Quick gen vs rep comparison 26405CE

[legend]

And so, I promised jonnybaws that I will do this.

This is not a full blown comparison where I take macro shots of every part of the watch, because I want to focus on real world and impression differences.
I am not going to compare the caseback as well. We know that the gen and rep use entirely different movements, and the caseback will not be seen in real life.
In case anyone is curious, I traded in my 44mm Panda ROO for this 2019 timepiece for a small top up, as the panda warranty was over.

Here is a pic, gen on left.

If you are mistaken that they are both gen, or both rep, it is fully understandable.

Quick summary of the difference I see
- The gold accents on the gen is more yellowish and on the rep, it is more reddish.
- The lume on the gen appears to be more yellowish and the rep, a lot whiter. This is a lot more evident in real life than the pic.
- Of course, the standard "marker at 3" tell exists, it is slightly longer in the gen. Standard for all 44mm gens vs reps
- datewheel depth is a slight tell. Standard flaw again.
- center of AP logo lines up with a dial "groove" in the gen and in the rep it is slightly to the right
- blue subdial hands appears identical in pics but varies slightly in real life. Inconsequential to me.
- Very slight variation in subdial number printing... again, inconsequential in real life for me.
- Hand base is smaller and more refined in the gen. Its a difference you cannot spot easily in real life due to the lack of contrast between the black dial and gold hands
- As can be seen from the profile pic below, the gen is significantly (estimated 1.8mm-2mm) thinner. This cannot be resolved totally by thinning the caseback, as both the straight and beveled edges are thinner in the gen. Thinning the rep caseback the standard way still gives it the wrong profile..... but really, who gives a damn in real life when watch is worn?

Other Notes
- The ceramic cases of the gen and rep appears to be equally well finished for me.
- Both cyclops look the same to me. The gen has a reflection bubble as well as the rep.
- Crystals are very similar. The gen is slightly clearer in person but without a side by side it is impossible to call it out.

Like I mentioned, the purpose of my post is not to show the macro differences between the two watches. Of course they exist. But I want to present a "real world view" of both watches. The differences are mostly insignificant in real life. So if you want a 44mm ROO to wear for fun, this is an ideal candidate. The all black color theme helps obscure a lot of flaws (as well as details in the gen). So if you were ever curious about this model and how it compares (casually) to the gen, you can see the watches side by side and my advice is to get one if you like it. In the forums, upon scrutiny, of course there are a lot more differences than what I listed above, but remember what matters most is how the watch appears to you IN REAL LIFE.

TGIF everyone.

 

[Timewellspent]

Thanks legend, from the pics seems like a good starter piece for someone looking at AP , everyone always brings up the diver but this is pretty good quality as well

 

[mrsullivan]

Great thread, there's all we need for a good understanding of the OOTB specs of this rep.
Thank you for your great educational work.

Envoyé de mon ELE-L29 en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Steve McGarrett]

Many thanks Legend! Looking at it from a distance and thinking about it, one has to say that it is fascinating how good the reps have become.

And, as you say, it all depends on how you wear it and you have to ignore the hope and expectation of wearing a watch 1:1 on your wrist. If you can do that, every look at the APs is a joy.

I have very little clue, but I have to say that when I look at and touch the case of my Pride, I am very impressed every time.

 

[d3s19n]

Love it!! Thanks

 

[Erinoush]

- datewheel depth is a slight tell. Standard flaw again.

Hello Legend,
What is the reason of this flew, I see that depth date wheel as well on my XF 15703, any possible mod to correct this ?
cheers,
E

 

[legend]

Thanks legend, from the pics seems like a good starter piece for someone looking at AP , everyone always brings up the diver but this is pretty good quality as well

To be honest, divers are becoming boring as everyone tours them to be “super reps” and everyone buys them for the same reason, but to each his own.
For me I’ll rather wear a watch which is unique to me than one which is “accurate” but owned by many.
Besides this example, there are a lot of other choices which are equally good (in real life). No rep is perfect, not even the diver so it may be good to find your own niche in this hobby to maximize your own enjoyment.


