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Check out the cuff links the wife just got me! They arrived a little late for Christmas. What do you get a guy that has everything (well almost)? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beautiful!! And that's the great part...you can do it yourself. I "restored" also couple of Gen clasps and bracelets from the dead...great satisfaction to see them come back to life. Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met Tapatalk

Hi Guys. For anyone who does not think a Rolex is a tool watch. I have restored the bracelet. Unfortunately I did not get take many good before pictures but it was beat worse than any I have ever seen. It looked like hammered metal on the clasp and the the first few links around the clasp on both sides. The clasp on the opposite end of the safety catch was sharp like a razor. It clearly has a lot of stretch, but initially I thought it would not come back. The links around the clasp were deformed from wear. Just some hard work with a dremel and synthetic steel wool have brought this baby back to life. You can see I had to remove some metal on the clasp to remove the "razor", but it is still usable. Real tribute to how well a Rolex is made. So I have found some tritium hands, a pearl and a super dome, so in a couple of weeks she will go get the hands installed. A light brush and polish and I think she will be good to go. I will post up some pics off my phone of the bracelet. . Before: After:

Came in today! The camera just doesn't capture the color right. I tried to duplicate as close as possible. The dial under certain light has a mix of orange in it as well. Looks more yellow-orange. It is gorgeous! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll have the alarm set for midnight http://

Reps are only fake if trying to pass it off as gen. Otherwise they're are reps and a great hobby.

Man, that is a beauty. Glad to hear you found a match with the hands. That insert is absolutely killer; I love the blue hue and fade. Can't wait to see it finished. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know it's a matter of semantics, but to me if we are discussing our watches they are "reps" because we all acknowledge them as such. When someone is trying to pass off a "rep" as a genuine watch, then it becomes a fake or a counterfeit, as the seller is attempting to deceive the buying public. AFA the one the OP was offered, ask the seller to meet you at your local Rolex AD. Tell him you have the cash in hand, but you want to get the watch verified before you buy it. Then sit back and wait for the excuses, stalling and eventually the seller running for cover!!

I ordered something from Tonny today and he was friendly and responsive. Very quick with the comms. Seems solid. I will check back in after I receive the goods.

Awesome. Nice find by the wife. I have seen a few different types of these but have not yet acquired any. Need to grab some. I dig cuff links and always wear them with a suit. Very cool man[emoji106]

Holy crap! Those are amazing.

I think they are aligned

Little more work on her this morning. Refinished the bracelet, changed the clasp and fitted the end links better until I send it away. I found a matching set of tritium hands [emoji106]. Anyone have a good pearl they want to sell...

Lemmy (RIP)

Well, I'd start on eBay, then both rep and gen forums. Maybe also suppliers like Cousins and Otto Frei.

Thankyou Legend, my watch has arrived in time for Christmas and WOW what a gorgeos time peice. It is No3 of 10, I have taken some daytime pics but my photography just could not capture the qualities of this stunning build. The AR coating allows the dial detail to shine through and the evenly recessed besel screws just give that feel of shear quality. However what you cant see is the smooth feel of the mechanism when winding, this is a hand built and oiled movement accurate with a long power resurve and it is going to be reliable, it has been waterproofed and tested so this makes a good choice for holidays. The best way to sum up this build is that you could wear it in a AP boutique with confidence the build is that good. Many Many thanks Legend .nmdsdcid

Project story... I put a low buck project watch together now and then and always end up using parts from three or four watches. Since I still have a few vintage style Eta 28xx watches from Abay I usually go with an Abay mid case and dial but change things around to make it more realistic. The dial windows are all 26.0mm so the only 'affordable' dial option besides the original is a Yuki etc 26.5mm 1680 dial. All the Abay dials...5513, 5514, 1680 etc are about 26.5mm so they will all work in any of the Abay cases. The main trouble with the dials is the printing is sometimes a bit dim and the markers at 3-6-9 are too narrow in the beam. One bonus is the Abay 5514 and SD have working oem spec helium valves. All my Abay cases have two major flaws...the rotating bezels are non oem spec (they have no inner bezel and are simply stuck down over the crystal) and the case back gasket is cut in the case instead of the case back. They do have a good profile however and a completed project has a good look to it, they even have the 'tear drop' lower edge of the crown guard like genuine cases and absent in many replicas. The gasket in the case does not matter much and it allows a thinner case back while accepting low $$ cartel type case backs from Raffles Time etc. I have a few DW 'spring wire' bezel sets and since the Abay cases will accept oem crystals, I use the DW bezels with generic oem spec crystals to save $$. The cases have long, thick crown guards and there is more than enough metal to grind them to shape and the holes in the lugs are located so they can be bored out to 1.3mm without being too high or too low. What all the BS above boils down to is by using a combination of parts, just about anyone can put together a pretty good watch for not much $$, but you can not be in a hurry. It will usually be quite a bit cheaper than a Yuki or MBK case project watch. MBK watches and cases used to be an option for low buck projects but not today. Besides saving $$, after completing a few 'budget' projects you will know more about the cost and headaches of watch projects and maybe not be as far upside down.