semperfi55 4,707 Posted April 13, 2018 The first post is about March and April 2018 State of the Collection. Further updates to the collection are linked and posted below: Update #1 End of May 2018 Update #2 End of June 2018 Update #3 End of July 2018 Update #4 End of August 2018 Update #5 End of September 2018 Update #6 End of October 2018 Update #7 End of November 2018 Update #8 End of December 2018 Update #9 End of January 2019 Update #10 End of February 2019 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi guys, Before discovering this crazy place, I was a casual watch enthusiast. I like the look of watches. I like dress watches. Will I collect some luxury Swiss timepieces? Yes, perhaps some in the future. I had a very dim view of replicas because I only knew about the really low quality, overpriced toys I saw whilst walking around street markets. After finding RWG and learning about high-quality reps, that was it. The floodgates (and my wallet) opened. In the last two months, I have acquired/ in the process of acquiring 16 more watches. Here are some pics of the state of my collection, before discovering RWG. Just one or two gen luxury watches, the others all modestly priced gens but each is linked to specific points/events in my life Rest assured, there will be a deluge of photos of my new acquisitions. Just waiting for the last two to arrive. No conscious planning to it, but there is a nice symmetry to this: 5 stainless steels, 5 leather/rubber. From left to right, top then bottom row: a Fossil, Junghans Quartz Chronograph, Rolex Datejust 16220, Hugo Boss Dual-Time, Casio Edifice Chronograph, Junghans Max Bill, Ingersoll Union, Shanghai Quartz, Skagen Ancher and my good old Casio for long distance swimming. The Datejust Star of the show. Pride of the Fleet. This beauty was a graduation gift during my intercalation year (degree within a degree, because hey studying is so much fun). My dad bought this 16220 in the early 1990s and I am eternally grateful for this wonderful present. He doesn't know it yet but I will be returning the favour in kind at some point, possibly a gen Nautilus or Calatrava when I can pony up the funds. This is a relatively small watch which is a perfect fit for me and works fine as a black-tie dress watch, leather rules be damned. The Dress Automatics Up next we have my Ingersoll Union and Junghans Max Bill. One is my watch with the most complications and the other a minimalist; both elegant in their own ways. I believe Ingersoll used to be an American company famous for its one-dollar watches. It is now a HK-based company. The Max Bill, well'nuff said, it's a classic The Quartz Chronographs Both sentimental watches with great memories associated. Got them when I was 11 and 12 respectively. Back then the complicated dials on chronographs caught my attention compared to boring, simpler dials. Funny how things have changed. The Fashion Watches That Fossil is my first watch. Or rather first watch worth keeping. Parents got it for me when I was 9 I believe. The dial alternates between blue and green so I was definitely the coolest kid on the block. Apparently, this was marketed as a ladies watch. This tiny fucker needs two batteries. Unfortunately something has gone wrong with the quartz movement but I am sourcing a replacement movement for now. Also it was sized when I was 9 so will need extra links to make it wearable. The Hugo Boss has 2 clocks going which is pretty cool. Get lots of compliments for this one. One is set to UK time and the other to where my family is based. Pretty neat. The Dress Quartz When you want style whilst walking through rough neighbourhoods. Two quartz but lovely, minimalist watches. One is from the Skagen Ancher series and the other from Shanghai. Bonus points to anyone who can point out the reference number to me. I suspect it's such a simple watch that the brand just did not bother with a reference number for the series. Post-RWG Watches - April 2018 Here are the watches I've acquired since learning about reps and RWG. There are only 2 reps in the collection for now, that will grow once I get more research done. 10 watches pre-RWG. Now I have 24! 6 more slots left, but I have 2 reps on the way. Any suggestions for the last 4? Even bought a 8 watch travel case too! The Diver and the Chrono The Oris Divers Sixty-Five, as the name hints, is a diver's watch. But the minimalist design and profile makes it suitable for any occasion. It also has very nice lume and the most comfortable rubber strap in my collection. Found this Tagheuer Monza in the safe. The chronograph function was not working so had to send it off for repair. The mechanical chrono second hand sweep is so hypnotising! For now, this is my first and only mechanical chronograph. It won't remain that way for long. I'm deciding between getting a Daytona or a Speedmaster Moonwatch. First. The Quartz Perpetual Calendar I love the idea of a mechanical perpetual calendar. But with my budget I decided to go quartz for now. This is a Seiko Age of Discovery watch made to commemorate the 500th anniversary to Columbus discovering America. It has quite a few other functions which are explained in my other thread: The Soviet Seven My interest in watches also extend the other side of the old Iron Curtain. All acquired from eBay, various sellers, varied prices