Hello everyone,
Reviewing my first rep and wanted to be very thorough. I want to make as good of a contribution back to this community as I received when trying to buy my first rep. I also want to speak from experience to those who were in a similar position as me, buying a first rep and being paranoid and all.
I had definitely lurked around RWI and RWG for a long time; a little over 2 years. I wanted to make sure that I had all the details right with my first rep purchase, and I am happy that I did that research! After all was said and done, I ended up settling on the DayDate II pictured below from Andrew @ Trusty Time, made by the BP factory. I know that he is not a TD here but he is trusted on RWG and RG and he had the watch I wanted in stock while others I tried did not (I will not mention names to preserve the reputation of those I contacted). Andrew offered much faster service than any of the other websites as well. Man, does shipping really make things expensive; at least I had a discount code from Chinese New Year! QC Pics took a couple days to show up after ordering, but I got the watch in all of 4 days after confirming QC Pics (!!!), and immediately got the bracelet sized and movement serviced at a rep friendly jeweler in my area (Columbus, OH). I've had this watch for 2 months now, and overall I'm definitely happy with the watch.
Link to the specific watch: http://www.trustytimezone.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_294&products_id=12187
Pics: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B190XcFNE2NhRjQxVXBmdkp1TUk?usp=sharing
For one thing, I absolutely love the style of this piece. I'm a real sucker for rose gold, and the chocolate dial compliments it really well! The rose color also looks slightly sharper than any of my other rose gold watches I own (an Invicta and a Stuhrling). The roman numerals are also really nice, but I did notice that they look slightly smaller than in pictures of the gen watch, which is fine. The fluted bezel is very sharp looking and feeling. All of the text (on the date wheel, day wheel, and the dial) seems super crisp. I couldn't compare to the gen, but it definitely is hard for me to see any faults, and I'm looking pretty damn closely. The sapphire crystal is very clear, although I notice that it gets fingerprints really easily compared to other watches that I own. The cyclops magnifies the date window to pretty much the whole lens, although I don't know if it is 2.5x or not. It's definitely magnified more (and more centered for that matter) than any other watch I have with a cyclops. All the other details are there as well: the clasp engraving, the crown in the crystal at 6 o clock, the rehaut engraving, the works. Only other telling difference from the gen is that the presidential bracelet, while done pretty well, does have some give when bent to the side, as I know that the gen bracelet is very sturdy in the lateral direction and doesn't have the same type of give. I will also say that the bracelet does make more noise than other plated stainless steel bracelets I own, but this is only noticeable when taking the watch on or off. It may have to do with the unique geometry of the presidential bracelet as well.
In terms of the movement, I ordered mine with an Asian 2836, but it comes with 5 different movement options. I was really impressed by the difference between the 28,800 bph movement vs. the 21,600 bph movement on my Invicta Grand Diver (a Seiko NH35A); it really makes more of a difference than you would think. It is also impressive in that it has the day function as well, and in a hard to place position! I was surprised at how both the day and the date functions were adjustable by the crown, as many watches with the day and date functions require you to keep adjusting the time in order to set the day. The movement is very snappy at changing the date at ±5 minutes away from midnight as well. The movement itself is very capable, but it is definitely very loud in terms of it's beat (as the rotor isn't that loud), even compared to my cheaper automatic and quartz watches I own. The power reserve seems to fit the standard 40 hours. It only ran out of power twice over the course of 2 weeks, but it would definitely be fine on a watch winder. However, winding this 2836 is definitely unusual compared to my Invicta's NH35A. Screwing the crown in and out offers much less feedback than the Invicta, although this may have to do with how the crown was made and not the movement. I also noticed that in order to get the second hand moving again after winding it, you HAVE to shake it a little, while my NH35A would start from winding only. I've definitely had no real issues with the movement, but it may be because I had the watch serviced immediately. Can't say how performance is without servicing.
And that's pretty much all there is to say about the watch. It's pretty impressive how these factories can produce these watches that typically cost 30 grand and sell them for literally 1% of the price while maintaining the same function and keeping mostly true to the genuine piece. To any lurkers who are looking to buy their first rep, go in with confidence with the TDs on any of the forums. I was skeptical at first too, but the more research you do the more comfortable you will be. Even if your dealer has some issue, whether it be with stock or payment or whatever, they all maintain really good communication with you and will not screw you over, something I worried about despite doing all the research. You definitely won't get a perfect replication of the watch you want, but if you look hard enough you can get really damn close.
That's about all. Thank you all for helping me through this first purchase!
