automatico

Imho... I like yellow gold watches on a leather strap but not on a bracelet...too heavy and too much gold showing. As for diamonds on a gents watch...they might be Ok on the inside (dial markers) but not on the outside.

"Then I remembered the date window was in the wrong place back then." I have a couple like that. They were the 'Noobmariners' of their day. The complete watch sold for about the same as a new Eta 2836 goes for today.

It has a Sea-Gull ST6D in it...reliable and cheap. My advice is to not spend any $$ on it.

A rolex is not mass produced? My BS detector just went off. A friendly AD gave me a VHS video made in the Aegler movement factory in the mid 1980s that showed production of the now discontinued rolex cal 3035 and most of it was automated down to a robot device placing the hands on the watch, then a drone aka 'technician' spinning the hands around to be sure the date flipped around 12. Oiling was done by tiny tubes that came down to the movement (mounted on an assembly pad where the train wheels were installed...by hand!) and automatically oiled 6 or 8 spots at a time. Train wheels and balances complete were put in the movement by hand of course and the dial was mounted by hand but not much more. These things are not lovingly assembled by 'little old watchmakers'...they are spit out by the thousands by machines and people who must make a quota or they are kicked out on their ear. Just like any other mass manufacturing/assembly business in the real world. I think maybe rolex has 'Gone Hollywood'...advertising ballyhoo movies for the masses. If Seiko can make a Seiko 5 and not touch it with a human hand (I have seen claims of this), then it stands to reason that a high profit, high tech, high production outfit like rolex will use the absolute least amount of human hand work possible, especially when building a brand new set of factories. How else are they going to crank out 800,000 'chronometers' a year plus all the cellini and tooter stuff? Not by hand I bet. I know there is some hand work, but not much and they are milking it for all it is worth (see the ballyhoo comment above). They did not spend a $billion on new factories to fill them with live assembly drones...robots maybe. Q..."Ah-Ha Mr Know-it-all, where is the proof? Where is the precious 1980s video now?" A...Right here in my grubby little hands. "It takes a year to make a rolex watch." ...but there is a rolex buyer born every minute.

The sheet metal calendar spacer ring lightly snaps over the front of the movement and the tape was probably used to provide more space between the date wheel and dial. Eta 28xx have two small swivel clamps that turn in against the dial feet to hold the dial in place. Pressure from the case clamps/screws holds it all together and keeps the dial/movement pressed against the front of the case. Tape aka 'dial dots' are also used when there are no dial feet on the dial. If the dial moves back and forth when pulling the crown out to setting position and pushing it in to screw it down...the dial and/or movement are too loose in the case and the case clamps need to be bent to provide more forward pressure or need to be thicker as thin clamps will sometimes not provide enough forward pressure. What works best is when the metal movement spacer is made so the case clamp touches the spacer and the outer end of the clamp fits into the groove or notch in the case and has tension on it when the clamp screws are tightened. Another problem on many watches is that the dial is too small for the dial seat inside the case and there is room for the dial to slide around. A couple ways to overcome this is to have a precision fit between the movement spacer and the case and/or have a custom spacer made with a dial seat machined in the front of it like 'Stilty's Spacers' did. Stilty had some spacers cnc machined to adapt Eta movements to various genuine/genuine spec rolex cases and some had the dial spacer made into the movement spacer. I made a few out of brass flat washers but it was time consuming because the od of the spacer has to be a precision fit in the case, the id of the spacer has to be a precision fit on the movement, it has to have the dial spacer made in it etc.

Take a clean piece of Rodico and stretch it until you see a lighter shade of green in the stretched area, then fold it to expose the lighter area and use the lighter part to lift the smeared area by blotting or rolling it over the stain. When you do this it is not as bad to leave a film or smudge but if you rub it across a slick black dial it may leave a mark that might be permanent. I use green Rodico to pick up fingerprints, specks, dust, oil on movements etc and blue A*F 'Rub-Off' watch putty on dials. A*F Rub-Off is for real. Look it up.

