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Well, well, well,... Many familiar names in this thread which is a pleasure to see/read. 14+ years on the forum for me, it used to be "the place" where I spent most of my time regarding rep watch hobby, these days it's only RWI. More or less it is 16 years that I am in this hobby, except for 2 yrs period off, and I am still enjoying. I remember the forums that were before this one and the stories which led to their breakdown. Had a period off the forum(s) because of some personal reasons when I even sold most of my collection and kept only some of the "gems" which are part of the watch rep history such as PAM027-PAM028-PAM029 from EL and Honpo plus some others such as custom built vintage PAMs by VDB and some other pcs.. I was always a big Panerai fan and still keep collecting them. Today I have a collection of ~120 pcs. out of which 75 are PAMs (please don't judge my addiction LOL) and I try to dig some old pieces from members that don't need/use them anymore and buy them for my collection. I remember some guys that were more active in the Panerai section as Kostas/Veni12(V), Tourby, FGD, Rolli, Palpatine & some others that back in the days were one of the 1st members doing some personal projects in order to improve the looks of the reps that were avail. back then. From custom made dials, crowns, crown guards, cyclops,..this days 99,9% is ready made by our chinese friends (PAM related) and mostly stock pieces are avail., even the gen parts are not accessible in the extent they were to be found in the past. Pity there is not a lot of activity in here since the since this place has always exuded a positive and friendly atmosphere. I'll be around with my daily check in to see if there is something new in here. If anybody wants to reach me related to some old school PAM, please do. I'll be happy to have a chat..

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Per Rolex lore, this was the very last dial Jean-Phillipe the typesetter produced before being thrown out the door. He had a nasty habit of sneaking a sip of the devil's brew between dial batches and his typesetting suffered. Before long it became all too obvious when he messed up the spacing of the "o" in "chronometer" one time too many. "OUT!" shrieked Hans Wildorf, and Jean-Phillipe was left with no other employment prospects than carving lawn ornaments.

My PAM Box:

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No worries mate. Of course those Viet cases look brand new, so the case will need to be vintagised and edges will need to be softened to look like a 40 year old case. Tripdog over on RWI did the casework on mine.

Been 14 years or longer, can't really remember. Some names resonate a bit but there was so much information at that time for me it wasn't until Eddielee, lello, TTK, Maria, River, Ubi, Zigmeister, Palpatine, that I started remembering names (and of course you are still one of them Nanuq :)) been lurking these last few years, haven't added much reps to the collection but still happy with what I've got I wish you all the best and really nice to see many of us oldies are still around

I’ll do a quick check in. Been years since I visited until recently. I actually didn’t even remember the URL and took a link at rep geek to find my way back. Was robbed and lost my entire watch collection so just got pretty depressed about watches. Had two 1966 Speedmasters in perfect condition among the casualties. No insurance. 😞 Back on the bike now and glad to be back. Funny, one of the only survivors from the theft was a TC sub Frankin. I had it on my wrist. Still have it!!!!! This was always my favorite forum. Where I started and where I got to know the profiles of so many great people. Great to see many of those names back in this thread. I didn’t know what an automatic movement was when I joined and through the years and knowledge gained here, built at least 10 super high end Frankens myself. Crazy. All my friends think of me as the watch guy so ya’ll can take credit for that. Still single, although contemplating changing that. Work is good. I work really hard but feel blessed and spoiled. Great to be back.

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Bears and beer?

The seller's in Italy, so you know it's 100% genuine shinola. https://www.chrono24.com/rolex/gmt-master-6542-by-pan-am-radio-dial-bakelite-bezel--id9937328.htm

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I didn't want to hijack my own previous post "mvt wont regulate?" so I thought I would start this new title which may be of some interest to those that have a liking for tool watches. My visit with the old time family friend watchmaker Luigi became very interesting when we were speaking of Rolex watches and how I was into the Franken watch version of the Rolex. He was very open minded about this topic and liked my F520117 noobmariner (courtesy of Alligoat) very much with how it served my purpose. He said to me whatever makes you happy is what matters. I would have worn something like that myself. He then pulled out of his drawer a couple of watches to show me which he valued as special to him, not because of any monetary worth, but because he thought were very under rated for what they were. They were a couple of 1930's watches known as "Wyler" They were both rectangular and both in stainless steel. One was labelled as water proof and the other was automatic. In the 1930's they were a great tool watch for that time. We hardly hear of them today, but he went on about them that he worked both on Rolex, Blancpain, Jaeger LeCoultre and Wyler, having a very soft spot for Wyler. I was discussing this over a sip of Strega Liqueur and upon coming home I did some research on this watch. I thought what a joy this hobby truly is !!!!!. Nothing else comes close. There are many websites that speak of this watch, but I thought I would add the following link which shows a picture of the watches that were eye candy to me from that visit. https://www.fratellowatches.com/automatic-wyler-crichettino/

Tonight's sunset pic at midnight. This is why we tolerate the long dark months, so we can have endless sunsets with the sunrise just around the corner.

I just hate driving out of town for 2 hours, but on this occasion, it paid dividends. I finally got an answer to my movement regulation problem & discovered something interesting about the Wyler brand and of the different automatic mechanism they patented. I was happy to see that this 90 + gentleman is still with us and of the conversation we had. In particular I was blown away with his story of what I mentioned in my previous post of his most challenging experience while learning his art, that his master gave him a hair spring that was twisted and made up like into a ball. His mission to pass was to get it straight, reshape it and get it working again. He had to replace it in the balance wheel and Collette and get it right with the screwed in balance weights. He then had to set it in beat getting it half way between the banking pins and got it accurate to almost chronometer level. That is BRAIN SURGERY of the trade area. It would not pay for anyone to do this today, as it would cost a fortune, but good skill developing. By the way for those are not teetotallers, I would try a sip of Strega Liqueur especially for the winter months as it is a good pick-me-up. Disclaimer I have no vested interest in this . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strega_(liqueur)

Here's a mind bender... midnight on the Kobuk River, might as well have a weenie roast with some friends! When the sun refuses to go down, we just STAY up. Sleep? We sleep when we die. It's summer in Alaska!

