automatico

"What I don't agree with is the supposed importance of judging people based on what's on their wrist. This writer sees the world through the shallow eyes of consumerism, shown by the mere fact he would write such an article." Good point. The guy does come across as sorta snobby sometimes. One thing about rolex watches is they have not changed much in the past 30 or 40 years and they are very easy to spot. Besides that, just about everyone knows they are overly expensive and supposed to be 'The Best'. Imho this may have a lot to do with why they are so popular and have become the premier Cuff Shooter. Otoh a pretty good replica or a big hairy wart on the wrist will get the same attention. "There are other reasons to wear a watch; chiefly for me it is the nod to history, technical achievement, artful design, and personal style." I have a few vintage dive/dive style watches and would rather wear one of them than a rolex of any type. One of my favorites is a 1960s/1970s Wittnauer manual wind dive style watch because it is thin and has 'retro style'. Matter of fact I have two of them just alike except one is quick set. I paid $25 for the slow set and $30 for the quick set in 1990. Here is what they look like... https://wannabuyawatch.com/?s=wittnauer&post_type=product Top row right and second row left. "Status and wealth never factor in to it for many of us." True. My only status symbol is an eXmark lawn mower.

"A 1601 had a 1570 cal and the dial feet positioned at 30/57 (y/n?)" Yes "A 16014 had a 3035 cal and feet position at 12/37 (y/n?)" Yes Note: The 16xx dials are dished down at the outer edge and 160xx/162xx dials are flat (same dial foot location on 3035/3135) so this must be taken into consideration when using a 16xx case vs a 160xx or 162xx case. On top of that, the 3035 movement is thicker than a 3135 movement from the stem center to the dial so the cases are different. On the same note, an ETA 2836 will not fit properly in a case made for an ETA 2824. So...the hit or miss rule is a case made to rolex 3035 spec will usually accept an ETA 2836 and a case made to rolex 3135 spec will usually accept an ETA 2824. The key word being usually. "A 30/57 dial from a 1601 should the screw directly into the base plate of the 2824-2?" No. Any rolex 15xx, 30xx, 31xx dial will not work on an ETA 28xx because the dial feet are in a different location from the ETA. "A 2824-2 also needs a h4 hour wheel to allow for the correct height needed." You will need more than that. You can look at eBay item number 132956881176 for a list of the parts that are needed. "A 12/37 will not. (fit an ETA 28xx) It requires its feet to be repositioned? Are there adapters on the market to save the feet being removed fully?" I have read that some ETA main plates can be drilled to accept some rolex dials but I have never tried it and do I know which dials/movements might work. "if one was determined to use a 12/37 dial in a 1601 would an alternative ETA be required?" A '12/37' dial for a rolex 3035/3135 will fit into a 16xx case but you have to take into account that you are using a flat dial in place of a dished dial so the movement thickness will come into play. This all consists of complicated procedures (believe it or not), and just a few hundredths of a millimeter can make a big difference. A smart man once said "The only substitute for knowledge is money." He was right. Read and learn. Btw, buying a watch from BK etc might be the way to go starting out because any mistakes made on a project are part of the overall cost of the resulting watch and this often adds up to more than a ready made watch would cost. Good luck!

Interesting article and I have no argument with it. AA may have a good point when he states that rlx props up much of today's lux watch market when he says many wannabee lux watch kings are still in business because rlx helps sustain the overall lux watch market. My story... I always liked rlx watches from the 1950s/1960s/1970s but not the later models. Their current campaign to cut off parts to all USA independent repair shops was the final nail in the coffin so I am slowly selling off what is left while hoping the prices continue rising. I am also removing rlx movements from F-steins to put in genuine cases. I tried to wear mechanical watches every now and then for many years but always ended up wearing a 214 or 218 Accutron until quartz watches came out, then it was usually a Bulova, Citizen, or Seiko. Never liked the jumping second hands though. I guess I have worn rlx Frankensteins with 15xx movements more than all other mechanical watches combined, and that's not a whole lot...a few days at a time is about as long as I can stand one. I do not carry a cell phone, mainly because I spent a large chunk of my life on call 24/7 and detest telephones in any form. I have a cell phone at home and check messages about once a week but hardly ever answer it thanks to caller ID. If I need to know what time it is when out and about, I wear an Accutron II of some sort. https://www.ablogtowatch.com/todays-traditional-watch-industry-cant-exist-without-what-rolex-is-selling/

