Datejust two tone, fluted bezel, silver dial, bar ticks, jubilee bracelet

[SackOHammers 0]

Looking for recommendations on which TD / member to contact for purchasing a nice rep of above description. Looking for ETA (EDIT: Asian ETA) or better movement.

Like this with the only difference being a Jubilee two tone bracelet instead of the Oyster bracelet:

http://www.rolex.com...16233-0169.html

 

If I contact Watch International, ToroBravo, Perfect Clones, Watchfinder, etc, are they all going to be Noob Factory or equivalent? Or is someone out there offering something nicer?

I have not identified anyone that is doing a super clone of the Datejust of the likes of TC's Submariner. But if someone is, I'd love to be clued in, even if by PM.

 

If anyone has any recent experience buying a nicer one, I'd love to know where so that I can begin inquiries.

 

Thanks in advance,

Hammers

Edited December 22, 2014 by SackOHammers

[Genius 281]

Eta or better? Eta is about as good as it gets in a rep but most aren't really eta they're asian clone. Probably the best movement you can get.is a miyota 9015 but not seen any rolex miyota reps

[NFleischer 4,355]

Welcome. Most of the dealers will sell Noob DJ or similar. There was a very nice Thai version, I'm not sure who makes it. Perhaps Toro or Narikaa

 

may be able to source one. You will not find a better movement in a rep than a real ETA. In fact, chances are you'll get a Chinese clone movement.

 

There's a guy, Matt I think who builds old fashioned 36mm DJ with Swiss movements and some gen parts- I'm sure they're about $1000+

 

Her's my DJ2- with Asian clone, about $225.

 

[SackOHammers 0]

Well, I found this on Andrew's site. It has the right combination of features. But I'm a novice here and I noticed a few things off the bat.

The lume on the ticks isn't exactly what I'm looking for and the Date Wheel could use some work. I'm sure a more trained eye would spot more.

http://www.trusty-watch.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_12&products_id=1339

So if this is an example of the Noob Factory offering for this watch, I want to see what else I can find.

[alligoat 0]

That Trusty model is fairly decent- pic is taken from a low angle so the date is partially block- wouldn't worry about that. Dial is an older version with gold stick markers- are you looking for the thick lumed markers which is a newer dial like the one posted above? I actually got one of those from Trusty about 6 years ago in silver but don't see it in his catalog of 508 DJ watches at this time. BTW, he says swiss eta, but it's most likely an Asian clone eta. But you could probably send Trusty a pic of what you're looking for and he could probably get it for you.

I've never heard of Datejusts being from the noob factory, but who knows.

What you're looking at are the DJ 36mm cases- 16233 or 116233- the later 116233 is a little fatter- like the one you linked to.

I've been dealing with Andrew/Trusty for 8 years- he's always done me right.

[SackOHammers 0]

I'm sure Andrew is a great guy and I don't doubt your experiences. I had a different experience. I had contacted him with a concise email showing a link to the Rolex page for the watch I wanted, noting the only change I wanted was a Jubilee bracelet instead of Oyster. His first reply was short and said to look at his website and order off the page. I again looked at each of the 508 DateJust watches available on his site and found no matches. I replied again letting him know that no watch there was a perfect fit and that members of rwg.biz suggested I email him with the details I'm looking for to see if he could locate the watch. I then linked a few watches from his website and made notes like, "This one is close, but the dial needs to be like x instead". I gave him a couple examples.

Heh, his reply was short:

I guess it's hard to get what you want

Maybe you can pick one you like and place an order then

Thanks

 

Probably too busy these day to do anything off-the-menu. That being said, he does have an extensive menu available and I'm sure maintaining that takes a big effort.

 

Watch International said they could get the exact watch I want and quoted me a price in the mid to high $200's. With that TD, you pay ahead of time and then they come up with the watch and take pictures for you to verify before you they send to you.

 

Toro Bravo also replied and said they could get it at a price in the low to mid $300's + shipping.

