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"I used loctite blue on the tube thread plus all 5 gaskets to seal her up tight." My 2 cents: The most important gasket of all is the one between the case and case tube. In order for it to function properly the case threads have to be clean and up to spec, the case has to be machined with a proper gasket seat, and the gaskets, case tube, and crown need to be oem spec. The gaskets...two inside the case tube and one in the crown cap are the 'heroes' of the triplock system but in reality they are vastly under stressed under normal circumstances (above ground or in shallow water). After all, the common 'twinlock' crown is rated to 100M and it has only one gasket in the tube and one in the crown cap. No telling how deep they could really go. The gasket on the outside of the case tube under the crown skirt is basically a dust seal to keep grit and moisture away from the threads. They usually wear at a higher rate than the internal O ring gaskets because of the dirt. Loctite is good at holding but not so good at sealing. Sealing depends on the gasket. I understand we are talking about replicas that may never go deeper than 10M but I have seen as many leaks between the case and case tube as anywhere else on genuine and replica watches...number two is cracked acrylic crystals and plastic sapphire crystal gaskets on genuine watches plus case back gaskets on replicas. Many 'professional' watch repair shops do not even know (or care) that there is a small silver sealing washer that goes between 5.3mm and 6.0mm twinlock case tubes and cases. I have found that most non authorized 'professionally' maintained rolex watches do not have these gaskets and will sometimes leak under water. Gold case tubes/crowns have gold gaskets at this location. 'Non authorized' in this post = no parts account and not much specialized rolex knowledge. What this all boils down to is the gasket and gasket seat between the case and case tube are very important.

"As far as the two walls that need to come down .25mm, I have those right? Each one needs .25 off?" Yes, you need to cut half of the total needed. "But which sandpaper you suggest 600 and than 1200?" You may need a different grit to remove the material than what is used to finish up. Match the grain on the reflector (rehaut), then go with a slightly rougher grit to remove the material to save time. After it is almost sanded to size, finish up with the matching grit. Be careful not to use paper that is too rough because the scratches left behind may be hard to sand away with the finer matching grit. When spinning the case, material will be removed rapidly compared to hand sanding so measure the opening constantly. It is hard to match the angle of the reflector (rehaut) so I usually sand or machine the excess material straight down at a 90 degree angle to the dial. This will not be noticed and it prevents getting into the angle of the reflector (rehaut) and thinning the case neck down. Sometimes the number on the paper does not match the grit. I have some 'off brand' 1000 paper that is as rough as 320. I would try 600 or 1000 to remove the material and see how it goes. If you start with something rougher, 320 maybe, it might be hard to smooth it up. I have had good luck with the 3M 'Wet or Dry' (Minnesota Milling & Manufacturing Co) sandpaper as it is always consistent. If it is not available, go with another top quality brand.

"But your lathe is professional (big tool) or those little lathe for model building?" I have enlarged quite a few dial windows and dial seats with a small Sherline precision lathe with the case mounted in a three or four jaw chuck. A three jaw chuck is more or less self centering but it still may be off a few hundredths mm or more. A four jaw chuck is more of a hassle because the part to be machined has to be centered with a dial indicator or something similar. For something like a dial window, I mount a pointer and adjust the jaws until the object is centered using the pointer to check runout...or just eyeball it. A three jaw chuck is good for making something start to finish without removing it from the chuck. A three jaw chuck will probably be Ok for enlarging dial seats and windows as long as you 'chuck it up' a few times to get it as true as possible before cutting. A four jaw chuck is more precise but a hassle to set up and you have to adjust it every time you r/r the project. You might need to grind tool bits to make the cuts and this may take longer than the lathe work. A friend has a machine shop but I find it easier to do close work like this on the Sherline lathe. Big machinery can be a hassle to work around and many of the accessories are too big for watch cases etc. Attach the case in the three or four jaw chuck by clamping it inside the case where the case back threads are when enlarging the dial window. I clamp the case in the lathe using the 'case neck' where the crystal is mounted when enlarging the dial seat. You have to be careful not to clamp the case too tight and scratch or distort the case neck. I have clamped the case in the lathe with a (used) crystal mounted to prevent scratches on the case neck but usually not. Sometimes the case back threads and dial window are not concentric. It's rare but I have seen it and it was not enough to matter. Off topic...also have seen some cases with uneven lugs that will rock back and forth on a level surface...a few were genuine vintage DJ. The case backs screwed down Ok so they must not have been bent, maybe the lugs were finished differently on the bottom side. Had a genuine Seamaster 300 that was 'egg shaped'...the case back would come off (with effort) but not screw back on. Had to round it out in a small arbor press and run the case back on and off 15 or 20 times with fine automotive valve lapping compound on the threads. If you can figure out a way to spin the case more or less precisely (and not too fast), you can probably enlarge the dial window with sandpaper. The dial seat will be harder to sand to size. Maybe try this...if you have a spare case back, drill a hole in the center and put a screw through the hole from the inside. Tighten a nut against the case back on the outside. Chuck the screw in an electric drill and sand the dial window while spinning the case in the drill. You may need a helper...and a medic. Ha! No matter how you do it, practice on a low $$ case first if possible.

