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What AP Franken(s) do you have in the works?!
- Thread starter tosoboso
- Start date
He he, nice post. If we look at the post-Genta succession of AP designers and creative directors, Gueit was the genius who invented the Offshore (equally creative as Genta IMO), then there were two guys who moshed the Offshore into the "WTF come on!" direction, Octavio Garcia (guy who designed Survivor and numerous LEs in the 2003-2011 party years) and Emmeneger (guy responsible for the Concept and recent Creative Director). Nowadays I think the design department is directed by the marketing department, and they are revamping the crazy color themes (especially for Divers) that gave Offshores a bad name in the late 1990s. There are stand-out design home runs still like the recent "Pride of Germany", etc., but overall it is very conservative, just an industrial immutatio, like the Apple philosophy of offering the same thing in different color combos, and the designer is no longer a big personality and not in the foreground anymore (seen any interviews with an AP designer lately? Didn't think so). AP is pretty notorious for paying their designers well (actually, low six figures, with occasional perks), but also throwing them into the fire if something goes wrong like the Code 11:59 line, because the leadership and family (one of which is just a trust fund brat, and another is more interested in literature--so much for "family run") has no significant design vision. Combined with CEO Bennahmias's fashion background, affable arrogance (yes, I know, oxymoron) and general lack of imagination (a failed pro golfer with an MBA running the company), I can't really see the attraction of anything designed beyond, say, 2012, and maybe even, when I am really shaking my head, 1972.
- 7/7/18
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Thanks. Yes they are the latest Mikeys. I think they turned out very good.
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- 19/3/16
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Sleeeeeek! Was it the gen set from me a while ago?
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Possible to see the caseback of this? I am always curious how members build the franken 26470 where the movement, rotor and caseback are concerned.
The open caseback concept adopted by AP for the contemporary ROOs is attractive to me because it shows off the nice rotor and movement decorations, which is an integral and important part of what an ROO is about. I can see your build is not using a gen movement or datewheel, so what is your chosen solution for the caseback?
The open caseback concept adopted by AP for the contemporary ROOs is attractive to me because it shows off the nice rotor and movement decorations, which is an integral and important part of what an ROO is about. I can see your build is not using a gen movement or datewheel, so what is your chosen solution for the caseback?
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Thanks. It’s actually not the gen case set.
Domi told me he would have had to modify the mid case in order to take some rep parts which I was not willing to have done.
Sourcing the needed gen parts at a reasonable rate takes a while and as I was itching for a new build I decided to have him make this one on a rep base.
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As you observed correctly no gen movement has been used for this build. Open CB. If I care enough I might just spraypaint its crystal.
Thank you Revolper
I prefer open caseback myself too. I am working on a franken 26470 myself, with open caseback and the owner actually has a mediocre LWO, decoration and grade wise. So I was figuring if there is a way to attach the AP deco plates and rotor on the existing movement but I have not found a way to do it artfully.. it will look like a joke if I persist down this route lol.
Revolper You might just "tint" the display crystal, rather than spraypaint it. Do you have an optician friend? They do tinting runs frequently for eyeglasses.
legend, use a 2824 and not a 2892 as a base for the LWO283. There are Asian deco plates for the 2824 that look half ok, but none for the 2892. Plus a gen gold rotor will help, like the one I have on the right.
Thank you kindly S.
Once again, you have shown me what true knowledge is about.
Wow nice work - dang my holders look hot in these freshly baked Roo cases. I take one of each case modeli am excited what these models will be when finished. Keep us posted
i think, i also need to go for another build when i see this
The last one of my builds Slaughterer helped me finish with his perfection... Now on seemingly rare gen red rubber - did nit know they were so hard to come by
Shit I'm inlove with that case
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You probably know more about the limitations of post 2014 franken ROOs than anyone else here. As long as one isn’t willing to invest in a gen AP calibre the backside of the watch will never be satisfying (my opinion ofc) so I don’t even bother trying too hard. You get what you pay for.
