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Greetings, I inherited a 1958 GMT master ref. 6542 from my Grandfather who passed away in 2013. He purchased the watch new in 1959 In Rammstein Germany while in the Air Force. He was a career pilot and I imagine he picked this watch out because it was a useful tool for a pilot to have. In the 70’s the original bezel broke and his watch service ship installed another submariner style bezel on it( I imagine back then without the internet it was harder to source parts). He also replaced the original bracelet( may have broke or who knows). He put a JB Champion brick bracelet on it as you seen in the photos. I purchased a Bakelite replica bezel for it, And plan on getting a genuine 7206 with 58 end links (if I can find the right deal). He wore the watch for over 50 years and it has held up wonderfully. The dial and hands are original. Here are some photos of the watch, along with a picture of my Grandfather wearing it in 1965 or 66. He worked for the test flight program at Edwards Air Force base in the 60s and 70s after he retired and wore the watch daily. So the watch has some very cool Flight related history as well.

Beautiful!! Sending happy thoughts from the Aurora Borrealis in Sweden! Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

Spending a little quality time with an old friend.

And a happy New Year!

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No more waiting! The watch is back from Domi.

First pictures from Domi

Hello Gang, The 16800 was allways my grail Sub, so I decided to build one. I got a refinished Dial for now. I will take a VR Movement 3135, so the problem is the open 6&9 Datewheel. I must get gen 168000 wheel that goes in the right direction. I have an old MBW Sub with Lugholes and gen Insert installed. I thought it will be a nice base. I bought some nice gen 93150 bracelet parts with gen Endlinks. After running in Problems to fit the VR 3135 in the old MBW Case, I decided to get one of my old WM9 Cases as base. So the Case got a gen Tube and Crown and a gen No Lec Crystal, also A gen Insert is installed. The Rehaut needs to be a bit shallower for a 16800, so it must be shaved down. The case has no Lugholes so it must be drilled too. This must be done as next step. I got hands on the route too. Here is a sneak Peek I will update the post when the work is done. Thanks for looking. Gesendet von meinem Mi MIX 2S mit Tapatalk

Let me post a picture of mine.

The best TRLs are replicated 1:1 using an original. The factory can’t just buy the sticker though. They need the whole watch to really see how it’s on there.

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So, I bought a broken WM9 with the famous 2678 Eta movement for cheap. I thought this will a good base for a nice Kermit. Specs as follow WM9 Case reshaped Gen Tube and Crown Gen Crystal WM LV Insert VR 3135 JF LV Dial and Hands TC bracelet This is the result. Gesendet von meinem Mi MIX 2S mit Tapatalk

Btw I was in touch with raffles about creating correct connecting links for Mary’s 7836, maybe he could create correct connecting links for the 93150 too.

There is nothing special about the rlx 15xx and the main thing is not to lose or break anything because of the parts $ituation. Plan on replacing the mainspring and maybe a worn part or two if it has been used for a long time without service. Generic swiss made mainsprings are Ok because most of them are made by the same outfit (Générale Ressorts). Many other generic replacement parts are Ok too but the purists go nuts when they are mentioned...even when their watch contains a few that they are not aware of. Take note how the MS is installed (direction of the coil winding) and be careful not to load the new one in 'bassackwards'. Load the MS using the frame it comes in and be sure it does not creep out of the barrel at the outside edge when installing it or you will need a MS winder to get it back in the barrel. You can keep the MS arbor from flying away when putting it back in the barrel after the MS is installed by putting a tap 10 (.9mm) screw in the threaded hole in the arbor to hold it by...a stem etc will work. Q...What wears out? A...Parts under the most stress such as the auto weight axle and intermediate wheel pivots in the autowind assembly and a reverser now and then. Look closely where the mainspring arbor passes through the main plate on the dial side and be sure the hole is not worn out of round because this will allow the MS barrel to run out of level, drag on the plates, and rob MS power reserve. The back side has a bushing and does not cause much trouble. Q...The fix? A...Peen around the hole with a three corner punch to shrink the hole (a shortcut, not a good fix) or install a bushing...a hassle. Hopefully this is all Ok and nothing will be needed. Get a few small storage cups to put the various parts in along with the screws that attach them to the movement and keep them separated...auto wind parts in one, train wheels in one, bridges with screws in one etc. Pay particular attention to the screws, especially the smaller screws like the two that hold the autowind assembly together, the two that hold the set bridge in place, the two that hold the date jumper to the main plate etc as they all look alike but are different in detail. Make sure the two short screws that hold the crown wheel in place do not get mixed up with any other small screws. Keep the sweep second tension spring screw with the tension spring. Be careful when removing the sweep second wheel before disassembly to not bend the wheel or pivot it is pressed down on...it's a light press fit and will come off easily. Put paper or something under the wheel when removing it to keep from scratching the plate. Be extremely careful with the hairspring, pallet fork, PF arbors, and escape wheel. Be sure you r/r the 'Duofix' escape wheel jewels the correct way (the keepers do not come out of the setting). Etc, etc. Send a pm with a mailing address and I'll send a parts list, oiling chart, and service tips. https://watchguy.co.uk/service-rolex-1601-calibre-1570/ https://onatelier.co.uk/rolex-calibre-1570-oyster-perpetual-date-1500-service https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/1530-60-70-cal-rolex-movements.774/ https://www.acrotec.ch/en/companies/generale-ressorts/

