greg_r 81 Posted April 23, 2015 Okay, so this was another of my 'mystery shopping' exercises (which are just a thinly-disguised excuse to buy myself another watch, of course). I'll say this up-front. The gen SevenFriday watches are a complete ripoff. £800+ for a Miyota movement? Do me a favour! Having said that, I AM rather taken by the design - I know they're not everybody's taste, but I like 'em. If the gen had cost under £400, I would have bought one. At their over-inflated price, however, no way in hell. The rep, however, is an interesting prospect - it uses the same movement as the gen and is very much a super-rep. They're also a realistic price, which is more than can be said for the gen, so I decided to go for it. I ordered the P2-1 as I'm partial to a bit of rose gold. The watch came with the full box set, including warranty card and other paperwork plus a spare rubber strap. I've only seen the gen in the flesh once, so am not going to comment on any minor differences - except to say that the watch looks and feels convincingly gen-like. There are plenty of other reviews around that go into detail about the differences between gen and rep, so you don't need me to repeat all that - suffice it to say that this is very much a super rep. A nice surprise was that the leather strap is of far better quality than I had expected and overall the whole package good enough that I honestly can't see why I would prefer the gen. It's a nice watch. On the wrist it wears large, but not impossibly so. The rounded corners mean that it feels a tad smaller than my BR01 - if you're comfortable with a 47mm PAM or IWC Big Pilot, you should have no problems with this. The dial and hands are very well rendered - the only slight downside being that my eyes ain't quite what they used to be and I sometimes find it takes more than a quick glance to read the time as there's not a lot of contrast between hands and dial. - I'm getting used to it now, although there ain't no way I'm ever gonna be able to see those fiddly little seconds or 24 hour subdials without my reading glasses. The only problem I have now is that the wife likes it so much she has threatened to steal it (which is how I lost my FA Jones). It's too big for her wrist, but that didn't stop her last time. Soooooo... I may have to buy one of the other models too, then.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MetalMickey 179 Posted April 23, 2015 Beautiful, I love these and the box set is amazing. The weight feels just right, the strap is far better than you would expect and it attracts a lot of positive attention. My wife is also very partial to the looks of this one. Mine says hi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McJules 396 Posted April 23, 2015 Great catch Greg! I had the P1-1 when they came out and sold soon after but i think i might buy the M series soon. I agree with you. The gen isn't worth the price for a miyota, no saphire, no ar, no lume, it's really stealing people but at the price of the rep, that's a great deal! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jooost 0 Posted April 23, 2015 I'm pretty much on the same page as you Greg, wouldn't buy the Gen for the price they have. I do appreciate the unusual design and I'm now waiting for mine which I ordered from Toro. Looking forward to see how it wears on my wrist (since the biggest watch I have now is probably the Makara, which is 44mm)! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiko1314 0 Posted May 7, 2015 I am always wondering if the GEN is actually manufactured by the same factory (OEM type of deal) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted May 7, 2015 Note that there are actually three makers of these watches. The best version (which is the one reviewed above) is from V6F and runs the same movement as the gen. The box set on these is also just about perfect.There's a slightly cheaper/slightly less accurate version (not sure of the factory) which isn't too bad, but not really worth buying when the V6F version is so good. There's also a cheap and nasty - the latter has non-working secs & 24h subdials and the circular piece in the centre, which is supposed to be part of the minute hand, is actually fitted to the seconds pinion. This version appears to be quartz (although I can't be certain - I've not seen one in person as yet). Don't be tempted to buy these from Ali or dhgate - you run the risk of paying high-end prices and getting the cheapie - which is lousy. Stick to the trusted dealers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattcas 0 Posted May 7, 2015 Ive been toying with the idea of this for a while. Who did you pick this up from? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stuvetjee 17 Posted May 7, 2015 Note that there are actually three makers of these watches. The best version (which is the one reviewed above) is from V6F and runs the same movement as the gen. The box set on these is also just about perfect.There's a slightly cheaper/slightly less accurate version (not sure of the factory) which isn't too bad, but not really worth buying when the V6F version is so good. There's also a cheap and nasty - the latter has non-working secs & 24h subdials and the circular piece in the centre, which is supposed to be part of the minute hand, is actually fitted to the seconds pinion. This version appears to be quartz (although I can't be certain - I've not seen one in person as yet). Don't be tempted to buy these from Ali or dhgate - you run the risk of paying high-end prices and getting the cheapie - which is lousy. Stick to the trusted dealers. Indeed V6F Factory and SF Factory. However, i need to disagree on V6F being better. The second ''batch'' of the more cheaper rep is more accurate on the dial than V6F. the font of your SEVENFRIDAY on the dial ends to close to the border. Also the SEVEN is still a tad too thick while the cheaper SF Factory one has correct font. This is the only give-away of a rep with these SevenFriday's. Also the caseback engraving on the SF Factory is deeper . V6F is still a killer watch though, and the differences are not noticeable from the wrist. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted May 7, 2015 Thanks Stuv. I'd only seen the earlier SF version, so wasn't aware of the recent improvements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted June 16, 2015 As an addendum to this, I've just picked up a P1b-1. No point in writing a separate review as it's the same deal as above - just a different finish. The main difference for me is that the dial on this model has a bit more contrast and is therefore a lot easier to read. Quality, box set, strap etc are all as per my earlier review. The gen remains a ripoff. The rep is, however, good value - and I still can't see why anyone would prefer the gen. One of the best super-reps out there at the moment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 994 Posted June 16, 2015 Two Seven Fridays? I'll make an appointment with the head doc for you . . . :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stuvetjee 17 Posted June 16, 2015 As an addendum to this, I've just picked up a P1b-1. No point in writing a separate review as it's the same deal as above - just a different finish. The main difference for me is that the dial on this model has a bit more contrast and is therefore a bit easier to read. Quality, box set, strap etc are all as per my earlier review. The gen remains a ripoff. The rep is, however, good value - and I still can't see why anyone would prefer the gen. One of the best super-reps out there at the moment. Looking fab Greg! I see you have the latest correct version . All it needs is a gunny strap! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted June 16, 2015 Two Seven Fridays? I'll make an appointment with the head doc for you . . . :P Too late. He gave up on me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MetalMickey 179 Posted June 16, 2015 My SeVen Friday rep is one of my favourites. Superb build quality, same movement as gen and always attracts comments. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason6168 0 Posted June 23, 2015 Hi guys. After much considering.i decided to pull trigger for 1as well. But which model is so call best haha. Near Flawless perhaps. P1b-1 looks better than rose gold though. But I personally like rose gold watch a lot. Argh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