I have a copy of an 'official' rlx service and parts manual and it shows the 5513 to have either a 1530 or 1520 movement. According to the same book, the 1530 was 'officially' introduced in 1957 and the 1520 in 1963. As an example, I have a 5501 tutone AK with a 1530 and it is stamped III-62 inside the case back so a 5513 made in III-64 should be Ok with a 1530. Your AK probably has the date in the case back too. I do not put much stock in movements matching case numbers in the 1960s because I have seen a lot of what is according to today's 'rolexperts' to be 'put togethers' but are in reality, more than likely original. (I have hot dog wrappers blowing around in my shop older than many of the new batch of internet know-it-all 'rolexperts') Another example of this is a 1959 1010 OP that I have with a no hack 1570. Not a swapped out movement afaik because I have owned it for 27 years and bought it from a guy who had owned it for years...he said it was his 'deer hunting' watch. "Dear' hunting maybe. I called rlx HQ in NYC when I had connections in the 1990s (before they went crazy) and asked a fellow that worked there who was familiar with these watches about mine having a 1570 in a 1959+/- case. He said this Bombé lug style watch was mostly used for 'A&I' watches (awards and incentives) and the production was very low so the factory had cases made in batches and put dials/movements in them when needed. He had one too but I can not remember the case serial number period or movement calibre. The parts book shows them to have a 1560 or 1570 but I have seen a couple with a 1530 so who knows for sure? Not me. The 1570 was 'officially' introduced in 1965 according to the parts book. When I stick one of these 55xx/1680 projects together, they are never 'period correct' as far as crowns, crystals, bezel inserts etc are concerned, I just use what I have. No applied marker dials on 1960s/early 1970s models or anything that far off but otherwise just close enough not to be an embarrassment...this rule is for 'Frankensteins' only. Outright turkey buzzard replica projects can get by with being an embarrassment as far as I am concerned, mainly because I have quite a few. I don't look ahead very far but it is possible that in a few years a watch like you are planning may be accepted as 'genuine' because with 3 or 5 years of wear the average 'rolexpert' can not tell one way or the other. Besides that, if demand is still strong the best Frankenstein examples will be 'allowed' to qualify for genuine status because of...you guessed it!...Supply and Demand. Looks like some of the rolexperts are already witnessing this phenomenon. I do not know whether to or

"Of course mine would be to use the following tool and start again." I like this one too...

