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What do you guys think of this case? It is a z serial but is not labeled 16610T. The engravings themselves look very sloppy to me. The bevels on the lugs also remind of my etaswiss case. The seller has over 600 feedbacks at 100%. What do the experts say?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330718576913#ht_7666wt_1026

1. The blue arrows you marked should hold the wheel in place. You would be able to turn it, but there should be some resistance. They are there to keep the hand in place when the chronograph isn't engaged. There should be enough resistance to keep the hand in place should there be a slight knock.

2. The gear in the red circle should engage when the chronograph is engaged. It won't be instantaneous since there are a lot of moving parts, but it should be quick. That gear should be engaged the entire time the chronograph is engaged.

3. When you press the reset button, is there play in the hour totalizer wheel while holding down the reset pusher? The hammer should keep the wheel still. If it is sloppy while resetting or not resetting properly, it sounds like it may need to be looked at. There may not be enough lubrication on the hammer/ heart to let it spin smoothly. Has the movement been serviced recently? Are you doing the work yourself?

Hope this helps and let me know if anything is unclear.

Hi,

I must have had the chronograph function engaged when I took that picture. The small gear you are referring to is engages the large gold gear that the hour totalizer hand attaches to. When it is disengaged, the two springs that are on top of the hour totalizer gear should keep it stationary. Are you saying that it spins when the chronograph function is engaged or disengaged? If it is when the chronograph is disengaged, it sounds like the two springs may need to put more press on the hour totalizer wheel. If it is when the chronograph is engaged, there may be something out of place. It may help if you can post some closer pictures. Thanks!

Thank you all for the help. I have a silver date wheel as well, but was going for a NOS service piece. I have a luminova dial and hands and was thinking of using a white service date wheel. I was hoping to have flat 3's though. Maybe I will try the silver and see how it goes. Thanks again!

Thanks for the quick replies. Here are some more pictures showing different date wheels. All appear white except the last, which is the brushed silver.

Hi Guys,

I bought a WSO white date disk for a 1575 a while back and just stuck in my parts box. I also bought a genuine white date disk and put it in the same box. I am starting to get my ducks in a row for a 1680 and pulled out the date disks. I can't remember for the life of me which is which. My gut is saying that the date disk on the left is genuine, but the ones WSO offers now have no serifs. The WSO disk also has flat threes. I have pictures on my computer that show white date wheels with both serif and non-serif date disks. What do you guys think? Thanks!!!!!

Thanks for the help gentlemen! I truly don't want to cut the feet, so I may just get a NTD dial instead. Maybe I will play around with that one and see what I can come up with. Thanks again!!!!

Thanks for the recommendation. That may be an option but I would like to use a low beat movement. Perhaps there is a low beat version that is similar in size. Will look into that. Thanks again!!!

Hi Guys,

I want to build an economical 5513 but want to use a genuine dial. I have big issues with having to cut off the dial feet to use it with an ETA movement. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to drill holes in the ETA movement for a Rolez dial. I don't even know if it is possible or where to start, but it would save me from having to buy a 1520 or cutting feet. Thanks!!!!

I have used clean rodico and the new gray colored stuff and it does leave a residue if you use too big of a piece. If you roll it to a fine point, it is less likely to do so. That being said, I don't like using the stuff if I can get away without it. I have opened two new Rolex dials (a Daytona and Submariner) in the new plastic style packaging and have residue all over the dial. I used a very fine microfiber cloth on the Submariner dial with very good results. I would also like to hear more about the optical cleaning solution and its application process.

I have used that mod on a 2846 used for a 5513 movement. It works perfectly.

I have never filed the middle click off but I can't see why it would affect the stem. The setting lever is what holds the stem in the movement and you are filing the setting lever jumper spring. I would be more concerned about getting it filed smooth so there are no burrs. Maybe someone else can comment.

The easier solution to taking out the middle click is to use part 445 from a 2801-2 movement.

Hi vlydog,

Here is a picture I lifted off the net sometime ago just for reference that says that the bezels are the same for the 5513 and 1680. Don't remember where I got it, so credit to the original source must be given. Hope it helps!!!!

Here are some quick shots of the bracelet on the watch and a couple close-up shots of the SEL's. As you can see, there is a slight gap, but it doesn't bother me too much and it isn't as noticeable on the wrist. I am still happier with this case and the movement is keeping great time. It is loosing about 1 second a day. I prefer my watches to gain slightly, so I may regulate it this week. Thanks for looking!!!!

Thanks for the compliments gentlemen. I truly appreciate it. I will try to get a good picture with the bracelet on to show the SEL fitment. Thanks!!!!!

Thanks for the comments guys. The sanding of the rehaut was not that difficult at all. Just go slow and try not to round off the top edge.