After reading the Horologist post about the over priced $3500 ETA powered heirloom...for a contrast I will list a few good buys in NOS watches that I have made in the past. I'll post a few and maybe other members will chime in with their finds. I went with NOS because they are not as common as finding a bargain in a used watch. One rule...No quartz, mechanical only. Two NOS stainless Eternamatics on leather straps (one with b/p) $40 each. Four NOS steel J.W. Benson watches on straps with ETA 2892-A2 $200 each. Not a super bargain but they are very high quality. NOS steel Universal Geneve Polerouter on signed bracelet $100. NOS 1970s 14k Girard Perregaux automatic/date on black leather strap with B/P $225. NOS lady 14k Omega manual wind with B/P on original 14k bracelet $40. Two NOS Ernest Borel lady 'Cocktail' (KALEIDOSCOPE style) manual wind dress watches, gold plated on leather straps $5 each. Four NOS Ferdinand Bachschmid 'STEELMASTER' stainless ETA auto/date on bracelets $50 each. I had never heard of them when I found them but the price was right. http://www.watcharama.com/fb001/ I am sure many of us have made similar buys in the past, so let's hear about them.

"Are you sure you're not Alaskan?" I spent a summer in Sitka when I was a kid. Does that count? Still have nightmares about flying on Ketchikan Airlines in a little bitty airplane that shook like a paint mixer with holes where rivets used to be and control cables rubbing my arm. Fly along above the water over a bunch of little fishing villages...fall out of the sky and splash down in the water...idle up to a dock...the pilot gets out wearing high top waders and works on the engine while one or two passengers get off and on. Seemed like the ones getting back on were always bigger than the ones that got off. Rev up and take off after skipping a few times and then do it all over again...10 or 12 times. I asked why there were no life preservers or anything. The pilot/mechanic/navigator said "Don't worry about it kid, the water is so cold you wouldn't last 5 minutes anyway." A parachute would have been nice...and maybe some Beanie Weenies in case you hit on an island.

"The Italians do the same thing with the optical industry, Luxxotica sells billions of dollars worth of high priced eyeglasses and sunglasses "Made in Italy" out of 100% Chinese components." There used to be a company a few miles away that made some of the components/packaging for various sunglass brands. They closed about the same time Ray Ban sold out to Luxxotica. A friend used to go 'dumpster diving' behind the factory and get 'Cerruti 1881' sunglass carry cases to store watches in. I still have one with a 'Ben and Sons' chronograph in it. Waaay back when...I 'knew a guy' who could get new USA Ray Ban Aviators for $12. Still have one used and one new from 1979. Had three to start with but mashed one flat when I fell off of a MC in 1984. The Ray Bans stuck in my nose after the pavement ground through a new Arai helmet...and my forehead. I started wearing plastic Frogskins on MC after that. It only hurts now when I stand up. Ha!

