alligoat

Ditto! With Rolex it's hard to know the rules, because sometimes there aren't any. Around 2005-6 Rolex changed the "4" in 40 on the insert to the triangular font. Prior to that it had been the boxy font- four sided, so to speak. So if you have an old tritium 16610 or a 16800 and need an insert, Rolex will just slap a new triangular 4 insert on there for you- they don't care, it's still genuine Rolex. Likewise with a dial and hands, they'll upgrade/update, unless you specify not to. This tends to piss off the hardcore collectors. Older inserts (315-5513) which came on 5513's and 1680's were boxy, typically, but did come in thick font and thin font. I believe the thin font was later.

Gio's case back opening tool is adjustable, which might be what it takes on your rep cases. But the 29.5mm should work on the real Rolexes at least. I have one CN sub that's tough to open with the 29.5 die, but it works on the rest of my reps. I don't have a GMT II or a modern Daytona, though.

I could easily be wrong. The noob factory makes other watches like the GMT and Yacht-Master and it may be that they are making this new 116610 Submariner. The new sub was unveiled at Basel in 2008- but available only in yellow gold and white gold. This year it's supposed to be available in TT. Next year in SS. So it's somewhat of a fantasy watch in rep form right now. I'm not aware of this new sub case model being made with a non-ceramic bezel insert, but I guess you could try swapping out an older insert if that's what you wanted.

My Rolex set is a Bergeon and it works on my reps. I've never heard of Bentson. I've found that the cheap sets of Rolex case wrenches don't always work very well- best to stick with a well known mfr. Mine cost around $40US- maybe 30 euros, maybe a little more.

I agree with Andy. Another option would be to have the movement serviced, but your dealer really ought to step up to the plate if the watch is fairly new- w/in a couple of months or so.

It's kinda ironic that he's got the wrong model #- 6238 is the Pre-Daytona chrono, and this dial is for the 6538. I think the guy is slightly bonkers myself- but you see it all the time on the bay, people with over inflated delusions. Edit: I told the guy he had the wrong model number. Darn, I forgot to tell him he was crazy!

The first three are all ceramic bezel subs with the new sub case- 2008/2009, whatever you want to call it. The classic from Josh is an older sub. None are noobs- that's a different case- originally SN F520117 and now it's been revamped with an M serial and the same three last digits 117. Movements can vary in all of these watches from 21j asian to 2836-2 clone and even 2836-2 swiss (if the swiss is still around).

That Rolex rotor on Paul's sub sure looks aftermarket to me- especially with the slots cut in it. At that point you'd have to wonder if the whole movement isn't a clone- even though he claims it's Swiss. You know ETA would never put anything on a rotor that said Rolex! And that red gear is another aftermarket application. And I'm always suspicious of blued screws in a movement- just looks too chinese to me- like the asian Venus 175 with all of its blue screws.

Nice pics! That's definitely some deep rehaut on your 'classic' sub. Kinda like the old TW Best. From what I gather, Paul still sells a lot of these older subs- maybe Josh, too. With the usual upgrades (pearl, trim cg's) they make great beaters. Thanks for sharing.

The watch movements aren't made by the noob factory. They are made by various factories like Seagull, PRS Resources, Hangzhou, etc. over in China. Then places like noob factory take these movements and assemble the replica watches with the rest of the parts. As to which is better- it's kinda a crap shoot- roll the dice and take your chances. Luck plays a part in either movement- is it fairly clean and well put together? It's just like buying the asian 7750 movement- it's a good movement, but it may need to be serviced properly- cleaned and oiled. Could be the same with either the asian 21j or the asian eta. For that matter, even a Swiss eta from china could need a cleaning and proper oiling. So you just have to make a decision based on your budget. Sometimes the cheaper watches aren't as good as the more expensive ones as far as rep quality- just another chance you take- do your homework and keep reading the reviews.

Like Poopy says, it's the updated Noob, and is the watch you will receive. For the price it's a good watch, just not as good as the more expensive WM9, and Euromariners/MBW's which are getting closer to copying the gen.

6694- dates from the first quarter of 1964 according to the case back- I 64. Also, the 6694 wasn't made in 1949. Good looking watch. Also, interesting point rosnik- open 6 on the 26- I bet it also has round top threes. The 26 on a 1680 Sub is closed, and the 3's are flat top. Same time frame, but Rolex did use different date wheels.

