JoeyB

As 1976 said, καλά Χριστούγεννα! And as a Greek-American, Merry Christmas!

I was hoping someone had discovered a gasket that took up the space. I've tried a few gaskets I had laying around, modified them, but it interfered with the insert. I guess I'll keep experimenting!

The 16710 I have is from Josh.

Does anyone know how to, or if it can be done? The 16710 case I have measures 31mm where the crystal/gasket mounts, and the genuine crystal measures 30.5mm. Is there a way to do this?

The hour, minute and second hand will fit. The GMT/4th hand might fit, but usually does not fit. The ETA and Asian 2836-2 GMT movements are modified by our Chinese friends and usually use a larger cannon pinion, but they have varied by the factory. The ETA 2893-2 GMT/4th hand measures 1.80. Measure your 2836-2, it is likely 2.0. I only know of one person who was able to successfully turn down the pinion to make it fit. I haven't tried yet.

You'd have to measure the dial you have now. But Otto Frei has blank ETA dials that measure 28.5mm to fit the ETA 2824, and generic crowns for Rolex with no markings. Otto Frei Generic crowns to fit Rolex

I first read about it here on RWG and followed the link to see it myself. I stayed with the thread and I don't recall a single member here who was not rooting for the guy. No one here questioned the authenticity of the watch or the story. Just about everyone was concerned that someone might cheat him, and at least one here gave the man advice on protecting himself from scam artists. I read on other rep forums a number of people who said the watch was a fake, the story was a fake, and/or the doctor was a fake. It seemed to me that once one poster called it a scam, others came in agreeing with their "vintage watch expertise". To me, that says a lot about the people here. And the knowledge here.

To my knowledge of the ones I've seen and read about on the forums, all the 21j GMT movements are designed to be GMT. Frei gets his from more than one source in China too, so they are likely all the same quality. Of course Frei has a guarantee. And of course there is the mounting of the dial that can vary from one 21j to another. Dial dots are your friend.

Or try Clark's.

Otto frei Pearl

RA, where to you source the GMT/4th hand from?

The pinion is where the hand mounts and moves the hand. Because there are a few different movements we all call "21j" that pinion size can vary by who made it, so fitting the hand to it can be problematic. The movement from Otto Frei that Rolexaddict uses is a good and reliable movement, designed as a GMT from the start, not a conversion. The GMT hand pinion is 2.00mm.

The gen is 1.7mm. I opened one up to fit a 1.8mm. The one I'm using in a build right now is 2.0mm, and the gen hand won't open up that far, or better said, I'm not knowledgeable enough to do it! As I recall, freddy talked about this on his 1st 6542 build which led him to piece together his GMT hand.

There are several different 21j GMT movements just as there are several 21j regular movements. The 21j GMT movement is designed to be a GMT from the start, not an adaption or mod like the ETA/Asian 2836-2. The biggest problem in using them for a build is the GMT pinion size. It's bigger than the gen Rolex and ETA 2893-2, and usually bigger that the modified ETA/Asian 2836-2. Finding a GMT hand to fit it can be a problem.

I've had a couple, none ever failed. The GMT hand seems to track slower and needs re-setting about once a week or so, but that's my only complaint.

Hour hand for local time, GMT or 4th hand set to GMT/UTC, turn the bezel + or - GMT and read GMT hand for a third time anywhere else in the world.

This is a hobby that you can get very carried away with. I can afford a genuine Rolex GMT. I can't justify the price. I love the watch, pretty much every model, too. And I've discovered other brands that caught my eye because of these forums. Maybe I'm just cheap, but I just can't see spending $4K to$40K for a watch regardless how much I love it. Especially when a $50 quartz watch is more functionally accurate. So, for me, reps fit very nicely. For under $400 I can have a watch that I like, not worry about being mugged for it, and make it not discernible from a genuine to everyone except those here. freddy has the right idea. Everyone needs to determine what it's worth to themselves. I spent more on my 6542 than I ever planned to. And I know me, I'm going to 'play' with it more. Heck, I already am! And I've got two other projects in the works, and tweaks to the rest as they come up. I've got a small collection of 13 watches that cost me less than one gen. I know I'd never dive into a $4K genuine, and I'd think most here wouldn't either. So all that I'd have in a gen is money. My replicas all have my heart and soul and fingers in them. From a 'practical' fact our modded reps, and especially a Super Franken, are as good and arguably better than a genuine. From a 'practical' view even a 'Super Franken' is still a replica, never a genuine. So it seems to me that it all boils down to what each individual wants. Everything from desire to practicality and everything in between works. It's simply what's right for you.

I wonder what happened to the guy who offered $80,000.

Thanks for sharing! Well Done! I wanted to stop after my 6542 but I keep seeing these beautiful jobs by you guys here that I want to emulate. I'm in a build now that will use an ETA dial. Gary at Clark's told me to sand down the cyclops on his Tropic 116 and polish it, then install an aftermarket cyclops in the right spot. I will 'practice' on an old one, and see how it turns out. If that other Sterny works, please let us know.

That's a very generous gesture of a true gentleman. Well done.

I asked Gary at Clark's about the Tropic 16 and the Tropic 17. He does not have them. He does have the Tropic 19, which most suppliers do. Does anyone know how the Tropic 19 compares to the Tropic 16?

For deep scratches I use 400 sandpaper, then follow with 1500 wet or dry sandpaper. Then I finish it with Brasso using terry cloth. After 38 years in the military I have enough of it around, and it really comes out great. Light scratches come out with Brasso alone. I've used the same technique on fogged over plastic headlights too.

He paid $70 for it at the Navy Exchange in 1958 and was hoping to get $50 out of it! It's over $61,000, someone offered $80,000 to end the auction now. I hope the good doctor gets 6 figures.

Beautiful! Well Done!

Beautiful watch, Well done! My house guests eat my food, drink my booze and leave the lid down...