halley

Thank Randy !! You should see the state of the 1665, I was about to cry when I opened the package! btw, the inserts are on your way tomorrow ! ps: where do you get the aftermarket hollow bracelet ? ebay?

Also a big thank you to the tremendous members who offered to send me stems from all around the word, RWG rules !!

Thanks Bob, I will probably have to look on ebay to find an aftermarket hollow somewhere...

Beautiful acquisition Randy, I'm in love with those great choice and very good investement beside Quality as always with you !

I received my MBW white 1665 today, the watch has a broken stem and a missing clamp so I'm really dissapointed, also I received a bracelet but not hollow is that normal on a mbw? I'm awaiting words from george wether or not he replaces it, I do hope so but in the mean time this is the opportunity to mod the watch right now, as I already dissassembled it...(gen crown, tube, superdome...) Anybody knows where to find stems for eta 2836? ofrei has some but shipping to europe is horrendous ($32!!!) and where to find a good hollow bracelet? Let me know, thanks Halley

There is indeed in my eyes a tiny small gap on gen, nothing really noticeable but it probably due more to the flute shape of the gen tube than the gasket. Like you guys said on the rep it can be better to avoid using the gasket, it enlarge that gap but also I find that using a torx doesn't allow to control very well the force you apply when you screw the tube and to feel when the tube is beyond it's physical resistance. In consequence the gasket can make you screw the tube unstaight or break it, just because you wanted to reduce that gap of a micron!! I experienced that and broke the tube inside my DW while trying to reduce that f*****g gap! At that time I was made I thought I wouldn't be able to repair my unique 6241 case!

Thanks guys, Like you said Rob, big fun and trying to improve my abilities !!

I used the DW stem on the 24-703 crown, the length is perfect so the crown while on winding position is still covering the tube and while in hour setting position, you don't see the stem at all, btw don't forget the inside gaskets, that's the ones that keeps the stem firm on the tube, you and me don't like when you feel that the crown is weak when we unscrew it!!

I really don't think so, It's pretty tough to even remove the tube with the torx so I don't think one can accidentaly unscrew it while unscrewing the crown.

Yes but the aim was precisely to see what could be done or not, not using previously seen methods but go a step further... But I agree the magnified pictures of the dial make it looks weird Like I said the watch was meant to be modded, dial and hands are meant to be replaced, as I plan to use a AS1903 down the road ....and it's only 48€

True, you better swap to VJ23...

I don't know, I did not used glue anywhere but used marine grease on every gaskets of the tube and caseback...can't hurt anything...still the watch won't be waterproof because of the pushers... I used teflon silicone spray on the bracelet, but it dries white, not very aesthetic in anyway, and very water restitant so I spent a fair amount of time washing the bracelet to remove the exendent... no more noises however

Yes the aim was to evaluate what I was able to do as to dismantle/reassemble a watch and see what mods are doable with the everyday products...

