may be a stunningly good replica. Jury is still out on the Reps with ETA movements in them so we'll leave it at that.
Really a great rep all in all. The size is the reason this watch will be on my fathers wrist for Christmas. He is a huge Briet guy and this will fit in perfectly for him. The watch wears EXACTLY like a seadweller. Even the bezel profile is the same. If you love your non DSSD Rollies, this watch is for you. Me, not so much. This is just simply far too small for me but a beautiful piece non the less.
Thanks for reading! Thanks again to MR and the mods at RWI for a great contest all in all. Calendars can be ordered here: http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/taking-orders-for-2012-rwi-88350