mmm nailed it. 'Lazy runners'... I have seen a few movements that would run but with 'lazy' balance motion after a thorough c/o and this can sometimes be traced to a worn/bent balance staff and/or a dirty/damaged balance cap jewel. Example...I have a high mileage rlx 1570 that had lazy balance motion with dial up after c/o (good balance pivots) and it had a tiny divot in the center of the cap jewel where the back side pivot runs. The spot can not be removed and is almost impossible to see or feel with a needle but it is bad enough to bog the balance down. My guess is whoever owned the watch laid it down dial up every night for 20 or 30 years and this is what happened. The fix is a new cap jewel. Basically fool proof balance jewels c/o... Soak the cap and hole jewels in fast evaporating/low residue cleaner for 10 or 15 minutes or buzz them in an ultrasonic machine. After cleaning, rub the flat side of the cap jewel on a clean business card or something similar to remove any residue, then oil the flat side of the jewel with a drop about half as big as the jewel in the center. Next, place the hole jewel down over the cap jewel taking care to get it level and centered (capillary action will move oil to the hole jewel). If you miss the cap jewel and smear the oil drop, clean the jewels and try again. Note...sometimes rubbing the cap jewel on a card can remove some 'paper fuzz' from the paper to the cap jewel and it needs to be rinsed off and reoiled. I have used blue Rodico to remove the fuzz and this is Ok as long as the Rodico is clean and does not leave any trace on the jewel. Quickie Outlaw fixes: 'Old Timer' trick number one... Remove the balance assembly and pallet fork, then wind the watch a little bit and let it 'spin down' to sling trash, fly specks etc off the wheels and away from pivots. This is quick and dirty but probably Ok on an Asian '21 jewel' trader/beater movement. It can also sling oil away from pivots and overheat them if allowed to spin too fast or too long. 'Old Timer' trick number two... Apply a little Ronsonol lighter fluid to the pivots on old dirty movements, then crank 'em up and watch 'em go. Your choice on the lighter fluid brand but I always liked Ronsonol. 'Old Timer' trick number three...Heat the watch in the sun or put it close to a light bulb etc. This warms the dirty/gummy oil up and frees the wheel train...for a little while. Sell it in a hurry while it is still running. This is a favorite flea market trick...if you see a guy set up outside in the sun with a glass top show case full of watches, buyer beware. "It's a crazy crazy world when it comes to hairsprings. They can drive you insane! LOL" Imho hairsprings are the bane of the mechanical watch. That and $500 to $3000 'tune ups' every few years. Oh yeah, I forgot...no parts being sold by the swiss biggies. That alone should put them out of business as far as I am concerned. It's no wonder quartz watches rule the market by volume. My crystal ball shows many swiss watch companies going broke trying to keep their overpriced baubles relevant to buyers who do not really care. It happened to them once already and by a fluke of nature (gullibility?) and advertising they flushed their obsolete miniature mechanical malfunctions back out on the market again with greatly inflated prices during the 'look at me!' 1990s...with much success I might add. Times are mostly good again but the new inhabitants of the watch buying world do not give much of a %#(+ about mechanical watches.

" I think it took too much force and the crystal may begin cracking in the future. It passed a water pressure test I did at 10 BAR but I think they sometimes crack over time if too tight?" You can look down through the outer edge of the crystal between the case neck and crystal retaining ring under bright light using a 10X loupe to see if the crystal is cracked. Look at it just after installing the crystal and a week or two later. From time to time check it to see if it has developed cracks because the older the crystal gets, the more prone it is to cracking. Otoh most watches will not leak in everyday situations with a cracked crystal...washing hands etc. "Does anyone know which crystal works perfect on an MQ Vietnam 5513 Case?" Sad to say but in my experience it is hit or miss depending on the crystal and crystal retaining ring...assuming the case neck is very, very close to 28.2mm OD to begin with. My DW 'submariner' case necks are 28.15 +/- and I have to use PA 462-67 or some other brand that is a hair thicker than oem. I have had good luck with ST and Clark bezel kits being the right size. "What the heck tool do professional watch makers use to press 5513 retaining rings on with?" I do not know what pros use but I use a 'BB' crystal press with an aluminum die being careful not to press the bezel on with a die that could bend or scratch the ledge on the bezel where the rotating bezel snaps on. The 'BB' press base is cast iron and the plunger is steel so there is very little if any 'wobble' when pressing a retainer ring on. I also have an aluminum die that 55xx/1680 cases will fit on and not move around. You can also use this type of press to install aluminum bezel inserts using a die that presses the insert in the rotating bezel at the outer edge of the insert. You need to pad the insert so the die will not scratch it. If you attempt to press an aluminum insert into a rotating bezel using a die that exerts pressure on the inside edge of the insert it may flatten the insert out and it will not go in or shave color and/or metal off. Sometimes you can recover the bezel taper by evenly pushing the insert down over a glass Coke bottle or something similar with a tapered neck. Now there are 'new' BB crystal presses as well as 'replica' BB presses at reduced prices that should work just as well. Here are pictures of the new BB type press, the replicas are near identical: http://www.ofrei.com/page1708.html It is hard to justify today's prices for watch tools. I bought my BB presses and dies at NAWCC watch shows many years ago but there are probably still a few here and there at reasonable prices, you might find one at a jewelry store that used to work on watches. Ask around and put the word out, maybe one will show up.

