JoeyB

Thanks. Yes, you lume over the clear coat. I use an acrylic 'Glow Paint'. I tint it using a water based kid's coloring set. It is the same type that RolexAddict uses. It gives a grainy look when dry, is not a strong glow, nor lasts long, probably much like a 60 year old gen would. The grainy look in my inserts is directly due to that Glow Paint. Me and my old eyes can do an OK job, but younger and steadier can do even better. I must have looked at thousands of pics of gilt dials, but never have seen a gen in person. But from what I've seen, the lume on the gen is not at all perfect, and the brass that shows through the pad paint or decal was bright and 'gilty' when it was new. I believe that the more subdued gilt, and even with some white showing, are all from aging. Here is a lume shot pic from panerai's watch that he took. It gives an idea of the strength of the lume.

I can't take pics like cc33, but my 6538 might show how I make my dials using water-slide decals. Inkjet does not print white, so I use clear decal paper and apply it to the bare brass base plate. I usually swirl sand it lightly using 400 grit to get a more 'gilt' look of the plate that shows through. And it does become slowly subdued as time goes on. All my gilt dials are made the same way. Only one, my 1675, using a gen Rolex Submariner dial bought off ebay for $25 bucks that was trashed. The finish can be as smooth as you can spray paint clear, or a bit of patina by 'orange peel' the spray. The more I mess up, the more aged it looks!

Maybe if it was made using lexan...

On Craigslist they usually say "replica" or clone. Must not be a problem there.

I think yours will be awesome!

I used an ETA 2846 and cartel case in my 6204 build and had to make the hour hand and second hand because nothing I could find was suitable. It is my only Submariner, and I love it.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/jwl/4530365422.html http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/jwl/4529752935.html http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/clo/4522524677.html Caveat emptor

So that's a couple of hours different than central time?

Ya' gotta love `em!

Most of the 1675s we have here cost more than $515! I haven't changed my mind either. It's vintage for me.

All the way! Thank you, and you for your service as well.

Well, everyone needs a hobby... From there I went to the 5th, then the 3rd, then the 1st. 38 years altogether. Only one bad day. Retired, fat and lazy now. Welcome to the forum. This hobby isn't quite as painful!

Lew, 12th Special Forces Group? I was in the 12th in 1970 and 1971. When did you serve?

This is my 1675 using a cartel Explorer case and with a genuine 5.3mm crown. Is the gap too much?

Maybe. But then I thought that an insert alone on Ebay that was broken in at least 11 pieces, and the ad said he didn't know if all the poieces were there, sold for over $1000usd was insane. When a gen 6542 with original dial, hands, insert and bezel sells for more than $60,000usd, and a 6542 that has a Rolex factory replacement service dial and metal insert can be as low as $12,000usd, what is the gen bezel assembly worth? If you came onto a 6542 for $12K to $25K that needed a bezel assembly, is $32,500 worth the investment? I've seen gen 6542s with my aftermarket inserts sell for more than $50K. Surprisingly to me the majority by far of my inserts have been shipped to individuals in Honk Kong and Switzerland. I don't know of any aftermarket bezels that are made of nickel-plated brass, all I've seen are stainless steel. But I do know how much work goes into making each insert, how much research before hand to get it right, how many attempts to find the correct colors and grainy look on the numbers, and keep it all from bleeding into each other. Heck, just getting them the right dimensions on a consistent basis is a job. And I've been trying for over a year now to make a correct brass bezel. The bottom line is that, like our reps that range from $100 to fully modded frankens over $6K, it is worth what someone will pay.

I used the ETA 2893-2 in my very first 6542 build. It is a great movement, but I later swapped it for a ETA 2846 and a slower beat. The ETA 2893-2 needed some coaxing to fit the Silix case I used, and I had to thin out the dial quite a bit. But it fit nicely in my 116710. The ETA 2846 is my favorite movement, and is in several of my vintage builds. In my opinion, for the faster beat builds the ETA 2892/2893-2 rivals the performance of gen Rolex.

Sneed's tutorial is outstanding, and while it applies to most ETA movements, this one is repairing the ETA 2824. It really is easy. Just take your time, look at the pictures and back at your movement. If you go no further in repairs, at least you'll save yourself $25 or more whenever a keyless works messes up. I have it bookmarked. A word of caution: This was the first repair I made. It makes you a bit more brave to try other repairs. http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/132392-eta-keyless-tutorial/?p=987221&hl=sneed12&fromsearch=1

It red-lined at 8 grand!

I tried that once, but it ran too fast...

"Rolex introduces world first on its Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II, unveiling a red and blue Cerachrom bezel insert, echoing the first GMT‑Master bezel of 1955." "The aesthetic effect is equally spectacular. The ceramic’s sheen gives volume to the insert and enhances the colours in a way that is reminiscent of the Plexiglas insert of the original GMT-Master." While I like the new insert, I still prefer the smaller lug case. So, if Rolex is trying to emulate the "original" I guess I'll stick with the original.

Good catch! Just when you think the rep factories are getting really good they do that! They got the fantasy ceramic black/red 'coke' correct, why the 'Pepsi' goof-up?

I sold it for $1500 when I went in the service. The 1968 Corvette made the `63 - `67 old!

`65 and `66 are almost identical. Mine was a roadster, two tops, factory side pipes, Nassau blue, 327/300hp 4spd. First year for 4 wheel disc brakes. I was in high school from `64 - `68, and a gear head. Chevy guy, but pretty much knew them all. Saw all the great muscle cars when they were brand new. I worked in a gas station my senior year, when there was no self-serve yet.

A gen 6542 would be close to an even swap! I've had a `65, `73 and `85. Doughnuts? That makes the ujoints in the IRS shafts sound like little birdies. First hand experience.

Those tail lights evolved to the full light from the `56 and `57 partial light and full bezel in the fender, and ran from `58 through `60. In `58 they started the 4 headlight look. Slight differences between `58 - `60, notably lots of chrome on the `58, gone in `59.