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Updated Royal Oak Tourbillon by R8 Factory are out

legend

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Hi all. Came gray. In different lighting it looks either lighter or darker.
I was upset that the mechanism seemed to be dirty, in the workshop they said that they could clean it, do you think it's worth it?




Without knowing the quoted cost it’s impossible to comment if it’s worth it. Also worth is a very subjective thing. But it’s good that it can be cleaned so don’t need to be upset.
 
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Guiltycat

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OffshoreNL

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Excuse my picture quality.. someone has to explain to me how to take proper pictures with an iPhone 13 pro. They always seem blurry or what not compared to the other pictures on RWI. Here is a picture of my 'Royal Oak PVD Tourbillon R8F Best Edition Black Sunburst Tapisserie Dial on PVD Bracelet V2' - the modifications include the tourbi cage being plated in rhodium as per gen and the screws in white gold by @flying-tommy . Maybe some other mods have been done but it's escaping my mind right now. The movement certainly runs more smooth than before. Going to put this bad boy up for sale sometime over the weekend eventually.

ztXy1c.png
 
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grillbrill

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Excuse my picture quality.. someone has to explain to me how to take proper pictures with an iPhone 13 pro. They always seem blurry or what not compared to the other pictures on RWI. Here is a picture of my 'Royal Oak PVD Tourbillon R8F Best Edition Black Sunburst Tapisserie Dial on PVD Bracelet V2' - the modifications include the tourbi cage being plated in rhodium as per gen and the screws in white gold by @flying-tommy . Maybe some other mods have been done but it's escaping my mind right now. The movement certainly runs more smooth than before. Going to put this bad boy up for sale sometime over the weekend eventually.

ztXy1c.png
Can you really see the difference, is the white gold plating of the bezel screws worthwhile?
 

OffshoreNL

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Can you really see the difference, is the white gold plating of the bezel screws worthwhile?

They where clearly more 'silver' before than the white gold now. Modding a watch with a gen price of more than half a million is always a bit of a 'is it worth it question'. I only did it during a time where I was really into the hobby and the plating only cost a few bucks so it didn't break the bank.
If the watch is already with a watch smith and he can do it, I would say go for it - but just sending it in to get it plated - no.
Hopefully that helps ;)
 
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legend

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What is your verdict on the bracelet ? I have a zf 15400 and the bracelet on that is very well made. On my grey it feels a little flimsy....

@legend do bracelets on gens feel a little flimsy as well?
Yes K sometimes they can, on the 15202 and older models, or on any Royal oak which has been worn extensively. Like all metal pieces they follow the rules of nature and can stretch and become a little worn over time.
 
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dogwood

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I'm also really curious about the bracelet on these new R8s. The bracelet on my previous R8 (non automatic) tourbillon Royal oak was like wearing a chain of razor blades around my wrist.
 

krkqm2008

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I'm also really curious about the bracelet on these new R8s. The bracelet on my previous R8 (non automatic) tourbillon Royal oak was like wearing a chain of razor blades around my wrist.
I received mine a couple of days ago..the bracelet wears well and smooth. Just a little flimsy
 
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Gabriele75rn

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Ho ricevuto il mio un paio di giorni fa..il braccialetto veste bene e liscio. Solo un po' fragile
My zf 15500 bracelet is soft and perfect... I want to ask, many persons say that they put the bracelet in a baby oil bath. How is the correct procedure? Expecially rolex bracelets... which tipe of oil? If maybe better wd40?
 

dogwood

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My zf 15500 bracelet is soft and perfect... I want to ask, many persons say that they put the bracelet in a baby oil bath. How is the correct procedure? Expecially rolex bracelets... which tipe of oil? If maybe better wd40?
I always work on my rep bracelets when they arrive. I usually get good results. But maybe I got unlucky with my R8F bracelet. My procedure:

1) bracelet gets cleaned in my ultrasonic cleaner in a bath of 99.9% isopropyl alcohol.

2) bracelet is left to thoroughly dry.

3) bracelet is bathed for a few hours in a ziplock bag soaked in silicon lube wd40.

4) bracelet is left to dry for many hours to allow the petroleum distillate from the wd40 to evaporate, leaving a thin residue of silicon lubricant on all surfaces of the bracelet including the internal pivots.

5) soak bracelet for several hours in a bath of mineral oil (aka “baby oil” or “castor oil”). This is a heavy oil and will not dissolve away the silicon lube film, but will form a coat on top of it.

6) remove from the mineral oil bath and wipe away the mineral oil. Then rinse away the remaining mineral oil under a gently flowing stream of warm water. Finally wipe dry with a microfiber cloth.

Works like a charm and gets rid of the high pitch rattle / squeek from rep bracelets. But my r8f AP bracelet remained sharp and stiff (although less stiff that it was out of the box).
 

Gabriele75rn

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Lavoro sempre sui miei braccialetti rep quando arrivano. Di solito ottengo buoni risultati. Ma forse sono stato sfortunato con il mio braccialetto R8F. La mia procedura:

1) il braccialetto viene pulito nel mio pulitore ad ultrasuoni in un bagno di alcol isopropilico al 99,9%.

2) il braccialetto viene lasciato asciugare completamente.

3) il braccialetto viene immerso per alcune ore in un sacchetto a chiusura lampo imbevuto di lubrificante al silicone wd40.

4) il bracciale viene lasciato asciugare per molte ore per permettere al distillato di petrolio del wd40 di evaporare, lasciando un sottile residuo di lubrificante siliconico su tutte le superfici del bracciale compresi i perni interni.

5) immergere il braccialetto per diverse ore in un bagno di olio minerale (noto anche come "olio per bambini" o "olio di ricino"). Questo è un olio pesante e non dissolverà la pellicola di lubrificante al silicone, ma formerà uno strato sopra di esso.

6) rimuovere dal bagno di olio minerale e asciugare l'olio minerale. Quindi sciacquare via l'olio minerale rimanente sotto un getto di acqua tiepida che scorre dolcemente. Infine asciuga con un panno in microfibra.

Funziona come un incantesimo e si sbarazza del sonaglio/stridio acuto dei braccialetti rep. Ma il mio braccialetto r8f AP è rimasto affilato e rigido (sebbene meno rigido che fosse fuori dagli schemi)
 

Gabriele75rn

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So the two tipe of oil will remain in the bracelet? Have I to wash by soap for steel like hagerty?
 

dogwood

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So the two tipe of oil will remain in the bracelet? Have I to wash by soap for steel like hagerty?
The idea is that the WD40 silicon lubricant will penetrate deeply into the moving pivots and surfaces of the bracelet and will stay there. And then the heavier mineral oil will flow in afterwards and form a coat on top of the silicon lubricant on the moving contact surfaces of the bracelet. But yes, of course you want to wipe / wash away the oil / lubricant film from the parts of the bracelet that aren't metal on metal sliding surfaces. But you don't want to finish by washing the bracelet so well that the oil / lubricant film is removed from the metal on metal sliding surfaces. So that's why I don't finishing with a soap wash. I finish with only warm water to remove the oil from the outside surfaces and leave the oil / lubricant in the small gaps between the moving parts.
 

EASJR

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Not looking for QC help but so excited that mine is shipping that I can’t help myself.Shame about the R8 bracelet though.

 
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dogwood

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Not looking for QC help but so excited that mine is shipping that I can’t help myself.Shame about the R8 bracelet though.

Looks beautiful. I love that grey dial so much... Be sure to post a wristie when it arrives.