"I did my first attempt to dismantle a movement...3804B so not the most simple movement (basically DG2813 + GMT function added)." If you get to where you can take these things apart and put them together with a high success rate...you should be able to work on most swiss time and date movements with no trouble. Why is that? Because the chintzy date works in A21 movements in general and the Miyota clones with the buried reverser along with most train wheels stuffed under one plate will make a watch fixer out of just about anyone who sticks with it. "First problem was the date lever spring satelised as I removed the DW plate, etc...and movement stayed in parts for almost 2 years." On some of these movements the U shaped spring goes in last after the date works cover plate is on the movement...it goes through a slotted hole in the plate. Do not ask how I know this. "After months of practice on Asian, French and Swiss movements, I've decided to have a look at it. I just cleaned all the parts, got the missing parts from incomplete movements I had collected for free, reassembled everything back in place and lubricated along the way. Now the movement is ticking and keeping good time... just waiting for me to give it a dial and case." The main thing I learned about A21 movements...you gotta be tuff to work on 'em.

I stuck a JMB '1016' together and here is the story: https://rwg.cc/topic/192105-jmb-1016-project-update/ The ST 18k gold cases will accept oem parts...dial, mvt, crown, bezel etc. Looks like the only 18k case they have for 3155 DD is white gold...might as well use a steel case. The 18kyg ST DJ case for a 3035 was around $900 when I bought one in early 2001...because of $275 troz gold. No way I can see paying $3600 for the same case now. A ST 18kyg submariner case was around $1200 back then. Ongoing gold DJ project: I have an 18kyg DD/DJ (for Eta movement) case but the dial opening is too big. It came with an Eta 2834 and oversize DD dial but the dial was not very good so I never used the case. Years later I bought a 'refinished' DJ 41 dial on eBay and a DW overlay for a DJ 41 dial/Eta 2836 but never got around to finishing it. The case does not have any way to secure the movement...no case clamp groove or anything. It originally had a plastic spacer and I am not a fan of plastic spacers in expensive projects. I worked on a 'Marathon' of some sort a while back and it had a metal spacer that fits against the movement main plate and the case back. There was a thick rubber O ring where the spacer contacts the case back and when the back is screwed down it compresses the O ring to hold the movement in place. It has to be a precision fit in order for it to work and if I ever finish this project I may go with this method. The O ring has to be lubricated with silicone grease to prevent the friction from turning the movement inside the case and breaking the stem when screwing the back down. Note on the 'Marathon'... A friend had a Marathon dive watch and the crown threads went bad in a hurry (common problem). He could not find a replacement crown anywhere (No Parts For You!) but he finally found a 'nos' replacement case somewhere and it had the spacer in it (his case did not have the spacer). The case looked like it might have been a replica but I could not say for sure. The case back O ring was very small in diameter compared to his other case and the fit and finish was not too hot.

Modern 5 digit or latest models? Five digit sapphire crystal models could be very good with swiss Eta movements even if the hand stack might not be correct on many of them. The 24 hour works and date wheel overlay were Asian made and generally trouble free. Info on the latest models with ceramic bezel inserts is easy to find on the forum. Some are very close to genuine in appearance. The burning question is...who makes the best sub?