and quality. Read all about them here: The Swatch I'm not a fan of Swatch. Not really a fan of the disposable quartz. But make it artsy and collectible, you've reeled me in. The Animal Wheel was made in 1991 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the formation of the Swiss Confederation. The hour hand is the 'smudge' coming out from the wheel. There is no minute hand so I only wear it on the weekends or holidays, when I don't need to worry about the exact time (the irony). The watch is designed by Swiss artist Not Vital and this is what Swatch had to say about the design: "Wheel Animal (GZ120) emanates from the quiet mind of this mysterious artist, whose serene minimalist design for Swatch is full of space. The piece centres on a corroded-looking, rust-eaten wheel with four spokes whose purpose seems hard to pin down. As the eye comes to rest on the quiet, deep image, grand ideas form in the mind—the history of timekeeping, or navigation by the light and position of stars. There is also something alive and creature-like about the wheel, suggested by the name and its organic quality. Its earthy colours and fragile form remind us that even the most complex machines come from the materials of the natural world." First Rep The honour of first rep goes to this Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Classic Automatic. Credit goes to Glaude for suggesting this watch to me. This rep is not based off any specific watch. Its watch size, engravings on the back, subdial point to various different watches. Nonetheless, the overall design exudes the feel of a JLC Reverso watch so all is good! First Moonphase Rep #2. I'm a big fan of A. Lange & Söhne thus it was only natural I bought one soon after my Reverso. Very beautiful watch with a functioning moonphase (59 toothed I think). Only caveat is the thickness: 13.5mm. More photos and review here: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McGilli 1 Posted April 13, 2018 I wish everyone would take the time to do a post like this... There should actually be a forum thread - strictly for collection posts - no chit chat and "where did you buy that?" etc... just collections from members past and present. Would be great. Funny enough I have a new watch case and a couple new watches coming and am planning to do a similar post as this soon. Thanks for sharing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glaude 1,615 Posted April 13, 2018 25 minutes ago, McGilli said: I wish everyone would take the time to do a post like this... There should actually be a forum thread - strictly for collection posts - no chit chat and "where did you buy that?" etc... just collections from members past and present. Would be great. Funny enough I have a new watch case and a couple new watches coming and am planning to do a similar post as this soon. Thanks for sharing! If only there was even a section of the forum dedicated to that ... ..... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
McGilli 1 Posted April 13, 2018 1 hour ago, Glaude said: If only there was even a section of the forum dedicated to that ... ..... Damn! Thanks for pointing that out! I can't think of anything smart-ass to say - so - just thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luxuracer 14 Posted April 13, 2018 Welcome to the dark side .... the Repworld ... @semperfi55 Nice collection ... You should run away ... ! Oh no ... too late ... you bought 16 watches ... just buy more watch boxes then. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted April 13, 2018 (edited) I did buy more watch boxes... but I underestimated my own insanity @McGilli Looking forward to seeing your new watches mate! Edited April 13, 2018 by semperfi55 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted April 28, 2018 Updated to include Post-RWG watches. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted May 13, 2018 Help I can't stop! Check out the Blancpain in my review. AP15400 review to follow soon... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dave47 6,457 Posted May 13, 2018 On 4/12/2018 at 20:35, semperfi55 said: 1.1 Update: Collection - April 2018 1.2 Update: More reps - May 2018 Hi guys, Before discovering this crazy place, I was a casual watch enthusiast. I like the look of watches. I like dress watches. Will I collect some luxury Swiss timepieces? Yes, perhaps some in the future. I had a very dim view of replicas because I only knew about the really low quality, overpriced toys I saw whilst walking around street markets. After finding RWG and learning about high-quality reps, that was it. The floodgates (and my wallet) opened. In the last two months, I have acquired/ in the process of acquiring 16 more watches. Here are some pics of the state of my collection, before discovering RWG. Just one or two gen luxury watches, the others all modestly priced gens but each is linked to specific points/events in my life Rest assured, there will be a deluge of photos of my new acquisitions. Just waiting for the last two to arrive. No conscious planning to it, but there is a nice symmetry to this: 5 stainless steels, 5 leather/rubber. From left to right, top then bottom row: a Fossil, Junghans Quartz Chronograph, Rolex Datejust 16220, Hugo Boss Dual-Time, Casio Edifice Chronograph, Junghans Max Bill, Ingersoll Union, Shanghai