Well said and +1. Frankens will never be gen, and in fact, not matter how well made, they are watches in a totally different league. Details make all the difference, and even if the dial and hands are gen, the watch somehow will lack the poise and look of a gen for me. I wish to qualify my comment to say that this is significant only in the context of the forum and for discussions among fellow enthusiasts.
Having said that, AP frankens are beautiful watches to own and wear for real life purposes. You can scrutinize a franken close up in real life and spot flaws, definitely, but just how practical is that approach in real life? Same for gens, especially used ones.. if one takes them to scrutinize them up close, one can sometimes spot minor dial/tachy misalignments, print flaws, date misalignments etc. Overpriced mechanical wonders built for luxurious indulgence no doubt, but physical objects assembled by hand all the same, and prone to flaws and errors like everything else. So what we choose to wear, is a decision we make after all considerations of cost, tolerance of one flaw or another, and most importantly, how we reconcile ourselves with what we are wearing. A franken AP isn't an AP, but possesses the likeness of one. For some, that is enough for him to please himself, and for others, they need the feeling of true luxury. It all boils down to the individual choice, there is no right and wrong. Frankens are lovely visually as novelty timepieces and like you mentioned, they serve adequately in that department. If it makes you happy, it is a good build.
flying-tommy you build the nicest frankens in the hobby and I always mean it when I tell you that your watches look GOOD. For me, I am after a different ownership feel and experience and that is the reason I will not wear frankens or non-gen APs anymore, after doing so for a few years. Visually frankens can resemble gens, but the ownership experience for gens and reps are heaven and earth. If one is only after a nice watch to wear, frankens serve sufficiently. If one needs to be esconced in a luxurious ownership experience, no reps will serve. They are two different worlds, connected perhaps by the semblance of nice looking watches on the wrist. Gens have no place in the rep hobby except perhaps serving as eye-candy and references for the reps, and frankens are the epitome of the rep watch hobby, I readily concede. So what tommy is doing here, is exemplary for all rep AP owners as the pinnacle of the hobby. I think that guys can take a page out of your builds.
Thank you for being an inspiration to all.
