So being a newish member I want to contribute something to this forum, which has been a wonderfully indulgent time sink for me. Having some experience with gens before entering this forum, I am able to compare my gen big pilot 5004 to the BP factory 5002 Big Pilot. The model I acquired was brand new, modified with a gen dial of 5002. I originally bought it because I had been lusting after the 5002 dial, however couldn't justify buying a gen 5002, with my current 5004. It would be to costly to sell my 5004, and as luck would have it, the BP 5002 came up for sale on m2m.
As a forward, I am not a professional watchmaker and so my perspective will not be technical, only based on feel and opinion based on what I see.
Lets compare these two watches! Excuse the poor lighting
First Impressions:
On first glance, the watches are strikingly similar. Of course because both are GEN dial, the white markers, black matte dial color will be pretty much identical. The Case, bezel, and crown are indistinguishable except for small details, as I can explain later.
It is interesting to note that the Glare on both crystals are strikingly similar, which is probably due to poor, overexposed lighting on my part. In any case, the level of glare is identical on both, which makes the rep crystal very similar to the genuine. Both AR are not as clear as Steves or the other ones found on the forum, which really makes our reps better than gens in that regard.
I will not review the movement, it is inside closed caseback and we all know the difference between gen and rep.
Case and Crown
I'll let the pictures do the talking. Case profile is almost identical, except maybe the rep lugs are ever so slightly slimmer than gen. However lug profile is the same, and I suspect that if we service the 5004 case, it will look slimmer just like the bp 5002.
Caseback looks very good, close to gen engraving
The weight of the rep is off, I suspect due to the different movement (GEN is big) and probably the lack of iron cage in rep. Still not noticeable without gen in hand to compare.
The rep crown looks the same from afar to the gen, however upon close inspection the gen crown has more clearly defined polished surfaces, and shines alittle brighter. Ironically, this detail is lost when the watch is on the wrist, and the crown is covered in dirt and oil. This picture can show the details. In addition, the feeling of unscrewing the crown is obviously better with gen.
Dial and Hands
The Lume color and texture is different than my 5004, because the original seller said that he relumed the gen 5002 dial. While the lume is definately brighter than the 5004, the lume job has a slightly different lume color and can look poofy in some places. I actually enjoy this characteristic, as the 5002 was more faithful to the vintage big pilot design. This type of lume complements that aesthetic, as well as glows like a torch as we'll see later.
The hands on the rep 5002 look great, however I'm sure under macro pics there will differences in finish. On the wrist however it looks perfect. I cant say for sure but the pinion on gen maybe is slightly longer than rep, so the hands are higher above the dial with increased 3d effect. Honestly, its not noticeable unless you were purposely looking for the flaw, and had the gen next to it.
In conclusion this watch is fantastic! I spent over 11k at the Authorized dealer for the GEN a couple of years ago, before I knew better. Considering the gen dial, it is 99% the same as gen.
Here are some glamour pics lol
As a forward, I am not a professional watchmaker and so my perspective will not be technical, only based on feel and opinion based on what I see.
Lets compare these two watches! Excuse the poor lighting
First Impressions:
On first glance, the watches are strikingly similar. Of course because both are GEN dial, the white markers, black matte dial color will be pretty much identical. The Case, bezel, and crown are indistinguishable except for small details, as I can explain later.
It is interesting to note that the Glare on both crystals are strikingly similar, which is probably due to poor, overexposed lighting on my part. In any case, the level of glare is identical on both, which makes the rep crystal very similar to the genuine. Both AR are not as clear as Steves or the other ones found on the forum, which really makes our reps better than gens in that regard.
I will not review the movement, it is inside closed caseback and we all know the difference between gen and rep.
Case and Crown
I'll let the pictures do the talking. Case profile is almost identical, except maybe the rep lugs are ever so slightly slimmer than gen. However lug profile is the same, and I suspect that if we service the 5004 case, it will look slimmer just like the bp 5002.
Caseback looks very good, close to gen engraving
The weight of the rep is off, I suspect due to the different movement (GEN is big) and probably the lack of iron cage in rep. Still not noticeable without gen in hand to compare.
The rep crown looks the same from afar to the gen, however upon close inspection the gen crown has more clearly defined polished surfaces, and shines alittle brighter. Ironically, this detail is lost when the watch is on the wrist, and the crown is covered in dirt and oil. This picture can show the details. In addition, the feeling of unscrewing the crown is obviously better with gen.
Dial and Hands
The Lume color and texture is different than my 5004, because the original seller said that he relumed the gen 5002 dial. While the lume is definately brighter than the 5004, the lume job has a slightly different lume color and can look poofy in some places. I actually enjoy this characteristic, as the 5002 was more faithful to the vintage big pilot design. This type of lume complements that aesthetic, as well as glows like a torch as we'll see later.
The hands on the rep 5002 look great, however I'm sure under macro pics there will differences in finish. On the wrist however it looks perfect. I cant say for sure but the pinion on gen maybe is slightly longer than rep, so the hands are higher above the dial with increased 3d effect. Honestly, its not noticeable unless you were purposely looking for the flaw, and had the gen next to it.
In conclusion this watch is fantastic! I spent over 11k at the Authorized dealer for the GEN a couple of years ago, before I knew better. Considering the gen dial, it is 99% the same as gen.
Here are some glamour pics lol
Cheers!