Quartz, Skagen Ancher and my good old Casio for long distance swimming. The Datejust Star of the show. Pride of the Fleet. This beauty was a graduation gift during my intercalation year (degree within a degree, because hey studying is so much fun). My dad bought this 16220 in the early 1990s and I am eternally grateful for this wonderful present. He doesn't know it yet but I will be returning the favour in kind at some point, possibly a gen Nautilus or Calatrava when I can pony up the funds. This is a relatively small watch which is a perfect fit for me and works fine as a black-tie dress watch, leather rules be damned. The Dress Automatics Up next we have my Ingersoll Union and Junghans Max Bill. One is my watch with the most complications and the other a minimalist; both elegant in their own ways. I believe Ingersoll used to be an American company famous for its one-dollar watches. It is now a HK-based company. The Max Bill, well'nuff said, it's a classic The Quartz Chronographs Both sentimental watches with great memories associated. Got them when I was 11 and 12 respectively. Back then the complicated dials on chronographs caught my attention compared to boring, simpler dials. Funny how things have changed. The Fashion Watches That Fossil is my first watch. Or rather first watch worth keeping. Parents got it for me when I was 9 I believe. The dial alternates between blue and green so I was definitely the coolest kid on the block. Apparently, this was marketed as a ladies watch. This tiny fucker needs two batteries. Unfortunately something has gone wrong with the quartz movement but I am sourcing a replacement movement for now. Also it was sized when I was 9 so will need extra links to make it wearable. The Hugo Boss has 2 clocks going which is pretty cool. Get lots of compliments for this one. One is set to UK time and the other to where my family is based. Pretty neat. The Dress Quartz When you want style whilst walking through rough neighbourhoods. Two quartz but lovely, minimalist watches. One is from the Skagen Ancher series and the other from Shanghai. Bonus points to anyone who can point out the reference number to me. I suspect it's such a simple watch that the brand just did not bother with a reference number for the series. Post-RWG Watches - April 2018 Here are the watches I've acquired since learning about reps and RWG. There are only 2 reps in the collection for now, that will grow once I get more research done. 10 watches pre-RWG. Now I have 24! 6 more slots left, but I have 2 reps on the way. Any suggestions for the last 4? Even bought a 8 watch travel case too! The Diver and the Chrono The Oris Divers Sixty-Five, as the name hints, is a diver's watch. But the minimalist design and profile makes it suitable for any occasion. It also has very nice lume and the most comfortable rubber strap in my collection. Found this Tagheuer Monza in the safe. The chronograph function was not working so had to send it off for repair. The mechanical chrono second hand sweep is so hypnotising! For now, this is my first and only mechanical chronograph. It won't remain that way for long. I'm deciding between getting a Daytona or a Speedmaster Moonwatch. First. The Quartz Perpetual Calendar I love the idea of a mechanical perpetual calendar. But with my budget I decided to go quartz for now. This is a Seiko Age of Discovery watch made to commemorate the 500th anniversary to Columbus discovering America. It has quite a few other functions which are explained in my other thread: The Soviet Seven My interest in watches also extend the other side of the old Iron Curtain. All acquired from eBay, various sellers, varied prices and quality. Read all about them here: The Swatch I'm not a fan of Swatch. Not really a fan of the disposable quartz. But make it artsy and collectible, you've reeled me in. The Animal Wheel was made in 1991 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the formation of the Swiss Confederation. The hour hand is the 'smudge' coming out from the wheel. There is no minute hand so I only wear it on the weekends or holidays, when I don't need to worry about the exact time (the irony). The watch is designed by Swiss artist Not Vital and this is what Swatch had to say about the design: "Wheel Animal (GZ120) emanates from the quiet mind of this mysterious artist, whose serene minimalist design for Swatch is full of space. The piece centres on a corroded-looking, rust-eaten wheel with four spokes whose purpose seems hard to pin down. As the eye comes to rest on the quiet, deep image, grand ideas form in the mind—the history of timekeeping, or navigation by the light and position of stars. There is also something alive and creature-like about the wheel, suggested by the name and its organic quality. Its earthy colours and fragile form remind us that even the most complex machines come from the materials of the natural world." First Rep The honour of first rep goes to this Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Classic Automatic. Credit goes to Glaude for suggesting this watch to me. This rep is not based off any specific watch. Its watch size, engravings on the back, subdial point to various different watches. Nonetheless, the overall design exudes the feel of a JLC Reverso watch so all is good! First Moonphase Rep #2. I'm a big fan of