Hi everyone,
Earlier today I received my B01 running an A7750 movement... I've been looking forward to this rep for a while, and it's exciting to finally have it in front of me. I promised that I was going to post some immediate reactions and pictures asap, so I'm taking advantage of my lunch break to do just that.
How does the rep compare overall? Pretty well, actually. The weight is nice, and the feel is also of a high quality watch. This is my rep, with black dial and SS bracelet:
One of the questions commonly asked is whether the "square" in the middle of the dial is visible like in the gen. Well, yes. I think they replicated that fairly well. The effect is created by some vertical lines that reflect light differently depending on the angle. Hard to capture in photos. Sometimes the square is there, sometimes it's not. I don't have a gen in front of me, but I have seen numerous gens at the AD's. I have to say, this aspect of the replcation is fairly nicely done.
The second thing people have commented on, is the huge pearl. How did the Chinese pull it off? Not too badly, actually.
Whether you like the giant pearl on not, is a matter of personal tastes. But what matters is that the replication is by no means offensive. I should also add that the lume on this rep is also of the higher quality seen on reps. Not nearly as good as the gen, but not too bad either. I would still advise purists to get it superlumed if they think the watch is a keeper.
The AR is similar to the quality we have seen on recent Breitling reps (e.g., the latest BCEs). So it's the best you're going to get on a rep. But again, the purists would have to get this double AR'd, because it's not quite as good as the effect of the gen, where the crystal is simply not there.
The hour markers have some issues. Mind you, nothing to pull your hair out about, but they are not quite prefect (e.g., the ones next to the subdials are wider). Also, I wonder if the pushers are a fraction longer than the gen (though I might be wrong about that). The crown is not as well defined as the gen, which has slightly deeper cuts.
The bezel rotates nicely and comes with 240 clicks, which I believe is like the gen.
Now, on to the main source of concern... The dreaded recessed datewheel. That's a massive problem, and like I said elsewhere, perhaps the only reason why this one runing an A7750 is never going to be a super rep. It's an immediate give away. Having said that, the font is quite accurate (and whether you like the font of the gen, that's a different story). My advice is to go for a colour combination where the background of the DW is similar to the dial. That way the recess is less visible. Indeed, when looked at from a straight angle, the problem is not so significant, but from the side... you can't get away with it. Also, the DW window and font are smaller than the gen.
Now, those weird bits of white on the inside of the DW are not visible without the gift of macro sight! But they're still a bit odd...
The caseback is spot on, with perhaps a slightly darker background on the centre logo than the gen. But nothing to whine about here.
The bracelet is the typical rep quality we seen on these. It's good, but doesn't have that silky buttery feel of the gen. Nothing some oil and capecod can't fix though. What I find odd is the way the bracelet meets the case. I just don't like it. But that's another weird Breitling design issue. By the way, the links are on a slant like on the gen. Though note that they are not as diagonal as on other Breitling models.
So, what are my final thoughts on this rep? Well, it's another amazing indication of what those crazy Chinese can pull off. When you think about it, it's incredible how much reps have developed in recent years. But as long as we don't have a clone movement that allows DWs to be higher in the 4.5 configuration, this is never going to be a perfect rep. The DW is a big issue (unless you find someone willing to do the raised DW mod for you). But other than that, the replication is nice. It doesn't "shine and sparkle" like the gen (I suspect because of the crystal and steel?). And there are a few small issues to do with the dial. But besides that, they've done a good job. And importantly, the price is also fair for a first generation. In the end, I think people are still going to be more critical of the design rather than the replication. If you don't like the oversized pearl, the bezel font, the DW font, the square effect, etc, then you're not going to buy this no matter what. It's definitely one of the boldest design statements I have seen from Breitling.
Earlier today I received my B01 running an A7750 movement... I've been looking forward to this rep for a while, and it's exciting to finally have it in front of me. I promised that I was going to post some immediate reactions and pictures asap, so I'm taking advantage of my lunch break to do just that.
How does the rep compare overall? Pretty well, actually. The weight is nice, and the feel is also of a high quality watch. This is my rep, with black dial and SS bracelet:
One of the questions commonly asked is whether the "square" in the middle of the dial is visible like in the gen. Well, yes. I think they replicated that fairly well. The effect is created by some vertical lines that reflect light differently depending on the angle. Hard to capture in photos. Sometimes the square is there, sometimes it's not. I don't have a gen in front of me, but I have seen numerous gens at the AD's. I have to say, this aspect of the replcation is fairly nicely done.
The second thing people have commented on, is the huge pearl. How did the Chinese pull it off? Not too badly, actually.
Whether you like the giant pearl on not, is a matter of personal tastes. But what matters is that the replication is by no means offensive. I should also add that the lume on this rep is also of the higher quality seen on reps. Not nearly as good as the gen, but not too bad either. I would still advise purists to get it superlumed if they think the watch is a keeper.
The AR is similar to the quality we have seen on recent Breitling reps (e.g., the latest BCEs). So it's the best you're going to get on a rep. But again, the purists would have to get this double AR'd, because it's not quite as good as the effect of the gen, where the crystal is simply not there.
The hour markers have some issues. Mind you, nothing to pull your hair out about, but they are not quite prefect (e.g., the ones next to the subdials are wider). Also, I wonder if the pushers are a fraction longer than the gen (though I might be wrong about that). The crown is not as well defined as the gen, which has slightly deeper cuts.
The bezel rotates nicely and comes with 240 clicks, which I believe is like the gen.
Now, on to the main source of concern... The dreaded recessed datewheel. That's a massive problem, and like I said elsewhere, perhaps the only reason why this one runing an A7750 is never going to be a super rep. It's an immediate give away. Having said that, the font is quite accurate (and whether you like the font of the gen, that's a different story). My advice is to go for a colour combination where the background of the DW is similar to the dial. That way the recess is less visible. Indeed, when looked at from a straight angle, the problem is not so significant, but from the side... you can't get away with it. Also, the DW window and font are smaller than the gen.
Now, those weird bits of white on the inside of the DW are not visible without the gift of macro sight! But they're still a bit odd...
The caseback is spot on, with perhaps a slightly darker background on the centre logo than the gen. But nothing to whine about here.
The bracelet is the typical rep quality we seen on these. It's good, but doesn't have that silky buttery feel of the gen. Nothing some oil and capecod can't fix though. What I find odd is the way the bracelet meets the case. I just don't like it. But that's another weird Breitling design issue. By the way, the links are on a slant like on the gen. Though note that they are not as diagonal as on other Breitling models.
So, what are my final thoughts on this rep? Well, it's another amazing indication of what those crazy Chinese can pull off. When you think about it, it's incredible how much reps have developed in recent years. But as long as we don't have a clone movement that allows DWs to be higher in the 4.5 configuration, this is never going to be a perfect rep. The DW is a big issue (unless you find someone willing to do the raised DW mod for you). But other than that, the replication is nice. It doesn't "shine and sparkle" like the gen (I suspect because of the crystal and steel?). And there are a few small issues to do with the dial. But besides that, they've done a good job. And importantly, the price is also fair for a first generation. In the end, I think people are still going to be more critical of the design rather than the replication. If you don't like the oversized pearl, the bezel font, the DW font, the square effect, etc, then you're not going to buy this no matter what. It's definitely one of the boldest design statements I have seen from Breitling.
