I think Jake has almost convinced me...
lol
Not reall trying to convince anyone Capt., but I have been doing this (collecting reps) for a long time. I have a few rollies from not very long ago that I sunk well over $1,200.00 each into with mods to get them "Just right" - so I get the whole "I have to have my watch exactly like a Gen" thing.
The Rep watches now, however, have become so good that it is not a single flaw here or there that give the away, but rather the cumulative sum of all the subtle flaws together that make a watch come across as "fake" Instead of focusing on nano measurements regarding hour ring thickness, font spacing or the depth of engraving, people are missing the other flaws that I feel give the watch away as being fake. Although subtle, things like the metal texture (brushing/polish) how defined the machine work is on things like the case, bracelet and crown, the feel of the watch, the clarity of the crystal and the way a watch looks in the light, both natural and artificial are the true killers and give a ways.
You can have a watch look great on a flat computer screen because all the micro measurements and angles are right, but if it doesn't pass the real world test in person, even someone who isn't a WIS and doesn't know the bezel isn't engraved deep enough or the font isn't spaced just right can sense that something isn't quite right. And lets' face it, 99% of the people don't have a clue about all these micro measurements people here are obsessing about. Even if they did, in the real world, not under a microscope, these teeny flaws would not be seen anyways.
But show a watch that gets every measurement right to a person. WIS or not, and if that watch has the wrong brushed finish, the metal is off in color or shine, or when held it just plain feels "cheap" by weight, balance or things like how crisp the bezel turns, the bracelet snaps or how silky smooth the links move or not and I guarantee within seconds even an amateur watch buff will say "fake"
For me, the fact that the Noob doesn't get everything 100% true to Gen (What Rep does) is offset by the amazing finish and quality build the watch has. Something you can only experience if you hold the watch in your hand.
I'll be the first to admit my $1,200.00 + modded Reps with tons of Gen parts were so accurate on paper it was ridiculous, but as hard as I tried, they where never quite right. Now, I am not saying the Noob C is equal in every way to a Gen, but again, I can't emphasize enough, that for essentially $400 this is as close to a Gen as you can get. Not because it is an exact 1:1 copy, although it is pretty darn close, but because it has that Gen look and feel in real life, not on a computer screen...
You won't be disappointed...
