JoeyB

I returned today from 3 weeks in Honolulu, visiting my son who attends the University of Hawaii and my annual vacation. I decided to take the GMT ceramic on this trip as it's the most durable of my GMTs and has the Glide-Loc clasp Installed for the temperature/size changes. It is waterproofed per RolexAddict's method, but I don't swim with it, my tan lines, don't you know, and it's regulated so it's a no worry watch. I hadn't wore it in a while, so about 30 winds and it was ready to go, and was good for all 3 weeks gaining 2 seconds. Pretty much, no big deal. But we did have 'issues'. I set the watch to my local time, and the GMT hand to GMT/UTC time, and turn the bezel for other time zones. When home the bezel usually sits at 14 on top for Hawaiian time keeping track of my son, and no change is needed when I get there. I usually stop at LAX and grab a cigarette between flights, (yeah, I know) and turn the bezel there to LA time. I will be 60 next month, and my old eyes really have a problem reading the GMT 4th hand. I can see the green hand in bright sunlight easily, but in shadows, dusk or night and I can't even find it. On my other two GMTs I can pick up the red hand much easier, and surprisingly to me, I can pick up the smaller arrow even easier in my 6542. And I've gotten used to wearing the 6542 and my 16710, so the ceramic feels big. I really like the ceramic insert, and the watch is great, but I had pretty much decided last week to put this watch up for sale just because I doubt I'd wear it much any longer. It's a very good one, I got it from Mary at WatchInternational, and is the latest and best she could find with the ETA2836-2 incorrect hand stack, but the 4th hand 'jumps' as the 'Quickset' hand works on my ETA 2893-2. None of my other ETA 2836-2s do that. But then some things happened. I had the watch on and was walking by the Rolex AD at 2301 Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki and decided to go in. The owner and his assistant were there and saw mine, and we talked. I mentioned the green hand issue, and that I liked the smaller case with the holes, and the dealer of course defended the new one. I asked if there were any changes since mine, he then asked to see mine and compared it to his from the case, He said they looked the same to him! Well now, I think I like my watch just a bit more! He tried to talk me into a service and the usual cleaning etc., I declined and then saw a Date Just with the onyx dial very similar to the one freddy333 had posted pics of that belonged to Sammy Davis Jr. The AD is now a happy man with a sales pitch/story to sell that watch thanks to RWG! Then something else happened. A few years ago I had gone to Cook County Traffic court with my son for his 1st ticket. I had my GMT 'Retro' from Joshua, and the guard at the metal detector told me that I could leave my Rolex on because a real Rolex passes through the detector. I told him mine was a rep,and took it off, and he showed me his, a rep too. We laughed and went on. I wrote about it on another site, and no one had ever heard about a real Rolex not being detected through the detectors, general consensus was that there was enough metal in a real one to set it off. Then I forgot all about it until last Wednesday when I ran into a guy who was wearing a Submariner. He said his goes through the TSA metal detectors without setting them off. So this morning at about 5:40 A.M. Los Angeles time after landing from Honolulu I went out the gate to have a cigarette and came back through the TSA inspection - with my rep GMT on my wrist. I, and my rep GMT II Master ceramic went right through the metal detector and not a sound, not a peep, no signal a tall and passed right through! OK, now I like my watch a whole bunch more! Of course, later tonight or tomorrow I will be taking the caseback off just to see what's in there...I"m sure the AD didn't mix them up, the Glide-Loc is still there...but I just gotta look again! But, needless to say, I am thoroughly impressed.