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Hey guys! hope to see most of you still around and, of course aprehensive with the absences, especially knowing of Rolli’s passing almost a year ago. Life has changed a lot since early times and i hop in from time to time; always a pleasure and a joy. Not posting much tough but I am always contactable please take care, especially during this awkward period. best, M.

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Here are some reference shots from my 1972 Sea Dweller. This has had A LOT of diving use all over the world so the shape of the CGs and lugs will possibly be a little worn down. But the brushing on top of the lugs is factory so those have not changed shape. In these pics it's wearing a factory service T-39 crystal. Note this has the factory 702 crown which is slightly thinner than a contemporary 703 so it makes the CGs look different by comparison. Since those pics were taken I've switched the service crystal for a factory vintage Tropic 39 Superdome and that changes how the dial looks. I've found the Clark T-19 Dome is very close to this look, though thinner in cross section so the dial won't look quite like this. Notice how the rehaut disappears in the curvature of the dome. I hope these help. Please let me know if you need more shots from specific angles.

Clark’s has a Tropic 39 that I used on my build all those years ago... to me it looked pretty good - not sure how close to gen but it was definitely not the top hat/flat dome style that’s for the newer replacements...

What an oddysey. I'm glad you finally have your answer. These old school watch smiths are a marvel to work with. I have a 62 year old Submariner and it was running poorly so walking home one day I popped into a jewelers shop with a small Rolex sign in the window. The old guy behind the counter perked up his ears when he overheard me describing it to his pretty salesgirl, and asked to see it. He listened for a moment and handed it back "the beat is all wrong and it badly needs a service". I thought shenanigans so I challenged him "how can you tell?" and he gave me a withering stare "just listen to it man!" That was the start of a long friendship. We talked Submariners for an hour and as I was leaving I asked how old the thing was? He popped off the band, looked at the serial number and said "April, 1958". I thought shenanigans again so again I challenged him. It was then he took me into the Holy of Holys, his workshop. My God. He opened the thickest book I ever saw, rummaged around and found the page. Ran his finger down a column and poked it. I looked, and sure enough ... my serial number was late first quarter, 1958. Tom Nesbit. Genius. After we moved back to Alaska many years later I popped into a jewelers shop, again for my old Sub, and the kid behind the counter struck me as a bit wonkish, geeky, uncomfortable around people but friendly with watches and ... he wore a lab coat. Just like someone else I know. He listened to it and diagnosed it in a moment. I thought "there's no way....." and I called shenanigans. "Where did you learn to do that, Mister Lab Coat?" He told me "I apprenticed under an old school watchmaker..." and I smiled and completed his sentence for him. He was shocked that I knew Tom, but there are certain skills and traits that identify us. When you've seen enough of how something is supposed to look and supposed to run, you recognize it immediately. And you also know immediately when it's not quite right.

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Well you asked which is “the best 1:1 Rolex Submariner replica in the market today”, hence pointing out that 1:1 does not exist. Now we are closing in on details instead of a vague question. However the problem remains the same. There is no consensus on which is the best 116610LN, each version has it’s strengths and it’s faults, which are well documented. So it returns to YOUR opinion and what faults YOU can live with. The only person that knows you well enough to answer that is you. Some truly obsessed people mix and match parts and even fit genuine parts to chase the last details. Of those you have named it is unlikely that any of them will be a huge disappointment Sometimes it is more straightforward, for five digit Subs, JF is the clear winner of those models now available. Though even there it is not a clear and undisputed winner over the long gone TC Sub Unfortunately it exactly the same story with dealers, people have preferences, sometimes very strong ones and over time one tends to build a relationship with a dealer, but there isn’t much agreement on which is best, other than sticking to trusted dealers

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What a kind, gentle soul.

I miss Lani😞

Ain’t that the truth. What did he have, over 500 watches at one point? Remember his Doxa? Next to version 1.0 of my Big Gonzo.

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Yeah I pushed too hard and smashed that hours hand down so far it wouldn't turn then I had to get it back off. Tweezers? Nope. Hemostats? Not on your life. Pick it up with an xacto knife? Dream on. Give me the damn channel-locks. It came off. And I broke the weak-ass pansy fricken cheap wussy miniature godforsaken stinking stem inside the crown. Next time I need to take a Seiko apart I'm using a different set of tools. I'm done "persuading" things to come apart.

Production year was1968. Fifty two years old and running perfect.

Ah - to work on these particular watches you need to take a slow, deep breath.....of Heliox Helium Oxygen mix. 🤿

we need to see the relics of the past by reposting images of these rarest SMP frankens out there!

My 'ono' meter is strong with this one... There are some guys on this forum that would kill for lume like that though!

🙂

I meant the edge of the lug which is between the red square and the green rectangle. If you flip the case upside down, the lower and upper edges should form a ‘canoe’ shape. If you flip the Viet case upside down, you’ll see the edge along the bezel ring is not curved and is quite flat.

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A moment of silence please.............. [ Sorry, I forgot to breathe. You were saying???

Here’s the recipe for mine. JMB Case, Yuki dial, Clark hands, ETA 2824 movement.