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Thanks @madasboot for the dial for this badboy Sent from my SM-F711B using Tapatalk

Here a build for friend of mine. Opened the CG's to look better, installed a gen Bezel, because the Factory one is wrong, installed a gen Glass. Looks now much better than stock.[emoji6]

I love this thing, built with the best of the best parts, all 904L parts, Ado123 serviced VR3135, VS dial and hands. It's been my daily beater for a while now. Happy Sunday Folks.

Another Air King project. Was going to finish a tutone AK 5501 next but this 5500 has been apart for a long time (since 9-9-2017, the movement was in an MBK '5513' for a while) and needs to be finished first. The 5501 is all together needing c/o, (Yuki) dial etc. so it can wait a while. Ran across a manual wind ref #6422 that has been apart for years when digging this one out, so it is also due to be finished. Sooner or later. I'll put a few pics of it up when it is going together. This 5500 is from the third quarter of 1968 and the movement is a 1520 hack. The dial/hands are original from the late 1960s. No corrosion on the case and all it needs is a crystal, case tube/crown, and gaskets. Many True Blue (internet educated) newby Rolexers claim there were no hack movements before the early 1970s but this one is a hacker and for what it's worth, a few late 1960s watches with 15xx movements were hacks. Since my time travel machine is in the shop, I can't prove it either way, so I will go with the expert info below: From VRF Apr 23, 2009: "I own two late 1960's GMT's, one from 1968 and other from 69 and they both hack...I also owned another matte 200/660 dialed 5513 as well as a 1016 from 1967 with a hacking 1520 and 1570 no date calibers. I am sure some 1601's form late 1960 also came with a hacking 1570 date caliber. So to say non date 15xx calibers were the first 15xx calibers to have hacking feature is very plausible. The point is as a watchmaker, having worked and owned a few late 1960's hacking 15xx calibers. I would be daring to say around 1967 or so the hacking caliber came onto the market. But for sure the ubiquitous 1570 date feature hacking caliber was around in 1968 along side with it's non hacking brother. So logically the 1680 should follow the GMT's caliber line up during these years when both a hacking and no-hacking caliber existed. I am sure other members will chime in and show other examples of early hacking calibers. I think it is impossible in my opinion to put a 100% exact year when the hacking feature arrived on the scene. Basically (for the new members) a hacking feature is to put in layman's terms, is a small channel machined into the caliber plate fitted with a spring tension activated straight thin metal bar located between the winding pinion and ending to ever so genitally touching the balance wheel similar to a hand brake on a car. Technically speaking it was very easy for Rolex to incorporate this design without much tooling involved. Logically Rolex had to use up the stock of non hacking 1520-70 caliber models, so as always Rolex had two products coexisting at the same time. But this always raised another issue for me, maybe Rolex did some reworking of the non hacking caliber plates to channel them for the simple hacking components. Over the years I had a few vintage collectors email me regarding the procedures needed to convert a non hacking caliber to a hacking one. Please people DO NOT try to convert a non hacking 15xx caliber to a hacking one. The channel alignment and machining involved of the removal of plate material is very exacting work. It is more than simply drilling out a channel a buying a hacking spring." (aakviper) Most of the Guts (balance not shown)... Body... Case dated third quarter 1968. I'll put more pics up as it progresses. March 18, 2023... Project on hold, can't find the escape wheel and some other parts. They are in a little plastic cup, somewhere in the watchjunk wasteland.

Rlx 6605 from 1956... Cal 1065, 25 jewels, roulette date disc, 'Pie Pan' service dial. Originals had radium lume. No dial feet, a spacer snaps on the movement and the dial snaps on the spacer. The dial holds the date disc in place, unlike later 15xx models. It can be very aggravating. Note, March 4, 2023: Everything in the movement is in fine condition and the winding rotor bearing is like new (it may have been replaced). The rotor bearing is the Achilles' heel of these movements and almost impossible to find now (p/n 7004). There is a tiny punch mark at the end of the movement serial number indicating the 'sole' of the autowind assembly (small brass plate holding the reverser in place) has been updated with a steel spacer to prevent wear, along with a new type of reverser sometime during service. The previous owner took good care of the watch before I bought it in March 2007 and I bought it because the price was reasonable. Looking back, it was a good deal even if parts have just about disappeared since then. Swiss Jubilee with 55 hoods also dated 1956... Michael Young in HK worked on the bracelet in August 2007 ($160 USD back then), and it looks better than my lousy pic. The watch is in good condition to be 67 years old and since most of the movement parts are no longer available, it is basically a 'special occasion' watch today. The downside (other than no parts) is it looks very much like a 16xx DJ and very few would notice it was a 'historically memorable classic'. Or care.

Low mileage Rolex 6694 from 1979/1980, all original, never been apart. 'Tin Can' racer and a '55 Chevrolet... Chevrolet front fender emblem is from one of my long gone '55 Chevrolets. 1955 chevy assembly line - YouTube Another Tin Can racer and a Ford F100... 'Flatheads Forever'

I am still trying to find a set of '1655' hands to fit a rlx 1575 mvt with 24 hour GMT hand for my 'shortcut 1655' project watch. I need oem spec hands and have one pretty good aftmkt set on the shortcut watch but want to use them on another project. As I posted before, I got a figure of $380 delivered from MQ for his aftmkt '1655' hands and that was too much $$ for me so I bought a set from WSO to see how they 'stack up'. I had already bought a set from WSO for an ETA 28xx GMT but they are the wrong color and the hole sizes are off too much for the 'sc 1655' They are good quality. WSO hands for rlx 1575/GMT info: 1...They are the wrong color...oem are black/white and the WSO rlx cal 15xx hands are black/silvertone. 2...The WSO rlx '1655' hands were a little bit better than the ETA 28xx hands because the lume slots were not quite as long but the colors are still a problem, they are also good quality. The lume slots are a bit too wide but there is no fix for that. The best part is they cost $38.36 delivered...10% of the MQ price. What's next? They will have to be stripped, re-painted, and re-lumed. I'll post pics if and when they are re-finished but it may be a while because I have not stopped looking for reasonably priced aftmkt '1655' hands that are closer to oem. WSO hands for rlx 15xx (pictured in plastic bags)... The 24H hand is Ok and only needs the lume aged or changed. The H and M hands appear to be all black, but from the beginning of the lume slots to the tips, they are silvertone. No pic of the SS hand but it is a 'dot' hand and I'll use a 'no dot' hand. The 'shortcut' 1655 as it is now... To be honest...I am on the verge of giving up on another '1655' project. Q...Why? A...Because a correct rlx 1575 GMT mvt with genuine GMT parts alone is worth about as much as the same movement in a J&Wcom case/dial. Q...Why? A...The 'shortcut 1655' watch is worth maybe $2500/$2700 and a 'correct' rlx GMT 1575 movement in a J&Wcom case is not worth much more. Q...Why? A1...Because a replica is a replica no matter what mvt is in it. The 'value' is killed by it being a replica. A2...No matter how good it looks, that one word kills it (unless you are a crook). A3...Truth is, the 'shortcut 1655' is good enough for me. After all, I'm wearing a quartz '5513'. Ha!

Still wearing the Big Kahuna.

This thread seems to have gone quiet -- Wearing The Big Kahuna today.

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