A favorite scene from my favorite movie, 'Casablanca': Mr. Leuchtag: Liebchen - sweetnessheart, what watch? Mrs. Leuchtag: Ten watch. Mr. Leuchtag: Such watch? Carl: Hm. You will get along beautiful in America, mm-hmm. I leave Sunday on my biannual trek to Hawai'i to visit my Son who attends the University of Hawai'i, and to get out of this insane Chicago weather. Two weeks ago we were buried in 20 inches of snow, then the blizzard conditions came, and then the 0º to sub 0º temperatures. This past week we got up to almost 60º and most of the snow is gone. Ordinarily I'd question 'what was the point', but I have read the Book of Job, so I don't think that's a good idea as I'm about to get on a machine that's heavier than air. I've flown a lot, jumped out of quite a few, and still can't figure out how they stay up there. Why push it? So, 'What Watch' do I wear for the month? I can safely say that Lanikai won't share his collection with me. One watch, all month. It's got to be a GMT, I'll need to know the time back home to check on Dad. The Breitling World GMT would be OK, except these old eyes need reading glasses just to find the hands on the damn thing. My Pam GMT would likely cause the airline to make me buy another seat for it. Gotta be a Rolex. The black dial 6542 is out. I don't want to lose that one just in case someone decides they like it too. My 16710 would be great, I had a Glide-Loc clasp on it, but I put that back to spec with the correct bracelet thanks to you guys here. That leaves the 166710 GMT II ceramic. It has the Glide-Loc on it so I can do a quick adjustment with the temperature change, the ceramic is more durable, and it is waterproofed just in case the plane does decide it is heavier than air. I don't swim with a watch, it spoils my tan line, don't you know... Perfect. Except that I've always preferred the thinner case of the 16710, and have grown to like the thin case 6542. So, though I must be nuts, it looks as though I will have a new project when I get back. The 'Perfect' Rolex GMT. I think the 16710 case with holes and sapphire crystal for durability. I prefer the holes in the case, to me it's a real GMT that way. And a black ceramic insert fitted to it as I've always thought that Rolex could have come up with a more expensive looking insert than the anodized one. I will say that though I didn't care for the Pepsi insert initially, I do love it now. But the ceramic insert is far more durable and the 'crowning touch' to the GMT. And I think a white GMT dial would be different and easier to read, and look like an 'Oreo'. Silver hands, no Explorer stuff here, and a black painted GMT hand. I might even be able to read it without my old coot specs. The bracelet will have to have solid end links and solid mid links, I've never much understood the stamped and hollow bracelet on an expensive watch. And the Glide-Loc clasp. Rolex clasps are disappointing to me, but the Glide-loc with it's easy on-wrist adjustment is just about perfect. Should be real fun... So, come Sunday I'll say 'Aloha!' It's a dirty, thankless job, but someone has to do it. And if you live in or near Chicago be forewarned. I ordered truly miserable weather for while I'm in Hawai'i. It makes the trip so much more worthwhile!

OK, I've already tooled up and made the water-slide decal for the box sleeve. I can emulate either cow's hoof or horse's hoof, and a 6263 sleeve is no problem at all, they'll all likely have dust. $20usd, plus shipping.

Does anyone have any crown/tube listing or info on the newer models at all? Years used and transitional points? Does Rolex have a chart, and if so, where?

If we can get a full and corrected list and add pictures to it, along with which tube for what application, I think it'd be a very good thing.

I have a list of Rolex crown applications but it seems there is some debate on what is right or not. Does anyone have, or can we make a definitive list/sticky of Rolex crowns? I'd like to not only list the size, but part numbers, including 'Brevet' and '+' crowns, and pictures would be good too. This is what I have, but it doesn't cover the newer 'Retro' models like the GMT II 16710. Rolex Crown MODEL CROWN SIZE 1. Explorer 1016 - 6mm winding crown 2. GMT-Master 1675 - 5.30mm winding crown 3. Day-Date 1802-6 - 6mm winding crown 4. Air-King 5500 - 5.30mm winding crown 5. Explorer 5504 - 5.30mm winding crown 6. Submariner 5508 - 6mm winding crown 7. Submariner 6200/6538/5510 - 8mm winding crown 8. Submariner 6538A - 8mm winding crown 9. Submariner 5512/5513 - 7mm winding crown 10. Air-King Date 5700/5701 - 6mm winding crown 11. Turn-o-graph 6202 - 5.30mm winding crown 12. Submariner 6204/6205 - 6mm winding crown 13. Daytona 6234/38/39/40/41/62/63/64/65 - 6mm winding crown 14. Milgauss 6541/6543 - 6mm winding crown 15. Sea-Dweller 1665 - 7mm winding crown

Well done!

Yep, my bad. The 16760 introduced the sapphire crystal.

Ref. 16760 aka Fat Lady aka Sophia Loren Crystal Part Number = Cyclope 116 Dial Diameter = ? It's the same diameter case as the 1675 and 16750 Crown Size/Part = 5.3mm Hand Stack = H/24/M/S Correct? YEP Springbars = Same as Submariner 2mm ??? Y/N? YEP

The 7mm Rolex Brevet Crown tube I got from Davidsen measures 3.8mm.

If a Clark's cyclope 116 fits, so will a gen. Clark's are gen replacements.

Beautiful job! The lug holes came out nicely! For future reference if there just is no room to drill, Gary Clark had some Rolex style 20mm springbars that were 1.7mm with 1mm pin. I've tried similar photo set-ups, using a fluorescent light, with my picture taking and they always seem to come out too yellow. I wish I could rake a decent shot.

