elmerlo 0 Posted February 8, 2013 Let's say you want an everyday watch without the hassles of the automatic movement. Something cheap and with a basic chronograph function. You can either buy a Swatch for 150 Euros, or turn to Silix and ask Michelle for the TAG-Heuer equivalent. From what I understood (some dealers say it openly) the watches have interchangeable movements, so if there is an Asian 7750 chrono, you can turn it into a quartz chrono. I decided to give it a try and the result was, for me, very pleasant. First, a Grand Carrera: I took a risk on this: every pic I saw (from different dealers) looked like the main dial was a little blueish and not properly black. This was not the case: it's black, although not very very dark. Of course there are differences with the originals, the most notable ones are the red numbers on the bezel tachy, which in the original are entirely black. I don't give it a damn though. At six you have the running seconds dial, at three an unspecified hour running dial, and the chrono operates in seconds, with the large hand. The closing buckle had a dent and the logo is not properly centered, again, I don't mind, as this is the first part of the watch I mess up, usually against the desk.: Here's another shot: Some logo detail: BTW, the caliper rotates properly with the left screw. Now, on to the wrist shots. You'll probably understand that the minor flaws are irrelevant: Another with less refraction: It's a shame I wasn't able to render the case's different finish: the front and the side are brushed, while the small shoulder is chromed. The same applies for the bezel. Nice touch. Here, in all its glory: Second one is a Carrera I refer to as the "Nicholas Cage 'Next' movie". My girlfriend fell in love with it, so, why not? The major differences are obvious: it's missing the "automatic" script on the main dial, and the small dial at six, despite scaled as hours, runs the seconds. Dial at nine seems idle, while the one at 12 counts the chrono minutes. More in detail: On to the wrist. Sorry, I kept the protecting cover on the bracelet... In the Silix Feedback section you can find a report of my transactions with Silix. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wasted1980 0 Posted February 8, 2013 Great review! I´ll come back with my review of the Carrera 36 when I get it from Toro (ordered it end of January). The differences that you have spotted on your rep vs. gen doesn´t seems to be on my watch. Can you spot any? http://www.torobravos.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=76_116_166&product_id=755 GLWNW! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmerlo 0 Posted February 8, 2013 Great review! I´ll come back with my review of the Carrera 36 when I get it from Toro (ordered it end of January). The differences that you have spotted on your rep vs. gen doesn´t seems to be on my watch. Can you spot any? http://www.torobravo...&product_id=755 GLWNW! No, looks very good indeed! On the contrary: I found that the gen has the white on black date font, like Toro's, whereas mine has the more "common" black on white. Waiting for the review, then. The Toro's one seems to have the chrono minute counter at three, correct black fonts on bezel and a very accurate bracelet. Anyway, we are talking about a watch that costs, more or less, 250$ more...three times higher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wasted1980 0 Posted February 8, 2013 Great review! I´ll come back with my review of the Carrera 36 when I get it from Toro (ordered it end of January). The differences that you have spotted on your rep vs. gen doesn´t seems to be on my watch. Can you spot any? http://www.torobravo...&product_id=755 GLWNW! No, looks very good indeed! On the contrary: I found that the gen has the white on black date font, like Toro's, whereas mine has the more "common" black on white. Waiting for the review, then. The Toro's one seems to have the chrono minute counter at three, correct black fonts on bezel and a very accurate bracelet. Anyway, we are talking about a watch that costs, more or less, 250$ more...three times higher Aware of the price difference...;-) Hopefully it turns out to be a beauty when I receive it :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ouaf 0 Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Elmerlo. I couldn't thank you enough for that great review. I've been doing a lot research lately on the pros and cons of getting the A7750 of the Grand Carrera 36 vs Quartz and your review helps tremendously. I am myself in the same boat as you regarding getting a quartz vs A7750 (For matters of both practicality and cost). That white date dial is the biggest 'bummer' imo though. It really jumps out. Sounds like you got unlucky on the bracelet ensignia though. I doubt they are all like that. One of the major