The SMPc has been covered in reviews on here before most recently here by [MENTION=83540]ilya93robbins[/MENTION]https://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/sh...-use-bezel-modbut there are a few details in the latest ones that are slightly different so I thought this calls for a full review. This is long so skip to the last paragraph for a summary!
Firstly a big thank you to Lucy who got the watch to me very quickly from payment and also supplies the bezel insert separately so you can fit it yourself - to me a huge plus. When I mention the 'latest ones' this watch has been revised a few times and I am talking about mine specifically and the sample QC pics from a few weeks ago Lucy sent me under the assumption they are all currently the same.
To start at the top, this watch looks amazing. It has a really nice gen like appearance with a lovely sparkle in the light and that blue ceramic is something to behold when it catches the sunlight. Appearance wise I comfortably prefer this to my V6 factory CrPO.
I'll start with the bezel. This is a reasonable effort from BP as the colour is passable and the pearls on the latest ones are really nicely done. Some say the colour is not quite gen like but it changes colour that much in different lights it's hard to say. It has the tiniest bit of play in it but looks great and turns really smoothly.
The bezel markers look good but unfortunately are matt and the wrong colour, similar to the Subs they are white and should be a sparkly dark silver. They're also a fraction deeper than gen like the SubC. I'm trying [MENTION=15706]pilworx[/MENTION] paint mod on my Sub so I'll do it on this at the same time. It seems this is constructed in exactly the same way as the Sub inserts as it's also completely flat like them whereas the gen is ever so slightly rounded at the edges
The dial is gorgeous. Lovely blue that changes colour dramatically with the light. All markers and text are good and the latest ones don't have the 'dome' effect on the markers, they are flat like gen. The AR on the crystal is good - I get strong blue reflections but I think these are to do with the blue dial and clarity is also excellent compared to gen. Nothing wrong with the hands either, they compare very well to gen ones. Unfortunately there are a couple of specks of dust under mine but hey ho.
Lume is not the brightest initially and the green parts are a bit brighter than the blue but stays readable all night long just like my gen SMP dial.
Now to the case. The first ones to come out had a very accurate case and they have used a couple of others since which have been slightly off. One had a shroud over the crown like the GMT and the latest also has them slightly incorrect as well. The He valve is fine, a little lower than gen but still higher than the 50 marker so you'd struggle to notice - the popular 'tell' is that it's aligned with the 50 marker. With the crown guards trimmed a bit it would be accurate enough. The sides of the latest case are slightly different but this is hard to notice. Nicely finished case though, brushing is good and overall well made but not as accurate to gen as it used to be. The crown is smooth as butter and so is the movement.
The bracelet - this was a little stiff when I got it. The links are well shaped - curvature of the end ones looks a little more like some of the older wave dials but who will notice? After a wash in WD40 and baby oil bath things are much improved, overall the bracelet on this is really really nice and looks close to gen.
A big but though - the new clasp is a real disappointment. Maybe I've been spoiled by the quality of the V6 CrPO clasp and my gen SMP clasp but the earlier ones on these SMPc's looked 100x better. Nasty sharp edges abound, and the brushing and engraving looks cheap - nowhere near deep enough and seems like the logo has been distorted somehow. The divers extension has lost its ceramic ball bearings and makes do with some cheap metal tabs like the old SMP which like to come open by themselves. At least it closes securely with a nice click which is more than I can say for my CrPO. Real shame as other than that the bracelet on this is superb.
The caseback is a highlight of this rep for me. You might have seen the first ones that are a million miles from gen with the polished waves and indistinct text. This one looks gorgeous and very close to gen, it's a real improvement on the old. There are a couple of imperfections on the satin waves but nothing noticeable from any distance.
Overall, am I happy with this rep? Definitely! It's a gorgeous watch and for the most part it's very gen like.
Do I think it's overpriced? A bit. It's at least $40 more than the V6 CrPO rep and while it's a 2824 not a Miyota it has no decoration and is also a rep of a cheaper watch. Despite this it is not quite as accurate a rep and the clasp is awful. If it still came with the old clasp and highly accurate case I might have thought different. Nevertheless this is a really well built, high quality watch with the exception of that damn clasp!
