5GPO vs. Franken Side-by-side

[Digitaldorifto]

I started this thread to do a side by side comparison between My recent
PO Franken build and a Stock, non modded 5th generation Planet ocean for anyone whose thinking of doing a Franken build.

Both watches were purchased from Trevor and are the same other than the Franken has a Swiss eta 2824 and the other has a clone 2824 movement.

As far as the pictures go, the Franken will always be on the left and the non-modded one will be on the right.

Franken Mods include:

Gen Dial
Gen Bezel assembly
Gen Crystal
Gen Hands (hr,min,sec)
Gen Crown & Tube


I decided to pass on modding the date-wheel because I was happy with the font and I passed on the HE valve because it just did not bother me enough to change it.

The pearl was one of my biggest complaints so the GEN bezel with pearl was the only real fix for me. I've seen some fantastic modded pearls in the rep insert but I wanted to go all out.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Q5?]

Ofrie's and Cousin's stock prices just went up. :lol:

 

[jcagara08]

First! Wow very nice side byvside mate! Ho much did you spend and what base PO watch did you use for the project? AR is colorless on the gen as I see it and everything is virtually the same just wow, my 5th gen PO was worth it..wearing it as a daily beater for work

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mr. Pap]

Very nice close ups! Nice franken you have build there!!!

 

[co-axial]

Nice result there, thanks for sharing this

 

[jfm741]

Looks great! I'll be doing this to mine for sure. Can't beat that Gen bezel....Now I just have to find a modder here that will get back to me! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

[Digitaldorifto]

To anyone in the CONUS I used speedy-G. He's a trusted watch smith here on RWi. If you email him it takes a while to get a response but he will get back to you. Or just sent in your project and it took about 3 weeks for it to return to me.

 

[drbollocko]

Great comparo and great pics showing the differences digital, this will be really helpful for people doing future builds, or even just those buying a straight rep.

 

[Ardee]

Ah, that double-AR coating makes a world of difference on the gen crystal, I wasn't so sure on that since I haven't seen a watch with one in real life. It's possible to just have the rep crystal redone for AR isn't it?

Great post, very informative!

 

[amptor]

Looks so close but that gen pearl's ring looks better. Personally, I would leave it alone save a lot of ca$h that way. Doesn't the gen bezel assembly cost as much as the entire rep watch?

But I am besides the point, this is a modding hobby and this is a great post. I was going to do mods on my 4th gen PO but decided to wait and see if someone would release a new watch, which after many months of waiting a rumor came out and then the rumor panned out.

Current 5th gen PO pearl height looks ideal to me, sans the aesthetic of the pearl itself. I may have to pick up the black/white model at some point. I have been keeping my eyes open for a deal.

Anyway this watch is truely a rep enthusiast's dream watch.

 

[Inushuk]

nice close up .
Thanks for sharing

 

[Digitaldorifto]

YES the bezel assembly is about the same price as the rep watch itself and I could have saved a lot of money not changing the entire bezel just to get a centered pearl.
But I did my research and decided to mod the things that were important to me. I know myself and I knew that if I did a pearl mod, that I would not be completely happy with t and would end up changing the bezel sooner or later.

When I first started my research the last thing on my list was changing the crystal, but because it was recommended se highly by other members that I just went for it and honestly it's the most noticeable upgrade and makes a world of difference. I would definitely reccomend the crystal upgrade even though the crystal is also roughly the cost of an entire watch.

As far as the dial goes, the rep dial Is very close to the gen. It's hard to see in the pictures but the hour markers on the rep have a yellowish tint, where the gen hour markers are bright white. And of course the lume is much brighter.