Link Cal.16 chrono: A7750 vs. Quartz microstepper

[elmerlo 0]

Brief introduction: I entered this mad forum of fanatics only in january, I knew little, and as soon as I found the Link cal.16 chrono black dial I bought it (Silix), I didn't know nothing about movements, a few about dealers, just wanted to have the watch. I wanted also the white though, but no cheap version available, until Reg found them and put them up in his section. Today the whitey quartz arrived.

 

Here's the first pic of the happy couple together:

 

The visible differences are pretty obvious: A7750 has the seconds counter at 9, Quartz at 6, the chrono minute counter is for both at 12, while the hours count is at 6 for A7750 and at 9 for Quartz.

 

As Scav rightly pointed out in his review, the A7750 is pretty much a 1:1 replica, the main difference being the crown staying slightly off the case, even if closed tightly.

 

The quartz has some compromises:

-the dial at 9 is smaller and with a thicker metal edge, it's not so noticeable in the white version, but I think that in the black one will have its say on the general look (I will buy that later... :P );

-the scaling on the dial at 12 is different from the original, the dial itself is smaller than the original;

-date font is different;

-glass is thinner (has a very different sound when you tap on it with your nail)

 

Obviously the quartz has a ticking seconds counter, whereas the chrono seconds sweep nicely. I'm not a purist here, for me quartz is fine.

 

The differences pretty much end here, as it seems to me that case, bracelet and clasp are the same. And it's quite obvious, since I guess the suppliers are the same. Some dealers also claim that the cases are identical. They are very robust: the A7750 weighed 190 grams, the quartz 160.

 

For a serious TAG lover, both are a must: the A7750 is (almost) the original: a local watchsmith couldn't spot the difference, while the other is a highly usable, low-cost daily watch, to be worn without too much anxiety.

I always fear the worst when wearing the A7750, reading these forums doesn't help! :(

 

It's a shame though that the chrono dials on the Quartz don't have the same proportions as the original: you spot the difference at 50 cms... I wonder why they missed out on such an obvious detail...

 

Here are some more photos: (A7750 is always on the left)

You can see from this one that the cases match perfectly:

 

A rough way to compare the cases side by side :P :

 

Casebacks:

 

Can you spot the difference from this?

 

Last shot of the couple together:

[LightGeek 25]

Brilliant! Thank you. I might consider "upgrading" the quartz and now I just need to review pricing.

 

On my quartz, the "cross" area of the clasp fold/lock in had sharp edges everywhere. How's the 7750 bracelet?

[elmerlo 0]

Brilliant! Thank you. I might consider "upgrading" the quartz and now I just need to review pricing.

 

On my quartz, the "cross" area of the clasp fold/lock in had sharp edges everywhere. How's the 7750 bracelet?

 

The clasp is OK, smooth everywhere, but I tell you: I don't like the TAG closing system, it's weak and bound to break.

 

Those two tiny teeth that hold the clasp when close are the only thing that separates the bracelet from coming apart in case of stress.

 

I have already broken one in a Grand Carrera and, as you might imagine, if you have to repair it, it's a nightmare. I sent the bracelet back to China, and God only knows if it'll come back. :(

 

It's not a fault of the replica, of course, TAG simply (IMHO) had it wrong on this: I see that that clasp/bracelet looks gorgeous, but no way you can trust that...

 

If only I could buy a dozen of those closing buttons (they are the same for Link and Carrera) I would be a very happy man! Can anyone supply those?

[scavenger 0]

The clasp is OK, smooth everywhere, but I tell you: I don't like the TAG closing system, it's weak and bound to break.

Those two tiny teeth that hold the clasp when close are the only thing that separates the bracelet from coming apart in case of stress.

It's not a fault of the replica, of course, TAG simply (IMHO) had it wrong on this: I see that that clasp/bracelet looks gorgeous, but no way you can trust that...

 

I beg to differ. I own a gen Link Calibre S which shares the same locking system. The "two tiny teeth" seen on the reps are not quite so tiny on the gen. I don't believe TAG got it wrong insomuch as the rep factories do not match the engineering quality, finishing and robustness demanded of the TAG production process.

 

And so, while I am not defending TAG just for the sake of it, I must say that this is indeed the fault of the replica. The gen clasp operates MUCH more smoothly, closes and holds with more authority, and does not give the impression of failing or 'having its larger teeth fall/wear out' in an way.

 

But.... the rep A7750 is also 1/10th the price of the gen... I think I can live with small teeth for this price .

 

Scav.

