AP Gen owners- is it worth it? or rep is good enough (For what is worth)

[gigahertz15]

Had a few gens. Only have 1 now. Can't justify keep many gens when a highly modded rep is so close to the Gen. If it breaks or dies, who cares?
If you're going to get a Gen, buy one that isn't repped (or repped well).

 

[jpohl402]

[MENTION=100984]kazn[/MENTION]
I have a FC Diver listed in the Sales section here if interested

 

[kazn]

Simply put , the gens IMO have as many mechanical issues as the reps..... Gens movements are quite fragile and enormously expensive to fix . Don't expect bullet proof build !! Buy a G Shock !!

My gens which get very little wear have all been in for warranty work ..... As you mention in your post ..... the last time was my 44RG and the pusher simply fell off !!!

Most reps IMO are sensational but Gen ownership has a special feeling of indulgence .... not worth the xtra most might say !!!!

Reading this just makes my heart sink ! There is no way I'll put up with this especially at where I am living ( New Zealand )- serving is generally difficult as you have to send it half way around the world ! The local Seiko here won't even change the quartz battery in my GS , they had to send it to Sydney and take weeks. Now imagine AP!!

 

[kazn]

I wonder how can it be that you have consideres such an exquisite watch like the FP Journe and still think about the FC Diver. I would strongly reccomend in house movements . And with that kind of budget I would seriously consider the Journe or a Lange , or even a preowned Nautilus . Dumping a choice just by the WR is not fair because you don't go swimming with a FP Journe on your wrist ...

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Good point taken Marius. Reason I'm interested in FC or ceramic diver is because ceramic is durable and suits my outdoor lifestyle better- I like to wear my watch everywhere to bond with it. AP has that elegance, rarity and sportiness nothing else on the market can compete.

I can't stand flat bezels like nautilus as it scratches too easily and make wearing it more of a pain than enjoyment. When it comes to Rolex 9 out of 10 I'll ditch the exp 2 and go for the ceramic models just for his reason. Same thing with WR and screw down crown - not an necessity but absolutely needed for my peace of mind and I need to be 100% happy with it. After all we are making a personal and emotional choice . (Ahh ...the addiction)

Love the dial work and craftsmanship of independents / Lange / journe- only thing is they tend to be quite dressy and I'm afraid I won't wear it as often- thus less enjoyment. Definitely something I'll consider when older, but not sure about now.

Such a shame AP can't improve the reliability of their work , even for a non complicated piece like this!

 

[kazn]

Had a few gens. Only have 1 now. Can't justify keep many gens when a highly modded rep is so close to the Gen. If it breaks or dies, who cares?
If you're going to get a Gen, buy one that isn't repped (or repped well).

Thanks for sharing your experience, definitely very useful to know what gen owners been through. I guess I'll take a step back and look at other models for now ..

I've got a VAC modded FC diver on the way. Going to see how I like it. I'm guessing the ETA movement in it will last me quite a long time...

 

[Marius13]

Good point taken Marius. Reason I'm interested in FC or ceramic diver is because ceramic is durable and suits my outdoor lifestyle better- I like to wear my watch everywhere to bond with it. AP has that elegance, rarity and sportiness nothing else on the market can compete.

I can't stand flat bezels like nautilus as it scratches too easily and make wearing it more of a pain than enjoyment. When it comes to Rolex 9 out of 10 I'll ditch the exp 2 and go for the ceramic models just for his reason. Same thing with WR and screw down crown - not an necessity but absolutely needed for my peace of mind and I need to be 100% happy with it. After all we are making a personal and emotional choice . (Ahh ...the addiction)

Love the dial work and craftsmanship of independents / Lange / journe- only thing is they tend to be quite dressy and I'm afraid I won't wear it as often- thus less enjoyment. Definitely something I'll consider when older, but not sure about now.

Such a shame AP can't improve the reliability of their work , even for a non complicated piece like this!

Of course , it's a matter of preferences, so just follow your heart like everyone should do [emoji6]

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[jpohl402]

Same thing with WR and screw down crown - not an necessity but absolutely needed for my peace of mind and I need to be 100% happy with it. After all we are making a personal and emotional choice .