"Perhaps he wants to clear out old stock." Yep. A few sales rules in no particular order: 1...Dealers/sellers will try to sell what they make the most $$ on. 2...Dealers/sellers will try to clear out old stock. 3...Dealers/sellers will push the models they have the most of. 4...Dealers/sellers will jack up the price on 'Hot!' models and claim they are hard to get. Harley Davidson and rolex ADs have perfected this ruse. 5...Dealers/sellers are not as dumb as they seem to be. 6...Dealers/sellers will tell you what you want to hear. 7...Buyers have no friends in the sales department when buying what they are selling. 8...Almost all sales people will lie if needed to make a sale. This applies to all dealers/sellers...car dealers, cell phone dealers, real estate agents, lemonade stands, hookers! etc. There is more real lemon juice in Lemon Pledge furniture polish than in Country Time Lemonade.

"I wasn't aware of that legal trick..." How about this one: The Great Chinese - Swiss Watch Paradox: http://www.asian-watches.com/2015/02/the-great-chinese-swiss-watch-paradox.html#!/2015/02/the-great-chinese-swiss-watch-paradox.html Since this was written the percentage of swiss parts by value has risen to 60% from 50%.

"2836 has the plate while the 2824 uses a wavy washer..." I'm gonna have to shut up and look at a 2824. First, I was wrong about the date wheel, now this. Wait a minute! I used a dial washer on the 2824/2836 combo movement in the '1016' case I got from you. Does that count as a right answer? Wife: You think you are right all the time? Husband: No Darlin', not all the time. Wife: Ok Mr. Know-it-all, let me hear you admit to being wrong. Husband: Well...one time I thought I was wrong but it turned out I was right.

"You are totally correct as ever, but legally that movement is Swiss made." You are right. I would not doubt it might be distantly related to the infamous 'Claro-Semag' CL 888. I have had good luck with the Seagull ST16 in its basic form. Also good luck with the ST6. Here is some of the story: https://www.watchfreeks.com/115-watch-movements/3864-claro-semag-cl-888-a.html http://www.watchprojects.com/2010/10/27/claro-watch-big-trouble-in-little-switzerland/

"You've pointed out some differences in the 1570 date movement that might be more trouble than it's worth to convert for use in a no date 5513 case." The center wheel with CP is available in generic form and they seem to be as good as genuine from what I have seen and heard. Q...What's the catch? A...They are made for date movements only afaik. Never saw a set for a no date movement. Otoh there is not much difference in the hand mounting parts in date and no date movements so the hands may not really be far enough from the dial to bother anyone. You could mount a dial and hour hand on a date movement minus the date parts and spacer and see how it looks. Date hour wheel is 1.8mm high. No date hour wheel is 1.27mm high. About the same difference for CPs. Only half a mm +/-. My guess is no one would notice it. You will need to use a sweep second hand for a date movement but most aftmkt ss hands are for date movements anyway. "...so the answer is either a 1520 or a 1570 that came from a no date watch in the first place as being the best fit for use in a 5513?" Yes, as long as you are using a genspec case and want it to look totally genuine. An MBK '5513' case for example needs a date spec rlx 15xx movement because it is machined for a rlx date movement or ETA 2836. More of less the same story with the old DW cases. The difference between MBK and DW cases is MBK dial windows are made for 26.0mm dials and DW cases were made for 26.5mm dials. Both were made for 15xx date movements or ETA 2836. Tips: The dial feet on a genspec date dial are longer than on a no date dial. Make sure they do not hit anything. Had a Yuki date dial with short no date type dial feet and the dial foot screws barely hit the dial feet. The case clamps/screws will hold the dial down after full assembly but the dial may fall down against the hands while handling the movement and scratch the dial. Some aftmkt dial feet are too big in diameter and can be hard to push down into the mainplate and may put a bump in the dial. Sand them down if too big. After mounting a dial on a movement, pull up on the hour wheel lightly with tweezers and see if the hour wheel can rise up far enough to get out of mesh. If it can, put a dial washer between the dial and hour wheel...up side of the bends facing the dial. ETA 28xx date movements have a plate that holds the wheel down. Dial washers... eBay item number 273430988395 Dials, dials = details, details.

