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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.

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/

Lovely watch. Congrats. Would be tempted to leave it as-is. The watch evolved with your Grandfather, the result is his story.