alligoat

The thing about a noobmariner is that the insert is just slightly smaller than a gen. So what I've done in the past is pop the pearl, enlarge the hole slightly w/ an X-acto knife and glue in a www.watchmaterial.com pearl for $10. Otherwise, you'll probably have to file the new insert down so it'll fit, which could be a lot of work and/or a PITA! BK pops the whole insert and files the back side so it sits lower in the bezel itself- that's fairly easy to do, nothing like trying to reduce the OD w/ a file.

I have an old DRSD from Paul and it has an unusual clasp Freddy and I had pretty much concluded that it was a fantasy clasp. However, I ran across the clasp on VFR last nite, on an old 7206 w/ 80 end pieces and a 5513 http://www.network54.com/Forum/207593/message/1274304790/Unusual+5513+Submariner+with+special+bracelet...... So it just goes to show, you never know what Rolex is going to do! These were some special watches, so hence, the special clasp!

+1 Stick with one color- blue is fine, or green for that matter. Good lume is always nice!

SSD comes from the noobfactory. Try bklm1234, he can probably help you out. He sells some noobfactory watches etc.

FWIW, I remember reading that BK uses a C-1 gasket on his WM9 cases. The C-2 gasket was too tall. I used a C-2 on my ETZ/MBW but I also used a gen retention ring. The Euromariner, which is an MBW case, had a funky original gasket situation to begin with- two nylon gaskets in there- kind of a top and bottom set of gaskets (chinese engineering!).

Omgiv, your insert looks just like my older tritium insert in my 16800. And the pearl quit glowing because it's old! Everything else looks fine to me also.

I'm wearing this watch today, but it's not my 'beater' I consider this 16800 my 'beater'. It has a later tritium dial and hands which still glow very well- I figure they are '98-99 replacements But if things are going to get really ugly, I love to fall back on my franken 'beater' I'd much rather tear it up than one of my gens!

Amazing JB, thanks for sharing the process with us, it's pretty cool to see how it's done.

The 16800 Submariner and the 16610 Sub have a number of similarities. One of which is that they both have the same bezel assemblies and take the same crystal (295-C2). And of course, the WM9 subs will also take the same 295-C crystal. Interestingly, I have run across 16800's at Robert Maron's in LA which they say are early and have an acrylic crystal. http://robertmaron.com/product.php?productid=16294&cat=0&page=3 I've never seen this anywhere else, and of course, by now you can be sure Rolex no longer makes an acrylic 295-C crystal. Whether you could take a 1680 T-127 and cut off the sides and make it work, who knows. OD of a T-127 is around 30.5 which matches a 295-C. Now the 295-C has a lip, which reduces the lower diameter to 29.5mm, hence 295 and the C stands for cyclops. They use a plain 295 on watches like the Daytona 16520 which has no date. Whether you could make a plastic crystal work by cutting off the sides would be purely experimental. You could certainly buy a cheap T-127 from Clark watch supply or Ofrei and give it a try.

Oops! You're reading about a 2836-2 GMT movement with the correct handstack. This is not a standard 2836-2 movement- it's a modified movement made to mimic the Rolex GMT movement. All you're looking for is a plain 2836-2- preferably swiss if you want dependability and longevity. ETA 2836-2 has been out for almost 30 years- it can be serviced and is very dependable. WM9 V1's are fine, maybe you put a gen bezel insert on and possibly a gen crown, maybe trim the cg's. These are still very nice reps in their own rights- just not quite as good as the V3- but whose gonna really be checking the crown position of your rep. Also, lume wasn't as good on the V1. But it's still not a bad place to start. Good luck.

Change of venue, Black Labrador Pub, 4100 Montrose, same time, noon to 4pm, Sunday May 16th. Hope to see some new faces there.

If you have a gen dial and a swiss eta, the only other thing you can do is get a better case. But sadly, there aren't any readily available. The early Explorer II's from the noob factory would take a gen dial, but the current ones don't. Your dial is the latest one for the 16570 model. Like Chiman says, your case looks kinda wokky, but hopefully it's the picture, cause there's not much you can do about it. Sadly, this model is one of the most poorly repped models out there. You could try to find a noob factory early EXPII case, but they are few and far between. Maybe in the future, we'll get a better rep of the Explorer II.

