alligoat

The model does matter. The current 16610 reps like the MBW, Euromariner and WM9 all copy the gen assembly of the 16800/16610 gen Subs- the assembly on the 16800 and 16610 gens are the same BTW. Older CN reps had a little click spring to mimic the uni-directional feature. The Noob has a flat washer with three bent prongs to keep it uni-directional. BTW, the noob bezel is a bear to remove- it's very tight and not a chore for the feint of heart. Earlier subs like the MBW 5513/1680's mimic the gen assembly also- compression ring holds the plastic crystal down, flat tension washer and bezel snaps on- these were bi-directional. Other vintage CN reps could have the old click spring assembly or the 'paper clip' assembly. The paper clip is a long piece of metal bent into an almost circle that fits in the bezel and holds it in place under the tension ring which has a slight lip. There are other bezel assemblies out there- the Chinese are ingenious at devising ways of assembling bezels which bear no ressmblance to the gen watches.

If the price of the watch is 2850 euro, which is right around $3800US, that's not a bad price. Sure freddy could build it for less, but Honpo puts some nice bridges in there which run up the cost. But that v72 looks kinda dirty to me- lok at the castle wheel- filty! But price is better than Phongs.

I have Sinn 303 similar to this one pictured, it has a very nice modified 7750 and is the most accurate mechanical watch I own. Probably to 1 second per day- I keep it on a winder when I'm not wearing it and reset the time every two months or so- maybe a minute back. Beats all of my other gen watches hands down. But you shake the watch and that rotor takes off like ZING. Then when it finally stops, you hear it ratchet back two or three clicks like it's winding the mainspring. It's pretty noisy, but for a $1500 watch with great accuracy, I'm not going to worry about it- I know it came from Sinn well serviced. BTW, 7750's only wind in one direction- is it CW or CCW? I'm thinking CW, but I'm not sure

I do know there were thin font and thick font inserts on the 5513/1680's, but I don't know anything more than that. And when it comes to Tudors, I'm in a complete fog- I just don't know much about them.

Here's what $30K will get you in the USA: http://cgi.ebay.com/ROLEX-VINTAGE-DAYTONA-...1QQcmdZViewItem This is a retail price for a 'correct' 6263.

After Tribal's comment about it being a gen pearl, and I do think it looks pretty good, the next step might be to vintagize the pearl. Bruce 79 used some amber shellac to color the pearl on his 16800 franken and it worked pretty well as I recall.

Very nice looking watch, Stephane. A beauty. If the T-19 will fit, I would think the correct bezel insert would be the 315-5513. As dluddy says, the PMWF 5513 insert is one option and then the $20 pearl from Ofrei. But you guys always seem to be able to snag gen parts so easily on your side of the pond and that's always the best way to go if you can.

I think you're going to have to either drill new holes, or remove the dial feet. Rosnik isn't very clear in his post, but if you go to julesborel.com and look under mechanical watch movements at the 2892, you will see that the position of the dial feet appears to be around 2:30 and 8:30. Roelx dial feet are 2:30 and 7:30 approximately. You might be good on one, but not both. Most people just remove the feet and glue the dial to the top spacer ring and in turn glue the ring to the movement.

I agree with Freddy, but I want to add that the dial you currently have on your 6263 isn't too bad either. It's unique and interesting. The availibility of dials has improved in the last year, it's pretty amazing. Like Freddy says, none are perfect, but still the selection is pretty good, pick your poison! You might look for the book "Rolex Daytona, a legend is born". It's out of print, but if you could find a copy it's well worth it. Freddy turned me on to it a 1-1/2 ago or so- a great study of all the models from 6238 thru 16520.

If you have a TT noob, the $315 gold Rolex aftermarket bezel will not fit. Probably would work on a Euromariner or late model MBK, maybe a WM9, also- but definitely not a noob. The difference between 14K and 18K is the quality of the gold, but I can't tell you the difference between the colors. Also the clasp on the 14K band is different- no safety clasp.

