Big disclaimer up front, I have no experience with AP watches, replica or gen, so this is mainly going to be focused on the merits of the watch itself as a watch with my thoughts as an enthusiast who has a few reps and a bunch of gen watches.
I'm very happy with this watch. I have been wanting a stainless steel sports watch with a '70s vibe and had been looking at some gen watches (nothing in the AP range) when I decided that this was cheap enough to at least give it a shot. Overall the finishing is fantastic, the weight is pleasing, the bracelet is comfortable, and the dial is gorgeous. It does have some sharp edges on the case and bracelet, but from what I have read, it seems like this can be the case for gen as well. Sizing it was a breeze, the screws were not stubborn at all. I had to remove 1 link for a comfortable fit on my 8" wrist. I will note that the AP sizing method was unexpected and interesting, while not troublesome. The crown screws in and out easily and the date and time setting works as expected. I will note that the slow date change bothered me more than I expected last night. As has been reported, it begins changing around 10. The bracelet moves smoothly and the clasp is satisfying.
The dial is an absolute work of art. On the wrist or even close up with the naked eye, you can't tell or appreciate the level of detail. It just looks like a field of shimmery squares, but with a macro lens you can really appreciate the work that has gone into this. Is it gen like? I'll leave that for you to decide, but I think it's beautiful and absolutely appreciate it for what it is.
The movement looks nicely finished. With the macro lens some scrapes are visible on the rotor over the "Audemars Piguet". I can't see this at all with the naked eye, so I have included a pic from farther back so that you can get an idea of what it actually looks like. Since I received it yesterday it has been beating away very accurately. The hand-winding is not as smooth as I'd hope. It does feel a little gritty and rough when hand winding. Will that be an issue? Is it gen-like? No idea on either. In another thread someone had mentioned that the rotor doesn't seem heavy enough and that it's sluggish in its movement. I can see what they're talking about. The rotor definitely does not rotate as freely as the rotor in some of my other watches. I can only imagine this being a problem with the power reserve while off the wrist, and if it does become an issue, a hand wind will definitely sort it out quickly. The last thing I'll mention about the movement is that a low-beat movement doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I understand that this is true to gen, but I like a very smooth sweep. This is fine, not really as jarring as I expected.
So, that's it. It may have some flaws or "tells" which might differentiate it from the gen watch, but I'm personally unconcerned with them because as a timepiece this stands on its own two feet. I think it looks great and I'm loving wearing it. If you'd like any other looks at the watch or have any questions about my experience with it, please don't hesitate to ask.
S/o to Li jtimewatch for another fantastic watch and great service.
Finally, thanks to all the experts in this section for sharing your expertise and knowledge. Thanks to your contributions and input I felt confident making my first rep AP purchase.
I'm very happy with this watch. I have been wanting a stainless steel sports watch with a '70s vibe and had been looking at some gen watches (nothing in the AP range) when I decided that this was cheap enough to at least give it a shot. Overall the finishing is fantastic, the weight is pleasing, the bracelet is comfortable, and the dial is gorgeous. It does have some sharp edges on the case and bracelet, but from what I have read, it seems like this can be the case for gen as well. Sizing it was a breeze, the screws were not stubborn at all. I had to remove 1 link for a comfortable fit on my 8" wrist. I will note that the AP sizing method was unexpected and interesting, while not troublesome. The crown screws in and out easily and the date and time setting works as expected. I will note that the slow date change bothered me more than I expected last night. As has been reported, it begins changing around 10. The bracelet moves smoothly and the clasp is satisfying.
The dial is an absolute work of art. On the wrist or even close up with the naked eye, you can't tell or appreciate the level of detail. It just looks like a field of shimmery squares, but with a macro lens you can really appreciate the work that has gone into this. Is it gen like? I'll leave that for you to decide, but I think it's beautiful and absolutely appreciate it for what it is.
The movement looks nicely finished. With the macro lens some scrapes are visible on the rotor over the "Audemars Piguet". I can't see this at all with the naked eye, so I have included a pic from farther back so that you can get an idea of what it actually looks like. Since I received it yesterday it has been beating away very accurately. The hand-winding is not as smooth as I'd hope. It does feel a little gritty and rough when hand winding. Will that be an issue? Is it gen-like? No idea on either. In another thread someone had mentioned that the rotor doesn't seem heavy enough and that it's sluggish in its movement. I can see what they're talking about. The rotor definitely does not rotate as freely as the rotor in some of my other watches. I can only imagine this being a problem with the power reserve while off the wrist, and if it does become an issue, a hand wind will definitely sort it out quickly. The last thing I'll mention about the movement is that a low-beat movement doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I understand that this is true to gen, but I like a very smooth sweep. This is fine, not really as jarring as I expected.
So, that's it. It may have some flaws or "tells" which might differentiate it from the gen watch, but I'm personally unconcerned with them because as a timepiece this stands on its own two feet. I think it looks great and I'm loving wearing it. If you'd like any other looks at the watch or have any questions about my experience with it, please don't hesitate to ask.
S/o to Li jtimewatch for another fantastic watch and great service.
Finally, thanks to all the experts in this section for sharing your expertise and knowledge. Thanks to your contributions and input I felt confident making my first rep AP purchase.
