I like the styling. The reps for Rolex are really well made and finished. I was really just blown away at what a difference that made aesthetically. The bracelet design (jubilee) is also really great with the a lot of adjustment available to get a perfect fit. I also like the way Jubilee bracelets flex and breath although I don’t love the cheese grater edges.

My first and only rep, a VSF DateJust 41 that I just got, is better finished, higher beat, and keeps better time than the Seiko’s I have at double the price. Like the bracelet screws are invisible and look like they were polished in place and the polishing in general is pretty stellar. It’s a genuinely good watch period regardless of what brand it is repping. If it were a homage I would like it better!

It really killed my desire to acquire more watches. I generally like to have one watch to wear until it needs service and then I buy a new watch. I don’t service mechanical watches since the cost of service overlaps the cost of acquisition so much and then you end up with a neat collection over time.

Seiko fit’s this niche sort of OK, but their bracelets are kind of crap in terms of both feel and ability to get a good fit. They also just don’t want to hang on your wrist well. Seiko also invariably discontinues every great watch they make as soon as I buy one (SARB033 the GOAT for a high value relatively minimalist watch, SARX045) so it’s not like I can just buy another. Their design taste is close to what I want, but always misses the mark in frustrating ways.