"The problem is that some supply houses have old stock which are sealed in these silver bags and there is no indication as to the jewel count of the movement unless one opens the packet to be sure!" I suspect that some supply houses may buy nos unsealed movements when they are offered at a discount and sell them with the disclaimer 'new, not in original packaging' or 'may need to be serviced' etc. 'Silver bag' movemnts are another story and they are sealed in the bag to keep them clean and slow down ageing of the oil. I have never seen a chart or anything to make sense out of the codes on the packages. "The other problem is that swatch/ eta group who sell these movements are notoriously unhelpful in directing you to even getting close to an answer or having the courtesy in answering what to the catalogue number on the packet suggests!" From what I have gathered in 40+ years fooling with this stuff, most of today's swiss watch companies seem to (all imho): 1...Look down on their customers as suckers who will pay 5X or 10X what a watch is worth if the right formula is used to entice them. 2...Slick adventure/macho ads featuring actor/sports hero 'Ambassadors' rev the suckers up and make them hot to buy the latest Tough Guy Watch at highly inflated prices. Making them hard to get also helps. 3...Cut parts off and they will have a codlock on parts and service at astronomical prices...shoddy service becoming the rule in many cases. 4...The same riff raff that makes watch companies rich should never be allowed to come in direct contact with anyone in authority at any Hallowed Swiss Watch Company. All 'secrets' must remain secret. I for one will be grinning like a possum when the next 'quartz crisis' brings them to their knees.

It's getting worse... https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=676787

Had a 'same as new' RO in 1994, paid $2400 for it from a NAWCC trader guy. It was a fine watch imho. Long gone. They always looked to me like they were made out of flat washers and knife blades...

"Aren't the 17 jewel movements a thing of the past? I would figure anything new is 25 jewels these days." I have not seen any new 17J auto 28xx Etas in years. Nos... yes, new...no. I have a few 2846 in 25+/- year old Jaques Prevard diver type watches and they are all 17 jewel. The movements might have been nos when put in the watches...who knows? Otoh I have a few nos 2879 from the late 1970s and they are all 25 jewel, QS DD @3 and run at 21600 bph. The 2879 is similar to the later 2836, same date parts and basic layout (same dial foot location) but they have stems .10mm larger in diameter where they pass through the main plate than later Eta 2824/36 etc. You can use stems made for the manual wind Eta 2750 in the 2879 and can also use these larger diameter stems in Eta 2801 with worn stem holes in the main plate from years of hand winding without cleaning/greasing the stem...might need to run a drill bit through the plate to round out the hole though. Cheaper than a new movement. The 2879 also has an autowind assembly with a rotor bushing in place of a ball bearing and they are relatively silent compared to the BB rotors. Mine are non hack and I did not check to see if a hack lever from a 2824/36 will work...can not tell on the one in the '5512' without taking the a/w assembly, MS barrel bridge etc off and I do not have another one apart. I put one in a cartel '5512' last week and it runs fine at about minus 10 seconds in the past 24 hours, may speed it up a hair. The rotors have 'CARLEX' engraved on them...a 'CARTELEX 5512' Ha! The 2879 will work in a no date watch made for an Eta 2836 without needing the stamped metal calendar spacer because the 2879 has a spacer ridge made on the outer edge of the main plate...they also have tall cp and hour wheels. Eta 2879 info: http://www.tztoolshop.com/page173.html https://rwg.cc/topic/173336-eta-2879-regulationhow-to/

"Hey just to verify...under the bezel is supposed to be a tension washer right?...cause right now it doesn't have one and there is a bunch of play and the bezel spins way to easy." There should be a tension washer. Many of the tension washers are not a very good fit and require sanding on the outside and\or inside diameter. On the four MBK cases I have there is a gasket groove machined under the crystal retaining bezel but no gasket was installed when I got them. The proper gasket for my four cases was the same ID as an oem case back gasket but not as thick in cross section. I would not worry about it unless you need to r/r the crystal or inner bezel. Notes: O ring gaskets are sized by inside diameter and thickness. Genuine rlx 55xx/1680 case back gaskets are 32.5mm X 1.0mm. I looked in my gaskets and have both 32.5 X .8mm and 32.5 X .9mm gaskets. You can also use 32.0mm gaskets if 32.5mm gaskets are not available, just stick the gasket in the groove with silicone grease to hold it while pressing the bezel down. Twisted logic...each pack came with 5 gaskets and the .9mm pack still has four left while the .8mm pack has only one left so my guess is I used 32.5 X .8mm gaskets under the crystal retaining bezels. It's been a while since I put one together.