The first thing to check is see if the dial center hole is centered on the hour wheel tube. The dial feet might be bent or not exactly in the right location and this will cause the dial center hole to be too far left, right, up, or down causing the date window to be off. Correct this if possible and go from there... To correct: The dial feet can usually be bent slightly to correct this but be careful not to break one off. If the dial feet are a tight fit in the movement plate you might not be able to bend them because if the dial feet had to be bent away from the 'straight up' position to center the date they will just bend back like they were. You might hog the holes out a bit with a file but then tightening the the dial screws or clamps might just move them the wrong way etc, etc. It's always something... Some rolex date jumpers can be adjusted to center the date in the window (1525/75 etc) but 28xx Etas can not. The best way to adjust an Eta date jumper spring (p/n 2784 on 2836-2) is to slot the locating screw and dowel holes with a needle file but it is not a super easy job. You will also have to reshape the base and locating tab on the jumper spring where it mounts to the plate to allow it to be moved (the spring and base are all made in one piece). I have also seen date wheels where the numbers are just right on some numbers and off on others...no fix except a new dw or live with it. Something else...sometimes the date does not end up in exactly the same position in the window when using the quick set as when it changes over at midnight while running. There is a lot to be said for watches without the date.

Very good job! I have a similar unfinished project watch and my cost is in line with yours. It seems GMT 1675 and Ex II 1655 projects using genuine movements and high quality cases and dials tend to cost about one third more than vintage submariner projects. L&T: "The 1655 is a painful one to build." You got that right!

A genuine 1675 case back is 35.45 to 35.5mm in overall diameter...4.4mm thick +/- a hair or two depending on wear...and the threads in the case back are 30.20mm in diameter. This might help finding one. When buying genuine, watch out for corrosion. Lot of junk out there.

Most older 'lug hole' replica cases used crystals pressed into a gasket like a quartz dress watch along with a spring wire bezel and many of the bezels were 60 click instead of 120. So...if you want something that will take genuine parts, the ST is not that bad a choice. I thought about putting one together using an older replica lug hole case, Yuki dial with luminous dots (no settings), an Eta etc and found: Lug holes drilled too close to the edge to be drilled out. Crystals with 10mm offset date magnifiers instead of 9mm like genuine...this is not too hard to fix though. Shallow and/or conical aka 'wokky' reflector rings (rehaut). Odd ball case tube mounting surfaces machined in the case...flat, drilled similar to oem etc but none were exact. Crown guards that look like they were finished by Jose Goober. Etc, etc... So (again)... If you want a more or less oem spec case...look before you leap. Study up on what is out there. If you want to use a genuine movement and oem spec dial...the ST case is easier to work with compared with a random replica. Tip... It is very hard to drill lug holes in a no hole case...my numerous screw-ups were all the proof I needed.

I have junked a few genuine rolex cases because of seized threads but it sounds like yours has mismatched threads if it screws on and off without a lot of torque. Seized threads stick and will not come apart so I would avoid forcing them together much at all. Since these threads are machine cut (not tap and die) there is not much of a fix unless someone is willing to try to straighten them out on a lathe with bits cut to spec...a hellofalot of trouble. One old trick is to apply a drop or two of fine grade automotive valve lapping compound to the threads and run the case back on and off a few dozen times and see if it ever decides to screw all the way down. If it ever sticks, it might be stuck for good. I have read so many horror stories about high $$ replica cases that I reach no higher on the shelf than a plain ole MBK. L&T... "All I hear about this guy is problems..." Me too. For the $$ you pay, this guy should deliver to your door, include a 5 pound box of chocolates, and the parts should be be exactly the same as genuine with no problems. I still say most of this stuff is souped up $50 cases.

Anyone tried the WSO990 links on a genuine or genuine spec watch? Knowing their reputation I am always skeptical. If they fit, I might buy a set or two.

