Nstirton 0 Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) Hi all, Having owned this for several years, thought it about time to do a short review on this classic. I remember the very first time I saw it - had just recieved my first real rep (Omega 300m) and I saw a pic of the IWC on a fellow board members wrist - I knew straight away that I had to get it! From there on it's served me well and I can still remember the gasp I took as I unpackaged it from my TD. Simply gorgeous! Anyway, enough of that, on with the review and pics. From the TD website: Name: Portuguese Real PR IW500705 ZF 1:1 Best Edition White Dial Blue Markers on Blue Leather Strap A52010 V3Size: 42mm x 14mmMovement :New IWC 52010 Movement Clone. Base Movement: Asian 23J automatic movement; Decoration: Platinum plated movement plate and rotor which are made according to the genuine movement, the best looking IWC 52010 Movement Clone at the moment. Function: Hours, minutes, sub-seconds, power reserve and date displayCase: 1:1 replicated solid 316L stainless steel caseCrystal Scratch-proof sapphire crystal with AR coatingDial: White dial with blue markersBezel: Stainless steel bezelStrap: Blue leather strapClasp: High quality new deployant clasp As I'm not lucky enough to own the original i've borrowed (read: stolen) the gen pics from another site and re-created them as closely as possible. Due to lighting/camera/etc they don't look identical - the first thing I'd say that having spent some time with the gen, any differences in colur are due to the conditions, not the lack of quality of the rep! There's been a few iterations of this watch (both the rep and the gen) so I may not even be comparing like with like exactly, but it's close enough for our needs today. Rep is always on the LEFT, gen is always on the RIGHT. 1. From the front Differences - the lugs at 12 o'clock look different shapes but I do believe this is down to the angle of the shot. If you look at the bottom ones they look much more similar and I think that's a truer representation. Printed text overall looks a bit heavier on the gen. I've always thought the date on the rep was slightly crooked (sits slightly to the left of the date window), but looking at the rep below it looks similar?! Similarities - the applied arabics look pretty spot on to my eye, as does the hand-set. The dial on both has a real lustre that's difficult to describe. Sometimes a flat creamy white, other times a shimering silver. Really is impreseeive to be seen and the pics just don't capture it. 2. Front, side on 3. 9 o'clock from above 4. Movement The large open caseback is really quite impressive, as is the actual movement. There's perhaps a slight lack of depth on the rep, but jaw-dropping nonetheless. If you've got someone that knows their IWC's, I expect it's this that will be the giveaway. 5. The buckle Looks good to my eye - rep is deeply engraved and gives a solid click when engaged. The whole clasp is just lovely, haven't inluded a pic here as don't have a pic of the gen to compare it to. 6. Side view from 9 o'clock Nie view of the finishing here. The rep looks slightly thicker but not sure if that's just the photo or if it is indeed thicker. 7. Side view from 3 o'clock Although not captured well here, rep crown is nicely engraved and mirros that of the gen. Finish on the brushing is just great. Again, looks thicker than the gen. Other thoughts: No complaints about the time keeping - is reasonably accurate over an extended period. You wont be surprised that the power reserve is not 7 days (even though TD confirmed it was), it's more like 3 to 3 1/2. So, still pretty impressive! The watch came with a dark blue strap which was surprisingly good quality, though started to look beat up quite quickly. I replaced it with a Watch Obsession strap (about £35 I think) which was supposed to be navy blue, but is actually black (even though they argued the point!). The black works well though and actually probably mirrors the gen more closely. The crystal almost disappears on the face, although I have noticed a few little bits of dirt on the underside which seem to float around. Not confident in opening it up to remove them though! The crown has a "gritty" sound when you wind the watch - maybe this can be fixed, but haven't bothered to look into. No lume on the dial but this is same as the gen. All in all i'd give the watch a 9/10 with the date allignment really being the biggest bugbear. Would buy again without a second thought! Hope this helps some prospective buyers Edited July 19, 2019 by Nstirton spelling! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAJ75 921 Posted July 19, 2019 Nicely put together review @Nstirton of a classic reference. I am tempted to add of the models from the range to my collection to go alongside the 3714's that I have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VMSG 2 Posted July 19, 2019 Nice review mate, thank you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nstirton 0 Posted July 19, 2019 2 hours ago, MAJ75 said: Nicely put together review @Nstirton of a classic reference. I am tempted to add of the models from the range to my collection to go alongside the 3714's that I have. Ooh 3714 is also gorgeous! It was a toss up between those two and I went for the 7 day as there seemed to be questions over the sub dial set up on the 3714. Either way, think I made the right choice, for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glaude 1,615 Posted July 20, 2019 Excellent review ! Thanks for taking the time to do all those recent reviews ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nstirton 0 Posted July 21, 2019 My pleasure! I've always meant to do it and finally finding the time. Giving me a whole new appreciation of my pieces! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrluwin 282 Posted July 23, 2019 Great review and very nice watch, thanks for taking the time to put this together Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gumbo 4 Posted July 23, 2019 Excellent review and very nice piece. Really can't beat a classy IWC! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites