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Originally Posted by P1et
It makes about as much sense as buying your wife a 5 carat diamond ring, and her putting it away in a safe and only wearing a cubic zirconia copy.
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Most people I know do not wear their engagement ring on a daily basis. It is in a safe and they just wear the wedding band every day.
And some people do buy both. 5 minutes on google brings up this review of a rep vs the gen AP that the guy bought both of. Has nothing to do whether he could afford a $20k watch or not. Also has nothing to do with an intention to deceive others.
Quote:
i decided to get a rep montoya to try on for size and the rest is history.
fast forward to 5 months a several reps later, i decided that I really wanted to try a panda dial and ordered one. by chance, while the rep was being delivered I walked by an AP boutique while shopping with my wife...and right there in the main display starring at me straight in the face was a panda dial on a bracelet--exactly what i wanted. we walked in, i tried it on, and the rest is a hazy memory clouded by excitement!
after wearing the gen for 4 days the rep arrived. i'm amazed at the awesome job the factories did on repping this watch. as you AP guru's know, it is not a true 1:1 but for 2% of what the gen costs there is really nothing to complain about
Without further adieu:
Side by side. Even at this distance, at a quick glance you can't really tell the two apart
Did you guess it? The Gen is the one on the right (date wheel@23).
Close-Ups
Gen
Rep
The first thing that catches my eye is the AR...easy mod. The dial is also more 3 dimensional on the Gen. Looking at them side by side, there is also a noticeable difference from the AP logo as well as the font used for the date wheel. The Gen logo is smaller and applied differently (somehow I think the Rep actually look better in this respect). The font used on the Gen date wheel is also fuller than the Rep. Case, bezel, pushers, CG, crown, hands, numerals, chronos, all look pretty spot on! the brushed finish on the Gen is finer as is the polish on the bezel screws. overall fit and finish on the Gen is better than the Rep but only noticeable if you really pay attention to it.
Gen
Rep
From the side it's even harder to tell the two apart--hats off to the reppers! if the time was set identically i'd have a very difficult time telling which photo is of the Gen. Many here (myself included) are obsessed about the bezel screws. The Gen is just ever so slightly recessed and perfectly uniform whereas the Rep needs a bit more work. Another difference here is the links on the bracelet. The Gen is slightly more rounded and is more flexible. This is also reflected on how the watch wears...the Rep is stiffer and does not conform to the wrist as nicely (you can tell by how the bracelet 'hugs' the pillow on the Gen). For those with bigger meatier wrists it probably does not matter, but my on puny 6 3/8" wrist the Rep is noticeably more uncomfortable.
Gen
Rep
Other than the font, the case back is very close to each other. At this angle you can again see how the Gen bracelet is able to conform better to the wrist.
Gen
Rep
The engraving on the clasp is very good. Without a side by side comparison it's hard to spot the Rep. The engraving is just deeper/finer on the Gen but the positioning on the Rep is spot on. You can't tell from the photos, but the Gen clasp fastens with a more satisfying click and holds better/firmer than the Rep. The Rep still fastens just as well and stays put on the wrist but the Gen just feels more solid (like when you close a door on the Mercedes S-Class vs a Honda Civic, they both function the same but one does it with more authority). You'll notice that the Rep is upside-down to the Gen. Not sure if this was just a production mistake or if all the Reps come like this but this is an easy one to fix by simply flipping the clasp.
Gen
Rep
Not much to say here except "good job rep factory!!!" (okay, if you really must be picky, the case back is slightly thicker but it is not physically or visually noticeable when you wear the watch)
Conclusion
The latest AP ROO Silver Theme Ultimate Edition is an awesome rep. With some small mods and maybe a splurge on a Gen bracelet would give this watch both Gen-like appearance and comfort.
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