u/Cray_22

Wasted some money conducting a quality experiment - might as well give it a little time out in the real world 😂

Just wanted to share a favorite piece in my collection, a 2003 Breitling Colt Chronograph (A73350).

An underrated model with a neat history, the Colt was first released in the 1980’s for the armed forces. It was made to be durable, easy to read, and highly accurate (this model is fit with Breitling’s thermo-compensated “SuperQuartz” movement that maintains accuracy between ± 10 seconds a year).

The Colt was replaced by the Avenger in 2020 as Breitling started to refine their catalogue, but all in all, it’s a neat piece of Breitling history that I love to wear in my rotation.😁

What are some favorite watches of yours that you consider underrated?

During the height of Cinemassacre, we used to make fun of AVGN copycats, but with the larping craze bringing back the nostalgia of old YouTube, we may have found our next new-old AVGN fix 😂

I haven’t seen anyone do an “in-depth” review here, so I figured I’d share my findings. With the amount of hype surrounding the AP x Swatch Royal Pop release, it didn’t take long for factories to start taking a shake at creating replicas. Curiosity got the best of me, so I picked up two examples, one for each crown configuration.

EDIT: I’m aware that better reps have hit the market since. Consider this a “first batch” review, as I ordered these immediately upon their initial release to see what the factories managed to create in such a short period of time.

Unfortunately, the nearest Swatch store is a few hours away, so getting a gen Royal Pop for a proper side-by-side comparison is a little difficult. I tried to source some detailed macro shots of gen examples online to compare, but for this review I’m focusing primarily on the overall quality and construction of the reps.

Packaging

Both watches arrived in boxes with included pamphlets and Swatch bags. As expected, the packaging was in pretty rough shape and the Ocho Negro (Black and White) was shipped in the wrong box, but overall, it’s something.

The front dials also had two layers of plastic covering which was interesting (Swatch branded on top, generic underneath that).

Dial & Printing

The biggest surprise with this factory’s version is the printing quality, which appears to be delicate and very close to the gen.

As far as the dial, the waffle pattern is shallower than the gen, but the texture inside each square is still sharp and well defined. On the Lan Ba (blue), the biggest dial tell is the small seconds subdial. The genuine watch has a ribbed texture here, while the rep is completely flat. The 6 o’clock marker is also longer than it should be, and the markers around the dial are narrower than the gen. The Ocho Negro is much closer to the gen from the front and everything seems to be the same in proportion.

Both dials also feature a fairly bright lume when shown in the dark.

Rear Design and Movement

The rear printing is decently crisp, but it’s not a direct copy of the gen. The design lines up with the components, but many of the gears are different sizes compared to the real thing. The “Royal Pop” text is a little bolder than the gen, and on the Lan Ba, the decal is facing the wrong way (the orientation should match the 3 ‘o clock crown placement). The movement is unfortunately (but not surprisingly) quartz despite the listing claiming to be manual wind.

Case & Bezel

The case molds aren’t bad overall. The biggest difference is texture. The gen has more of a brushed finish, while the rep is a lot smoother and flatter. The bezel screws are also noticeably different. On the gen they’re larger and sit more flush with the surface. On the rep they’re smaller, more rounded, and stick out slightly. The crown features the AP x S which is a nice touch.

Build Quality

The watch feels a little cheap in hand, but not fragile.
Nothing about it feels like it’s going to fall apart with daily wear (and I’d be willing to bet the gen is more or less the same in this area).

Overall, it was definitely amusing to see a rep of this overhyped piece of shit in person. For something that appeared only weeks after release, the level of detail is honestly better than I expected. Before the novelty wears off, I may wear it for shits and giggles, but like the gen, these guys are destined for the trash.

Hopefully I was able to give a decent overview of this crazy collab. Have a great day 😂

Link: https://www.dhgate.com/product/royal-st-pop-automatic-watch-ceramic-dial/1105650783.html

With the amount of hype surrounding the AP x Swatch Royal Pop release, it didn’t take long for factories to start taking a shake at creating replicas. Curiosity got the best of me, so I picked up two examples, one for each crown configuration.

Unfortunately, the nearest Swatch store is a few hours away, so getting a gen Royal Pop for a proper side-by-side comparison is a little difficult. I tried to source some detailed macro shots of gen examples online to compare (comparison photos on slides 7, 8, and 9), but for this review I’m focusing primarily on the overall quality and construction of the reps.

A few weeks ago, u/snidetime posted an excellent comparison of one factory’s version, so I’ve also tried to take that version into consideration when comparing (mine appears to be from a different factory).

Packaging

Both watches arrived in boxes with included pamphlets and Swatch bags. As expected with a shitter, the packaging was in pretty rough shape and the Ocho Negro (Black and White) was shipped in the wrong box, but overall, it’s something.

The front dials also had two layers of plastic covering which was interesting (Swatch branded on top, generic underneath that).

Dial & Printing

The biggest surprise with this factory’s version is the printing quality, which appears to be very close to the gen. Compared to the rep reviewed by u/snidetime, the text is noticeably more delicate compared to the bold text on his rep.

As far as the dial, the waffle pattern is shallower than the gen, but the texture inside each square is still sharp and well defined. On the Lan Ba (blue), the biggest dial tell is the small seconds subdial. The genuine watch has a ribbed texture here, while the rep is completely flat. The 6 o’clock marker is also longer than it should be, and the markers around the dial are narrower than the gen. The Ocho Negro is much closer to the gen from the front and everything seems to be the same in proportion.

Both dials also feature a fairly bright lume when shown in the dark.

Rear Design and Movement

The rear printing is decently crisp, but it’s not a direct copy of the gen. The design lines up with the components a lot better than u/snidetime’s, but many of the gears are different sizes. The “Royal Pop” text is a little bolder than the gen, and on the Lan Ba, the decal is facing the wrong way (the orientation should match the 3 ‘o clock crown placement). The movement is unfortunately (but not surprisingly) quartz despite the listing claiming to be manual wind.

Case & Bezel

The case molds aren’t bad overall. The biggest difference is texture. The gen has more of a brushed finish, while the rep is a lot smoother and flatter. The bezel screws are also noticeably different. On the gen they’re larger and sit more flush with the surface. On the rep they’re smaller, more rounded, and stick out slightly. The crown features the AP x S which is a nice touch.

Build Quality

The watch feels a little cheap in hand, but not fragile.
Nothing about it feels like it’s going to fall apart with daily wear (and I’d be willing to bet the gen is more or less the same in this area).

Overall, it was definitely amusing to see a rep of this overhyped piece of shit in person. For something that appeared only weeks after release, the level of detail is honestly better than I expected. Before the novelty wears off, I may wear it for shits and giggles, but like the gen, these guys are destined for the trash.

Hopefully I was able to give a decent overview of this crazy collab. Have a good night 😂

About two weeks ago, it was brought to my attention through this sub that listings for Royal Pop reps were appearing on a well-known e-commerce platform. Given the remarkably fast turnaround on production following their overhyped release, I decided to purchase two for the heck of it to review, one for each crown placement.

I’ll be sharing my findings as soon as they arrive. Stay tuned!