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[legend]

Hello Legend,
What is the reason of this flew, I see that depth date wheel as well on my XF 15703, any possible mod to correct this ?
cheers,
E

For the A7750 sec@12 ROO the date will never appear as deep as the gen which uses a stacked chrono (not the best chrono movement either) but the gen datewheel does have a distinctive visual depth.
If you’re talking about the 15703, there is no XF version. I assume you’re referring to the 15706 FC diver which I know you own. There should be no date depth issue in this case, at least not a visually obvious one. For the diver the cyclop is attached to the dial and the datewheel distance from surface to cyclop is about the same for the gen and rep diver.


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[Erinoush]

For the A7750 sec@12 ROO the date will never appear as deep as the gen which uses a stacked chrono (not the best chrono movement either) but the gen datewheel does have a distinctive visual depth.
If you’re talking about the 15703, there is no XF version. I assume you’re referring to the 15706 FC diver which I know you own. There should be no date depth issue in this case, at least not a visually obvious one. For the diver the cyclop is attached to the dial and the datewheel distance from surface to cyclop is about the same for the gen and rep diver.


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Yes you're right I was referring to the carbon fiber case, I did a typing error, I had the feeling date wheel was a bit deeper than on the real deal ...

 

[jonnybaws]

For a "mini" review, its very thorough and exactly to the point from a real life usage perspective, much appreciated legend
I'll stick with my v1 for now.. however will make sure any future 44mm Reps are v2 onwards!

 

[legend]

Yes you're right I was referring to the carbon fiber case, I did a typing error, I had the feeling date wheel was a bit deeper than on the real deal ...

The date wheel for the gen ROO is deeper than the rep one due to the stacked chrono module.
For the diver they are largely similar for gen and rep.


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[Picasso74]

To be honest, divers are becoming boring as everyone tours them to be “super reps” and everyone buys them for the same reason, but to each his own.
For me I’ll rather wear a watch which is unique to me than one which is “accurate” but owned by many.
Besides this example, there are a lot of other choices which are equally good (in real life). No rep is perfect, not even the diver so it may be good to find your own niche in this hobby to maximize your own enjoyment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

completely agree with You........

and thanks for the improving in mine :coax:

 

[Roguetheory]

legend Great review, thank you for that.

The sandblasted titanium shrouds around the chronograph s pushers, I assume they will patina slightly over time. Is there a way to polish them to get a “cleaner” more even finish?

 

[Roguetheory]

...

 

[Luvwatch]

And so, I promised jonnybaws that I will do this.

This is not a full blown comparison where I take macro shots of every part of the watch, because I want to focus on real world and impression differences.
I am not going to compare the caseback as well. We know that the gen and rep use entirely different movements, and the caseback will not be seen in real life.
In case anyone is curious, I traded in my 44mm Panda ROO for this 2019 timepiece for a small top up, as the panda warranty was over.

Here is a pic, gen on left.

If you are mistaken that they are both gen, or both rep, it is fully understandable.

Quick summary of the difference I see
- The gold accents on the gen is more yellowish and on the rep, it is more reddish.
- The lume on the gen appears to be more yellowish and the rep, a lot whiter. This is a lot more evident in real life than the pic.
- Of course, the standard "marker at 3" tell exists, it is slightly longer in the gen. Standard for all 44mm gens vs reps
- datewheel depth is a slight tell. Standard flaw again.
- center of AP logo lines up with a dial "groove" in the gen and in the rep it is slightly to the right
- blue subdial hands appears identical in pics but varies slightly in real life. Inconsequential to me.
- Very slight variation in subdial number printing... again, inconsequential in real life for me.
- Hand base is smaller and more refined in the gen. Its a difference you cannot spot easily in real life due to the lack of contrast between the black dial and gold hands
- As can be seen from the profile pic below, the gen is significantly (estimated 1.8mm-2mm) thinner. This cannot be resolved totally by thinning the caseback, as both the straight and beveled edges are thinner in the gen. Thinning the rep caseback the standard way still gives it the wrong profile..... but really, who gives a damn in real life when watch is worn?

