JoeyB

Nicely done! I've always liked my 1675 'Exclamation point' as well.

I should have specified that. I did use silver solder.

Mine lined up each marker hole with the marker on the decal. The lume covered the small dot of solder. Anything under the decal and on the dial will show up as a 'bump'. The decals tighten as they dry. With the red letter we talked about earlier, just a light thin swipe of red on the dial under the decal made a bump and looked bad. Jewelers have to repair gold, plated and brass/bronze things. I wonder if they have a brass colored solder.

I used a gen 16610 Sub dial from Ebay that was trashed for $25. I filled in those marker holes using solder. Sanded smooth, soldered on dial feet for ETA. The date window is a bit larger, and so much better than the cartel dials.

Yes, I tried many times for a red letter 6542 dial. I couldn't do it. Not enough talent. I tried just printing the red, but that looked bad, and then making the dial red under the decal, but that didn't look right either. I also tried to print the red letter on top of an already printed, dried and sealed decal, but that was a mess too. The red lettering needs to be raised, and I can't figure out how to do that myself.

Absolutely. I left it at the size so anyone who wants can use it. Once I got to my 'best' I simply use photo shop to 'paint' the lower script and insert whichever I wanted to build, 'GMT Master', 'Submariner', etc. The gilt dials work best for me, though I've painted the dial white for other models, and one 'reversed' color for the white dial 6542.

I've touted the water slide decals since 2008, and while it's not easy, it isn't really difficult to do. It's more using computer photo programs to enhance and improve the print. You've done a wonderful job of it. I did the 'exclamation point' dial for my 1960 1675 cornino.

I use Permatex silicone RTV adhesive sealant. I tried it initially because of compatibility issues with the makeup of the 6542 insert being plastic and painted. I have had several gen 6542 owners tell me that my insert snapped into their gen bezel perfectly, but I still recommended a touch of RTV for added protection. Aftermarket 6542 inserts and gen metal inserts are too expensive not to add extra care. I've then used RTV on metal inserts in the rep watches, starting with the noob Sub I got for my Son. He lost his insert while cliff diving in Hawaii. After I recovered , I got an insert from Clark's and RTV'd it in. That was 4 years ago, and more cliff diving and surfing, and it's still in. Removal when necessary is easy and it cleans up very easy.

I can understand anyone's reluctance to click on freddy's "click me" but the UV cement have needle applicators as well. The cements on that page read like a Viagra commercial.

I started using the UV cement on freddy333's advice, and have yet to have a single failure. What I like most is that cleanup is quite easy using alcohol, and it sets clear.

Must'a been a male bear...

You didn't do that by trying to feed a bear, did you? Why don't your bears like wahines? http://www.staradvertiser.com/breaking-news/hawaii-woman-mauled-by-bear-in-alaska/

The 6204 was the first 'Submariner', along with the 6205 the only Submariners to have the 'pencil' hour hand. The 'Mercedes' hour hand came after, and since.

freddy! Priorities! 1. Breathing B. Sex lll. More sex.

Yep, the same lady for over 22 years now. I've been blessed with two extraordinary women in my life. I'd like to know what I did right to be blessed this much so I can do it again. Never know when the end will come. I'd like to load up a bit. I thought that with the internet and some people I knew, that when the time came, I could get powdered black rhino horn to get the job done. But now they have Viagra. 'Why stop to take a pill?' So you can get a little.

My lady friend asked that question as well. With age comes wisdom. I've learned 3 things. 1: That when a mature man exits his Mercedes SL550 wearing a 60+ year old Rolex, no one, not his doctor or lawyer or insurance agent or investment banker dares ask the question 'Is it real?'. B: That my rep 6542 and 6204 are more 'user friendly' than the gen, more accurate, and only a few people in the world, most of them here, can tell the difference. lll: I could spend the $12,000 to $100,000+ I didn't spend on a watch to buy my Mercedes SL550. And it works.

56 years old, I remember it well. But I'm still good when I get wound up every day or so...

So, freddy sold his Daytona.... I'm old. Used to be for that kind of money you could buy an air force and a whole neighborhood.

Depending on condition, original parts, papers, etc., A 6542 costs upwards of $10K, and I've seen them as high as $80K. Is this something you would want to wear every day? Most days? Some days? A genuine non-hacking, non-GMT settable is a pain for everyday use, and finding someone to service the 60+ year old movement is difficult, finding parts needed even harder. I have never had anyone outside of this forum, including several jewelers, 2 pawn shops and an authorized Rolex dealer that knew what my daily wear 6542 rep was - model or age - other than an old Rolex. I have had many gen owners buy my inserts and bezels to replace lost or broken ones. Two that I know of who said they wanted to keep the delicate original genuine bezel and insert in a safe place yet still wear the watch. So, like all else, it will all depend on what you want to do with the watch.

I like my 6204.

Using the cartel Explorer ll 'Steve McQueen' 1655 as the base donor is probably the least expensive and easiest build. But it ain't easy or cheap. I like this one because you can use the setup as it came, ETA or DG style GMT movement, and it all fits with no modification. I refinish the dial using the decals. I replaced the Asian ETA with a slow beat Swiss ETA 2846. It all fit together, stem height and all 4 hand clearance. My other uses the old Tiger 2 case, no longer available. That one has the DG3804B movement, new from Frei. Refinished dial using the decal, and some case modding. Here are some pics of the Tiger2 case: Here are dial close-ups of the 1655 first and Tiger2 next. The ETA movement allows for the longer 13mm minute hand from Helenarou. The DG is my daily wearer now, and is quite accurate and dependable.

Those are some big rats you got up there...

Frei's dials for ETA at 28.5mm. Blank dials without window is down the page. http://www.ofrei.com/page813.html

I don't know if you looked at this thread, but there are a good number of 1675 builds done in various ways by members here. http://rwg.cc/topic/144146-the-1675-gmt-thread-post-em-pleas#comment-1082907