You might also look at Ofrei, the GS- PA462-67 or the Sternkruse XS-305.451 http://www.ofrei.com/page419.html Or heck, you could try the house brand for that matter or better yet, order all three! Plastic crystals do vary slightly, so you never know what's going to fit and what won't.

The guys over at RWI have set the date, time and place for another Houston GTG. Sunday, May 16th, Noon at Guadalajara Restaurant on the Katy Fwy between Gessner and Bunker Hill. Hoping anyone in and around the Houston area can make it. It's always fun to get together and talk shop for a few hours. Wives, girlfriends or SO's are also welcome.

Yep, sort of a HK/CN special, someone takes the Rolex guts out of a DJ and puts it in an aftermarket gold case with a president's bracelet. A few years ago, some of the dealers had the solid 18K reps, maybe in the $3200 range- but that was 3-5 yrs ago. Now days the DJ/DD case is $2K and the president's bracelet another $2-3K, before you put a movement and dial in there.

In US dollars it's a little over $3500. The only problem I would have is that based on the 3 in 23, it looks like a 1608/1575 DJ, which is a 30 yr old movt.

You need to ask PT if his Supreme is a SSD- Super Sea-Dweller. From the pics, it looks like it to me. This would be fine w/ the swiss eta, if it is indeed a swiss eta and not an asian clone. The SSD isn't as good as a WM9, but it's still a good rep for the price. My nephew has got his money's worth in 3 years. The SSD w/ the asian 21j is fine also, but I'm partial to swiss if you can get it- esp for the long haul.

Excellent JB! That's quite the vintage Tudor now. Congrats.

In this case , yes, PT is Puretime, but it can also mean Precious Time. But in the context of the 1665 SD and and the latest 1680 subs, it's Puretime. It's not always easy to find the watches, either. http://puretimewatch.com/product/vintage-red-submariner-1680-tropical-dialbezel/

At this point it looks like PT is the only one with the tropical brown dial (and bezel insert). Couldn't find it on josh's or Andrew's site. So PT's would be 198 plus shipping, 25 = $223 delivered in the US. Not bad for a Swiss eta 2846-2.

$158 sounds like a deal to me, Aero. Of course, I'd opt for the $198 plus s&h for the swiss 2846-2 myself- I'm assuming you're getting the asian 21j. Either way, these watches are a good deal- we all know they're reps, but they're a far sight better than what was around 3-4 years ago, esp. for the price. Chi, if you're not a modder, at least you have access to a good one! I've seen what you've put out in the last few months and it's pretty darn good!

Like ubi says, 5500 is fine for an Explorer Precision, but 1002 is an Oyster Perpetual case, so I'd figure it for a franken. But if you can pick it up for $1000-1500, and it's been serviced, it's probably not a bad deal if you want a franken. Like kbh says, with a case, a dial from Yuki and the movement and hands, you can build your own. You can use any of the non-date 1500 movements- 1530, 1560, 1520 or 1570.

I just bought an old 5513 bezel insert from Francesco on VRF. I hope it gets here in a week or two!

Well, JoJo, I'm right behind you, where did that case come from? And I agree with freddy, I thought Rolex had quit reluming dials- they would rather sell you a new luminova dial. I'm all for you raising the question or two. And will happily back you up.

Dial print is fine, only issues are that the 6 and 9 markers are too narrow and some people don't like the too yellow markers. Here's my PT1665 with an MBW dial the MBW has wider 6 and 9 markers- closer to the gen and a more vintage white color to the markers here's a pic of a gen that I 'borrowed'! Of course it's yellow also. I did have good luck with an NDT 5508 dial which was too yellow- a month in the upstairs window in the sun and the markers are quite a bit lighter. My watchmaker did confirm that my 2846 was a Swiss eta- it's all silver and looked good to me, but what do I know!