Leaderboard

It wouldn't work for a 5508 since the 5508 was rated 100m/330ft. It is correct for an early 5512 with the gilt printing, and the SWISS only at the bottom of the dial. The 200m=660ft in white is also ok, I believe. You might want to check the history of the the glossy finish, but I think it's ok. Of course a 60 year old dial may have well lost it's glossy finish by now. I do know that early 5512 dials didn't have the SCOC print often times so that part is ok. With a little bit of judicious aging, that could be a nice dial in a 5512.

"Before doing anything, I would post good clear pics of said dials. You may be fretting over nothing, or the pics might inspire the right solution." Very good advice. The dial markers on my 'shortcut 1655' seemed to be a little too dark. So I fixed it. How? By looking at pictures of 1655 watches until I found a few just like mine. I can only hope they were genuine and not replickas. I understand colors may be off a little on 'net pics but I'm willing to be at peace with the dial now.

You are very welcome. I am glad you found the info useful. Back in the day, RWG really was THE central repository of cutting-edge watchmaking creativity. Unfortunately, as is often the case, that creativity was eclipsed by its own success as many of the labor-intensive, community-aided technological breakthroughs eventually trickled down into many of the average reps you can buy today. There was alot of talent -- much of which was spurred on by the very competitive nature of the no-nonsense engineering wizards RWG attracted back then.

The crown cap actually unscrews from the piston. If you remove the winding stem & clamp the piston in a pin vice, you can unscrew the cap. This is generally done to replace a broken crown spring or piston clutch ring (if the crown spins free when winding, it may be due to the inner flats of the clutch ring being rounded). I posted an illustrated tutorial on the process many years ago that you may be able to search out. Found it! Click me

I found this fantastic image but it doesn't really how how the larger tube in installed on the crown. It says the smaller part (piston clutch ring) is soldered to the sleeve of the crown. But it doesn't say how the largest tube on the crown is secured to the crown. Is that larger part pressed fit, soldered, or screwed in?

INSERTS OF ROLEX AND TUDOR DIVING WATCHES OF THE ROLEX ACRYLIC ERA researched and written by Xeramic, on VintageRolexForum © 2021, all rights reserved 1 INTRODUCTION 2 SIDE EFFECT 3 THE MAKING-OF 4 LEVEL OF DETAIL 5 MISPRINTS 6 COLOR AND SURFACE VARIATIONS 7 DIMENSIONS 8 SPOTTING THE VERSIONS 9 NUMBERING OF THE VERSIONS 10 VERSIONS 11 BACKS AND BORDERS 12 LUME PEARLS 13 HOW TO USE 14 A WORD ABOUT FAKES 15 FINAL NOTES 1 INTRODUCTION This is an in-depth article about the contemporary bezel inserts of Rolex and Tudor diving watches of the Rolex acrylic era (so, up to 1990, with the very latest ref. 5513 – I didn’t extend my research to the remained years of the last Tudor acrylic Sub ref. 79090). Besides of the dial, the insert is the most esthetic-relevant and – due to aging/wear – also the most individualizing part on vintage Subs or Sea-Dwellers; fully exposed to environment conditions but not to refurbish, it’s a highly sought-after and valuable spare. The goal of this documentation is to enable you to identify any era-conform version, to distinguish genuine from aftermarket stuff as well as correct from incorrect watch configurations, and – thanks to the detailed font descriptions – to spot versions even on blurry or incomplete images; further, to eliminate common uncertainties in regard to dimensions, surface properties, color variations, back profiles and lume dots. (EDIT: and there you have it folks, the introduction to the most complete and well-researched Rolex bezel inserts guide I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This is a Copyrighted work and as such the author has requested RWG keep only the Introduction here, with a link to its current published location. This makes sense, as all detailed works such as this go through edits and enhancements over time. Having the source document in only one location gives us all access to the freshest information available. Please visit the VintageRolexForum to read the rest of this piece: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/inserts-of-rolex-and-tudor-diving-watches-of-the-r-t266367.html -Admin) Thanks for reading, stay healthy, Xeramic

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