Other Notes
- The ceramic cases of the gen and rep appears to be equally well finished for me.
- Both cyclops look the same to me. The gen has a reflection bubble as well as the rep.
- Crystals are very similar. The gen is slightly clearer in person but without a side by side it is impossible to call it out.

Like I mentioned, the purpose of my post is not to show the macro differences between the two watches. Of course they exist. But I want to present a "real world view" of both watches. The differences are mostly insignificant in real life. So if you want a 44mm ROO to wear for fun, this is an ideal candidate. The all black color theme helps obscure a lot of flaws (as well as details in the gen). So if you were ever curious about this model and how it compares (casually) to the gen, you can see the watches side by side and my advice is to get one if you like it. In the forums, upon scrutiny, of course there are a lot more differences than what I listed above, but remember what matters most is how the watch appears to you IN REAL LIFE.

TGIF everyone.

Good review mate. Thanks for posting.
For the cost of the rep vs the gen, it’s a great option and delivers great overall value.

How do you find both straps in terms of quality and accuracy?

Cheers


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[legend]

Good review mate. Thanks for posting.
For the cost of the rep vs the gen, it’s a great option and delivers great overall value.

How do you find both straps in terms of quality and accuracy?

Cheers


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Personally the JF straps are good enough both visually and by feel. That is my personal opinion and you may have different expectations of the straps quality.


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[legend]

legend Great review, thank you for that.

The sandblasted titanium shrouds around the chronograph s pushers, I assume they will patina slightly over time. Is there a way to polish them to get a “cleaner” more even finish?

You’re right in suggesting that they will darken over time due to oxidation. If really needed they can be brushed with a metal cleaner which will brighten the surface finish. I will personally leave the metal as it is as it adds character to the watch. It’s highly personal though.


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[Luvwatch]

Personally the JF straps are good enough both visually and by feel. That is my personal opinion and you may have different expectations of the straps quality.


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I guess they did a very good job with the rep straps. I did have different expectations about the gen, but in fact I find it much better knowing that the JF rep straps are so similar to gen AP’s.
The Dark Knight is either so good or I bought a rep at gen price.

Years ago I had the chance to purchase a pair of gen and a pair of rep rubber Chopard straps and the difference has huge.
The gen ones had a very texturized, soft, manageable feel to them, more weight and a vanilla scent, while the rep ones where lightweight, rigid and of course no scent, but I’m taking about 12 years ago.

Since then the rep game it’s in a total different league. Free market at its finest.

Stay safe my friend.


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[legend]

I guess they did a very good job with the rep straps. I did have different expectations about the gen, but in fact I find it much better knowing that the JF rep straps are so similar to gen AP’s.
The Dark Knight is either so good or I bought a rep at gen price.

Years ago I had the chance to purchase a pair of gen and a pair of rep rubber Chopard straps and the difference has huge.
The gen ones had a very texturized, soft, manageable feel to them, more weight and a vanilla scent, while the rep ones where lightweight, rigid and of course no scent, but I’m taking about 12 years ago.

Since then the rep game it’s in a total different league. Free market at its finest.

Stay safe my friend.


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If you want my personal opinion, the rubber straps for the gen Ghost and Dark Knight both aren't like the older rubber straps, in that they are thinner, slightly more glossy, and to be brutally honest, cheap to the touch lol, like straps which belong better on $60 casio watches. It is hard to imagine the rep rubber straps being worse, and I do not think that it is the case. I think that any of the similar looking two tone straps you find on ebay will give the gen ones a good run for its money, material wise. There is nothing superlative about the gen Dark Knight straps.. they are pretty basic, quality wise. So yes, I say get JF or aftermarket, there is no reason to get the gen straps IMHO.

 

[YellowFin]

legend Great comparison - thanks for the effort!

As I'm not too familiar with the construction with the APs: what's that black material between the bezel and the case? Is that the sealing ring or a metal part as well?