Water Resistance with anything FC...?!?!
Goooooood luck with that! Lol

 

[moms]

I agree a gen dont worth the price especially for the Ap divers

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[kazn]

Water Resistance with anything FC...?!?!
Goooooood luck with that! Lol

Don't quite get what you mean here. Does the forged carbon has some sort of fault that makes it leaky ?

 

[kazn]

I agree a gen dont worth the price especially for the Ap divers

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Thanks. I guess my search goes on. Seems like only thing worth buying gen these days are rare metal / independent / very high ends with displayed backs or watch with unique complications .

There's a post in the main forum talking about being called out with reps ...etc and it's scary that even some watch makers can't tell the difference .

It does make you think ... if the Chinese can do it this good for a couple of hundred bucks (and still makes profit)- why are we paying thousands for it! Surely this can't be all marketing ? I haven't seen many mainstream ads from the top luxury watch brands these days except maybe a couples pages of Rolex and patek in the investment / finance mags ....surely they can't be that expensive ?

no wonder Swiss watch sales are down from the latest report. Perhaps people are seeing their "true value" brought on by sites like rwi.

RWI - The red pill for luxury swiss watches lol

 

[peterpl]

^ Its because you live in NZ mate. Here in Sydney/Melb we dont see so many advertising as well. Go to HK/Singapore or some other places and advertising is everywhere.

 

[kazn]

^ Its because you live in NZ mate. Here in Sydney/Melb we dont see so many advertising as well. Go to HK/Singapore or some other places and advertising is everywhere.

True, good point

 

[kazn]

Over here in NZ most people wears Seiko's and Casio's. Interestingly these watches actually last for their lifetime- they are all smaller diameter 35-38 mm from the 60-70s.

I've only ever spotted a pam and a few date justs in the wild.

The good thing about this is that no one knows what AP / patek is. One lady actually commented about how nice my g shock (rep AP diver) is (she just bought one for her niece)!

 

[jpohl402]

Don't quite get what you mean here. Does the forged carbon has some sort of fault that makes it leaky ?

Yes it sure does. The carbon weave is a porous material. Rep FC APs are difficult to waterproof - and gen FC APs also even had problems with water resistance, hence partially why AP discontinued FC for Ceramic...

 

[imajedi]

Off all the gens I've owned, I feel the fit and finish of a gen rolex is really incredible. For me, it's the one brand that really separates itself from the reps.

 

[legend]

Don't quite get what you mean here. Does the forged carbon has some sort of fault that makes it leaky ?

It has been documented in some forums that even the gen AP FC diver has issues with waterproofing.

 

[MisterFancypantsthesecond]

IVe also had gen and rep AP. If u can get a decent franken. Go for it... AP is SOOO expensive for what you get. The movements aren't the best, got problems, very costly in maintenance, and the reps are so good now,... I'd never buy a gen AP anymore...


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[tosoboso]

IVe also had gen and rep AP. If u can get a decent franken. Go for it... AP is SOOO expensive for what you get. The movements aren't the best, got problems, very costly in maintenance, and the reps are so good now,... I'd never buy a gen AP anymore...

I agree here. From the APs I've owned or handled there is very little evidence that these timepieces are worth the price tag. If you get a second hand AP that's 40-50% of the original store price, that's pretty much bearable. But paying RRP in a store is not my thrill. A good franken brings much more enjoyment, there's more to life than simply owing a gen whatever

 

[legend]

IVe also had gen and rep AP. If u can get a decent franken. Go for it... AP is SOOO expensive for what you get. The movements aren't the best, got problems, very costly in maintenance, and the reps are so good now,... I'd never buy a gen AP anymore...


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+1. I used to own a decent collection of genuine AP ROOs. But movement issues, ridiculous maintenance costs, long turnaround times for repair and service and quality issues made me gradually switch camps from gens to frankens. One of my first gens was a rubberclad. The bezel got dinged badly after a bump against a wall and AP wanted me to pay $2200 for a replacement bezel. I ended up selling the watch at a loss to a dealer.
I have also encountered dial imperfections on my gen white themes and chrono issues on 2 of my other ROOs.
Building frankens are a lot economical by comparisons and gives a lot more satisfaction than simply buying and owning a gen IMHO.

 

[bfiuza]

Pt send me another rubberclad bezel for $70

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