- 16/5/19
- 100
- 70
- 28
Hi all! I'm new here, but I've been pouring over the vintage forums non-stop for the past week or so. I figured now that I've been on the forum for a few days I'd attempt my first post in outside of the New Member Zone. This is my ROC 6263, the watch that got me into Reps. I had been lusting after a good Newman Daytona for about five years; I'd read an article about the "long-lost" Newman watch (remember those days?) and instantly fell in love. As Daytona fever continued to rise, I poured over everything I could about the watches and their differences. I loved the Newman Singer dial and its only-in-the-60s design, but I could give or take the "DAYTONA" lettering (I couldn't find a single Rep that got it right), and I loved the screw-down pushers. So, I set my sights on the 6263. In July 2018, I came across a decent-looking Rep from Allswisswatch. This is what I saw: https://www.allswisswatch.eu/swiss-r...r-replica.html
Straight away, I was interested in this watch. I wanted the cream dial, because I wanted to have something like the patina a 50-ish year old watch could have. But there were drawbacks. For one, the chrono hour dial dripping into the outer track bugged the hell out of me. Also, the bracelet looked chintzy, and I was anxious to see the quality of the bezel in person. But, I went for it. I don't regret it for a second.
For a newbie, the ordering process felt weird. I placed my order, and despite the company having a U.S. mailing address, I was corresponding with someone in the U.K. Midlands. What's more, the watch was in China. It was sent to the U.K. for Q.C, then sent Stateside. It doesn't seem too out of the ordinary now, what with customs and all. But then, it raised a few minor alarms for me. A few weeks in, I wondered if it would ever arrive. Of course, I did, and I was thrilled with what I saw.
For starters, the factory (I don't know who built it) addressed the droopy dial – for the life of me, I don't know why they haven't updated that in their website photos. There's a clear separation between the subdials and the track here; it isn't consistent, but it looks a lot closer to Gen than I'd expected. The dial itself is nowhere near a cream color. It's more of a bleached bone than anything else, but I actually like the look of it better than the one in the site photos. The lettering is good and clear, and while the coronet doesn't look 100% right to my eye, the size and placement is good enough for me. The bezel looks great in my opinion too.
Here are the drawbacks: The hands and bracelet look like shite. I've had to adjust the end links twice now to keep it from rattling. The crystal is plasticky and really scratch-prone, and the lugs are too long. Also, while the chrono works great (despite the fixed hour dial), the reset pusher is finnicky; it usually takes a few presses to reset that too-cool arrow hand.
But honestly, I can't complain much. I bought the watch hoping that it would be fairly decent, and have ended up wearing it far more than my other main squeezes: my Gen 5500 Air King, and Speedy Reduced. It makes me smile every time I put it on – as I write this, it hasn't left my wrist for a week. Plus, after a year of heavy wear, it's starting to get a nice little collection of desk dives, car repair nicks, and areas of discoloration. It's starting to develop its own story.
I have one of the TS Watch 6542s on its way, and I'll write about that one too once it gets some wrist time. The deeper I get into Reps, the more interested I am in modding my watches to bring them closer to Gen spec. For the Daytona, I'm thinking of slimming the case and drilling out for Gen spring bars first. Then, probably a new crystal and hand set. And maybe someday, I'll spring for a really good Viet PN dial to bring it all home. Any suggestions on mods would be really appreciated and met with open ears – after all, I'm a new guy. Anyway, I thanks for reading about my favorite piece of wrist candy, and thanks for the education from all you regular posters.
Straight away, I was interested in this watch. I wanted the cream dial, because I wanted to have something like the patina a 50-ish year old watch could have. But there were drawbacks. For one, the chrono hour dial dripping into the outer track bugged the hell out of me. Also, the bracelet looked chintzy, and I was anxious to see the quality of the bezel in person. But, I went for it. I don't regret it for a second.
For a newbie, the ordering process felt weird. I placed my order, and despite the company having a U.S. mailing address, I was corresponding with someone in the U.K. Midlands. What's more, the watch was in China. It was sent to the U.K. for Q.C, then sent Stateside. It doesn't seem too out of the ordinary now, what with customs and all. But then, it raised a few minor alarms for me. A few weeks in, I wondered if it would ever arrive. Of course, I did, and I was thrilled with what I saw.
For starters, the factory (I don't know who built it) addressed the droopy dial – for the life of me, I don't know why they haven't updated that in their website photos. There's a clear separation between the subdials and the track here; it isn't consistent, but it looks a lot closer to Gen than I'd expected. The dial itself is nowhere near a cream color. It's more of a bleached bone than anything else, but I actually like the look of it better than the one in the site photos. The lettering is good and clear, and while the coronet doesn't look 100% right to my eye, the size and placement is good enough for me. The bezel looks great in my opinion too.
Here are the drawbacks: The hands and bracelet look like shite. I've had to adjust the end links twice now to keep it from rattling. The crystal is plasticky and really scratch-prone, and the lugs are too long. Also, while the chrono works great (despite the fixed hour dial), the reset pusher is finnicky; it usually takes a few presses to reset that too-cool arrow hand.
But honestly, I can't complain much. I bought the watch hoping that it would be fairly decent, and have ended up wearing it far more than my other main squeezes: my Gen 5500 Air King, and Speedy Reduced. It makes me smile every time I put it on – as I write this, it hasn't left my wrist for a week. Plus, after a year of heavy wear, it's starting to get a nice little collection of desk dives, car repair nicks, and areas of discoloration. It's starting to develop its own story.
I have one of the TS Watch 6542s on its way, and I'll write about that one too once it gets some wrist time. The deeper I get into Reps, the more interested I am in modding my watches to bring them closer to Gen spec. For the Daytona, I'm thinking of slimming the case and drilling out for Gen spring bars first. Then, probably a new crystal and hand set. And maybe someday, I'll spring for a really good Viet PN dial to bring it all home. Any suggestions on mods would be really appreciated and met with open ears – after all, I'm a new guy. Anyway, I thanks for reading about my favorite piece of wrist candy, and thanks for the education from all you regular posters.
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