It's not a Turn-O-Graph, the shape of the knurling is wrong and the tic marks on the insert would be small oblongs instead of short bars. I think you've got a Hamazawa Le Gant bezel there from the 70s QS (QuickSet) version.

Great project - following with interest. My spider T-25 dial (finished by Tripdog) says hi too...

That was a good and depressing read I think the huge difference between the luxury watch industry and auto industry is that there was no catastrophic crash in the auto industry due to a functionally superior technology emerging, as happened in the "quartz crisis". A company has to take drastic measures to stay alive when it sells a product that nobody actually needs anymore, and I think that monopoly of parts, heritage consolidation, and lifestyle mysticism are results of that. The Swiss companies gambled heavily that they could transform their products into pure status objects, and won, so they are going to keep playing that hand for all it's worth. I think there's an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with this policy, seen in the huge influx of interest into vintage collecting, micro brands, and vintage detailing in new designs.. but until the world of "Instagram prestige" buyers dries up, Rolex will continue to treat us like a fortuitous cash cow instead of a valued customer. A recent example: I was able to get a watch I've wanted for years - a WW2 era Longines Weems. It has all the hallmarks of the ~1,900 issued to the Royal Air Force in early 1940, minus the case back acceptance engravings. I took a gamble and bought it anyway. I contacted Longines and they verified by serial number that it is indeed one of the RAF watches. To my amazement, Longines has kept extensive records and will share them with you at no cost. I think they simply can't afford to be as obstinate toward their collectors as Rolex is. Still, when it comes time to service this thing, it's no doubt going to a private watchmaker somewhere near me instead of returning to Longines in a boatload of Swiss francs

Buone feste ! Recognize the mistake..

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It’s not a KOTRT theme without a Group shot:

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Radial dial- gen movement. Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

Do yours make the screwy little chittering sounds? As big magnificent birds you'd think they'd have magnificent voices too.

16233 Nice! That would be the next build I think the total cost is around $325 so it’s a cheapie nice beater I think i will upgrade it with a gen 2836-2 in the future

Nice! Yeah, the newer DJ 41 is too big for my small wrist, and I love vintage watches. They are the unique watches you can find, and probably the best! I don't care if people said they out-dated! The newer model just not quite as good as the old one. Here is the picture of my watch:

Very nice, that’s a rare dial! Out for a walk today

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42mm https://www.trustytime02.cc/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_47&products_id=20594&zenid=7c429e059969e60ee0e4ebb56e4ea403 47mm https://www.trustytime02.cc/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_47&products_id=20317&zenid=7c429e059969e60ee0e4ebb56e4ea403

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Merry Christmas RWG!

Merry Christmas to one and all

Merry Christmas gents!

"Well i’m wondering what will be my next Franken... Patek nautilis 5711 Panerai bronze submersible Ap Royal oak off shore chrono Max € for project 3000€." Older model APRO and Pat Naut used JLC movements and the movements can be found now and then but prices have risen drastically because repairers need them for parts, the movements are not known for being overly durable. I like APRO replicas with solid case backs and maybe a Miyota 9015 movement...no clonejunk movements. I am really not much of a Patek fan. That being said, I always end up with rlx projects because the rlx replica parts supply is relatively endless. Not so for AP, PP, Pan etc. Try to find a Naut crystal or crown for example. Rolex Frankenstein replicas put you in the Frankenstein mainstream. AP, PP etc Frankenstein replicas put you on the Frankenstein island. Imho. Two of my favorite rlx replica projects are the 1016 and 5500/1002 Explorers. They are easy to put together (no bezel/crystal/CG hassles) and every other guy you see does not have one on. The 'Explorers' are a bit small for many though. The last 1002 I bought a few years back cost $650 and I thought it was too much at the time but it had no case corrosion. A surprise (to me)...I just now looked on eBay and 1002 models are priced $2000 to $3000 and up. Shazam! I remember when they were less than $250 new...but I made only $65 a week back then and had a '57 Chevy Bel-Air to support. (The ''57 Chevy...2DHT, canary yellow, black r/p interior, 327/365, Wonderbar radio, factory tinted glass, Muncie M20/Hurst shifter, 370 Posi, American 200S wheels etc. No rust. Friend of mine paid $37K for one a few months ago and drove 1700 miles round trip to pick it up. Shazam! again.)