"Why would you want to downgrade a 1570 to a 1520?" Pretty good question. For me...I did not have a spare 1520 so I went for a '5512' project with a 1570 rather than a '5513' project with a 1520. "How easy is it to convert a Rolex cal. 1570 with date parts (from an oyster perpetual) for use as a 5513 cal 1520 movement? " Complete no date 1570 and 1520 movements are interchangeable. They are basically the same except for escapements. The 1520 has a flat hairspring and the 1570 has a Breguet overcoil HS. They are easy to tell apart after the differences have been pointed out so a 1570 in a 5513/AK etc would stick out if anyone was looking closely. Converting a 1570/75 date movement to a no date to use in place of a 1520...remove all date parts and calendar spacer. Install 1520 center wheel with canon pinion and hour wheel (lowers hands). Casing dimensions are different for 15xx date and no date movements...no date movements have stems closer to the front of the watch because of no date works. Mainplates etc are the same size, the calendar parts and calendar spacer make the difference and this is why the center wheel, CP, and hour wheel are different. The sweep second pinion is the same for them all, the difference is in the second hand tube. Btw...a no hack 15xx movement can not be readily converted to a hacking movement. There is a groove machined in the hack movement mainplate for the hack lever. A hacking movement can be converted to a no hack movement by removing the hack parts.

Here it is! "Swiss Made"!! Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide (wtf ??) 200 Meter WR Dive Watch With Swiss Automatic Movement! Only $1025 USD! Shipping only $35! eBay item number 232871827772 What's the catch you say? Well, for starters it has a Chinese Seagull ST16 movement same as the average $60 Canal Street Special. Dressed up a little but the same engine. Surely no one would claim a Chinese movement is "Swiss Made". How about claiming a complete Chinese watch is "Swiss Made"? Tell me it ain't so! Never! No one has that much nerve! Not even the Swiss! No Way! I am Flabbergasted! Maybe I'll order two...only if they will combine shipping.

"May I ask where do you source those 2824-2 rolex 1680 cases?" The 1680 cases mentioned above are all for rlx 15xx date size movements or ETA 2836. I can not remember seeing any vintage rlx 1680 type cases made for Eta 2824. All the vintage type cases In my experience were made for ETA 2836 or DG/NN 2813 type movements. ETA 2824 movements also have lower canon pinions, hour wheels, and sweep second posts and this can cause the hands to be too close to the dial on many projects. Otoh if you made a typo and meant to say: "where do you source those 2836-2 rolex 1680 cases", the 'Paul' (Abay) cases have been gone from the market for 10 years. A few members may have one they might sell. Be sure to read up on them because although they have the correct case tube threads and will accept oem crystals and bezels, the case back gasket is in the case, not in the case back like genuine watches. The crown guards need work and the lug holes need to be drilled out too. "I have been looking for one that takes 15xx date movement (for a budget build) as it should assumably have a gen crown/stem/tune height position as well." As stated above, most cases that will accept an ETA 2836 will accept a rlx 15xx date movement...not a no date movement. Imho the crown position is a very minor consideration especially on a budget project. Very few notice the crown position.

"cartel case and MBW case won't take a gen 1520 movement out-of-the-box: for starters, the cartel case and mbw case have different crown/stem/tube height to a gen case." MBK cases will accept a genuine rlx 1575 date movement but the dial window is machined for a 26.0mm 55xx dial so it is in reality a 1680 case with a dial window machined for a 55xx dial. It is not difficult to open the dial window up to 26.5mm if needed. The crown position is basically the same as on a genuine 1680, not a 55xx, that is why it looks wrong. To use a 1520, 1530, 1560, 1570 you will have to use some 1575 date parts to position the movement correctly in the case. Some cartel cases will accept a rlx 15xx movement, many will not. For example, most 55xx and 1680 cases from 'Paul' (Abay) will accept a rlx 15xx date movement and the dial window is 26.5mm same as rlx 1680. Rule of thumb - a case made for an ETA 2824 will usually accept a rlx 1520, 1570 etc no date mvt...a case made for an ETA 2836 will usually accept a rlx 15xx date movement providing the inside diameter of the case is big enough and the dial window is the right size. For more details, see "Building an MBW sub" in the sticky above the rlx section. Jovi75... Good luck! I know it is not easy putting one of these projects together but the more you can learn, the easier it will get. Experience IS the best teacher...but it is also the most expensive.