Shit I'm inlove with that case
thank you
Yes its a real showstopper visually but unfortunately i modded it my self and edges are not that crisp. But the black really camouflages it. and nice sideeffect - the beadblasting made the matte sparkly and sun does play on the black surface beautifully in certain angles - here an example with artificial lighting- but reallife sun vision is incredible
- 9/10/18
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Just about finished this build a few weeks ago, but it had to go back into the shop after the seconds hand fell off. All that's left is to find a white on black date disk and rhodium plate the screws.
Specs:
JF V5 Base
Gen Movement
Gen Bracelet
Gen Dial
Gen Hands
Prof 2xAR Crystal
Thinned by legend
Specs:
JF V5 Base
Gen Movement
Gen Bracelet
Gen Dial
Gen Hands
Prof 2xAR Crystal
Thinned by legend
Just about finished this build a few weeks ago, but it had to go back into the shop after the seconds hand fell off. All that's left is to find a white on black date disk and rhodium plate the screws.
Specs:
JF V5 Base
Gen Movement
Gen Bracelet
Gen Dial
Gen Hands
Prof 2xAR Crystal
Thinned by legend
beautiful watch!
where did you source all the gen stuff?
Kind Regards,
160
I will call this a genstein, there is no meaningful difference between the gen and rep case, especially if both are used. Only changes I will make personally, is to install the original 22K gold rotor, and install the correct crystal. You already mentioned the date wheel color which needs to be changed but I think that the date wheel is readily available...
Congrats. It is rarely that I am impressed with any franken, but this is good. It definitely beats all the rest of the 15400 "frankens", 99% of which have only a gen dial but eagerly attach the "franken" labels on their watches, and you find a lot of these being sold off in the sales section, mostly due to owner dissatisfaction I feel.
You on the other hand sir, are downplaying your watch by calling it a franken lol. It is certainly a lot more than that. :hehehe:
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I appreciate the kind words, it means a lot to me. I came close to pulling the trigger on the original rotor for an absolute steal on eBay and regret not grabbing it. It ended up selling for something like $270, but it was in rough shape. That being said, I like that my watch differs, if only in that one way.
Be it rep, franken or gen, a watch need to ultimately serve as an extension of the owner, and I do know of fellow gen owners in my circle modding their gen APs to suit their personalities. An example is an owner using a sapphire crystal bezel on his ROO and another converting his watch into a custom 2 tone watch. So as long as the watch feels like a natural extension to you, and you are in harmony with how it looks and feels, all is good.
What a lot of franken owners don't realize, is that there are at least 2 levels of "accuracy" for any franken watch:
i. That it passes peer visual assessment. This will include inspection by friends, fellow enthusiasts both in forums and real life, social media, etc
ii. That it passes as a natural extension of the owner in BOTH looks and feel. This is much more difficult. Having spent money and time to source and purchase gen parts and to put them together, owners often focus on the visual aspects of the watch and want it to appear "as gen as possible" both to others and to themselves. So comes the first phase where the watch is completed and eagerly shown off on the forums, with the new franken owner wanting to show off the watch and hopefully collect compliments and affirmation that his watch now looks 100% gen and perfect. But with the limited availability of the correct parts, what most owners achieve is a build which resemble a gen AP but it nowhere close, if you know where to look. Some owners start their builds with the right expectations and are at peace with that for a long time to come (until they become bored of it like how owners can become bored even with gens). Others, like me, start seeing and feeling the flaws of the franken builds and search for ways and means to make the watch "perfect". This is impossible even if the watch is 100% assembled from gen parts. The truth is, owning and wearing a luxury watch is an experience which begins with the purchase experience at the store and is a feel-good factor pervasive throughout the ownership, and this is something no franken can offer.
But wearing a watch like yours, is almost, if not fully identical to wearing a customized gen and is basically as good as it gets (and it gets very good!) in this hobby and the physical result is nothing short of being stupendous. Honestly this watch of yours deserves a thread and story on its own. I think that it will serve well in the repertoire of any self-respecting gentleman. It just doesn't get any better. Congratulations and well done. You know my standards and hence you will know what I do not offer compliments just to be nice, and when I do, I mean it 100%.