 

It's hard for me to choose unseen. It's not like I can compare them and understand what differences there might be and why one might be worth more than the other. As such, I'm inclined to pick the lower cost of the two and see what comes of it. Unless someone else has particular knowledge of the two and can tell me Toro's is likely going to be better because of x,y, and z. I realize in this game that I am extremely unlikely to get feedback of that sort.

 

But, I'm just getting started with this game and it's kind of fun.

[TinaTime 0]

I believe the dealers at Watch International are Mary and Rochest. I have not purchased a watch from them, but have used a trusted dealer from another forum (RWI) that works closely with them.

 

What I like is the personalized service a small dealer offers. You give them a picture along with specs of what you want and they will let you know if it's available and at what cost. You send them the money and they pick the best watch to meet your criteria. You receive QC pictures of the watch and if you approve, it will be sent to you after your watch has been run for a few days to ensure it is accurately keeping time and other functions are working properly. I have been very happy with the "BP factory" Rolex DateJust Lady 31 I most recently received.

[datguy 0]

I'm sure Andrew is a great guy and I don't doubt your experiences. I had a different experience. I had contacted him with a concise email showing a link to the Rolex page for the watch I wanted, noting the only change I wanted was a Jubilee bracelet instead of Oyster. His first reply was short and said to look at his website and order off the page. I again looked at each of the 508 DateJust watches available on his site and found no matches. I replied again letting him know that no watch there was a perfect fit and that members of rwg.biz suggested I email him with the details I'm looking for to see if he could locate the watch. I then linked a few watches from his website and made notes like, "This one is close, but the dial needs to be like x instead". I gave him a couple examples.

Heh, his reply was short:

I guess it's hard to get what you want

Maybe you can pick one you like and place an order then

Thanks

 

Probably too busy these day to do anything off-the-menu. That being said, he does have an extensive menu available and I'm sure maintaining that takes a big effort.

 

Watch International said they could get the exact watch I want and quoted me a price in the mid to high $200's. With that TD, you pay ahead of time and then they come up with the watch and take pictures for you to verify before you they send to you.

 

Toro Bravo also replied and said they could get it at a price in the low to mid $300's + shipping.

 

It's hard for me to choose unseen. It's not like I can compare them and understand what differences there might be and why one might be worth more than the other. As such, I'm inclined to pick the lower cost of the two and see what comes of it. Unless someone else has particular knowledge of the two and can tell me Toro's is likely going to be better because of x,y, and z. I realize in this game that I am extremely unlikely to get feedback of that sort.

 

But, I'm just getting started with this game and it's kind of fun.

 

Toro will not disappoint, although the price is a bit steep. I have a daydate incoming from toro and expect it to be great! WI is legit too, but I would prefer toro over both WI and trusty.

[datguy 0]

 

It arrived already! I must say I'm very happy with this purchase. Asian clone movement and the best rehaut alignment I've ever had in a rep. Toro does not disappoint!

[SackOHammers 0]

Nice looking watch. And thanks for the feedback. I guess I'm not sure what factors there are that might sway me to pay $75 or more for the Toro over with WI.

I'll take another stab at those their vendor forum areas to see if there are any hints there. But, of course, appreciate any experience people can offer here. Kind of getting down to the nitty gritty with that comparison, though. They'll both probably be nice watches.

[mach19 0]

I'm sure Andrew is a great guy and I don't doubt your experiences. I had a different experience. I had contacted him with a concise email showing a link to the Rolex page for the watch I wanted, noting the only change I wanted was a Jubilee bracelet instead of Oyster. His first reply was short and said to look at his website and order off the page. I again looked at each of the 508 DateJust watches available on his site and found no matches. I replied again letting him know that no watch there was a perfect fit and that members of rwg.biz suggested I email him with the details I'm looking for to see if he could locate the watch. I then linked a few watches from his website and made notes like, "This one is close, but the dial needs to be like x instead". I gave him a couple examples.

