JoeyB

'Feel' is an individual thing, and only you can decide what you like. The movements I've bought from Frei and Borel feel smooth to me, and the rotors are quiet. Might be clean and oiled is the key, as these are new.

Yes, absolutely.

Well done! But I wouldn't hate on the DG3804B movement. It's really not 'cheap', but instead inexpensive. It is as accurate and dependable as the converted ETA 2836-2 we get, 'Swiss' or Asian. The DG3804B has two advantages over the Swiss/Asian ETA. It is designed to be a genuine GMT movement from the ground up, not a conversion. In 3 - 5 years when a service is needed you just buy a new DG for $25usd versus an ETA service for at least $75usd from a very friendly watchmaker. To get a genuine ETA GMT designed from the ground up, the ETA 2893-2, you'll need to spend over $250usd with no real clear advantage in accuracy or durability. Rolexaddict uses the DG in his 1675 builds, and I do as well. I think we all have the belief that the Swiss movement is substantially 'better', and it may have been in the past. But I do not think that applies today.

It looks as though it's been polished poorly. The notch depths smooth, not sharp, and are inconsistent.

'I have got to get me one of these!'

It's hard to stay inside the lines...

Here is a discussion that might help. It is on the Omega section of 'Watch U Seek', so a grain of salt is advised. And it compares to the 116610 Submariner, not the GMTIIc, but they are similar enough for comparison sake. Impressions, attitudes and opinions are informative. http://forums.watchuseek.com/f20/comparison-omega-po-8500-vs-rolex-submariner-116610ln-600683.html But the bottom line is it's your opinion that will decide.

It was meant to be. You were born to it. Mais aujourd hui, je sers ces trois belles couleurs, le bleu de notre histoire, le blanc de nos espoirs, et le rouge du sang de nos ancêtres, ce drapeau bleu, blanc, rouge. Tricolore L'emblème national est le drapeau tricolore, bleu, blanc, rouge. Very well done!

You are very fortunate. I have one from my birth year too...

Frei has sword hands listed 0.70mm 1.20m. I don't know if this is the style you want. But you can open the 0.70 to 0.80mm rather easily. And if you need the hour hand from one set and the minute hand from another it's cheap enough to buy at $4/set. http://www.ofrei.com/page577.html

To my eye the Pepsi insert and Jubilee bracelet are made for each other.

I really hate to pass up a good straight line...

I was really surprised at how much difference a vintaged pearl made too. That teeny-tiny thing really is the finishing touch. It's beautiful as is, but it is your watch. What might be too anal for one person might not be anal enough for another! If it bothers you, change it. Your watch should make you happy first.

I believe your conclusions to be spot on. The 1675 had the longest production run of any GMT model, so it makes sense that there would be some variations. The 6542 had many variations as well, at least 6 variations of the Perspex insert alone, but being the 1st model that made sense too. I get the impression that Rolex was experimenting in the `50s and `60s quite a bit, always looking for perfection. That must have been an exciting time for Rolex. Thank goodness for the internet! Imagine trying to build a good rep without all the information and pictures! The thing is that with all the variations, and the aging, building a very good rep is a bit easier for us all.

Jean does excellent work. Well done!

You are right. I had an argument over the same issue just last month. I won, but you'd think they'd use USPS Priority Mail. The boxes are free, you can do it all online, pay, print and even have the thing picked up. $5 for a small box that most everything we buy would fit in, $13.95 to Europe and Far East. It would be a no brainer for Frei.

Otto Frei http://www.ofrei.com/page246.html And they have lesser expensive Novostar, with listings of which Moebus oil it can replace. http://www.ofrei.com/page245.html

I often wonder if JMB smiles a bit when he reads about our endeavors into machining watch parts. I really think Justin just

Clark's had 20mm X 1.7mm springbars with 1mm ends. Ask him if he still has them.

Justin, what do you think of Clark's sub hands?

Gary Clark told me that he is supposed to get the Rolex sports hands that are curved or rounded as the gens are. I don't know if he has them yet, but it'd be worth an email to ask.

We 'vintage pearls' have no such issue.

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one... Maybe. I tried this method of repair, but haven't finished it. http://www.repgeek.c...ighlight=harris I haven't tried to polish it to see if it can be made invisible. I wasn't prepared to buy a big roll of the solder, but did find a small kit by the same manufacturer, same flux and one size bigger solder for under $10. Part number is Stay-Brite SBSK. I've never been very good at soldering, and this was my only attempt. Someone could likely do a much better job.

All GMT inserts through 16710 have the same outside diameter. The inside diameter is the same for all GMTs with acrylic crystals. So, it will fit without modification, but I like to 'blend' it in to the bezel. NDT has it as a set with the bezel at $380, or the insert alone at $280. My pics aren't as good, but note the font particularly on the '2', '4' and '8', and the 'grainy' look similar to tritium. I believe the colors to be more accurate as well.