I tested it to 10 atm and it passed, so I am not too worried about it. I still won't shower with it, but I won't freak out if it gets a little wet

I agree with highhoeyazmuhudee that the packaging looks generic. I haven't seen Rolex packaging that looks like that before. But that crystal can be used on DateJusts and 16610 Subs. The difference would be in the gasket that is used in conjunction with it. I know it is virtually impossible to capture the LEC, but can you get the AR coating?

The total price break down is of no matter to me. I knew that it would be an expensive project when I started. I had been collecting most of these parts for over a year and had them on my WM9/BK V2. I recently decided to take it to the next level and bought the case, dial, hands, and movement. Since I already had most of the parts, I thought it was cheaper to buy the extra parts needed rather than buy a genuine sub. Most, if not all, of the parts were bought brand new as well. The dial, crystal, insert, and bracelet were still in the Rolex packaging. You may be correct that I possibly could have bought a genuine used Submariner for the price I paid in parts (or close to it), but I guarantee that it would not be in the condition of what I have. Anyway, here is the price break down for this build:

Case: $200

Movement: $1300

Dial: $450

Hands: $200

Crystal: $180

Retaining Ring and Bezel: $450

Insert: $100

Crown: $40

Tube: $20

Bracelet: $800

Spring Bars: $20

Total: $3760

Hi Guys,

I just got this one finished today. I received the last piece of the puzzle (genuine 3135 movement) last week. It looked like it had been serviced recently, but I decided to go ahead and service it myself just to be sure. I am pretty happy with the way this project turned out. The one flaw, if there has to be one, is that there is a slight gap in the SEL's. Some may say that the gap3 is a deal breaker, but it doesn't bother me that much. I was going to use the etaswiss case since the bracelet fit better on that case, but decided not to since the uneven bevels on the lugs bothered me more than the gap. Here is the breakdown of this project:

Case and Caseback: TC with rehaut engraving removed by me

Movement: Genuine 3135

Dial: Genuine Luminova

Hands: Genuine Luminova

Crystal: Genuine service crystal

Retaining Ring and Bezel: Genuine

Insert: Genuine Luminova

Crown: Genuine monobloc 704

Tube: Casker 7030 tube

Bracelet: Genuine 93250

Spring Bars: Genuine

I always have a hard time deciding if the cyclops and insert are perfectly centered. I swear that it even sometimes changes if I blink. When installing the crystal, I centered the cyclops and ignored the LEC. Someone asked how the LEC was lining up, and I can say that the center point of the coronet is in line with the left line of the M is Swiss Made. Thanks to all of those that offered help and advice during this project. I appreciate it. Anyway, on to the pics:

Thanks! There is a difference between this crystal and the one that came with the etaswiss case. The magnification is different, the clarity seems better, and you can't see the LEC with the naked eye.

Thanks for all of the replies. I have decided to go ahead and use the TC case for now. The etaswiss case is nice but the bevels on the case are not even and don't look good (imho). The TC case has a slightly larger gap for the SEL than the etaswiss case, but I can live with that. It isn't any larger that the V2 I had, and I loved that watch.

I went ahead and installed the cyclops where I thought it should be. Here is a pic from straight on. What do you guys think? Thanks again!!!!

P.S. Sorry for the bad pic. Just snapped a quick pic with the phone.

Hi Guys,

I am trying to install a genuine 295C crystal for my submariner and have a silly question. Is the laser etched coronet supposed to be exactly centered at 6? I have a hard time telling if the cyclops is perfectly centered. When I have the lec perfectly centered, the cyclops doesn't look good to me. When I think the cyclops looks good, the lec is off. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance.

I think that duke1973 put it very well. I recently had a wm9 v2 sub with genuine crystal, crown, bezel, insert, and bracelet that I loved. I started looking at it and the date wheel and dial started to bother me. I pulled off most of the genuine parts to use on a new franken. I also decided to try a couple of cases that would take a genuine movement. I was able to find a dial and hands at a reasonable price and only needed a movement. I could have gone the SA3135 route and save a good bit of money, but I knew in the end it would eventually have a genuine 3135 in it. Now....I could probably buy a genuine sub with the money I have spent, but the parts purchases have been spread out over at least a year. I have enjoyed the hunt and the process of putting it together myself. Plus I like to keep my watches looking new and would not have been able to find a new or NOS sub at that price. In the end, I don't think there is a hard fast rule. You just have to ask yourself if it is worth it. For me....if I am planning on ever selling it I wouldn't invest the funds. I plan on keeping this one forever though

Nice job!!!!! Were the crown and tube included with the case? I have my doubts about the crown. Do you have any direct pictures of the case back engraving?

No fair!!!! How did you get yours already? Mine will hopefully be in the mail soon. Can't wait to read.