My JMB '1016' case came with a 6.0mm OD crown on a 5.3mm case tube like later model rlx watches...meaning a genuine spec 5.3 crown or 6mm crown made to fit a 5.3mm case tube will screw down on this particular case tube. Not exactly 5.3mm spec on the end that screws into the case however. I tried a genuine spec 5.3mm case tube in the JMB case but it did not want to screw into the case so I did not force it. I did not run a tap through the case either because I was going to use all 6mm parts...this may have cleaned the threads out to accept the gen spec case tube. There was glue on the case tube threads and the tube was pretty tight. I measured the threads on the JMB case tube and they were a hair smaller than a genuine 5.3mm tube where it screws into the case. Otoh the threads where the crown screw down are the same as genuine. The JMB case tube threads where the case tube screws into the case measure 2.4mm and a genuine case tube measured 2.45mm. I do not know about the thread pitch in the case, it is probably the same as genuine but I'll never know. I drilled and tapped the case to accept a regular 6.0mm case tube p/n 24-6020 and put a gen spec aftmkt 6mm crown on it. A few catches when drilling cases: 1...Depending on manufacturing accuracy, the case back gasket groove may be close to the case tube hole and going from a 5.3mm case tube to a to a 6mm case tube can cut into the gasket groove. Mine did not. I have seen a few new replicas where the case tube threads were cut into the gasket groove. 2...The new case tube hole has to be drilled straight. 3...The tap can get started crooked and break or foul up the threads. Fwiw all 1016 had regular 6mm case tubes and 6mm crowns.

"I have one that I attempted to fashion a proper bracelet to springbar coupling, but it is a daunting task!!!" I spread the link apart that connects to the clasp and put a 'figure 8' connecting link in the bracelet and attached the flip lock lever and clasp to the 'figure 8' link in the bracelet with a rivet tube. Be sure to put a spacer in the bracelet link where the open space is before you press the link back together...the figure 8 connecting piece is shorter than the center link and leaves a space in the center of the link. I got the spacer from a spare bracelet and slightly crimped it to keep it in place. You need a flip lock lever made to be used with a rivet tube, not one made for a spring bar if possible. This rivet tube is the one at the 6 o'clock end of the clasp cap where the 'Z blades' are attached to the FL and bracelet. The most common (spring bar type) replica clasp cap to Z blade attachment at the 6 o'clock end of the clasp fits flush with the outer sides of the clasp cap and the FL lever passes by with no rubbing. Not so with the proper rivet tube etc. A proper hinge using a rivet tube will rub the inside of the FL lever and bind it up unless you use the correct FL lever. Flip lock levers made to pass by rivet tubes at the clasp cap to Z blade connection may have small spacers placed at each end between the inner edge of the FL lever and Z blade like genuine or small tabs made on the Z blade for a spacer. Others may have the inner sides of the FL lever grooved to accommodate the rivet heads...or any combination of the three. I will not get into mounting the dive extension or making the little 'friction dents' in the clasp cap to keep the bracelet under the cap. Finding a clasp cap without a 'fingernail notch' or a FL lever with no scored lines on the top is another task not worth the hassle on a 'vintage replica' imho. Go to any internet search and type in rolex 9315 bracelet to see the details...or the link below. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=rolex+9315+bracelet&qpvt=rolex+9315+bracelet&FORM=IGRE Nothin' to it.