I like GMTs too but never had much luck with any type of tutone model with plated bezels and center links. The bracelet plating tends to wear off and the bezel plating is a target for nicks and scratches. About 8 or 10 years ago you could buy GMT II with new swiss eta movements (not scrounged up Eta put-togethers) with a simple 24 hour conversion that was basically trouble free. The hand stack was not correct but they were dead nuts reliable. They used swiss Eta 2836-2 movements with an Asian 24 hour hand drive running off the day of the week works. Then Swatch/Eta cracked the whip on movement availability/prices and the Asian etaclones started showing up and things went downhill from there imho. The etaclones came in two flavors...chs and ihs, some with adj 24H hands, some without...the models without adj 24H hands usually had the same 24H drive as the swiss Eta GMT. The 'old reliable' (Ha!) Asian '21 jewel' powered models have been around from the beginning and I still have a few from 1994 that still run but I would not time a rocket launch with one. As with many '21 jewel' models you have to move around a lot during the day to keep them running all night. Working on the damn things will turn your brown eyes blue. I never cared much for the newer ceramic bezel models but most will have Asian etaclones or '21 jewelers' of one sort or another. I have not seen aluminum bezel insert GMT II with new swiss Etas for sale in a long time. A new swiss Eta 2836 movement cost almost as much now as a complete watch with one in it 8 or 10 years ago. My pick of them all is the earlier aluminum bezel GMT II with swiss Eta and ics. And then there are submariners... Who makes the best sub?

TENDENCE... C-rap like this has a TENDENCY to disappear from the market. The black one is not bad though. Black Skull Hydro is Ok too. I sorta like skull dials.

From what I have seen...cheapo movements almost always give less trouble than 'High Grade' movements. Many of the HG swiss movements are so fragile that they are not much good for every day wear except maybe in a fancy office or a prissy tea party environment. I've had my share of this fancy junk in the past and shy away from it now for good reason. It is hard to beat a common Seiko, Miyota or swiss Eta automatic movement. Otoh...manual wind movements from just about any brand are usually a lot tougher than their automatics...the auto weight eventually hammers the aw assembly to death. Some of the toughest are the old manual wind Seiko movements that were used in a lot of Bulova and Caravelle watches in the 1960s/1970s. They have JAPAN or JAPAN MVT at the bottom of the dial and if you pick one up at a yard sale or flea market and give the crown a few turns, it will take off running. The wag who said "A rolex can take anything your arm can take" must have lived in a giant feather pillow.

The way I see it, there are two types of genuine rolex watches...the watch that has no trouble while you own it and the watch that does have trouble. Trouble = needing $ervice and/or part$. If you buy a 16000 DJ for $1700 and wear it 2 or 3 years with no trouble and sell it for $1700+, you have hit a home run. If you buy a 16000 DJ for $1700 and it has to have $500 or $600 in $ervice and parts$, you struck out unless you can sell it to someone walking sideways for $2300. When buying an old rolex watch you are always taking a chance unless it has a warranty for as long as you plan to own it. Buying a watch with a common Eta movement is not much of a gamble because movement parts are plentiful (in the USA anyway). So...I would go for a genuine case with genuine dial/crown etc and a fresh swisseta movement. Example: I have a real nice, all genuine tutone (ss/18k jubilee/engine turned bezel) 15053 OPD cal 3035 with new ct/crn/crystal/fresh c/o mvt etc and I will not wear it at all because I do not want to have to buy anything if it gets damaged...or simply decides to take a sh!t. No way I will wear it because of my experience with the brand (no parts etc). It's a selling watch, not a wearing watch. I also have a real nice all steel 15200 OPD on a strap with genuine case/crystal/dial/date wheel/modified hands and a cleaned nos chronometer grade Mido/Eta 12892 that I got from Stilty a few years ago. I can wear it with peace of mind because movement parts are widely available and do not cost much. It's a wearing watch. Good used genuine crowns are not that expensive and generic acrylic and sapphire crystals are usually Ok for Eta powered project watches so it really comes down to labor cost and movement parts prices that kill genuine rolex watches vs project watches. Like The Man said: "Yo' pays yo' money and yo' takes yo' chances."

