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jmac3789

New Black Sub :(

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Frankt8242

I'm wondering what particular qualities this watch has that makes it 2-3 times as expensive as..... say for instance...... A noobmariner...???

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jmac3789

It's a BK sub. I chose to go with him for 2 reasons:

 

1- He prides himself on doing a solid QC and even mods the watches he has to meet his own high/anal standards.

2- I live in the USA and don't want to deal with any potential customs issues.

 

I returned my BK pam111 because even after I paid extra to have it waterproofed and pressure tested past 5atm, it was completely destroyed after a few splashes from my kitchen sink. The panerai looked great, BK subs are held in such high regard and the customer service I got from him were so good that I didn't ask for QC pics and I guess that's a mistake on my part. I could have rolled the dice and gotten a sub like this one or maybe better for $200. I paid the extra money not to have to deal with this. I didn't want this post to be a complaint about the dealer as he has been very courteous in my dealings with him so far. I just wanted to know if this was a common issue at the price point of $400

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Mikester1200

It's a BK sub. I chose to go with him for 2 reasons:

 

1- He prides himself on doing a solid QC and even mods the watches he has to meet his own high/anal standards.

2- I live in the USA and don't want to deal with any potential customs issues.

 

I returned my BK pam111 because even after I paid extra to have it waterproofed and pressure tested past 5atm, it was completely destroyed after a few splashes from my kitchen sink. The panerai looked great, BK subs are held in such high regard and the customer service I got from him were so good that I didn't ask for QC pics and I guess that's a mistake on my part. I could have rolled the dice and gotten a sub like this one or maybe better for $200. I paid the extra money not to have to deal with this. I didn't want this post to be a complaint about the dealer as he has been very courteous in my dealings with him so far. I just wanted to know if this was a common issue at the price point of $400

 

have you emailed him about the sub?

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rixxter

Oh dear, thats bad news.... from what i can see he carries a big rep (no pun intended) on this forum.

Fingers crossed he will come good.

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jmac3789

It's a BK sub. I chose to go with him for 2 reasons:

 

1- He prides himself on doing a solid QC and even mods the watches he has to meet his own high/anal standards.

2- I live in the USA and don't want to deal with any potential customs issues.

 

I returned my BK pam111 because even after I paid extra to have it waterproofed and pressure tested past 5atm, it was completely destroyed after a few splashes from my kitchen sink. The panerai looked great, BK subs are held in such high regard and the customer service I got from him were so good that I didn't ask for QC pics and I guess that's a mistake on my part. I could have rolled the dice and gotten a sub like this one or maybe better for $200. I paid the extra money not to have to deal with this. I didn't want this post to be a complaint about the dealer as he has been very courteous in my dealings with him so far. I just wanted to know if this was a common issue at the price point of $400

 

have you emailed him about the sub?

Yeah, I have. I did not intend for this to be a BK bashing and that's why I didn't include the TD in my original post.

 

Haven't heard back yet but I just wanted to know if i should shut up and get a new insert or if i should continue insist that he fix the problem

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fatarms

Best to just get a mod involved and let them broker a solution between you and BK.

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LightGeek
It's a BK sub. I chose to go with him for 2 reasons:

 

1- He prides himself on doing a solid QC and even mods the watches he has to meet his own high/anal standards.

2- I live in the USA and don't want to deal with any potential customs issues.

 

I returned my BK pam111 because even after I paid extra to have it waterproofed and pressure tested past 5atm, it was completely destroyed after a few splashes from my kitchen sink. The panerai looked great, BK subs are held in such high regard and the customer service I got from him were so good that I didn't ask for QC pics and I guess that's a mistake on my part. I could have rolled the dice and gotten a sub like this one or maybe better for $200. I paid the extra money not to have to deal with this. I didn't want this post to be a complaint about the dealer as he has been very courteous in my dealings with him so far. I just wanted to know if this was a common issue at the price point of $400

 

Now we're talking! Some better pics and lets chat with context. In my DSSD showdown thread the pearl is a tiny bit off on the BK as well. There are generally only three things good about BK:

 

Good date wheel

Close shipping

Swiss movement

 

In my recent GMT IIc showdown thread I remarked that the WI with TC date wheel and Asian ETA basically negates BK at a substantial discount. The only caveat being you have to do the date wheel mod.

 

Hopefully no previous threads mislead you to believe BKs watches are aesthetically superior -- they are just technically superior.

 

 

 

EDUT: with that experience of the 111, I wouldn't have chosen BK again :)

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jmac3789

It looks to be a SubC. If that is the case, you can use a razor blade to scrape the excess paint off, the ceramic does not scratch.