A. Lange & Söhne thus it was only natural I bought one soon after my Reverso. Very beautiful watch with a functioning moonphase (59 toothed I think). Only caveat is the thickness: 13.5mm. More photos and review here: VERY interesting to see the evolution of your watch collecting. THANKS, too, for the effort you put into the creation of this thread. Much appreciated. dave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted June 5, 2018 On 5/13/2018 at 22:05, dave47 said: VERY interesting to see the evolution of your watch collecting. THANKS, too, for the effort you put into the creation of this thread. Much appreciated. dave Just only saw this! Cheers mate! The evolution is interesting. I started out liking just dress watch reps plus specific AP and Rolex models. Could not stand Panerai or Richard Mille. I wasn't so keen on Omegas either. Now I'm a Panerai fan and own more Omegas than Rolex or AP. Man, this hobby brings you to strange places... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted June 5, 2018 End of May and there are many firsts: 1st Breguet 1st Omegas 1st Panerai 1st VC 1st Blancpain 1st Franck Muller 1st AP 1st Cartier Currently using my watch overflow box. Guess my great plan of limiting watch numbers by limiting watch boxes did not work... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glaude 1,615 Posted June 5, 2018 Kind of a hoarder aren't you ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted June 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Glaude said: Kind of a hoarder aren't you ? The absolute worst Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davesjourney 27 Posted June 6, 2018 Only just seen this thread - a great read. I love these kind of threads, same with DC's very recent 'State of the Collection' post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted June 26, 2018 #1 End of May 2018 So I've finally decided on a format. Instead of updating the original post and posting new replies simultaneously, I'm going to post new update replies so that everything is in chronological order and less confusing (for me). Here are the May acquisitions The French Quarter Pounder Oak Seeing the rep version of this got me suckered into the rep racket. I struggled trying to pick between blue or black dial. Blue will have to wait. A Broken Watch Is Correct Twice A Day I was very excited when I found out that the Blancpain Villeret 6654 was repped. Pretty much bought it the moment I found out. Unfortunately, given how complicated this watch is, there was always a high risk that something would go wrong. And it did. Faulty mechanism aside, the amount of detail on the watch is astounding. I've even found a rep of the rose gold case with guilloche dial version. The watch is now on its way back to China for repairs In the hands of the Watch Gods now.... The Deep Rolex This Rolex is as deep as Jayden Smith's Twitter feed! Could not pass up a good bargain on the gate. This is the gate watch that literally opened the gate to cheapies. Nice, heavy watch with all the right words Casino Royale A cheapie Seamaster, the gen featured in Casino Royale. The dial has the nice wavy details. But the Seamaster font colour is pretty faint. Movement has way better power reserve than some of my pricier reps! Spectre Another Bond cheapie, this Seamaster 300 starred in Spectre. The caseback for mine is complete fantasy and the watch is bigger than gen. The Fantasy Franck I really wanted an FM but not ready to fork out big money for a good one yet. This is a fantasy design. The closest watch it resembles is one of the FM chronographs. Otherwise, it has the feel of an FM. Also the only rep I have so far that uses a non-hacking movement! The 682 Bought this on M2M. This watch symbolises how taste can change/be acquired as you collect. 2 months ago, I would not have even looked at Panerai. Now, I can appreciate its beauty. I will probably be getting a classic Radiomir and a basci Luminor to round off the Panerai section. The Chosen One Bought this Breguet Classique 5177 specifically for a very important, milestone formal dinner. A Calatrava would have been even higher on the dress watch hierarchy but I figured it would be inappropriate to be seen with one at my level. A Breguet seems more plausible and has low brand recognition among my age group. The rep is available in the cross-weave pattern as above or in the Clous de Paris motif. I preferred the former design whilst trying out the gens, so cross-weave it is! I thought I got the perfect dress watch for the event. Simple, detailed, elegant. Then I got these two upstarts... The Proletariat Vacheron It is suppose to resemble a VC Patrimony Traditionelle 47009, but at it's price range, this will suffice. The watch is classy af and the leather strap is actually decent. Le Petit Tank The other dress watch pretender is a small Tank Solo. At it low GBP 20 something price, the watch has a decent Cartier deployant clasp and the correct sort of leather strap. Very good value for money! Group Shot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunnyStarSystem 7,537 Posted June 26, 2018 Wonderful job, you definitely jumped in with both feet without checking for gators Actually you've been quite sensible, but that doesn't sound as fun! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted July 18, 2018 On 27/06/2018 at 00:03, funnystarsystem said: Actually you've been quite sensible If this was sensible I'm curious to know what is not-sensible! That said, over the span of the last month, my buying practices have calmed down a lot more. Need to pace myself a bit more! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunnyStarSystem 7,537 Posted July 18, 2018 22 minutes ago, semperfi55 said: If this was sensible I'm curious to know what is not-sensible! That said, over the span of the last month, my buying practices have calmed down a lot more. Need to pace myself a bit more! A. I don't see any Hublots and... B. Ask @Luxuracer about nonsense Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luxuracer 14 Posted July 18, 2018 5 minutes ago, funnystarsystem said: A. I don't see any Hublots and... B. Ask @Luxuracer about nonsense Keep me out of this .... There is no such thing as nonsense ... ... ONLY MADNESS ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted July 18, 2018 #2 End of June 2018 The June acquisitions are more of a reflection of my buying frenzy in May rather than June. Lots of Gate watches that took ages to arrive. I also had fun collaborating with Glaude on datewheel overlay work The Copernicus A 1980s Soviet watch with unique hands. I bought this partly because Gingerbubba was shouting from the rooftops about his love for Hublot Sang Bleu. The unique hands on the Hublot got me thinking of the classier Soviet counterpart The solid yellow bit is the hour hand and the empty circle is the minute hand. The inside of the crystal is extremely dusty but I haven't got round to dismantling and cleaning it. Regardless, this is a badass unique watch that has received many compliments! The Heuer I'm not sure where my low-key Tagheuer disdain came from. Perhaps I have been echoing what other people have opined. Anyway, I somehow became rather fixated on having Heuer "branded" watches. Go this cheapie from the gate and it is a microstepper. Amusingly,the seconds subdial @ 3 is a 24 hour indicator, so pretty much a big tell. The blue is beaut though! The Summer Fling I'm a fan of bright colours in the summer. A pink Rolex would go very nicely with a pink shirt! The DHgate seller was very nice about my request and sought out this watch for me. A 36mm fluted bezel Datejust with Roman numerals and oyster bracelet. One big tell however, is that this is an oversized ladies Datejust, hence the missing minute markers. Lesson learnt for being too excited and accepting QC pics too quickly. But it is not a problem as I do like the watch very much. The Imitation Watch Company Bought this Top Gun-ish replica via M2M. At least I think it's a Top Gun replica IW388007, still not sure. Lots of things off but it has a reliable quartz movement and optimal wrist presence. The Timeless Timex Cvp3 kindly included this mechanical Timex in the sale of the IWC! Great bargain There this no quickset for the date, AFAIK, which makes it a pain to set if I don't wear it for 2 weeks. Das Unterseeboot1 Nautilus Could not resist acquiring the infamous U1 Nautilus. Very satisfied with the blue dial!! The off date window is a compromise I can happily tolerate. This has got me interested in a rose gold version with brown dial... The Big Tank Initially, I was unsure of my Cartier Tank size preference. I received the small version in May. The large one finally arrived and I found that it was slightly too big for me. This cheap GBP18 rep is too squarish for a Tank Solo and the bracelet is extremely flimsy. Still, with a quartz movement this will be a durable one. The Disloyal Oaks My little project, made possible by Glaude! These gate cheapies both had the wrong datewheels, The end result was a black overlay for the black dial while the blue dial received a bespoke, French designed date wheel template printed on stick paper . I'd say the result is pretty darn good! Bonus Stuff As it was also my birthday in June, my close friends gave me a rather relevant gift. They have cottoned on on my watch obsession and got me two books. A little bit of classy watch porn with lots of nice photos The second book was a practical guide on watch tinkering. Interesting reading material. This is a reissue edition and the content is pitched at a different level for a different era... There's math! Lots of tools mentioned! Rather dated and slightly too complex for me, but I do like to bite into some hard knowledge from time to time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semperfi55 4,707 Posted July 18, 2018 47 minutes ago, funnystarsystem said: Hublots Ahhh fudge... Indeed @Luxuracer is a bad influence for newcomers. I'm still hung up on getting a Heuer Autavia, never mind some of his other watches! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glaude 1,615 Posted July 18, 2018 9 minutes ago, semperfi55 said: hence the missing minute markers Looks better without them to me 9 minutes ago, semperfi55 said: The inside of the crystal is extremely dusty I was about to suggest the use of some Polywatch on the crystal, but since that's dust, invest in a good can of compressed air and voilà ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CollieWobbles 236 Posted July 18, 2018 Wow great collection wide and varied, thanks for sharing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites