I recently acquired this IWC Mark XVIII Le Petit Prince by V7F for $558 from Mary (currently my #1 TD of choice). This is my third IWC rep. Appearance-wise, I'm happy to report that this watch is absolutely immaculate and totally impeccable. It's the cleanest, most symmetrical, best-built rep to have graced my wrist yet. The factory has done such a great job of quality control, I am thoroughly impressed.
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While I find the V7F production job to be flawless, this watch is not without its (pretty difficult-to-spot) tells. Sharp-eyed nitpickers will point out the crystal AR coating refracting a slightly less saturated hue than the gen does. But trust me, this can only be noticed if you have a gen reference right next to it side by side (and you stare intensely at both back and forth). Another thread in this forum pointed out that the flushed crown of the V7F is also a tell. I actually couldn't confirm this with naked eyes. I dropped into a friendly AD to inspect the gen. I found the V7F crown to be pretty much spot on without any magnification visual aid.
According to the factory and several TD websites, this watch is powered by Swiss ETA 2892-2 21J movement (and apparently that's the reason why it comes at an abhorrent cost of $558). Not being a watch smith or a willing tinkerer, I unfortunately have no way to verify or refute this claim. I'm not opening the case back until it needs service. So for now, just have to accept the possibility that this movement may very well be a clone and not a real Swiss ETA. In any case, it's a lot quieter than my usual daily Miyota's.
BUT, I do have have a timegrapher software. If the ability to keep accurate time is any meaningful measure of movement quality, then this watch turns out to be the top performer in my entire collection, gens or reps. As measured by the software, this watch deviates 0.1 secs per day in the dial-up position and 1.7 secs per day in the crown-up position (see results below) in a clean, dry 71F air-conditioned room. Based on these accuracy metrics, I'm content to assume that this is a legit Swiss ETA until I'm told otherwise by a pro. I've never seen a rep come out of a factory with this level of accuracy. I hope it holds up this performance level for many years to come.
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While I find the V7F production job to be flawless, this watch is not without its (pretty difficult-to-spot) tells. Sharp-eyed nitpickers will point out the crystal AR coating refracting a slightly less saturated hue than the gen does. But trust me, this can only be noticed if you have a gen reference right next to it side by side (and you stare intensely at both back and forth). Another thread in this forum pointed out that the flushed crown of the V7F is also a tell. I actually couldn't confirm this with naked eyes. I dropped into a friendly AD to inspect the gen. I found the V7F crown to be pretty much spot on without any magnification visual aid.
According to the factory and several TD websites, this watch is powered by Swiss ETA 2892-2 21J movement (and apparently that's the reason why it comes at an abhorrent cost of $558). Not being a watch smith or a willing tinkerer, I unfortunately have no way to verify or refute this claim. I'm not opening the case back until it needs service. So for now, just have to accept the possibility that this movement may very well be a clone and not a real Swiss ETA. In any case, it's a lot quieter than my usual daily Miyota's.
BUT, I do have have a timegrapher software. If the ability to keep accurate time is any meaningful measure of movement quality, then this watch turns out to be the top performer in my entire collection, gens or reps. As measured by the software, this watch deviates 0.1 secs per day in the dial-up position and 1.7 secs per day in the crown-up position (see results below) in a clean, dry 71F air-conditioned room. Based on these accuracy metrics, I'm content to assume that this is a legit Swiss ETA until I'm told otherwise by a pro. I've never seen a rep come out of a factory with this level of accuracy. I hope it holds up this performance level for many years to come.
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