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IWC Pilot Chronograph Ref.389005 Mercedes AMG-Petronas

Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
28/12/10
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Hey guys wondering if anyone’s seen a rep version of the AMG Petronas Pilot? I’ve sent Intime a note, Looks like there’s a rep version made the YLF factory.

Here’s a link to a non-authorized dealer. I’m only posting this for reference. I don’t see it on any of the TD’s sites.

http://www.bestpossiblewatches02.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=354&product_id=9646

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WC800729

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Reach out to a TD and see if they are truly being produced.
If they cannot get it, it is a bogus listing.
Best of luck.
 
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Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
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Reach out to a TD and see if they are truly being produced.
If they cannot get it, it is a bogus listing.
Best of luck.

Agreed completely. Fingers crossed Ryan or Sead come up with something, otherwise may have to settle for the black Top Gun.


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Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
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Hope he had it.

Hey, thanks for checking in. So Ryan said he can’t source it which is unfortunate but my gut says it exists. Let’s see what Sead says.


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Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
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Hope he had it.

Just an update, had a convo with Sead. Looks like it’s available and he’s going to get me one.

Stay tuned if interested.

I’ve seen a lot about the standard 3777-xx 44mm ZF Pilot, not so much about the YLF version other than Big Pilot so curious what I will end up with.


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DrHack

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Yes please post some pics when you get it! Anxious to hear your opinion, it looks like a stunner!
 
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WC800729

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Yes, post some images and your impression when it arrives. May be my next order!
 

WC800729

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Yes, post some images and your impression when it arrives. May be in my next order.
Thanks in advance.
 
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Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
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Yes, post some images and your impression when it arrives. May be in my next order.
Thanks in advance.

I am in the process of waiting for the next set of QC photos. The first set came in earlier today (see below). Overall the watch looks VERY good. As there were only 50 of these ever made I haven't been nit picking the details. That being said here are the things worth mentioning.

1. The chrono hand @ 6 is suppose to be Petronas green, looks like the factory installed a white one on. TD is looking to see if he can get this corrected as the example YLF I've been seeing on the web has the correct green one.

2. The quality of the cutting around the chronos, specifically the one @ 6 is very rough so I've made note to the TD that (again) the examples I've seen have clean rings. The dial is real CF so you can see when the machines were routering the holes for the chronos some of the weave didn't cut very well. *I only posted the good photos, I have other angles that really accentuate the poor cutting*.

3. Case back markings are missing (1) a dimple between "IWC" and the serial number. (2) The dimple between "Motorsport" and the serial is also not centered. Both these errors are consistent across all the YLF examples I've seen so I dont care to much about it.

Overall looks great for a rep of a watch you'll prob never see in person. If we can get QC issues 1 and 2 sorted out I'm still definitely interested in picking this up. Sead has been very responsive throughout the process which is awesome.

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higginsd

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Great review! I can see another obvious flaw: the subdials are too far away from the outer side of the dial. Or too much centered. I think this is not easy to correct because it depends on the movement. I cannot understand why they did this big mistake, looks like choosing a wrong or cheap movement.

Also the date wheel looks recessed.

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Om3ga_guy

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Great review! I can see another obvious flaw: the subdials are too far away from the outer side of the dial. Or too much centered. I think this is not easy to correct because it depends on the movement. I cannot understand why they did this big mistake, looks like choosing a wrong or cheap movement.

Also the date wheel looks recessed.

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All great observations!

The sub dial spacing is incorrect across all of the rep 389xxx Pilots. If you’re looking for a rep of this model it’s something you just have to get used to with across all the ZF and YLF reps.

I think the positioning of the date disk is "ok", it naturally sits back on all the other models as well. With this particular one there’s a raised border that makes it look even deeper, but your right its ever so slightly more recessed.

Here are some gen photos of the Top Gun for context (again this doesn't have the raised border and you can see it sits slightly recessed to begin with):
Screen-Shot-2021-01-18-at-9-02-07-AM.png

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Most of what you see online for the AMG version are renders so it’s hard to really compare the rep against the real deal. I think if I was critiquing this against a more commoditized watch like the Sub or Seamaster I'd be more picky. This ones a limited edition and a rare bird so no on will ever be able to compare it against the gen.


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WC800729

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Great review and information. Looking forward to your update.
Thanks
 

Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
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2nd round of QC photos, much better this time.

I am approving these with note of two things to be corrected by factory:
-Lint on 6 o'clock sub dial (between 35 and 30)
-Hands on 12 o'clock chrono look misaligned

This ones much better than the first example!


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DrHack

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Looking good, please post some wrist shots when you receive. I may need to spring for this one...
 

Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
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OK here is the 3rd attempt at getting a better example. With ZF and YLF the "qc" clearly isn't as good as the noobs and other factories.

This may be the best one so far - the date window is surprisingly the correct colour!

Sorry about the low res, not sure why but every-time I upload the images they distort.

Screen-Shot-2021-01-22-at-2-24-51-PM.png
 
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Om3ga_guy

Put Some Respect On My Name
28/12/10
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Alright folks so the Petronas IWC is in. I've only worn it for about 20 minutes so far but initial impressions are it feels good. The leather as you would expect is a bit stiff but it's already breaking in.

The overall quality looks great, not a "VSF 116610" but for the price and a "stock" rep this plays the part very well.

A few other notes:
-Black ceramic is dark black, was worried it was going to be washed out but the black looks accurate
-Quality of CF dial looks excellent
-Hands and marker are well printed and glow very bright (hands are slightly brighter initially but then blend in together)
-Great weight to the watch
-Chrono's are fully functional
-Date snaps pretty close to midnight, alignment is 8/10, I wouldn't say they are perfectly centered but its hard to point out as its such a small window. I suspect a movement overhaul and ETA date disc c-an correct
-Crystal is flawless
-If you look closely as the gen the subdials all have a different texture to them. The subdial at 12 specifically has two levels with different textures - the rep has carried these details over as well
-Crown screws down tight, pushers snap nicely
-A7750 winds similar to my gen Omega chrono, slightly noisier I feel

Biggest flaw to note:
-Sub dials are not as far apart as the gen. These ones are a few mm closer to the center as you would expect. Its a flaw across all the IWC pilot models
-Caseback is missing a small dimple maybe not worth mentioning as it doesn't look wrong

All in all very happy with the purchase. This was is limited to 50 pcs in the world so the likeliness of someone ever putting the rep and gen next to each-other is very unlikely. Looks legit enough for me - I really picked this u for the nostalgia of it being a Petronas Ltd model.

Some quick iPhone 10 photos
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Lume shot
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