Beautiful! Well done!

Here is David's crown vintage page David's Crowns I have an extra new one with the tube. I'm told it's not real accurate but it looks good to me.

RA, I'll respectfully disagree a bit. The lug holes are high, but they are in a better position than Josh's 16710 'retro' which are at the very point of the lug, and we've made those work. I think the picture gives a false view. As far as wearing a 6542, I've worn my black dial quite a bit and gotten many compliments on it, but no one has questioned it's authenticity yet. I've run into two other people wearing gens, they are a bit rare, but 6542s are selling for about $9,000 and up. I have yet to see any of the asking price $30,000 to $45,000 6542s actually sold on Ebay, But I have seen quite a bit of 6542 parts sold, and sold a few myself. The market might be different in France, as I sold a ClassicWatchParts 6542 bezel and insert, not the most correct look, on Ebay for more than my 'buy it now' price to someone in France and just under what Classic sells it for new. People wear much more expensive watches like gold Presidents all the time, so I don't think it's a display piece yet. The White dial is much more rare, granted, and I've never seen a genuine one in person. But it is so very nice. I think, until someone buys one of these from Puretime and we get a better look at it, the jury is still out.

I saw this Sub Aqua on Stephani's site and loved it. So when I saw Josh's 5510 I sent the pic to Mary at WatchInternational and she got me the one that reads 5508 between the bottom lugs and 6538 between the top. (I think, if I remember right).

You guys certainly know more than I do about these Subs, but I like this 5508/6538 that I made into a 6204. The crown is wrong, should be a 6mm +, and when I find one at the right price I'll change it.

I'd like to see more pics. It might be that the rehaut isn't as bad as it is in the pic with the glare on it. The bezel sits lower than the Silix case that I used, so that's good. The dial looks OK. The insert is not per genuine, but is not worse than any of the lower priced after-markets out there. The better replacement inserts sell for more than this watch does. Depending on more vision angles of the rehaut, I'd consider it for a project because of it's cost. Another $200 and a little work and it could be a winner.

I think you did a very nice job, it turned out great! I might have opted for this dial, particularly with your two-tone gen:

I love the Daytona, and this looks very good. I thank GOD in heaven that my tired old eyes can't read the dial when worn. I just saved a ton of money!

Thank you! Yes, I have the ETA 2893-2 in my black dial 6542. Inspiration Provided By freddy333 A really nice 'benefit' of building a 6542 or early 1675 is that both the ETA 2893-2 and the modified ETA/Asian 2836-2 hand stack is correct. I had no trouble fitting the ETA 2893-2 to the Silix case that was made for the 2836-2. And the GMT/4th hand on the ETA 2893-2 is the same size as the genuine Rolex. I am, as we speak, re-doing my black dial 6542. The dial is sharper and more accurate now. I want the insert to be the style of the one on the white dial, but look as new, not aged as this white dial is. And as perfect as I can get. We'll see if I can do it!

Very nice!! Though at my age I'd be circumspect of a woman wearing a stopwatch...

Yep, the bezel should be flat. It seems that I've bent most of the ones I've taken off. What I've done is to take two pieces of wood with the bezel in the middle, sandwiched, and placed it all in a vise and slowly squeezed it. If the wood is too soft the bezel will embed in it and you'll need to dig it out. It usually takes a few times, rotating the bezel each time, to get it almost flat. I haven't gotten one perfect yet, but it's so close that there is no problem.

The white dial I built has the aged look because I haven't yet managed to keep the decal from separating off the insert in spots. The old gens look just the same. I'm trying a different method this week. The dial is holding fine. The sealer gives an aged look to it when looked at from an angle, but very smooth from straight on.

freddy333 knows far more about 6542s than I do, but I'd bet I haven't yet seen two that are identical. Granted it's all pictures, but 55 years of factory service parts, after-market parts or jeweler fabricated parts certainly confuses things. I saw one very ratty, and not appealing, 6542 on Ebay a month or more ago that bidding started somewhere over $15,000. Money aside, it was the first one I saw that I just didn't like at all. So I decided that for myself, I'd build what I like and if it was not quite perfect to genuine, it would be perfect to me. When I saw freddy's 1st 6542 that's the look I chose, and even bought the insert from freddy when he upgraded. My tastes have changed a bit since. While I still love how mine turned out, I've learned more about making the dial, and saw a watch with the insert I'd prefer. I'm still learning to make the insert, the one in my white dial is very close to what I want. I am in process of re-doing my black dial, and the target is to make mine look like this one: We'll see if I can do it!