"That's what I'm wanting, a source for those round top center links. I can take one out of a donor Yuki Rivet band that's being sacrificed for parts, but I'd rather not." I used links from an unbranded bracelet that I got somewhere. As long as the links have the correct contour, length, and width they will usually work. Sometimes you can find an old bracelet where every center link is the right size to make end links out of. I have an old pair of Channellock pliers with half round grooves cut crossways at the forward ends of the jaws that I use to squeeze flat top links to put a curve in the top side when needed. You need to remove enough metal in the underside (at the split) to allow for the slight reduction in the size of the link caused by bending the top curve. Seems like I have spent half of my life learning useless skills. Ha!

Nanuq: Sharp watch! I like the low profile. It looks a lot like my MBK '5512'...'me first' Yuki dial, folded Mary 7836 (regular clasp), GS lo dome crystal, ST bez kit/hands/case tube, genuine crown, no hack 1570. Drummania: The 7836 'Mary' bracelets are very good imho. I have one on the MBK '5512' and put a 78360 clasp on it with 7 adjustment holes...78360 was as close as I could get, could not find a 7836 replica clasp. Also put new center links with rounded tops on each end where it connects to the spring bars, it came with 'figure 8' end links. I compared the Mary 7836 links with a link from a genuine bracelet and the metal in a Mary bracelet link is a tiny bit thinner but the fit and finish appears to be very close. You can put a flip lock type clasp on a Mary 7836 but it takes a bit of work where the 6 o'clock end is mated to the clasp where it has the rivet through the flip lock. I used an old style 'eight hole' clasp cap with no dive extension on another project watch but made a mistake by removing one link from the 6 o'clock side, should have left 6 links in it. They come with 6 links at 6 and 7 at 12. Rep-Rivet bracelets: I looked in my repstuff and found 3 replica rivet bracelets. They are all exactly alike and I do not know where they came from or how long I have had them. The links are approximately 3.5mm thick...that does not sound like much but they appear to be thicker when looking at them. I did not compare them to a genuine rivet bracelet. They have 6 links at 6 and 7 at 12 with two links with screw tubes in each end next to the clasp so they can be shortened. The screws are famous for falling out and the fix is to put regular rivet tubes in them with press in rivets after they are fitted to size. Downside...they are hair pullers. Rep-Rep-Rivet bracelets: These have side plates mounted on regular solid link bracelets. They look Ok and are tougher than a regular rivet bracelet. They probably cost quite a bit less too. Downside...they are heavy.

"As a modder I get a ton of requests for gen parts, like they are so easy to find. People have no idea really. Especially the new kids." True! Genuine parts for 4 digit models are quickly disappearing and what is left is becoming unaffordable for me. The MBK '5513' mentioned in the 'Building an MBW Sub' sticky above was $1300 about 7 years ago. Same watch now would probably be $2500 or more. Back then a 1520 or 1570 needing c/o, mainspring, rotor axle etc was $500 to $1000, now they are $1200 to $2000. Many high quality 55xx/1680 ETA powered project watches will go past $1300 today. I bought a rlx 1556 DD movement in May 2013 and the guy asked what they were selling for...he had already scrapped the case and bracelet! I said "$600 to $1200." He said "Sold for $600!" It's not that way now. "Noob GMT Master..." I fell into four of these from 'Paul' waaay back. He made me a 'Special Deal' on four so I paid for them. About a week later they arrived from a used car dealer in Georgia USA, brand new and tight wrapped in plastic. (Georgia ??) All had new swissetas with the whs non adjustable China 24 hour mod. (I have told this story before) Saw a watch trader friend wearing one Sunday before last. He got it from Paul about the same time but it came from 'over there'. He paid $159 delivered. Same watch today with new swisseta 2836 would probably be $500 or more. Bought some high quality GMT watches with DG 3804B movements a few years later...same dial etc but different reference number. They have 'no hole' lugs where the other four have lug holes and they have SEL, hollow mid links, and shorty F/L clasps. Probably the last of the breed, the new GMT replicas have gone ceramic with the new type clasp.