This is a good question. Back when I worked on genuine rolex watches a lot more than today, I never measured the dial and compared it with the dial opening in the case on 5513, 1680 etc. Now that I do not have acess to genuine vintage sporty watches as much (except for a 1675 that I still have) I wonder because of my 5513 and 1680 projects. My genuine common rolex watches (1601/3 etc) seem to have about .5mm or so purchase on the dial all the way around and I did not look at this detail on the 1675 when I had it apart. It's probably about the same. The reason I wonder about it this is that I have read that genuine 5512/13 dials are 26.0mm plus or minus a few hundredths mm and 1680 dials are 26.5mm plus/minus. I have a genuine 1680 dial but did not write down the dial diameter when I mounted it in a DW 1680 case but iirc it was about 26.5mm. I might have posted the od on the forum but do not know where or when. I do remember that it had about .5mm of the dial under the dial seat all the way around though. I have a 5513 project watch with a DW case, rolex 1520 and a 26.0mm Yuki dial and the dial is a hair smaller than the dial opening in the case...I have posted about this a number of times. What is weird is that the dial is about .5 or .6mm lower than the bottom of the dial seat and if the movement was not mounted solid...the dial would probably come all the way through the opening in the case. The dial stays in place Ok and it is held in place only by the dial screws and this is not a whole lot of comfort as dial screws are famous for coming loose. The movement is solidly mounted in place because the shoulder on the movement (just under the dial) mounts against a ridge in the case and the two case screws hold it all in place. When you look closely at the dial in bright light you can see a space between the case and dial. I also remember a year or two back when someone posted pictures of a genuine 5512 or 5513 case with a caliper showing the dial window measurement...iirc it was 26.0mm plus or minus...now I can not find the thread. Sorry for posting this a dozen times but this question still comes up now and then. If anyone has a genuine 5512/13 case and a 1680 case along with genuine dials, please post the measurements.

The tired mantra "Buy the Seller" is BS imho. I got a few screw jobs from some "Big Time Top Rated Sellers" that everyone would recognize, the last time being 10-2-01 on a tutone 6694 with a rotted out case. It was professionally detailed to look like new but was JUNK (long story). I am not counting 'attempted screw jobs' after that date. I only count the screw jobs that did not result in my $$ being returned. Something else...when I sell a watch, I do not guarantee it against anything other than to be what I said it was. If they want it written down, I do it. Once the watch is out of my sight there is no telling what some damn idiot might do to it. Believe me...I have seen it all in the past 40+ years trading watches. Example...I sold a nib w/p Fortis Spacematic 623.22.32 last week to a guy who asked if I would guarantee it to be 200M WR etc. I said "No! You just paid $700US for a new in the box watch that retails for close to $2000 and sells for around $1600 on eBay. The price you paid is your guarantee. Take it or leave it." He took it and may buy another one.

Genuine rotating bezels may not work to perfection every time on a used genuine inner bezel. In order for everything to fit correctly you really need a new genuine crystal, inner bezel, and rotating bezel. This = a lot of $$ at today's silly prices. I have a genuine 1675 with mia rotating bezel and put a ST rotating bezel on it using the original inner bezel. It snapped on fine but was too loose without the friction washer and too tight with it so I sanded the washer down using 1000 wet or dry sandpaper on a piece of glass in running water. It finally fit Ok but still had a few tight spots so I put a gob of Simichrome polish between the rotating bezel and inner bezel and ran it around about 400 times while pushing down on the bezel and it smoothed out just fine. Do not turn the bezel very much while pulling up on it because this will wear the edges off the bezels and the rotating bezel will fall off if you bump it against a door frame etc. Nothing is easy. The ST bezel looks good and the genuine insert snapped in like it should. Your mileage may vary as not every inner/outer bezel combo will work.

DW is still around but he is staying under the radar. Look at item number 331041150526 on eBay.

