tr4driver

As promised, here are some pics of the bezel assembly of the new 1665 that Josh and Andrew or offering. Not sure how this watch (mine that I received from Andrew yesterday anyway) can accept genuine parts.

I just received the "Great White" version of this watch from Andrew. The bezel on mine is *not* constructed like the genuine at all. It has the bent wire as apposed to the flat washer. The bezel from my MBK 1665 will *not* fit on this watch. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with the quality of the watch. The ridges in the case back are very rough compared to my MBK watch. I'll post some pictures later.

I have a 5513 from Andrew as well as a 1665 MBW from Eurotimez. Everything about the Eurotimez watch is must better than the top grade vintage watch from Andrew. The bezel on the has the bent wire tension/clip system rather than the flat washer (like the gen), and the bracelet is very light and flimsy compared to the MBW bracelet in the MBW. Also, the dial looks very fake. As others have suggested, I would go with one of the new 1665's offered by Josh and Andrew for $200 (with the Asian ETA), or maybe wait a bit. Sounds like they may be coming out with some more vintage subs constructed the same way.

I'll chime in with my opinion (for what it's worth). I've ordered a few watches from Andrew (Trustytime - the one year leaning toward). He has always delivered. Responds to emails quickly and all watches have arrived in perfect working order. However, I don't think his top grade vintage Rolex watches are anywhere near as accurate as the MBW/MBK watches. I actually have one, and the bezel construction is not like the genuine. I would think that the modding possibilities with these watches is limited. His new vintage Sea Dwellers look promising. Again... just my opinion.

Is this a gen?

Thanks everyone. I passed on it.

Here are some additional photos. I've not opened up the case back and looked at the movement, but I can tell you that it does not have the quick-set date feature and is a hacking movement (which is consistent with the 1575 movement that should be in the watch I believe). The jubilee bracelet it stamped "502 B" on the end pieces.

I'm beginning to seriously question the authenticity of the dial and hands, but the case seems genuine.

Here's a photo.

Hello everyone... I've recently come across an early 70's 1675 GMT that has silver colored lettering. It is a matte dial, and the watch looks genuine other than the lettering. Anyone know of any replicas out there that actually have silver lettering?

I have a nice automatic Wenger GST Field Chronograph with a Valjoux 7750 movement. I bought it about 4 years ago on eBay for about $300. At the time, there was a guy unloading a whole bunch of them - Field, Air and Sea Chronographs. I now wish I'd bought one the Air models as well.

Gen. I just recently bought a 1977 Speedmaster very similar to this one and paid $1,500.00 for it.

IMHO, the biggest flaw with the SSD is the 5-minute markers on the dial. The fact that they are not thicker than the other markers (like on the gen) makes it instantly recognizable as a fake.

Chris, Thanks for the offer/info. I plan to keep the watch as-is. After learning a little more about it, I think the single red dial makes it a more interesting conversation piece (which is really my main reason for owning the watch anyway). Also, I want to apologize if I came off sounding a bit suspicious or overly anxious. Based on reviews that others have left here, I never doubted that you would come through and make things right if there was indeed a problem. I just didn't want to go through the hassle of returning the watch, and needed help convincing myself to keep it. Thanks again everyone! Now it's time to start thinking about my next watch...

It's not the watch I ordered. Since there was obviously a mix up, and Chris offers non-MBK vintage Sea Dwellers as well, I just wanted to make sure I at least got an MBK watch. I really don't want to go through the hassel of sending the watch back, and can live with the SRSD versus DRSD.

Thanks!

Here are some more pictures... with the bezel removed. I tried to get the insert out/off the bezel, it it seems to be stuck pretty good. I can't image that I can remove it without damaging it. So, what's the verdict? MBW/MBK or not? Thanks again everyone for all the help. I really appreciate it!

Hmmm.... I truly appreciate all the help/info (from you an others). What is the purpose of the washer? Is it possible to obtain a replacement? Thanks again for all the help. I realize this hobby is a crap shoot to some extent... just trying not to get banged up too badly.

Yes... It looks pretty much like that.

I popped the bezel off. There was no bezel washer. Just the bezel and insert. The insert seemed to be glued to the bezel, and I didn't attempt to remove it. Does the lack of a washer confirm that it is not MBK?

Thanks for all the help/info guys.

I'm not really crazy about the idea of sending it back either, but I paid a premium for a MBK watch. Did Chris offer you any kind of partial refund?

I just received a SRSD from Chris. Problem is I ordered a MBK DRSD. I've attached some pictures, and would like to confirm wether or not the pictured watch is a MBK SRSD. Chris's site doesn't list a SRSD as an MBK option. Please see the attached pictures and offer your opinions. BTW, I have emailed Chris explaining the mixup, but haven't received a response from him yet. Thanks.

I have a SSD and love it, but they are one of the easiest replicas for me to spot, even without a genuine for comparrison. The five minute markers give them away.

Well, I'm certainly no expert either. Considering the mangled condition of my pearl, I thought it turned out nicely. This particular pearl started out life as the stock pearl that comes on the 1:1 Sea Dweller from Trustytime. In it's stock condition, it looks pretty good, but I managed to get some "Oops" goo-gone type remover on it, and it turned it into a dull white glob. I then took a Dremel tool to it with a soft felt-type polishing disk to it and essentially ground the pearl down as much as I could... to something hard. At this point it was just this flat dull looking white material that was essentially flush with the outer case. I then put a small drop of 5-minute epoxy on it using a toothpick, but after it hardened, I realized that I had probably put too much on it... so I got the Dremel back out. The Dremel made short work of the epoxy coating, and I thought maybe I should try some clear coat spray paint instead. So, I sprayed the clear coat spary paint on a sheet of paper so that I created a nice pool of it, and then used a pin to apply the clear paint. It didn't really dry evenly and just made the pearl look flat and shiny. So... Dremel round three. Again I took the pearl down flat (even with the pearl case) and got the 5-minute expoxy back out. This time I used a pin and put as little as I could on the pearl. After it hardened, I thought I was satisfied with the pearl until I started scouring the internet and this forum for pictures of other pearls. Mine didn't seem to have any "depth" to it, so I carefully added a bit more epoxy so that it has a slight dome above the pearl holder. A lot of trial and error. But I did discover that a little epoxy can do wonders to a mangled pearl!