The biggest tell is the pointer on the balance bridge- all wrong for a 727. You might find one on a 6234 from the early 60's- an early v72B.

Looks good. Isn't it cool that you have a 2010 Rolex Sub before they even come out! Congrats.

Replicating a Fortis B-42 with the asian 7750 should be an easy deal (w/o the alarm, of course). Our dealers would charge around $250-300, I would think. You might check with some of them and see if they can get it. Hard to tell if the site you found is a scam. I haven't taken a chance on something like that lately. I was tempted on a Breguet Type XX (same a7750)- our dealers all want $300+ and I found it for $175 Western Union- $225 w/ a credit card- just couldn't pull the trigger. Mark up on these watches is substantial, so you should be able to buy it for less, but it's just a question if you can find a reputable dealer.

Had to go check out some B-42's! Like strattakan says, it's a 7750 with an alarm complication. But the B-42's w/ the 7750 would be easy to rep. Adding the alarm would be the trick. But the B-42 looks like it comes as a base model- the Day-Date would be a 2836-2, and the chronos a 7750, and then a 7750 chrono w/ a GMT hand- just an added gear. the alarm model would be the trick. And a sealed watch will work in zero gravity, because gravity isn't what makes a mechanical watch tick! It's the main spring.

Ouch! It's so bad it hurts!

Thanks for the heads up. I've been thinking about a couple of dials and sets of hands from MKII to upgrade a couple of no wrist-time watches. $100 upgrades which might be quicker and easier than a relume at the Ziggy spa.

Thanks for the heads up on the 2894-2. Learn something new around here everyday!

That Doxa T-Graph is certainly a beauty, Lani! It's interesting how the running seconds are at 3, instead of the usual 9 o'clock position for a V7750 movement. So obviously, Doxa uses their own movement- or at least not a V7750. thanks for sharing.

People ARE fitting ETA's in gen cases- look at the frankenjusts. Tudor cases are different from Rolex cases- they are made to take an ETA, so no, they are similar, but not the same as the Rolex case. But that doesn't mean they can't take some of the same parts like an early bezel insert, or a crown and tube. Now, I don't think it makes good sense to spend all that money on an NDT case and put an ETA movement in there. If you're going to spend that kind of money, you need to put a Rolex movement in there- spend the $2-3K and build a decent franken. Or buy an MBW and mod it from there and only spend under $1K. Last option would be to buy an MBW 1665 or 5513 and put a gen movement in there and you'd probably spend $1.5K-2+K. It's all a question of how much do you want to spend. Or go out and buy a gen- maybe it would be cheaper in the long run- at least it would be if you quit buying watches!

Other than the crown on the crystal, the watch looks fine to me. If it's a service crown, no problem. I also doubt a rep crown would fit, but I can't be sure since I've never tried on the EXP I. The end links are detachable which is correct for that year model and they don't fit as nicely as the SEL's, especially if they've been removed once or twice. They could be adjusted to fit a little better. The price is fair- works out to around $2300USD, but don't forget, a nine year old watch is due for a service- might have to add two hundred dollars to the equation. I doubt a couple of guys on TZ-UK would be scamming- it wouldn't be worth it IMO- especially if they've been around for a while.

Check Andrew or Jiosh. I think one of them has it for around $108 w/ CN movt.

Does it have crown guards, or is it a no crown guard model? Like JoJo says, it could be a 5513, one of the longest running Sub models, or possibly a 6538 or a 5510. I believe the 5510 was rated to 200m=660ft. 6538's and 5510's are typically worth more than a Sea-Dweller, and the 5513 vs SD is one that could go either way depending on age and condition of the two watches. The Z series Sea-Dweller is worth between $3500-4500 depending on condition. A 5513 could run from $3000 on up. Early ones could push $7K-10K, possibly more. 6538's and 5510's- maybe $8K up to around $15K. You probably won't get hurt on the deal from the sounds of it unless you have to bring a wad of money to the table!

I thought the deal with Timeholder was that he was sending out rep tubes and crowns- the old type of rep tubes and crowns- not the new ones which are at least a copy of the gen crowns and tubes (and somewhat interchangeable). I've had good luck with the rep tubes from Helfand's, Clark's and even Mr. Slimeball in Sugar Land (wholesaleoutlet999/jewelryoutlet555). Then I pick up a used Rolex 24-703-0 crown. Keeps costs under $50 for a set.