My first Rep !!! IWC Big Pilot 5009-09 Le Petit Prince. Does anybody owns this ? Any feedback ?

[gma]

Looking for my first rep!!! An IWC Big Pilot Le Petit Prince 5009-09 (Rose Gold) from ZF Factory.
I have found this at asian7750, trustytime, torobravo's. Not a lot of opinions/feedback and QC about the rose gold version..... Any suggestions, recommendations ???? Does anybody own this?


Thanks in advance.

 

[offpink]

I can only highly recommend the watch, I used to own this particular model (purchased M2M at the end of 2016). The rose gold plating held up fine over a year of consistent wear, however, I have to mention it was too flashy at times and in terms of care I wished I would've went with the SS as I was too careful at time to make sure nothing happened to the plating.

I do remember reading that some users got the watch with a faulty power reserve mechanism which is definitely something to lookout for.

 

[CaptainSplash]

I can only highly recommend the watch, I used to own this particular model (purchased M2M at the end of 2016). The rose gold plating held up fine over a year of consistent wear, however, I have to mention it was too flashy at times and in terms of care I wished I would've went with the SS as I was too careful at time to make sure nothing happened to the plating.

I do remember reading that some users got the watch with a faulty power reserve mechanism which is definitely something to lookout for.

Cannot comment on the RG version, as I have this version of the LPP in SS. What I can say is that that particular model is excellently executed, outside of the sunburst on the subdial versus matte on the Gen. This is in heavy rotation in my collection!

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[gma]

I can only highly recommend the watch, I used to own this particular model (purchased M2M at the end of 2016). The rose gold plating held up fine over a year of consistent wear, however, I have to mention it was too flashy at times and in terms of care I wished I would've went with the SS as I was too careful at time to make sure nothing happened to the plating.

I do remember reading that some users got the watch with a faulty power reserve mechanism which is definitely something to lookout for.

Hi. Thank you very much for your response!

I really like the rose gold one however, I don't know if it is a better choice to the SS regarding the quality of the plating and how accurate it's color is to the GEN one... It is valuable feedback coming from someone who owned it !!! What do you think?
How do you compare it in general to the Gen? How was your power reserve?
I know a lot of questions...

 

[offpink]

I don't know if it is a better choice to the SS regarding the quality of the plating and how accurate it's color is to the GEN one

To me it definitely was a super rep, I love to franken watches but to me this one didn't need anything beside a genuine strap, the rose gold color was very close to the genuine as well. I would only recommend the SS if you're planning on taking it on any type of outdoor activity where sweat or water will be involved. The power reserve mechanism was working well on mine and the movement never really gave me any issue. It was definitely one of my low maintenance watches.

 

[offpink]

Here is a picture I made comparing both (pic of the rep taken from this thread: https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...-zf-iwc-500908-big-pilot-petite-prince-thread).



As you can see it's definitely very close in terms of rose gold color (keeping in mind the different lighting). The only thing that I can notice in the first few minutes of comparing would be the tachy that is slightly thicker on the genuine (but it looks like they fixed that if you look atCaptainSplash's picture).

 

[gma]

To me it definitely was a super rep, I love to franken watches but to me this one didn't need anything beside a genuine strap, the rose gold color was very close to the genuine as well. I would only recommend the SS if you're planning on taking it on any type of outdoor activity where sweat or water will be involved. The power reserve mechanism was working well on mine and the movement never really gave me any issue. It was definitely one of my low maintenance watches.

Yeah, I see what you mean...the rose gold color is very close...
Sorry about that, but I have no experience of how delicate the plating can be... Is it really easy to be damaged? I am going to use it as an everyday watch so I want to know how flexible it can be. Is the strap that comes with it really crap?
I really like the rose gold but on the other hand, I don't want a watch that it is very fragile and after a while, i won't be able to wear it...

 

[offpink]

I have no experience of how delicate the plating can be... Is it really easy to be damaged?

