alligoat

One other thought, aeromatic, is swapping to a cyclops plastic crystal- wonder if a T-116 will work? Maybe you just stick with the no cyclops look...

Just the dash between Oyster and Perpetual. Pie-pan dial would seem typical for that time frame

I see that the 1803 also has your signature underline dial, JJ! Circa 1963???

First of all, I wouldn't mess with the bezel which is the metal part. You're not going to be able to find a part that fits probably. Now for the insert, if you have an SSD, Super Sea-Dweller, your best bet is to do the BK mod- buy a watchmaterial pearl from www.watchmaterial.com. Then remove the insert- the black part, pop out the pearl, enlarge the hole slightly and install the new WM pearl w/ a dab of glue. While you're at it, file down the back of the insert and then reinstall it w/ a little bit of glue. At that point it should sit slighty lower in the bezel and look a little better. Good luck.

Cool genzo! That's what makes this place so neat- people from all over the world. I'm headed to Italy in September, Roma, Firenze, Venezia, and Pisa with the wife and my mother in law! Need to brush up on my Italian. Maybe I can visit 'Watches in Rome' while there- can't afford to buy anything!

Funny how the lugholes have disappeared and you've got a bracelet with SEL's. The rep mfrs just keep updating stuff! I also like the CN datewheel. This Chronotac Explorer 2 has worked out well for me at $70. And it's not a fake, it's a knock-off! At least no one will ask me if it's real! Those gen vintage Explorer II's are getting so expensive, it's crazy. Oh, shoot, JB, I missed the sapphire/mineral crystal on yours.

OK, thanks Slarti!

I like this seiko that I just picked up for $140 delivered from Harold @Yobokies over in HK. He also has lots of other modded Seikos, very reasonable. You can find him on the Military Watch Resource website in the sales section. He does a 16610 mod which is cool- uses a SKX009, I believe.

DRSD's started w/ MKI dials and went up, but they started all over w/ the GWSD at MKI again. Same thing with 1680 dials, Reds started at MKI and whites also.

I guess all things considered, it's not a bad price. Isn't that a 'buy it now' price in Italian? Needless to say there's not a lot of Italians here in Houston, so I'm kinda rusty!

What do you do about the cut out for the date window?

Nice job, B! Those cg's look great and the aging of the dial and hands is definitely 'vintage'. Congrats!

Interesting, JB! I took one look at it and thought the bezel was too fat/oversized, but maybe chrgod is right in that the minute marks on the dial make it look smaller...

Looking good RS! I'd love to hear abnout the gilding of the hands from ss to gold- they look great.

Boy, he's sure 'parted' that watch out. Wonder where the bezel went! And too bad he took the DW off the movement. A while back it seems like one of these movements went for $1250 or so. But $1500 or higher wouldn't surprise me.

I just picked up this Yobokies '656' military mod watch It's got a bead blasted finish. LOL, I had Harold change the seiko hands to mbenz hands. I'd love to get a bead blasted bracelet for it. I know Avitt does the DLC, but there must be someone around who does bead blasting...

Beautiful job, B! It's just like having a gen, only it glows! Congrats.

+1

+1 on the frog coronet- read about those dials a couple of months back on VRF. If the GMT hand is off, I would think it would just be a matter of resetting it. Weak date mag could be the crystal, or if rolex serviced it they could have put a new date wheel in there- they could give a hoot about date mag, IMO. I replaced the DW in my 16800 gen beater- found a NOS DW- improved date mag 100%. Rolex had serviced the watch around 98-99- gloss tritium dial (which still glows well), new DW and new clasp (with lines thru the fliplock). Replacement DW's have closed 6's and 9's and round top 3's, typically!

Looks nice, JB. A new set of hands would also be nice. I'd bet your wife could care less about an 'original condition' watch! Which movement is beating inside?

Before you even find a modder, you need to start checking ebay and see if you can't pick up the parts. 1. Crown- using a 24-703-0 crown will be the easiest 2. Case tube- PN 24-7030-0, but most people use the aftermarket tubes and do just fine. I've bought the last 3 from wholesaleoutlet990, but Yuki has one out for $12, haven't tried it yet 3. Bezel insert- these aren't cheap for the tritium vintage ones. A lot of people use the PMWF insert and a pearl from Ofrei 4. I heard Kent Parks is hard to get a hold of (Everestwatchworks?), and Ziggy is even harder, but you just have to keep trying. An old 1680 won't have any glow left in the lume, so if you don't relume, it's OK also. 5. T-127's are around- you just have to keep your eyes peeled- you should be able to pick up a gen for under $50. clark's has a decent aftermarket for a good price also. Once you have all the parts then you can find a modder. Welcome aboard.

Actually, Chi, I think stem position for the 2834 and 2836 is about the same, they both are day/date movements. The 2834 has a larger OD though because of the way the Day is positioned on the dial. I used a 2834-2 in my 16800 franken, which is housed in a noobmariner case.

Beautiful job, Chi. I'm a big fan of 1500 Dates- own two of the gens My gold shell has a white faceted dial and a white datewheel with the flat top 3's etc. Hacking 1575 movt- it dates from the early 70's. It's a model 1550. The ss 1500 is from 1966, datewheel has closed 6's and 9's and round top 3's- I don't know if the DW is original or a later replacement. BTW, it looks like you have a 2834-2 in there from your mmovement pic. But, I'm excited, I have an extra 1500 case, now I just need to come up with a dial. Thanks for sharing.

I guess we're thinking along the same lines, aero! I've got this watch in the back of my mind And maybe this dial from Paul- it doesn't say 'Date' at the end of Oyster Perpetual. Thanks for the pic of your 6538 movt- I certainly can't remember back to your original post!

Yes. As long as it's a 2824-2 in there.