Sums it up very nice!
I would also add that I have been buying rolllie Reps for almost ten years so I have owned just about all the different versions out there. I have had my Noob C prototype for almost a month now and as it has been accurately stated, the "feel" of this watch is as close to Gen as I have seen, but equally impressive to me is the quality of the Stainless Steel (SS) used in this watch on two accounts.
Having owned a few Gens there was always something the Rep SS lacked when compared to a Gen in the looks and in the actual hardness of the steel. Until recently and still on some of the lower end Reps, you will notice the SS does not have the bright color of the SS on a Gen. This lower quality SS has a grey tinge to it. Something that is very difficult to see in pictures but very obvious in natural light. We all know this occurs because Rolex uses a higher grade propitiatory SS that is much harder than 316SS.
The harder SS of a Gen not only looks brighter than a lot of the Rep SS, but the Gen SS does not scratch nearly as quick as Rep SS. Over the years I have noticed that the Rep SS receives light desk diving scratches and the factory brushed finish is quickly degraded when compared to a Gen that is very difficult to scratch up. When this light scratching occurs it further dulls the finish of the SS on a Rep and next to a Gen it looks real obvious. In my experience the type of dullness that occurs to Rep SS in a few weeks is the equivalent to what would take years to scratch and dull up a Gen. This requires constant polishing and refinishing of the bracelet on a Rep to keep it Gen looking.
In the last month of of wearing this watch constantly, this is what I have noticed about the Noob Sub C
1. The SS has that bright Gen look
2. The brushed finish is virtually identical to a Gen
3. When I first received the watch I polished the SS lightly and the polish cloth remained clean, void of black residue
4. Over the last month no light scratching on the bracelet what so ever. Even on the bottom of the clasp which is extremely easy to scratch
5. When I cleaned the watch again with a light polish, virtually no black residue as when I first received the watch.
Bottom line, the SS on this watch is awesome. Not the thing you see from pictures on a computer screen. I think it is worth noting that no matter how tight your end links are or how deep the engraving of your bezel is or no matter how many of the other perceived micro flaws people obsess over are corrected, it would be of no value if the watch had low quality SS. Basically a watch would be worthless unless all you wanted to do was take pictures of your watch and admire them on your computer screen if it had the low grade SS that is common on Reps.
This watch was meant to be worn and I must say, the fact that it does not scratch easily and still has that bright Gen look to the SS after almost a month of wear is impressive. For me, the other tiny "Flaws" people rush to claim they have found on this watch are not nearly the give away that it is a replica watch as low quality SS would be .
And in the department of the quality of the SS, this watch truly is a Super Rep!
i think everyone should reread this thread again...
http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/ss-316l-vs-82263
almost all the high quality reps these days use the same steel and i don't think anyone is seeing any difference visually here unless you're some type of a metallurgist.
this watch is getting way too much hype...
what has really changed here?
new case: which unless you're taking a micrometer to the gen and the older rep no one was ever really seeing the millimeter differences.
correct hour hand: wow, what an advancement.
new pearl: this is something to get excited about because it really is spot on.
what else...?
this is not a V2, it's more correctly the THIRD version of a sub c the noob fac has come up with.
same dial with the same hour markers (with all the problems people have with the BP, it still has more correct looking hour markers)
same incredibly shizey parnis ceramic insert which, i'm sorry boys, i can spot in about 2 seconds on any rep close up or 5 feet away. and that spectacular pearl is not hiding the incorrectly shaped triangle. everyone who has never seen a gen before better give their heads a shake and take the next train out of denial because this is the biggest problem with this watch and it's still not fixed. what is the largest physical feature on this model watch....THE BEZEL.
if you want a cool looking nicely finished watch and don't really care about the replica aspect of this hobby then this watch is probably going to be the bees knees for you, but if you're in this game for accuracy and a truly aesthetic proper reproduction then this watch is still a letdown. believe me, you have no idea how much hope i held for this release because i have sold off all my ceramic rollies even after doing my 4P mod because i could just not live with the biggest, most obvious feature on the watch, and that being the feature that makes the gen such a spectacular piece, being completely fugazied.
the shape and precision of the engravings, the font, the perfect reflectivity of the ceramic surface...the platinum...it just ain't happening on the reps, as much as you want it to be...it is not happening with this current version, or any previous for that matter. the 4P mod is only changing the color of the engravings and does nothing to address the actual physical properties of the ceramic insert. this is from my 116710LN gen bezel build...bad rep inserts, and this new noob sub is no different.
i could go on posting tens of pictures of gen bezels that show the precision and beauty of the engravings but i'm just tired of this now. and tired of hearing people go on about how this insert is no big deal and looks fine....:frusty:
i did my 4P mod thread initially as a stop gap measure to try to make the inserts more gen like. i honestly thought it was a sure thing that someone was going to correct this giant flaw with the next iteration...but no.
patience is a virtue and perhaps in the coming months we will see some change here.
rant over, as you were.
