Rep Newbie seeks advice on Explorer I reps

**mayostard** · 06-24-2008, 05:02 AM

Hi,

I figured in my first post here I'd ask something other than "ZOMG where's the best subbie?"

I've been collecting dive and military-style watches for a while (mostly genuine Japanese autos). I'm very interested in the replica side of the hobby since I'm not exactly budgeted for the real things in the upper echelons.

The explorer I has always "resonated" with me in a way other swiss watches don't (I am a bit partial to arabic numbers) and since I probably need something that can at least pass for a dress watch this seems like a good way to get my feet wet in the replica universe.

Unfortunately, my research on the Explorer I reps has been mostly goose-chasing. it seems like 99% of the major articles that get into the super-nitpicky dissections of the minute details are focused on subbies (which makes sense, I suppose, since the subbie reps are by far the most popular).

So can anyone just give me a quick rundown of the explorer I reps from the big players in the rep market? What tradeoffs am I looking at between them, what to expect quality-wise, etc?

Thanks.

**J-C** · 06-24-2008, 05:05 AM

Welcome to the Geek Mayo ...

You will surely find all you could ever imagine regarding Rollie's - there is a ton of free information for you to review.

The first place I would check is By Tor's watch reviews, he has some excellent reviews and comments in there for you to peruse.

Cheers and welcome again to RepGeek.

Good to have you as a member

**josevancouver** · 06-24-2008, 05:06 AM

Here's my Explorer 1:

Great watch and extremely accurate to the gen. Only problem for me is that while I don't have thick wrists, this is a 37mm watch so it's quite small compared to many of the larger watches. I love it though and recently put a black leather Toscano strap on mine.

**By-Tor** · 06-24-2008, 05:06 AM

Thanks JC, but I've never written a Explorer I review. Plenty of reviews of Explorer II though.

But sd4k did a splendid one. Read it here.

**swissaddict** · 06-24-2008, 05:14 AM

Get the swiss ETA version (not sure what movement ACTUALLY comes in it, these days.....); it's slightly better than the cheaper one Josh sells for $108. They're pretty much all the same, if you want the plain modern Explorer I. There's also the 'Cartier' edition, and the vintage editions.. but I'd just go for the regular modern Explorer.

Quality is good. Decent sapphire crystal, standard 316L steel, etc. Most noticeable flaw is the etched crown in the crystal, which is a flaw in most Rolex reps. It should be almost invisible, but it's quite visible in our replicas. Part of the printing on the dial is also slightly off.. the"TER" in "CHRONOMETER" is spaced too far from the rest of the word. Otherwise it's a very accurate replica..

They go for around $220-$250 shipped, depending on your dealer of choice. I got mine from Josh (perfect-clones.com; perfect88clones@gmail.com), but you may get it cheaper from someone else, like Ruby (nicereplica.com; goldmedal88@126.com).

Here's a pic of mine:

**spam_artist** · 06-28-2008, 01:19 AM

i wonder if 'they' ever return to check their post after all these good people donating their time and effort to help out a newbie...

but i guess i understand...too many watches to look at after landing at repgeek...