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DD4131 vs SH4131 Pictures
- Thread starter aHero
- Start date
@steve_theonewatches when are we going to see a part by part disassembly and comparison with the gen 4131?
Not being a watchmaker, these look pretty dang similar to me. But I agree, the DD does look crisp.
With these open case backs, I wonder how long it'll be till we start seeing a free-sprung balance out of Dandong or elsewhere. It isn't unfeasible. I imagine most of the difference between it and one with the typical beat adjuster and regulator arms is marketing. If they can clone a chronograph, they can clone a balance. It's ust a matter of time, I think.
I was only thinking about this yesterday and had a VERY rare replica watch conversation with my wife that was around the subject of.... if replica watches get so close to gen that there is virtually no difference then whats the point of buying gen and will the value of gens go down?
For instance the Clean Panda is so so close to gen finish on the outside that it is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing that cost infinitely more $$. Now the inner workings are virtually identical also... so the only thing that remains is to A. Build them in a clean environment and oil them properly and B. as @SS72 states, replicate a free sprung balance. You will have then a virtually undetectable rep.
Now this has me slightly panicked as I own Gen Rolex Sub, so if my watch could be cloned to the exact same spec as gen then whats the point of a gen and more scary where does that leave the value of the real Rolex, i'm seriously thinking about selling it and just wearing reps now, they are literally getting that good!
Tell me your wife is a keeper without telling me your wife is a keeper.
Congratulations (that she talks reps with you sometimes.
Most of the time she just says that watches are boring and talking about watches is even more boring! But hey, I still love her 33 years later! Sometimes I just talk watches to wind her up...you know, like a watch!Tell me your wife is a keeper without telling me your wife is a keeper.
Congratulations (that she talks reps with you sometimes.
Owning and wearing gens gives me a sense/feeling that can't be matched by a rep. The quality of parts on a gen is superior, and of course precious metals are used. Plenty of people wouldn't lower their standards to own a fake Rolex, not openly anyway. These are some reasons why I think the number of people owning gens and the price of gens probably won't decrease.
I would feel a lot of pride owning and wearing a super franken if I did the work myself.
Once (if) the balance is cloned, if done well, the risk associated with buying from non-ADs, or reputable sellers who don't back their sales with a money back guarantee, increases.
That said, you can buy a VSF Sub and fit a gen balance in it already, so . . .
Edit: to add, if I'm being totally honest, I feel that owning a few gens will make it easier if someone ever calls me out, because I can say, "Yeah, but I own some real ones, too". But that's gotta be 100% ego.
I would feel a lot of pride owning and wearing a super franken if I did the work myself.
Once (if) the balance is cloned, if done well, the risk associated with buying from non-ADs, or reputable sellers who don't back their sales with a money back guarantee, increases.
That said, you can buy a VSF Sub and fit a gen balance in it already, so . . .
Edit: to add, if I'm being totally honest, I feel that owning a few gens will make it easier if someone ever calls me out, because I can say, "Yeah, but I own some real ones, too". But that's gotta be 100% ego.
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Mine was the same till she unboxed and put on her Clean OP 36. She still bags the shit out of me when I put on the sexy double-loupe goggles, though. The ones with the little LEDs on the sides.
This is a really interesting point on finishing. I think that’s where most reps falls short in my opinion. Even if they look 1:1, if you appreciate watches you can usually tell once you get them in hand.
The clasp, the edges, the bezel feel, it might be good but not quite great. And also the movement, usually a bit gritty. But it seems like we are getting so much closer now that without a loour sometimes it’s really difficult to tell. How far are we from a true 1:1 inside and out? Doesn’t seem that far off.
I recently was reminded of this, after getting into reps and given a chance to buy an awesome franken.
I had previously tinkered with SKX's and love those few watches that I created from 3rd party sourced parts and meticulously created uniqueness Seikos; guess you can classify them as rep Seikos.
One thing is, that this would drive costs a lot. They would need to use precious metals for some parts, movement will become more expensive, same cleanliness and QC in production as for gen will drive costs even more.
And when you finally manufacture a perfect clone - Rolex will spend millions and millions to catch you.
True. As soon as a 1:1 came out, they'd probably get raided soon after. All of the top tier manufacturers have had setbacks and some of the best are gone (GF for Breitling) pre-raid VSF.
- 27/5/22
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No the full DD has been available from VSF for some time now