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Hi guys, I mentioned awhile back that I was embarking on a new project. Well, its now ready for public criticism. I had my heart set on building a 3,6,9 PCG sub from the early '60's. Having first acquired a cal 1530 with the appropriate butterfly rotor, I looked for an appropriate case. Luckily (although $$ buys one a lot of luck), I found a genuine 1962 PCG case and decided that an explorer dial is the direction i wanted to go. The watch came complete, but had a more recent cal 1530 and a very bad aftermarket dial. Sadly, the mid case was poorly polished and the bevels were all but destroyed. This is what it looked like when I received it. Truly horrific: I can live with an unpolished case that has worn lugs, but I cannot live with a case that was recently polished poorly. As such, I proceeded to give the mid-case a complete make-over. While a NOS looking case may not be appropriate for a 1962 watch, it’s not uncommon to have the case-refreshed by professionals who know what they are doing. If a case is going to be polished, I’d rather have one done properly that one done poorly. After several hours of surgery and taking steps to ensure the CG’s were minimally touched, here is the end result on the mid-case. I think it’s much more acceptable now: For the dial. There was only one choice. Obviously he cannot be mentioned, but I decided I wanted a 3,6,9 “silvery” gilt dial, exclamation. There are several different varieties of 5512/5513 explorer dials, but I think the one I chose suits the build. The hands are still a work in progress. While genuine, I am still seeking a set of flat hands. The hands I’m using now were a set I had lying around. It’s doesn’t look terrible, but I think flat hands would really finish off the project nicely. Genuine cal 1530: Caseback: Most 5513’s in the early ’60’s used 5512 stamped casebacks. It came with the mid-case and despite the poor polishing, the case was in stellar condition. Not corrosion whatsoever. Complete specs: Genuine ’62 5513 mid-case, caseback Gen cal 1530 Gen Tropic 19 superdome gen 5513 hands custom redial gen 700 twin-lock crown and tube Gen bezel asembly gen Uber-font “Long-5” insert (the only “kissing 50” long 5 i have ever seen) Gen 7206 rivet bracelet with 80 endlinks Just waiting to find the right hands, but until then, here are the semi-finished project: Group shot: On the wrist, the PCG 5513 feels great. I think it’s the slender profile that makes it so comfortable. It’s a little known fact, but the PCG cases were a tad thinner than regular CG 5513’s: I'm hoping to have a set of original flat hands soon, but until then, I will have to live with this as it is.

Looking for someone to do this to a date just or explorer: Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

It's a SD kind of day!!

Still wearing my Bond Sub

Not 'insanity'........just vintage Rolex. As always, when it comes to vintage Rolex, remember - today's insane price is tomorrow's missed bargain.

Exactly my current state of mind. My Great White or 1680 have some genuine stuff, but overall they look stunning, at least to my eyes, and works perfectly well with the slow beat ETAs!

Yeah, it's the red dial that sells it though. That's why I don't see a huge issue with building a vintage watch. You get the look you love with (hopefully) a movement and case with a ton of life left. As long as you're not trying to sell it as genuine I don't see any issue IMO.

Super glue will also cause corrosion on the steel parts inside a watch. The tiny pivots suffer the most and that causes thae watch to stop until the pivot is replaced. It can fog the crystal forever ( the fumes) and if it gets slightly out of place it can freeze pivots in bearings or jewels permanently.

1665 today

That does it. I'm getting one done for myself. You guys will hate this idea. 118239, diamond lugs, center diamond bracelet, diamond bezel, everything smooth engraved. I'm going to see if he can engrave a gen diamond dial. OMG

Phong is expensive, but I have a lot of faith in his abilities.

You have to be careful removing the insert. I found the MBW inserts to be very flimsy and they are glued to the bezel. First you have to pop off the bezel using a thin, flat but strong tool like a caseback knife or small flathead screwdriver. Then I would use something like a small razor or x-acto to try and separate the insert from the bezel. Wipe the bezel down and put it in a small cup of bleach for about 5 minutes, remove it, rinse it under water, dab it with a paper towel to dry it (you don't want to wipe it because that may add a strange wiped texture that you can't undo) and inspect the insert. If you like it, you're done. If not, repeat until satisfied. Viola I can't tell if you are being sarcastic. This is one of the nicest looking case modifications I've seen and I have only heard good things from him. What was your experience? What do you mean by that?

Skinny 4 is more period correct for a '63 build. Also, there is some controversy of the authenticity of skinny 4 inserts. I don't think there is any official Rolex pictures of that insert in any of their literature

If you want a Datejust, similar to this, Ryan on Intime have a similar DJ already done whit engravings for 198$ plus shipping for 2813 and 268$ plus shipping for eta clone 2824, here the link and some pictures, is also avaible in pvd version but the SS look great for me SS one: http://www.intime.co/rollie/2232-datejust-engraved-ss-case-black-dial-on-brown-leather-strap.html