I agree it's a good idea to lay off shipping watches/jewelry around the holidays because I lost a couple watches during the holidays in the US a few years back...it was USPS and I will always suspect the local carrier. The package left the post office but did not get to its destination a couple miles down the road. The substitute carrier developed 'one day amnesia' when the local Postmaster asked them about it a few days later. Our other two 'favorite' carriers...Fed/Ups hires a lot of temporary workers during the holidays and I heard many of them are magnetic...watches tend to stick to them. Fed/Ups...ordered a couple genuine rolex watches from a Texas watch dealer August 1994 and they did not show up in the two day delivery time. I gave it another day and finally found them the third day in a patch of English Ivy about 8 feet from the front door behind some shrubs. I asked the carrier guy about it a few days later and he said he pitched the package in the ivy so no one would steal it. It was here in two days though. I told him no one signed for it. He grinned and said "Yeah they did." No harm, no foul. FYI...The one day mia package was a brand new 16610 with B/P for $2165 delivered and a 'same as new/one day trade in' X267xxx 14000 AK for $990. Had to pay list price for some models though...$3865 for a nib 16520 Daytona in December 1992 including shipping the box from the TN dealer to a Texas dealer then back to me...sales tax dodge, I took the watch home. Lucky the box made it during the holidays. They were a LOT cheaper back then.

If you want it done right, either do it yourself or find someone who knows what they are doing and have them put a watch together for you. Other than these two options, you are usually better off to buy a watch already put together. Imho it is not a good idea to buy a complete high priced watch with genuine movement from China etc because if you have to send it back the risk is simply too great...loss, damage, mia in customs etc with NO recourse. I learned this the hard way. The 'Frankenstein' end of this twisted hobby is populated mostly by participants who can do most (or all) of the work themselves or know someone who can. Learning to work on watches is a slooow agonizing process and if you ever decide to learn the basics...r/r movements, change dials and hands, install case tubes, crowns, crystals etc, this can be learned in a year or two. Getting into cleaning movements will take a little longer and learning to machine parts adds to the time involved. After working on watches for a while you will soon see that the main problem facing small time repair and hobby guys today = No Parts For You! Sad but true. For the reasons above, a low hassle/high quality watch might be an MBK 5513 or 1680 with a freshly serviced Eta 2846 in it to begin with. It will probably come with some sort of UFO movement stuffed in it so you will have to round up the 2846 and have it installed. For a modern rolex...a TC 16610 is not a bad choice but be on the lookout for a Swiss Eta for when the etaclone goes toes up. Rolex chronograph projects with Val 72 etc are bottomless pits unless you have plenty $$ to throw around. Good luck!

If your watch gets stuck under the boot of an aggressive customs agent, a simple one sided repair invoice might not do the trick. You may need a mailing/shipping receipt proving you sent the 'watch' to be 'repaired'. The 'watch' must have been sent a few weeks or months before the arrival of the 'repaired watch' and the shipping weight outbound should be close to the watch that arrives. Customs agents can be very aggressive if they want your watch for Cousin Charlie's birthday present. Something else...if you do not settle up in a 'timely manner', watches have a tendency to 'disappear' into the system. No proofie, no watchie.

How about everyone putting their country of residence on their profile? When I see an item I might want to buy, the first thing I do is see what country the seller is in because of shipping hassles. If it is not listed in their profile, I forget about it. Sometimes the simplest, easiest, common sense things are the hardest to get done. Either that or some of the members are actually Secret Agents for KAOS.

Iirc I paid about $120 each for my first two fully signed/numbered DW 1680 cases so they could sell them a LOT cheaper than what many 'specialists' ask for them if they wanted to. If someone wanted to make accurate 6610 cases and sell them for $130, they could because I bet the $500+ cases cost no more to make than the $130 cases. My guess on what runs the cost up is engraving between lugs, stamping/engraving inside case backs, careful check on critical case dimensions etc, etc. The $130 cases may not reflect a high level of fit and finish. Here's the BUT... But if they are selling for $500+, why sell them for $130? The answer might be imho... DW cases are cheaper for a few reasons: Half azz machining tolerances inside the case causing some dials to not touch the dial seat, aka 'shallow rehaut syndrome'. Spring wire bezels instead of snap on bezels. Hit or miss case neck od. Pot belly case sides. Shallow case back gasket groove. Lug holes undersize. In short, they are project cases, not ready to go cases, but still a bargain if you are handy with modifications.