"...don't know if it swiss or Asian." In the last two MBK watches I got a few years ago, one had a used 2836 etaclone and one had a swiss Eta 2836 that looked new. I compared them by looking at the balance jewel settings...swiss Eta setting has three notches to r/r the spring and the etaclone has only one notch. I have not owned many Asian etaclones, maybe 4 or 5 but every one had the one notch balance jewel settings. Never saw a swiss Eta with a one notch setting and I have seen a lot of them. Do not know if Asian etaclones have gone to three notch settings or not.

"What would you guys say the total cost would be to get the most reliable option, replace all of the necessary parts with gen parts, and service it? Let's say a gen 3135 is around $2,800." The last 3135 powered watch I bought was a 16233 with jubilee for $1000 a few years ago...I bought it from a guy needing $$ for a car project. I have found many good deals in rlx watches but not on the internet or at watch shows, I found them at car shows, flea markets etc, and by putting the word out. It also seems pawn shops are no longer selling rlx and other higher end watches at lower than market prices. They go to eBay or somewhere and see what a similar watch is going for and price theirs accordingly. All the good deals are not gone yet though. Not long ago I bought a 90% condition 14000M AK for $1000. Where? The local flea market. It was a 25 years of service award and the owner needed $$ more than the watch. "I found a serviced 3035 the other day, and since it was $800 cheaper in price, it got me thinking about a ceramic no date build." A 3035 will not work in a case made for a 3135 because the 3035 is thicker and the stem will not line up in the case tube. You might remove all the date works and calendar spacer to thin a 3035 down enough to work in a 3135 no date case keeping in mind the cal 3130 made for nd cases does not have any calendar works to begin with. I never tried it. The 3135 will probably work in a case made for an Eta 2824 and the 3035 in a case for a 2836. A 3035 will work in a case made for a rlx 1575 date and a 15xx no date will work in a case made for a rlx 3135, I have tried it. What is needed is a set of aluminum discs the same size as various Eta 28xx, rlx 15xx, 3035, 3135 etc movements with Eta and rlx dial foot holes and a hole drilled in the side for the stem for planning these projects. I made one for rlx 1575 date movements. Btw...one of the best rlx time keepers I ever had was a ruff azz 160xx DJ with 3035 that had been apart no telling how many times and had 3 balance staffs in it while I had it...plus the hairspring hung on the balance co*k a time or two, broken top rotor jewel etc. The 3035 hairsprings are famous for breaking off where they are stuck to the balance. They might not be as rugged as they claim... "Your rolex can take anything your arm can take." I have stuck a lot of watch projects together and the main reason I see for not using a fresh Eta in a project rlx is because the dial feet on a rlx dial will not fit an Eta, and the date wheel hassles. That's about it. Since the movement does not show, no one is going to know the watch has an Eta. Some will say the Eta sets time the wrong way compared to a 3135 but that's not much of an argument imho. I get on the stump for Eta because they are reliable movements with a low cost supply of parts. I am also not much of a fan of most Asian clones, especially when you need to spend $300 on genuine parts and $200 on labor just to get them in more or less reliable running condition. "There was a guy on Antiques Roadshow this week with a GMT (1675, I think). It was given to him by an uncle who wore it through VietNam (bought in PX for $175)." A friend gave me his rlx 6466 that he wore for two tours in VN in the mid 1960s. He paid sixty something dollars for it new (PX). I bought a new rlx 6430 Speedking in 1972 at the local rlx AD and it was $115 out the door on a strap. https://www.minus4plus6.com/PriceEvolution.php