Firstly a big thank you to Lucy who got the watch to me very quickly from payment and also supplies the bezel insert separately so you can fit it yourself - to me a huge plus. When I mention the 'latest ones' this watch has been revised a few times and I am talking about mine specifically and the sample QC pics from a few weeks ago Lucy sent me under the assumption they are all currently the same.
To start at the top, this watch looks amazing. It has a really nice gen like appearance with a lovely sparkle in the light and that blue ceramic is something to behold when it catches the sunlight. Appearance wise I comfortably prefer this to my V6 factory CrPO.
I'll start with the bezel. This is a reasonable effort from BP as the colour is passable and the pearls on the latest ones are really nicely done. Some say the colour is not quite gen like but it changes colour that much in different lights it's hard to say. It has the tiniest bit of play in it but looks great and turns really smoothly.
The bezel markers look good but unfortunately are matt and the wrong colour, similar to the Subs they are white and should be a sparkly dark silver. They're also a fraction deeper than gen like the SubC. I'm trying [MENTION=15706]pilworx[/MENTION] paint mod on my Sub so I'll do it on this at the same time. It seems this is constructed in exactly the same way as the Sub inserts as it's also completely flat like them whereas the gen is ever so slightly rounded at the edges
The dial is gorgeous. Lovely blue that changes colour dramatically with the light. All markers and text are good and the latest ones don't have the 'dome' effect on the markers, they are flat like gen. The AR on the crystal is good - I get strong blue reflections but I think these are to do with the blue dial and clarity is also excellent compared to gen. Nothing wrong with the hands either, they compare very well to gen ones. Unfortunately there are a couple of specks of dust under mine but hey ho.
Lume is not the brightest initially and the green parts are a bit brighter than the blue but stays readable all night long just like my gen SMP dial.
Now to the case. The first ones to come out had a very accurate case and they have used a couple of others since which have been slightly off. One had a shroud over the crown like the GMT and the latest also has them slightly incorrect as well. The He valve is fine, a little lower than gen but still higher than the 50 marker so you'd struggle to notice - the popular 'tell' is that it's aligned with the 50 marker. With the crown guards trimmed a bit it would be accurate enough. The sides of the latest case are slightly different but this is hard to notice. Nicely finished case though, brushing is good and overall well made but not as accurate to gen as it used to be. The crown is smooth as butter and so is the movement.
The bracelet - this was a little stiff when I got it. The links are well shaped - curvature of the end ones looks a little more like some of the older wave dials but who will notice? After a wash in WD40 and baby oil bath things are much improved, overall the bracelet on this is really really nice and looks close to gen.
A big but though - the new clasp is a real disappointment. Maybe I've been spoiled by the quality of the V6 CrPO clasp and my gen SMP clasp but the earlier ones on these SMPc's looked 100x better. Nasty sharp edges abound, and the brushing and engraving looks cheap - nowhere near deep enough and seems like the logo has been distorted somehow. The divers extension has lost its ceramic ball bearings and makes do with some cheap metal tabs like the old SMP which like to come open by themselves. At least it closes securely with a nice click which is more than I can say for my CrPO. Real shame as other than that the bracelet on this is superb.
The caseback is a highlight of this rep for me. You might have seen the first ones that are a million miles from gen with the polished waves and indistinct text. This one looks gorgeous and very close to gen, it's a real improvement on the old. There are a couple of imperfections on the satin waves but nothing noticeable from any distance.
Overall, am I happy with this rep? Definitely! It's a gorgeous watch and for the most part it's very gen like.
Do I think it's overpriced? A bit. It's at least $40 more than the V6 CrPO rep and while it's a 2824 not a Miyota it has no decoration and is also a rep of a cheaper watch. Despite this it is not quite as accurate a rep and the clasp is awful. If it still came with the old clasp and highly accurate case I might have thought different. Nevertheless this is a really well built, high quality watch with the exception of that damn clasp!