[scavenger 0]

Dude, forgot to mention... Great side-by-side comparison. Really enjoyed reading your post!

 

Thanks for pointing out the differences. I've always wondered about the quartz models of this watch and now, thanks to you, I know.

 

Cheers buddy!

 

Scav.

[elmerlo 0]

 

But.... the rep A7750 is also 1/10th the price of the gen... I think I can live with small teeth for this price .

 

Scav.

 

Thanks for that Scav, good point as you can check out with gen.

 

What I was trying to say is that the old S/el system was much, much more robust: 0% chance that it could break, mine has 20 years now.

Of course it's not as good looking as the new one, which has the closing mechanism completely hidden, but, you know, I don't feel safe if you have only to push a couple of buttons to open the bracelet...

 

cheers!

[cygnus 0]

Awesome write-up. Great job.

[dalboy 2]

An all round good review...

 

Nice one very infomative......have to agree with Scavenger on the clasp issue though

 

 

Dal..

[TheSav 2]

Thanks. Still waiting on the arrival of mine so I will just have to admire yours in the meantime.

[Baz1872 27]

Great review, thanks for taking the time and effort to post it.

[greg_r 81]

Interesting comparison and a good indicator to the differences between A7750 reps and some of the better high-end quartz models.

[Theduke.williams 1,038]

Great review. Very informative. I very nearly ordered one of the micro steppers from Reg, but kept to my plan and saved my pennies to order a 7750 from Mary & Rochest. Waiting for delivery now. Maybe down the road I will buy a micro stepper if only because, as Elmerlo points out, you're not going to worry about wearing it out on a daily basis.

Would be interesting to see how smooth the chrono second hand movement is!

[Dafydd57 0]

Great review. Very informative. I very nearly ordered one of the micro steppers from Reg, but kept to my plan and saved my pennies to order a 7750 from Mary & Rochest. Waiting for delivery now. Maybe down the road I will buy a micro stepper if only because, as Elmerlo points out, you're not going to worry about wearing it out on a daily basis.

Would be interesting to see how smooth the chrono second hand movement is!

The micro stepper uses a VK 67A quartz movement (had the watch a whole 20 mins before taking the back off) and, according to documentation found via google, the chronograph second hand sweeps at 18000 BPH.

 

I agree, for the price, the micro stepper is a great looking daily beater.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Dafydd57

[Jagsman 20]

This is the watch I would like the most so thanks very much for this!

[Dafydd57 0]

Firstly, I would like to thank Elmerlo for putting me in the poor house as I purchased both versions based upon his excellent review.

 

I have owned the quartz version with black dial for a little over a week now, purchased from TD Narikaa, and today received the A7750 version also with black dial, from TD WI.

 

I would like to offer a little feedback based upon the two watches that I have received. I feel that a little more attention has gone into the case set on the A7750 as I have noticed the following:

 

The engraving on the clasp set is a little deeper and mnore defined on the A7750 bracelet clasp, this is also true of the engraving on the case back.

 

The bezel insert, which I assume is press fitted into the case, is better aligned to both the dial and the bracelet SEL's on the 7750, the 120 marker on the quartz movement isn't centered on the groove of the SEL at 6-o-clock or the dial.

 

Also, when viewing the face of the watch under certain lighting conditions you can see a ring around the outer edge of the bezel insert, this is highly polished on the A7750, where as the quartz model shows scratches.

 

The clasp on the A7750 is also better, the locking clips are bigger and the heads of the clips are polished which makes for smoother locking.

 

scavenger has a slight misalignment between the clasp halves when closed, I haven't experienced this problem with either of my watches.

 

None of these issues on the quartz model are overly noticable and, for the price, this is a fantastic watch. Both replica's are, in a word, amazing and I will enjoy both models for, hopefully, many years to come, wearing my quartz as a daily beater and keeping my A7750 for special occasions.

 

Once again, Thanks to Elmerlo for a first rate review.

[nunu78 1,743]

Is it me or this Tag rep with A7750 didnt suffer with typical G tell on The dial Logo ?

[elmerlo 0]

Firstly, I would like to thank Elmerlo for putting me in the poor house as I purchased both versions based upon his excellent review.

 

 

LOL! Didn't mean to empty your pockets guys

 

Nevertheless: a TAG lover couldn't miss on these.

I bought the original S/el 20 years now, the value was two times what I earned at the time on a monthly basis. Now with a laughable fraction of that I had both, A7750 and quartz. :P

 

Time to say it again: TAG, drop the prices, and I'll come back to you...