I basically ordered this sub to experiment so for the price if I ruin it, I ruin it, I basically tried to do so anyway!! Here is the result of my first experimentations: The watch is nice as it was delivered for 48€: Case is not as big as a modern sub but there is no luggs hole and the insert that mine came with is wrong, anyway the bezel is wrong on this rep...I'll sort this out down the road if I plan to go further on this one... First move I made: I needed to vintage the bezel, this one is wrong so I said what the hell but I also ruined a correct bezel, not as much as Edge did but enough to not being able to use it anymore!!) So I put it on bleach, and it took time (almost 30 min to begin to fade the bezel on my first attempt)...so I mixed bleach with acetate !! Wrong call the bezel lost all the paint it had left in a matter of 2 minutes I wanted to do too much when in fact after 30 minutes of bleach it began to fade nicely on the edges... I was too impatient and did wrong... So I faded the incorrect insert a placed it on the bezel for now...I like the color. I poped the pearl in the middle of the process, so the color fading is different from the rest of the insert. The idea was reproduce an insert fading trought the years and losing it's pearl maybe 25 years after being produced, the fading should be different i believe Second move I made: but the insert was then looking misplaced on a brand new watch and dial, so I tried to vintage the dial, with tea, coffee, polishing compound, make up.... nothing worked as on this dial the markers are not luminova but painted on a beige/yellow tone that is simply not very good in my eyes.... I asked here about the technics to vintage a dial: Varnish and Dye came as answers from the vintage crew I'm about to tempt the holtz tea dye, as I'm buying some off ebay... But I could not bear the the wait: Maybe... I looked around the house, trying to find something to put on that f*****g dial to tarnish that yellow paint!! And found an old pot of dark wood varnish, here we go !!! I poped the case back, remove the stem, the holder and hands in maybe 3/4 minutes!! I then remove the dial, take that plastic stick you put in your ears with cotton on extremities (don't know the english name for it) and paint the dial, color tone is nice at the first passage and even, no silly spots... BUT me being myself, I decided it was not enough, so I applied more varnish by small touches on the markers to give it a more dark look and on the text... until I obtain this, the text and dial is barely lisible now, and the dial is completly uneven... Still I like that finish, looks like the dial was submitted to high temperature/fire and bubbled!! My main mistake was to insist on the text that much I should have leave the upper text and 100m=330ft lighter, gilt Why gilt? because that's one of my favorite dial and this explain my next move: the hands: The silix sub come with modern mercedes silver hands with large minute hand unfortunatly, I tried to order thin gold from jay and angel, but it was nearly impossible as they told me, alright I'll make them gold myself... How to? Take your hand stick it firm on a plane surface, apply rouge, dremel.... the hand will reveal the brass soon enough - I did the minute and hour hands like this and removed also a bit of luminova and darkened the remaining with the dremel and polishing compound - the second hand remained silver as I don't have a white paint spray - for now So here how it is, for now I made a lot of beginner's mistake and finish with a not very goold looking product but that's what I bought it first...I need first now to drill lug holes, and vintage the case... but the project will continue after the experimentations are over: new more accurate insert, NATO strap(? it depends because the serials are wrong and the rivetted bracelet is not hollow, silly dilemna), AS1903 swap, tube+crown, gold hands and white second hand (even if the bubble of luminova is perhaps bigger also on the 6536?) - the dial maybe swapped or reworked soon because that one is part of the experiment Let me know what you think of this attempt Thanks for reading

very very nice!! The straps is the perfect match!!

1 thick small gasket inside the tube, behind the teeth for the tube's tool - 1 thick small gasket completly inside the crown, around the pole where the stem is threaded with the crown...So when you screw the crown to the tube, this gasket will stick on the surface of the tube...

I'm still on the process of trying all this, I too ordered another VJ72 case to fit my VJ23 on; I did not try yet to fit it on this new case, if it does not fit right, simply rub a little the inside of the case (beware! NOT the rehaut) only where the movement is place and it should fit comme papa dans maman (french expression !!)

the big thin gasket on the outside of the tube the smaller IIRC between on the thread of the tube that will stick to the case one inside the tube one inside the crown correct me if I'm wrong

exactly what I was about to comment, what if this actor bought a watch from a former daytona winner???

Mine was delivered yesterday but unfortuntly one lugg was scratched and the movement stops each time I close the lever ! Davidsen is shipping me a new one next week! Great guy - sometimes small details slips trough QC no big deal

Thanks Chris!

Thanks guys! do you use ink or powder on the dial?

I received my silix sub this evening and I already bleached the insert and ripped the watch appart!! (BTW follow edge's advice, to much detergeant is no good, not at all !!! (pics to come) but I'd like to vintage the dial and hands on this watch to give it a very old look, so I'm looking for (all) your advices! my aim is to reach this dial color more or less: http://www.theoldwatchshop.com/rolpics/Dscn5892.jpg http://cgi.ebay.fr/Vintage-Rolex-Submarine...1QQcmdZViewItem http://images.antiquorum.com/73/medium/311.jpg http://images.antiquorum.com/78/medium/30.jpg compared to the light yellow the markers are now, what do you recommand using on this dial? Anyway to do this is welcomed! Thanks Halley

Same as the copy case, the only one that differs is for the 7750 larger to accomodate the movement!

Yes exactly, that's why I have trouble with the decima buckles...wether the logo is cool or not I won't use those buckles!!