 

As posted by fatarms, the excess paint does come off easily with a razor blade. It's not the end of the world and I'm sure the watch is built well as lightgeek said. BK handled most of my messages courteously and quickly which is why I trusted him in the 2nd transaction. He didn't put the blame on me or try to duck out of responsibility for what happened to my watch. I'm fine with mistakes here and there as long as they can be resolved without conflict. The point of this post was originally to ask, without bringing the TD rep into things whether or not this was a major issue worth sending yet a 2nd watch back for. I really didn't mean for it to turn into a BK trashing party and now I feel kinda bad for the guy.

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LightGeek

It looks to be a SubC. If that is the case, you can use a razor blade to scrape the excess paint off, the ceramic does not scratch.

 

As posted by fatarms, the excess paint does come off easily with a razor blade. It's not the end of the world and I'm sure the watch is built well as lightgeek said. BK handled most of my messages courteously and quickly which is why I trusted him in the 2nd transaction. He didn't put the blame on me or try to duck out of responsibility for what happened to my watch. I'm fine with mistakes here and there as long as they can be resolved without conflict. The point of this post was originally to ask, without bringing the TD rep into things whether or not this was a major issue worth sending yet a 2nd watch back for. I really didn't mean for it to turn into a BK trashing party and now I feel kinda bad for the guy.

 

Hehe. Hope this makes him work harder to earn those dollars.

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bklm1234

@jmac3789: You did a very cruel thing to a dealer. You paid $30 extra for me to pressure test your PAM111. I tested 7 PAM111s to find one that passed 3 ATM (I never do more than 3 ATM). I take the money and do the job. Why it leaked on your hand I have no idea. When you told me it leaked, I took it back. I didn't hint it could be your fault, a user error. When I got the watch, you got superglue all over the crown guard. Superglue's fume can mess up a crystal's gasket. I still didn't say it could be your fault. I'd rather have a happy customer. I replaced the watch free, which is above and beyond what I should do. Just because you paid $30 to pressure test the watch doesn't mean it's a warranty. Why would it be a warranty? No jeweler assumes this kind of liability when he tests a watch. There's no reason for me to charge that little and run the risk of having to replace a $298 watch. It's not like I run an insurance company with which I collect lots of insurance premiums to compensate for relative small number of claims. I'm being nice and you brought this up as if I did something awful to you. You should thank me instead of totally did the opposite. I only said:

 

"I got it (responding to your question whether I got the PAM back). Yikes the super glue made a mess. Also the dial and hands got irreversible damage. The movement is suspect also. Pretty much a total loss."

 

I think I'm pretty cool handling the whole thing. I absorbed the loss of the PAM111, not you. I fully credited the full amount to you. You lost nothing and you had to bad mouth me here?

 

Your sub-c pearl alignment could be lighting. Move around and you will see a different alignment. Even if it's misaligned, it should only be slightly off.

Everybody, let it be clear BK already filters out poorly centered pearls. I buy spare inserts out of my own pocket to swap onto my watches because the factory doesn't exchange a watch just because it has an uncentered pearl. All in all my pearls are well centered generally speaking. I never say my pearls are PERFECTLY centered. No one can do that.

 

And the triangle has excess paint on the edge. Take a wooden toothpick to scrape it off. I've taken care of your issues (lost CG screw and leak) courteously and quickly. It wouldn't be different this time if you don't manage to get the excess paint off. It's not like I didn't respond to your PM. You PM'd me 8am today. I replied you at 6pm. Why are you so malicious to publicly chastise me? You want spotlight? You got it. Are you happy now?

 

 

@LightGeek: wow. You've been bad-mouthing all over, haven't you? Why don't you do a DWO swap and a crystal gasket swap yourself? My DSSD and GMT IIC got those mods. I'd like to see how you can save more money. I'm sure I good for more than three things.

 

bk

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jeffrx

Not a great picture there in the original post, but the pearl is really not that bad. Maybe you should keep the watch and dump the girlfriend who complained about it.

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nunu78
Not a great picture there in the original post, but the pearl is really not that bad. Maybe you should keep the watch and dump the girlfriend who complained about it.

+1 :)

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Sakdds300

I am quite new to this forum, but have been reading a lot on all sorts of subjects, and I am generally amazed at how impatient we can be when it comes to a TD, and how completely F-ed up our expectations for a "rep" can be. There is no way a TD is going to deliberately serve us up crap, when there is the potential for negative feedback to be readily diseminated on this forum. Give the guy a chance (ie. at least a freaking day or two) make it good before you drag his ass around in front of everybody on this forum.

 

Everybody take a breath and cut some slack to each other, dealers and other forum members.

 

In the immortal words of Ted of San Dimas, Be excellent to each other!

 

 

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Operator#6

I'd like to see more than one pic. But, based on the one pic Id also be disappointed after the coin you just dropped. I had a second hand No Date from Reg that was spot fucking on cosmetically. I paid $100. Sure it had a 21j movement, but it looked perfect.

 

I've bought a handful of reps from a total of 3 different dealers. Sometimes your expectations are met or exceeded, other times the watch falls short. I guess BK (based on 1 photo which probably isn't fair) is no different.