I have had good luck with '580' hoods from WSO except for a couple of the soldered tubes that came loose. I was using a set with a Mary folded bracelet and after the tubes came loose I removed the tubes and installed the hoods without them. Seems to work Ok. A little bit floppy but Ok. The tubes might have come loose because of misalignment of the tubes and holes in the lugs. Besides that, I doubt the solder joints are very strong to begin with. My WSO 580 hoods will fit a cartel '5513' or a JMB '1016' with very little detailing. This may be because of not having the internal tubes. Try the hoods and spring bars without a bracelet to see if the hoods are a good fit with the case. Sometimes they need a little bending or filing. If you get the spring bars in the dead end holes in a JMB '1016' case with WSO 580 type hoods, you are in Deep Sheet.

Fwiw I have two basic types of older '16610' cases: F520117 'Noobmariner' D320840 'Not Noob'. The D320840 cases show up on a lot of different models, some not as 'wokky' as others. Here are some specs on the cases: The F520117 Noob dial window diameter is 27.0mm and the dial seat OD inside the case is 28.5mm. The reflector aka 'rehaut' is fairly shallow. The D320840 Not Noob dial window diameter is 27.1mm and the dial seat OD is 29.4mm. The reflector aka 'rehaut' is 'wokky' but quite a bit taller and thicker so the dial window can be enlarged a little if needed to unmask a larger dial. I have enlarged a few by cutting the reflector/rehaut straight up at the same angle as the case sides with no taper. This enlarges the dial window and reduces the 'wok effect' at the same time. The break with the reflector/rehaut angle will not be noticed as long as the exposed surface is sanded to match the existing grain on the reflector/rehaut. With a quality dial they look very good and the wok effect basically disappears. All my F520117 dials have the 9mm+/- date offset like genuine. Some of the D320840 dials have the date offset 10mm+/- to ETA 28xx specs and some are 9mm+/- like genuine. The F520117 Noob dials are 28.4mm, a close fit in the case. The D320840 dial is a little bit bigger, 28.7mm or so. As stated above, all my F520117 dials have 9mm+/- offset but some of the D320840 cases have 10mm+/- offset and some have 9mm+/- offset so the dials and DW can be different. The D320840 cases will take most of the 16610 replica dials because of the larger dial seat but the 27.1mm dial window may be too close to the minute markers on larger dials with the minute marks printed closer to the outer edge. I guess it all boils down to try to get the correct dial the first time around.

"Fluffy posted an Invicta on RWG bz to sell, man they tore the poor guy apart." Everyone has a favorite Invicta. You know you do... Mine is the 8926. They used to have a Miyota 8215 in them, now they have a Seiko NH35A. They were the 'Time Zone Darling' 15 or 17 years ago: http://www.timezone.com/2002/10/15/invicta-sub/

"But, I won't bust your bubble by telling you what it is used for..." Ha! It's a fence stretcher. Used to have a tractor (Ford 8N), horse, cow or two. Plus a goat or two, a few chickens...and fences. 'fore you wus born. Then 'The City' took us in... They widened the road. Tore our gates/fences down, and banned all 'livestock'. So we tore the chicken house down, built a house in its place, and lived in it almost 20 years. All we have now are scuppernogs, fish, frogs, and skeeters. Mostly skeeters.

Case neck OD and crystal retaining ring ID sizes are in the sticky 'Building an MBW sub' at the top of the rlx section...scroll down to 'Note 10-6-16'. The sizes listed are also the same for genuine. The crystal should be a light finger press fit on the case neck. It should not have any side motion and it should not be too tight. You should be able to turn it on the case neck but it should not fall off when turned upside down. Besides GS crystals, I have also had good luck with Clark 19 crystals if you like higher domes. Many aftmkt crystals can be 'in spec' or 'out of spec' so each one has to be tried to see if it feels right when pressing the crystal ring down over it after it has been mounted on the case. As for 'the feel'...it depends on the type of press used and how many you have done. It takes a little practice. https://rwg.cc/topic/188536-loose-bezel-fix/