The 25 jewel model might have a little less friction in the autowind assembly making the winding a little bit more efficient. I have seen a lot of 17 jewel Eta automatics and they seem to hold up fine as long as the auto assembly is c/o every few years so the bushings do not go dry. Most of the Eta 28xx autowind trouble is with the reverser itself and bushing wear is not much of a problem as far as I know. I would rather have the 25 jewel model if I had a choice though. I have put china etaclone a/w assemblies on a few older 17 jewel Eta 2846 movements and they seem to work Ok. I clean the a/w assembly and soak the reversers in a mix of fast evaporating solvent/watch oil mix for a few minutes and it seems to help a little. WUS Purist types ain't gonna like this... ...the truth is I usually run the (Eta) a/w assembly complete (not disassembled) in cleaner minus the ball bearing rotor in an ultrasonic cleaning machine, rinse twice, soak the whole thing in the Witch's Brew, warm air dry it, then go back and oil the pivots with D5. Many Purists use some kind of high priced '2 cycle mix' for the reversers but the home brew seems to work Ok for me. Btw...you might be surprised at the number of bonafide 'main line' watch mechanics that take similar shortcuts while charging nose bleed prices. I will admit to not being much of an Eta Purist.

"You think that band is cheap, you should feel a genuine 7206 riveted band. It feels like it's made of folded tinfoil. Astoundingly thin, cheap, weak, unbelievable that they'd put that on a tool dive watch at the Rolex factory." Yeah they were low quality all right and they pulled out every hair you had. Had to take the watch off just to take a whizz... Back in the early 1970s the local AD had a display of C&I rivet oysters for sale and iirc they were about $39 each but they would give you one if it helped make a sale. Genuine was probably $59 or so. From looking at them on eBay it seems they have gone up a little bit. I have a 20mm stretch rivet oyster style bracelet from that era with no brand name and it has a 'coronet' on the clasp without points on the crown, looks kinda like a triangle with a ruffle on it. They were about $20 and as good as genuine or C&I.

"It's not bad if you just want to use the case and make a good rep. with it. It's also really good practice to build your own from the parts before you invest in more expensive parts. So the money is worth if for learning." Agree. On cases with the lug holes drilled too far to the top you can leave them as is and use oem type DJ spring bars made for older models with lug holes bored all the way through the lugs. They are smaller in diameter and shorter but they save drilling into the bevels.

Always liked the earlier 'oversize' Aqualand models. The only Citizen diver I have now is a mid 1970s reference 62-6198, original except for a sapphire crystal conversion. https://sweep-hand.org/citizens-vintage-divers-1962-to-1980/ https://vintagecitizenwatches.com/tag/62-6198/ https://usa.crystaltimes.net/product-category/products/brands/citizen-sapphire-crystals-watch-parts/

F520117 crystal: "Has anyone ever replaced one and if so, where is it possible to source one?" Afaik only a noob F520117 type crystal will work. They are made similar to a 'stepped' oem rlx 295C sapphire crystal but the dimensions are slightly different. 'Stepped' = smaller where it mounts in the gasket that at the top. Noob F520117 crystal sizes: Noob overall diameter...30.5mm. Genuine...30.4mm. Noob diameter where it fits into the crystal gasket...29.0mm. Genuine...29.5mm. Noob thickness...2.0mm. Genuine and oem replacement...2.0mm, 2.10mm, 2.15mm. Maybe more, this is what I have. Last time I saw a Noob F520117 crystal for sale was in 2010 for $40. Do not know if any other replica case references used the same crystal other than maybe the later model Noob M092117 with lettering on the reflector ring (rehaut). "...also I tried to remove the bezel to clean any grime underneath it with no luck! How does one go about this?" The rotating bezel is held on the case by a spring wire. The way to remove them without damage is to insert a small 4mm or 5mm slice from a razor blade in the space between the bezel and case (at the top of the case, not the side) and push the spring wire away from the groove in the case while gently pulling up on the rotating bezel while turning it. The insert should be removed before attempting to remove the rotating bezel and to do that you have to remove the movement and crystal to get under the insert. Hell-of-a-hassle. The ro/bez is easy to bend so it would probably be better to put a few drops of dishwashing liquid soap between the case and rotating bezel and turn it around a few times while running warm water over it to clean the dirt out. Rinse and repeat.