concerns for me is the blue tint that some reps appear to have and that makes the black dial look bluish. The quartz version does not appear to be affected, apparently due to their Synthetic sapphire. All pictures of the Quartz version I come across appear to have a nice black dial. Unlike the A7750 and it's Sapphire crystal. I have looked at pics from all kind of TDs for the A7750 and all of them show a bluish dial (timeshops, Trusty,...). I also bought a Calibre 17 from Trusty last year and the black dial does appear bluish in daylight. What is interesting though is the pic for the A7750 from Toro. On Toro's pics, the dial does look black. This prompted me to open a thread asking about the severity of the blue tint across different TDs (http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=46424). The replies I got indicated that this watch, since it is a classic and popular rep, was probably sourced from the same factories so they are most likely the same where ever you get it Wasted1980, I am thus very impatient to get your feedback on the one your ordered from Toro. If the one you got does not have that blue tint. Oh and I forgot. Another plus of the Quartz is the case dimension. To fit the A7750 movement, the case has to be thicker (18.5mm vs 16mm. The dimensions reported differ between TDs but what is true in all case is that the A7750 is "significantly" thicker). Cheers, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ouaf 0 Posted March 20, 2013 Wasted1980. saw you thread there... http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=43456&st=0 Reading at it now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmerlo 0 Posted March 20, 2013 Hi Ouaf, you're welcome. I think that one great feature of this forum is to learn and share. Yes, I was unlucky with one bracelet: sent it back to China after it broke. Michelle (Silix) will provide repairs. (in the meanwhile I bought another...) As per the dial: my quartz looks genuinely black, yes, the glass, -but only it- is bluish, but all the AR coated reps I have are similar on that. Want a good look at a black dial from one of the TD's on a 7750? Take this from Marvellous: http://v.yupoo.com/photos/mrwatch/albums/6025456/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ouaf 0 Posted March 22, 2013 Hi Ouaf, you're welcome. I think that one great feature of this forum is to learn and share. Yes, I was unlucky with one bracelet: sent it back to China after it broke. Michelle (Silix) will provide repairs. (in the meanwhile I bought another...) As per the dial: my quartz looks genuinely black, yes, the glass, -but only it- is bluish, but all the AR coated reps I have are similar on that. Want a good look at a black dial from one of the TD's on a 7750? Take this from Marvellous: http://v.yupoo.com/p...albums/6025456/ Thanks for the link. That one definitely looks good as well. Sounds like there is an outage of this model right now though (toro and marvellous are out of stock). Guess I'll have to be patient for now. Cheers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mroll320 0 Posted March 29, 2013 I love this watch! so be clear the watch in the original pic was 150 euro? can you forward the link to watch on the site and email contact details...i`m desperate to buy it asap! Martyn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmerlo 0 Posted March 29, 2013 I love this watch! so be clear the watch in the original pic was 150 euro? can you forward the link to watch on the site and email contact details...i`m desperate to buy it asap! Martyn Hi Martyn, Actually the price was a lot less than 150 Euro. I bought them all from Silix, can find the link on the TD list. E-mail them as they have more models than the ones on display on the site. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mroll320 0 Posted March 30, 2013 Tried emailing through the site, no reply as yet... Do you have alternative contact? Thanx Martyn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BadPickle 2,747 Posted March 30, 2013 Tried emailing through the site, no reply as yet... Do you have alternative contact?Thanx Martyn Be patient, your reply will come. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmerlo 0 Posted March 30, 2013 Tried emailing through the site, no reply as yet... Do you have alternative contact? Thanx Martyn Saturday and Sunday... even Chinese people rest sometimes... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mroll320 0 Posted April 2, 2013 Still waiting, maybe try a different site? Any suggestions... Thanx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmerlo 0 Posted April 5, 2013 Still waiting, maybe try a different site? Any suggestions... Thanx That's strange...try to re-send mail: I always received replies in less than 24 hours. :/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites