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I am wearing the 'Dweller today, but I think I am going to switch to this tomorrow.........

The glory days of vintage Rolex sportwatch franken-building are definitely history. But I disagree that Rolex movements are inherently problematic, or more so than ETAs and other modern mechanics. Properly assembled and maintained, Rolex calibers are nearly bulletproof. That is one of the reasons they remain so highly valued by collectors and watchmakers alike. I do not have a single gen Rolex movement that I have serviced that has either failed or not generally met its time-keeping design specs. And I believe some of them are now hitting the 20-year mark for wrist- &/or winder-time, if my own time-keeping skills are correct. On the other hand, with Rolex virtually beheading anyone within their service network for selling parts to anyone outside the network (i.e., any of us amateur watchsmiths) and with OEM Rolex parts prices far out of reach now anyway, I would not recommend entry into the gen or franken Rolex arena today unless you are extremely well-heeled, patient, have alot of free time on your hands & enjoy the search. As to one80's goal of building a 6538/5510, were it me, I would 1st decide how much I can realistically afford to spend on a franken that may or may not maintain (or increase) value over time. If my break-off point is below $5k, I would find a reasonably accurate rep (with accurate case dimensions/construction) and replace the crown/tube, crystal & bracelet with gens (though you will need a bit of luck locating an appropriate gen bracelet for a reasonable amount). If my break-off point is above $5k, I would start with a franken from Phong or MQ & have the watch properly serviced upon receipt (I have seen some truly scary things inside their watches). Then, depending on the overall condition of the watch (after a proper service) & the list of gen parts that are either in poor condition, aftermarkets or replicas, begin your search for OEM gen replacements. Be patient as the cost & time required will likely be severe & measured in many months &/or years. Unfortunately, I think you are about 10 years too late to begin such a quest, but, as they say, there are exceptions to every rule & good things come to those who wait.

That’s right, today is the day, starting with one lonely man and some bulletin board software we’ve grown into the most educated and knowledgeable watch forum on the Web. Tens of thousands of members and accumulated centuries of experience... I’m proud to be part of this place we call 127.0.0.1 Congratulations RWG!!!

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." —King

I thought I'd try the Maranez on a Beads of Rice band. Wow! I'm in love.

Added 3-27-21: From: Where to get a case to fit a Yuki 3135 - The Rolex Area - RWG Question: "I have a Yuki 3135 movement in good shape and I'm entertaining the idea of building a watch around it." "In particular I keep seeing that a 3135-style movement will not fit into a case intended for a 2824 or similar ETA movement, which is what most of the stock out there apparently is geared towards." There are basically two variations of 36mm DJ type cases floating around: 1...Common cases made for swiss ETA 2836 and 2836 etaclones and/or various china DG/NN etc '21 jewel' movements. Because these movements started out as day/date movements, they are a little bit thicker than a 2824 date movement and the stem will be closer to the back of the case because of the thickness of the extra day of the week parts. 2...Cases made for swiss ETA 2824 and 2824 etaclones. They may be a little bit thinner overall than a 2836 case or they may be the same thickness as a 2836 case with the difference in movement thickness allowed for in the way they are machined inside the case. The newer 36mm DJ and DJ 41 cases may be made differently depending on the movement or they all might be the same. This goes for submariner type cases too except many DJ and submariners now come with 3135 clones so the Yuki 3135 may fit. I never had a watch with a 3135 clone, most of my projects used swiss ETAs. Successful projects that is. The problem is these cases are not always made to oem spec (or any spec) and there will be variations in cases made for the same movement...shallow reflector (aka 'rehaut') vs taller reflector, movement not centered in the case same as oem etc. For this reason there is really no set rule on what case will accept the Yuki 3135 clone. It is discouraging but that's the way it is...the replica world is basically 'Out Of Spec'. Ha! About all I have done is tell you what the pitfalls are so now maybe a member who has put a watch together using the Yuki 3135 will chime in with a few tips. 'More or Less Rules'... A case made for a 3135 will usually accept a 2824. May need a movement spacer. A case made for a 3035 will usually accept a 2836. May need a movement spacer. A case made for a 3135 will accept a rlx 15xx no date mvt. Without the calendar wheel spacer. A case made for a 3035 will accept a standard rlx 15xx date mvt. Rlx 15xx no date mvt will work if a calendar spacer is used but it will need a 15xx date center wheel, CP, and hour wheel or the hands may be too close to the dial. 'Hit or Miss Rules'... If you want to use a rlx 15xx date mvt without the date parts in a case made for a rlx 15xx date movement (MBK 5512/13 for example), you can get by with the standard date center wheel, CP, and hour wheel. You need to leave the calendar spacer on the mvt without the date works. If you use a rlx 15xx date movement in a case made for an ETA 2824 or rlx 15xx no date movement, you can remove the calendar spacer and all the date works and use it as/is in submariner cases because the hands setting high will not matter too much and the crystal should be high enough to clear the SS hand. On a '1016' etc it will not look right and the SS hand may rub the crystal. All rlx 15xx, 30xx, and 31xx are 12.5 ligne size in diameter (about 28.2mm) and an ETA 28xx is 11.5 ligne size (about 26mm) so if the case is a 'dedicated' ETA 28xx case it may not accept a rlx movement. The mm sizes are not exact but very close. Enlarging the inside of a case made for an ETA 28xx will not need much cutting because the difference only amounts to about 1.5mm +/- and this equals only a .75mm cut. 'More or Less Rules' come with a No Money Back Guarantee. Same goes for 'Hit or Miss Rules'. Question: "Can you put a clone or GEN 3xxx series movement in a 4-digit GEN case?" Only a few will fit. For example a 3035 with OPD dial will work fine in a 1500 case made for a 1570 date but a 3135 with OPD dial will not fit because it is thinner and the stem will not line up in the case tube. A four digit 16xx DJ is a mess because of the 'pie pan' dial and a flat dial (1016 etc) will work in some projects but I never tried it. The movement mounts a hair higher in a DJ 16xx case because of the 'pie pan' dial so a flat dial and 15xx without date works and calendar spacer might work. There is quite a bit of difference in the 3035 and 3135...as a rule of thumb the 3035 is the same size as a 15xx date mvt but the 3035 and 15xx date movements are thicker than a 3135 and will not fit properly in a case made for a 3135. Otoh...my first '1016' project used a no date rlx 15xx mvt without the calendar spacer in a 162xx case...this is the reverse of your question but it shows another possibility. Everything fits, movement, 1016 dial etc. Since no one makes a 3035 clone afaik we are stuck with genuine 3135/3135 clones and ETAs for other than '21 jewel' projects. What is needed is a pair of high quality automatic movements, one 19800 or 21600 bph with rlx 15xx dial foot holes and hand sizes and one 28800 bph with 3035/3135 dial foot holes and hand sizes. All 3035 and 3135 hands and dials will interchange up through the 36mm DJ etc but the bigger cases, DJ 41 etc use a movement spacer and the date is offset farther to the outside. It's a moving target.