- 9/5/06
- 294
- 293
- 63
I recently asked @popup (RC Studio) to build me a 3KF Nautilus 5711 base with SWF green dial, SWF date wheel, SWF hands, and Deep crystal. I used the 3KF green dial base because the case is good enough for me, I wanted the 3K movement, and the green dial had the right etched movement number (330 which is correct for green and 50th anniversary, not 324 which is correct for the older blue & white dials). I also upgraded to the SWF green dial, which I think is the closest to gen in color and sunburst under various light conditions. I upgraded to the SWF datewheel because the stock font is incorrect and too thin. I ordered SWF hands, to match the dial indices. I also got a Deep crystal, even though the gen doesn't have anti-glare afaik, but the it was a cheap add-on, and I wanted the dial to shine. I didn't upgrade the movement plates because the depth of the engravings don't matter to me, are hard to see in the first place, and I'm not even sure if the upgraded plates would have the correct 330 movement number.
So, here are my takeaway after spending a few days with the watch:
1) Popup is great to work with. Communication through WhatsApp was quick and his English was good. He sent me a picture of the dial before installing, which I thought was nice. After asking for some extra pics, he actually had the watch retrieved from the shipper, so again nice. He brushed and polished the watch, which looks good, though I don't have the original to compare it to. FedEx shipping was the quickest I've ever received from China. Lastly, the price for watch and mods was good. So, highly recommended.
2) 3KF movement - smooth and silent. Keeps good time. I like.
3) SWF dial - The green dial changes in color under sunlight and ambient light from light green to forest green to almost gray. It looks very good compared to the pics I've seen online, and I will never see this limited gen in real life. That being said, there are some minor annoyances. One, the PATEK PHILIPPE and GENEVA text are ever so slightly lower on the dial then gen. Hard to see with the naked eye, but it's there. the writing on the Buff dial is better aligned, but I still the SWF color is better.
4) SWF hands - The lume on the hands does not quite match the lume of the indices both in color and brightness. The hands are slightly more yellow/green than the dial markers. You can't see it in indoor light conditions, but if you look for it under brighter light or outside, you can. When charged, the hands glow brighter than the dial markers. I believe that the hand lume mismatch may actually true for the gen, but if so, it's still a bit weird, and I'd prefer they be the same.
5) SWF date wheel - Here's my biggest complaint. The datewheel is off-center to the left, which is most pronounced on the 2-digit dates. At first I thought this was just a problem with my watch, but I've since looked at Chazingtime, and his watches that have SWF dial/datewheel are also aligned slightly to the left. Nothing I can't live with, but Buff does a better job on this front (as does the stock 3KF), so maybe there's a better pairing for the datewheel.
6) Deep crystal - I don't know, looks good to me.
7) Overall - the watch looks great on the wrist and worth every penny, more so when compared to the ridiculous $200k cost of the gen.
Here are some pics (SWF dial installed on the watch, 3KF stock dial in plastic container)
So, here are my takeaway after spending a few days with the watch:
1) Popup is great to work with. Communication through WhatsApp was quick and his English was good. He sent me a picture of the dial before installing, which I thought was nice. After asking for some extra pics, he actually had the watch retrieved from the shipper, so again nice. He brushed and polished the watch, which looks good, though I don't have the original to compare it to. FedEx shipping was the quickest I've ever received from China. Lastly, the price for watch and mods was good. So, highly recommended.
2) 3KF movement - smooth and silent. Keeps good time. I like.
3) SWF dial - The green dial changes in color under sunlight and ambient light from light green to forest green to almost gray. It looks very good compared to the pics I've seen online, and I will never see this limited gen in real life. That being said, there are some minor annoyances. One, the PATEK PHILIPPE and GENEVA text are ever so slightly lower on the dial then gen. Hard to see with the naked eye, but it's there. the writing on the Buff dial is better aligned, but I still the SWF color is better.
4) SWF hands - The lume on the hands does not quite match the lume of the indices both in color and brightness. The hands are slightly more yellow/green than the dial markers. You can't see it in indoor light conditions, but if you look for it under brighter light or outside, you can. When charged, the hands glow brighter than the dial markers. I believe that the hand lume mismatch may actually true for the gen, but if so, it's still a bit weird, and I'd prefer they be the same.
5) SWF date wheel - Here's my biggest complaint. The datewheel is off-center to the left, which is most pronounced on the 2-digit dates. At first I thought this was just a problem with my watch, but I've since looked at Chazingtime, and his watches that have SWF dial/datewheel are also aligned slightly to the left. Nothing I can't live with, but Buff does a better job on this front (as does the stock 3KF), so maybe there's a better pairing for the datewheel.
6) Deep crystal - I don't know, looks good to me.
7) Overall - the watch looks great on the wrist and worth every penny, more so when compared to the ridiculous $200k cost of the gen.
Here are some pics (SWF dial installed on the watch, 3KF stock dial in plastic container)