(Oris) "They know there is only one repair place in NA and so they treat you like [censored]." Sounds like they follow the TAG/Heuer model. Same type of arrogance. The TAG/Heuer repair shop (Pro Time back then) 'lady' told me I was 'not qualified to work on their fine swiss watches'. I told her I just needed the part (crown) so I could use their 'fine swiss watch' for boot in a push lawnmower trade at the local flea market. The old batt slammed the phone down. No crown for me. Now Tag/Heuer genuine crowns etc are all over the internet for sale for less than their USA repair outfit tried to charge. Not much demand for Oris parts so they probably will not show up for sale on the 'net. Many watches are really not worth much out in the real world. Oris is one brand that comes to mind. I have owned a few nos that I bought in closeouts for a few cents on the retail dollar...their true worth imho. Besides that, I never liked brand names that begin with the letter 'O'. Omega has a good following but the name begins with 'O' and I just do not like them very much for that reason...plus their fragile 5xx/7xx movements, and the worst of the worst...their 10xx movements. They are high priced Swatches now anyway, might as well call them Swat-O-Megas. Never owned an Oldsmobile either. Ha! Never cared for Seiko very much and never 'liked' rolex but at least they are made by companies with their brand name on the front door. Rolex watches have always been easy to sell and repair (until they cut parts off) so I bought/sold a lot of them over the years. Never liked to wear one though, probably wore more replica/Frankenstein 'rolex' watches than genuine and not very many of either compared to other brands. Always liked Bulova and Citizen, now Bulova is owned by Citizen and that's Ok with me. Can't understand why they did not put the Miyota 9015 in the new Devil Diver though. The Archive Series DD came with a Sellita SW 220 and the regular DD came with a Miyota 821D. https://gearpatrol.com/2018/01/11/bulova-devil-diver-reissue/ https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/tag-heuer/springfield-new-jersey-07081/tag-heuer-pro-time-lmvh-tag-repair-tag-heuer-creating-profits-from-unneeded-repairs-spr-1172290

"Where can a guy find one of the backs with 30.5mm threads?" I measured an older cartel case and the threads are 30.45 mm. The gasket groove is cut in the case, not the case back like genuine though. My DW cases with 30.4mm threads are made like genuine but being 30.4mm they might be too loose for 30.5mm threads in a case. Misc BS: Waaay back I bought a DW case without a case back and used a River Exp II case back (30.9mm thread) on it but had to cut a gasket groove in the case because the case back was too thin. The submariner type case backs I got from Raffles Time were the same as the old cartel cases with 30.45 threads and gaskets in the case. H-arou case backs might work in a 30.9mm thread case. RickFlorida...let us know after you try it.

This is an old topic so here are a few links to some 1016 info: https://rwg.cc/topic/169685-rolex-1016-built-mod-a-jmb-case-to-gen-specs-lots-of-pics/ https://rwg.cc/topic/193440-1016-end-of-the-journey/ https://rwg.cc/topic/66391-a-few-pics-of-my-very-first-vintage-franken-project/?hl=%2B1016 (I was 'Jimmythree' back then until a server meltdown and I reregistered as automatico) Yuki adapter: https://rwg.cc/topic/116411-yuki-eta-2824-adaptor Dial with no dial feet: https://rwg.cc/topic/183724-dial-with-no-feet 6610 Explorer: https://rwg.cc/topic/189330-rolex-6610-explorer-with-a-r-e-a-l-gilt-dial-pure-beauty/ DJ 1600/16000 info: https://rwg.cc/topic/192376-datejust-160016000/