Heh, his reply was short:

I guess it's hard to get what you want

Maybe you can pick one you like and place an order then

Thanks

 

Probably too busy these day to do anything off-the-menu. That being said, he does have an extensive menu available and I'm sure maintaining that takes a big effort.

 

Watch International said they could get the exact watch I want and quoted me a price in the mid to high $200's. With that TD, you pay ahead of time and then they come up with the watch and take pictures for you to verify before you they send to you.

 

Toro Bravo also replied and said they could get it at a price in the low to mid $300's + shipping.

 

It's hard for me to choose unseen. It's not like I can compare them and understand what differences there might be and why one might be worth more than the other. As such, I'm inclined to pick the lower cost of the two and see what comes of it. Unless someone else has particular knowledge of the two and can tell me Toro's is likely going to be better because of x,y, and z. I realize in this game that I am extremely unlikely to get feedback of that sort.

 

But, I'm just getting started with this game and it's kind of fun.

 

Had the same experience with Andrew. By this time, wanted a white daytona with black subdials (panda). He sent me pics of a black dial with silver subdials. Told him it was not what i expected. He said he ll get back at me when he ll get the correct watch... No news for 3 weeks. I asked a refund, that he did right away

 

I guess sometimes trusted dealers are just drown in their own work

[SackOHammers 0]

Well, especially now with Chinese New Year going on.

But anyway, I went with Watch International on this one. A lot of back and forth with them on QC pics regarding the dial alignment in the case. They sent back to factory. It came out better, but not perfect. But then when I received the watch, there were a few bent links on the bracelet. I emailed them a few pics, then a few more pics as we went back and forth. Then Chinese New Year came. The last thing I heard from them is that they would deal with it when they got back from CNY. So, this is the first I've talked about it on the boards as the TD is still working on the problem. But, anyway, I got a DateJust with the specs and color dial, markers, type of lume I wanted, etc.

[jeffrsho 0]

Mymanmatt/Your unique watches does frankens, he only does the older datejust/daydate not the new II versions. His builds start at $750 and he is a great guy to work with. I'm having him build a daydate for me right now.

[SackOHammers 0]

Good bit of money, but I'm sure the quality is there.

In my case, I was after a "Datejust", not a "Datejust II". But I wanted one of the newer ones where the lume is on the stick markers rather than a separate dot at the end of the stick.

But in the end it's been a bunch of hassle and I still have some work to do with the TD. But it was 1/3 the price you mentioned.

But, next time I'll probably take it to the next level.

[madmex 0]

I've had the displeasure of dealing with mymanmatt also known as "your unique watches." He knows his datejusts and day-dates, and does have good looking builds. Unfortunately he is not pleasant to deal with at all if you have any kind of complaint. If you are any kind of perfectionist, and admire clean precision work you may be setting yourself up for disappointment and bad experience if you try to reason with the guy. He will think you are too picky. "There is not a used gen ... in the world that doesn't have a flaw somewhere." That's right especially if he had serviced it sloppily.

 

I will point out some things that would make a professional watchmaker cringe:

He keeps the hands in bins all thrown in there, some may be bent from careless removal and handling with metal tweezers, and they're clearly touching and rubbing with each other. If you've ever purchased new hands they come in cardboard cutouts, perfectly isolated and pristine. Not his. Or he has the audacity to sell used parts at new prices. The kind of guy that hands you the part he wants to get rid of first if he has one and becomes a jerk if you point it out.

 

He uses a pair of tweezers that you'd think are sharpened with a rock and he will grab anything and everything with them. Ready to go at a dial with a toothpick wet with spit to get it looking "like new." No big deal!

 

Summary:

 

You get a nice looking watch from a couple of feet away, but if you look closely you will see sloppiness, dirt, scratches from careless handling, twisted scratched hands, and a very, very poor attitude if you have any complaint. He would rather not do business with you if you need quality and customer care. Sadly he thinks he's very good. The guy is from another era.

Edited April 5, 2016 by madmex