 

Reaffirms my decision to buy the cheapies.

 

 

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Steve4eld

I can only speak to what I have received from BK. Quality that put my purchases in a "favorites" category.

 

After reading Bert's comments and everyone else I have to agree with Sakdds300.

 

Sometimes this forum shows peoples true colors.

 

Bert has been very good to me, and what I read - many, many others too.

 

How about this. I will buy your watch for what you paid BK.

 

Let me know...

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LightGeek

 

@LightGeek: wow. You've been bad-mouthing all over, haven't you? Why don't you do a DWO swap and a crystal gasket swap yourself? My DSSD and GMT IIC got those mods. I'd like to see how you can save more money. I'm sure I good for more than three things.

 

bk

 

Starting to tatter up the OPs post but really, it's about those three things -- the technical perfections. If not, I wouldn't have gotten three of your builds now (~$1200 worth?), two direct from you. There's no way to expect perfection in aesthetics because you just can't deliver it on the basis you're not the factory and I'm not discrediting you for that, and never have. The gasket swap? It does us really no good unless we take it to the water -- to which it's not guaranteed waterproof. On that note, it's an aesthetics things and that's fine. What I do buy and always recommend is to get yours for the most "complete" build. If that's not a compliment, I don't know that is. For the self swapped DWO, I also remarked that for the small fraction of the rep population that is "technically inclined only", it is an option.

 

For the things the OP has listed, they aren't things you guarantee or take pride in (unless I missed it in your listing) so I haven't sided with them. Anything you can control is "complete". Anything you cannot is just the state of "a rep".

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bklm1234

My motivation for all my mods are aesthetics driven. DWO is for aesthetics. Refitting the insert and crystal properly is for aesthetics. Crystal gasket is also for aesthetics. My original reason for doing the crystal gasket wasn't for waterproofing. It's to get the crystal to sit lower (and even) but not low to the point it's below the insert. When I did that, the stock gasket "haired" out, strands of fiber got squeezed out. I needed a better gasket. My priority is on looks, not technical stuff such as waterproofing my friend. You got me so wrong. Also lining up the 12 o'clock marker to the engraved coronet on the rehaut, that's for looks. Your conclusion is really hurting me, at least my feelings. I work really hard and price my watches extra for my mods which I discount the labor. You haven't seen enough unmodded DSSDs, GMT IICs, sub-c's etc, nowhere near the number I deal with. All kind of shit can happen on these reps. I buy extra cases, bracelets, etc to swap out many bad components from the reps before I sell them. Just last night I replaced all the SELs on 6 DSSDs because they had such gaps with the lugs. You have no idea how mine got improved.

 

bk

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fuplayer

my last 2 purchases were from BK, and the next one also.

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ShovelnTC

I can understand that we all are striving for perfection, but when buying a replica of an $8000 watch for $400 I am only going to have a certain level of expectations as far as authenticity and build quality.

 

I can and did find multiple tells but that's what I expected.

 

Yes $400 is a lot of money but considering what the original watch costs then add the time that BK or anyone else spends to disasemble and do the noted mods to and then to have to give a decent customer service (such as replacing watches etc) there isn't much cream left in it for the seller.

 

I have a $70 sub that a buddy bought for me in a mall in thailand and at first glance it looks almost as good as my $400+ version but I know that the dearer one has a quality movement and the mods that make it just that much better and has been worked on by a guy working and trying to make a decent return.

 

I guess it also depends on why your buying reps in the first place, for me it's just fun to have something to be interested in and I have already had a stack of fun researching here on the forum and showing the guys on the construction site that I work on my subs, all of the guys think they're great and all of them know they're "Fake" but that hasn't rendered one negative comment, in fact if I told any of them it was real they wouldn't believe me and if they did believe me then they'd likely call me a wanker anyway.

 

I love my Subs, both the $70 & $400 versions, flaws and all.

Edited by ShovelnTC

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Frankt8242

Oh the horrors!!!!!!!! :help3: :help3: :help3:

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Dafydd57

After reading BK's responses in this thread, I'm heading over to his forum to see his offerings for myself. I've never purchased from BK but after reading that he replaced a PAM free of charge, and about the mods he does to his watches before selling to us "perfectionists", I can see why he is a Trusted Dealer here.

Far from discrediting BK in this thread, I see an affirmation of the hard work that he does to keep us happy.

Keep up the great work BK.

 

Update:

Just checked out BK's offering's, hope he works on some of the ceramic PO's in the future as I'm more of an Omega / TAG Heuer fan myself.

Edited by Dafydd57

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onholdmark

I have had my BK DSSD for several months and it is my favorite watch to wear. The quality of the movement and BK Aesthetics are top notch. All my dealings back and forth with BK we're timely and professional. I'm new to Reps, but my initial impressions of BK and his services are very high!

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