-bassboink
Reviewing my first rep and wanted to be very thorough. I want to make as good of a contribution back to this community as I received when trying to buy my first rep. I also want to speak from experience to those who were in a similar position as me, buying a first rep and being paranoid and all.
I had definitely lurked around RWI and RWG for a long time; a little over 2 years. I wanted to make sure that I had all the details right with my first rep purchase, and I am happy that I did that research! After all was said and done, I ended up settling on the DayDate II pictured below from Andrew @ Trusty Time, made by the BP factory. I know that he is not a TD here but he is trusted on RWG and RG and he had the watch I wanted in stock while others I tried did not (I will not mention names to preserve the reputation of those I contacted). Andrew offered much faster service than any of the other websites as well. Man, does shipping really make things expensive; at least I had a discount code from Chinese New Year! QC Pics took a couple days to show up after ordering, but I got the watch in all of 4 days after confirming QC Pics (!!!), and immediately got the bracelet sized and movement serviced at a rep friendly jeweler in my area (Columbus, OH). I've had this watch for 2 months now, and overall I'm definitely happy with the watch.
Link to the specific watch: http://www.trustytimezone.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_294&products_id=12187
Pics: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B190XcFNE2NhRjQxVXBmdkp1TUk?usp=sharing
For one thing, I absolutely love the style of this piece. I'm a real sucker for rose gold, and the chocolate dial compliments it really well! The rose color also looks slightly sharper than any of my other rose gold watches I own (an Invicta and a Stuhrling). The roman numerals are also really nice, but I did notice that they look slightly smaller than in pictures of the gen watch, which is fine. The fluted bezel is very sharp looking and feeling. All of the text (on the date wheel, day wheel, and the dial) seems super crisp. I couldn't compare to the gen, but it definitely is hard for me to see any faults, and I'm looking pretty damn closely. The sapphire crystal is very clear, although I notice that it gets fingerprints really easily compared to other watches that I own. The cyclops magnifies the date window to pretty much the whole lens, although I don't know if it is 2.5x or not. It's definitely magnified more (and more centered for that matter) than any other watch I have with a cyclops. All the other details are there as well: the clasp engraving, the crown in the crystal at 6 o clock, the rehaut engraving, the works. Only other telling difference from the gen is that the presidential bracelet, while done pretty well, does have some give when bent to the side, as I know that the gen bracelet is very sturdy in the lateral direction and doesn't have the same type of give. I will also say that the bracelet does make more noise than other plated stainless steel bracelets I own, but this is only noticeable when taking the watch on or off. It may have to do with the unique geometry of the presidential bracelet as well.
In terms of the movement, I ordered mine with an Asian 2836, but it comes with 5 different movement options. I was really impressed by the difference between the 28,800 bph movement vs. the 21,600 bph movement on my Invicta Grand Diver (a Seiko NH35A); it really makes more of a difference than you would think. It is also impressive in that it has the day function as well, and in a hard to place position! I was surprised at how both the day and the date functions were adjustable by the crown, as many watches with the day and date functions require you to keep adjusting the time in order to set the day. The movement is very snappy at changing the date at ±5 minutes away from midnight as well. The movement itself is very capable, but it is definitely very loud in terms of it's beat (as the rotor isn't that loud), even compared to my cheaper automatic and quartz watches I own. The power reserve seems to fit the standard 40 hours. It only ran out of power twice over the course of 2 weeks, but it would definitely be fine on a watch winder. However, winding this 2836 is definitely unusual compared to my Invicta's NH35A. Screwing the crown in and out offers much less feedback than the Invicta, although this may have to do with how the crown was made and not the movement. I also noticed that in order to get the second hand moving again after winding it, you HAVE to shake it a little, while my NH35A would start from winding only. I've definitely had no real issues with the movement, but it may be because I had the watch serviced immediately. Can't say how performance is without servicing.
And that's pretty much all there is to say about the watch. It's pretty impressive how these factories can produce these watches that typically cost 30 grand and sell them for literally 1% of the price while maintaining the same function and keeping mostly true to the genuine piece. To any lurkers who are looking to buy their first rep, go in with confidence with the TDs on any of the forums. I was skeptical at first too, but the more research you do the more comfortable you will be. Even if your dealer has some issue, whether it be with stock or payment or whatever, they all maintain really good communication with you and will not screw you over, something I worried about despite doing all the research. You definitely won't get a perfect replication of the watch you want, but if you look hard enough you can get really damn close.
That's about all. Thank you all for helping me through this first purchase!
-bassboink