From my experience if if it is near sweat/water regularly, it will definitely fade faster (1 years tops). Now if you take care of it and it is not a daily watch, plating can last up to 3-4 years without any problem. Another issue you can also experience will be with scratches, naturally with wear you will scratch the watch, it happens to all of us regardless of how careful we are. With RG plating and depending on how thin it is, the scratch could reveal the metal underlayer which will definitely say that your watch is not solid gold but plated.

 

[offpink]

Is the strap that comes with it really crap?

It's not crap but not very confortable. If you have any aftermarket strap ordered from good manufacturers or have access to retail you'll know the difference, but it is definitely good enough.

 

[gma]

From my experience if if it is near sweat/water regularly, it will definitely fade faster (1 years tops). Now if you take care of it and it is not a daily watch, plating can last up to 3-4 years without any problem. Another issue you can also experience will be with scratches, naturally with wear you will scratch the watch, it happens to all of us regardless of how careful we are. With RG plating and depending on how thin it is, the scratch could reveal the metal underlayer which will definitely say that your watch is not solid gold but plated.

I didn't know that the plating is so sensitive. I mean two or even three years is not a very long life cycle especially compared to the SS one !!!
I don't treat my watches badly, but I was expecting with a little care to last much longer. I don't know what's the point getting a watch even as cheap as 400 $ just for a couple of years. Hearing all the useful information i might reconsider it and go for the SS. Just when I was about to pull the trigger for the Rose Gold ???? What do you think?

 

[offpink]

You can always replate it, there are a few modders that offer the service. However, it needs to be said that the maintenance of any plated model will be higher than a regular SS one. I like to compare that to the gen versions, the golden ones will always be more expensive to own, it is also the case here.

 

[gma]

You can always replate it, there are a few modders that offer the service. However, it needs to be said that the maintenance of any plated model will be higher than a regular SS one. I like to compare that to the gen versions, the golden ones will always be more expensive to own, it is also the case here.

I will probably go for the SS then ... It sounds like there is a lot of maintenance involved in the rose gold one! And most important I will probably need to replate it in a couple of years...
You've been very helpful and always to the point!
Thank you very much!

 

[offpink]

No worries, glad to help!

 

[ebitdaddy]

FWIW, the biggest flaw here is the matte coloring of the subdial, which is a huge huge tell vs gen. It's a very stark difference when you've seen gen's out in the wild. Just my 2cents, and what caused me to not pick up this beauty.

 

[gma]

FWIW, the biggest flaw here is the matte coloring of the subdial, which is a huge huge tell vs gen. It's a very stark difference when you've seen gen's out in the wild. Just my 2cents, and what caused me to not pick up this beauty.

So do you also agree to go for the SS one?

 

[Tschacko]

No worries, glad to help!

Hey man are dates on your DW centered ? A very common problem on the Reps !

 

[CaptainSplash]

Go SS for a daily wear. My 2c's. And yes the subdial is incorrectly finished, but seriously - how many gen LPP's out there with owners who will laser-lock on yours? Oh, I know. 1000. If you meet one, shake their hand and wear yours in good health.

Regards strap: acceptable, wear it till it stretches too much at the lugs or delaminates which is usually the natural order of things in my experience with Rep leather straps. Watch out for the deployant, tends to bend a bit and may not close properly after wear and tear- a gen strap is in my future plans however.

Regards date wheel issue, can't comment broadly but mine is centered. An btw I posted a gen Big Crown Top Gun elsewhere in the forum - date wheel was not centered .

Final advice, relax - it's a rep, will have quirks and tells but get it, wear it and enjoy it! That's part of the game .

 

[offpink]

Hey man are dates on your DW centered ? A very common problem on the Reps !

I sold mine a while ago, but yes the date wheel was centered, you could always ask for another one in your QC or once you get it serviced they can align it for you.

 

[Tschacko]

I sold mine a while ago, but yes the date wheel was centered, you could always ask for another one in your QC or once you get it serviced they can align it for you.

Well I have not seen a single V2 LPP Big Pilot where the datewheel was centered on all digits. Maybe the V1 had a better batch. My 10s are left justified. The 20s 30s and 1s are fine.
It’s almost impossible to align since you have to file down the teeth of the datewheel.

 

[Erikfit]

It's amazing how much one learn in this forum... Amazing.

And amazing watch!!