That would be correct. Different subdial spacing.

For sure trusted dealers are the best option, for a reason they are named "trusted" meaning you will get what you ordered, you will have their aftersale support, etc. For a newbie it is always better to take time and to read before buying. I remember when I discovered this hobby 15 yrs ago it was like for a kid in a candy shop, wanted everything immediately but it takes some time until you understand all the "rules" of the hobby and how it goes. Better to study everything with care and then to proceed with the orders..it can save you a lot of trouble & money!

Sorry bro. Need upgrade to Tapatalk Vip ...

Was Pepsi, now black...

Hi guys...my 1675 ended lady week... Vietnam case completly reworked Gen mk5B dial Gen Nos flat Cap plexi Gen jubilee Gen silver datewheel, 3, 6, 9 open, 26 close Gen insert A perfect mix of hands...gmt hand has the correct red shape, second hand flat shape Eta 2893-3

5513

I took some time off on a couple of projects (sorry Flex!) and focused on the cartel 6263 that has been recently released with the the asymmetrical pusher configuration, but has crappy sub-dials. I bought the white PN dial. Besides the big crappy sub-dials, the rest of the dial isn't actually too bad. But the killer is the sub-dials. They are a larger than gen and the hour sub-dial even bleeds into the outside track of the dial. Definitely 2 thumbs down! When you turn over the watch, you will notice that one of the pusher notches doesn't seem to be cut as deep as the other... There is a reason for this, which I will explain later. Opening the case...a shot of inside the case back. Once again not too bad, engravings are deep, fonts are pronounced... Shot of the famous Seagull movement that was used in this rep. But waitaminute...the Seagull has symmetrical pusher configuration, so how can the new cartel vintage Daytona's have asymmetrical pushers? Here is the cartel's answer to the symmetrical/asymmetrical problem... For the top pusher, the cartel fashioned a little "L" shaped arm that attaches to the pusher. This "L" shaped arm actually compensates for the difference in distance between a symmetrical and asymmetrical pusher position. The offset is a good 6 to 8mm. This also explains why one of the pusher notches is not as deep as the other one. The cartel had to machine a groove in the case to fit the "L" shaped arm and as a result, the corresponding pusher need to be shortened. Though not noticable at first or even second glance, the top pusher is a bit shorter than the bottom pusher. I give the cartel this credit...very ingenious, but when the watch is flipped over, the notch is a sure tell. Otherwise, when the watch sits on your wrist, the notch is not noticable at all. In my exploration, I also discovered that the seagull can never have the proper sub dial spacing for a Daytona. I bought an InGod44 PN dial just for the purpose of modding the cartel to give it the same sub-dial spacing as a gen Daytona. I discovered this... InGod dial on top and the cartel dial on the bottom. Notice how the cartel hour sub-dial post hole is slightly lower than the InGod? Yup...a gen-spec dial is not a direct swap. BUT...I wasn't going to give up, so I proceeded to tear apart the Daytona and I discovered the following. As you may well know, the hour totalizer (sub-dial) is static for the Seagull movement...in other words, it is not functional. Here is the little gear responsible for holding the hour totalizer hand in place. The hour gear needs to be moved slightly upwards, but the gear is set into place by a pivot and a pivot hole machined into the top plate of the movement. I had to either move the position of the pivot hole or remove the pivot. I decided that to remove the pivot would be the easiest way. So I proceeded to file down the pivot, until it was gone and the gear sat flat on the surface of the movement plate. I then took the cover plate...Notice that the plate keeps the hour gear in a specific spot. So I enlarged the hour gear hole by using one of my trusty broaches. But the gear had to stay in its new position, so I used some cold weld adhesive to affix the gear into the proper place on the movement plate. I used slow set cold weld adhesive as this would provide some extra time to move the hour gear into the proper position. I quickly reinstalled the cover plate and placed the InGod dial onto the movement. I then aligned the post to the new dial. Here is the end result... After the adhesive has dried, I used dial dot tape to install the InGod dial. Notice that the hour post is in the middle... The hands go back on... ...and the final product...the subdial issue for the vintage cartel Daytona...solved!!! Okay...back to Flex's projects...