Ironically, I think this seller is also in the Houston area: http://cgi.ebay.com/MENS-18K-SS-OYSTER-WAT...1QQcmdZViewItem I'd figure this guy as a little more reputable. This search was: rolex submariner oyster band. There's another seller that I also see from time to time- you just have to keep looking

Here's a TT band from Freddy's and my buddy down in Sugar Land, Tx http://cgi.ebay.com/MENS-18K-SS-OYSTER-WAT...1QQcmdZViewItem This isn't a great band from two points of view: 1. The ss clasp is fine for older TT's, but then the SEL's are incorrect. Also, the link next to the clasp end has an ss center section- should be gold. 2. This seller is only so-so, I just wouldn't expect the greatest deal from him. Maybe keep looking and spend $100 more- it might be worth it.

Three weeks is not unusual, but you should be getting some kind of response from Chris- like shipping confirmation. Are you sure your emails are getting thru- well maybe check the address and try again. I do know he was having some trouble receiving emails. I'd keep trying every couple of days until you get a response, just be polite.

There's a good possibility that you could pick up a 16800 gloss dial for around $3K. I bought a 16800 gloss dial for $3250 on ebay last fall before prices dropped. I've bought 3 of 4 gen Rolexes on ebay, 4 of 5 if you count the one I pulled the 1520 movt out of to build a franken. You just have to buy the seller, not the watch as they say- if there's anything the slight bit questionable, walk away. Vintage Rolex Forum and Timezone are OK, also. Patience is the best virtue, take your time- there will always be another watch that pops up next week Also, you need to figure a servicing for your watch- that adds another $200-250. If it's already been serviced, you should be OK, but if not, you can see how it's doing and go from there.

Beautiful watch! This is what it's all about- builiding a great rep/franken. And Ziggy does a fantastic job- especially for a guy who's not a Rolex fan. This is the kind of watch you can wear anywhere w/o nary a worry. I do agree about the crown- if you look at the side view, you will notice the emblem and dots are flat. On a gen crown, the crown emblem and dots would have more definition.

Freddy is the expert, but I'll take a stab at it. The watch is close to gen, but there are a few things which don't look right. The end pieces should be 271's, but bracelet is fine. The balance bridge says ROW on it for Rolex Werks- it's OK, but the bridge itself with the pointer is wrong- it either came off an earlier watch (6234, 6034), or was engraved recently and added to the watch. The movement should be a 722 for a 6241- not a 72B- the 72B was used on earlier Rolex chronos- up until the 6238, 6239, and 6240. But Rolex wasn't always consistent- it could have slipped in there or this watch is a franken- put together from parts- or more likely repaired with scavanged parts. It's getting harder and harder to keep old V72's going since parts are no longer made. Is it worth $25-30K? Maybe in a retail setting. I would think it's still worth $15-20K, but that's just my opinion.

Silver DJ dial, 2836-2, ss 24-602-0 Rolex crown, set of tudor hands from Clarks Watch Supply (nostalgia2000 on ebay), datewheel overlay from www.cubic-works.com and put it all together Dial $100-150 Crown $25-35 Hands $25 DW overlay- $25 Maybe a plastic spacer to keep everything in line, and some hold down tabs and screws. Or try to find a Stility space and put a 2824-2 in there, but I think he's out. Clarks also has new crystals- T-145, as I recall- less than 10 bucks

Sounds like it's basically in mint condition, but I think you'd be lucky to get $7K for it in this market. You might try a few dealers and see what they say. Like Jfreeman says, watch ebay and see what's happening there- it's basically a wholesale market, but it will give you a good idea of the value of the watch in this economy.

The Euro V3 would be a good choice. I have one and I drilled the lugholes larger, gen case tube and crown and a gen bezel insert, oh, and trimmed the cg's. Clark's crystal, also. The 3035 will fit nicely from what I've heard. A gen dial and a good set of hands and you'll have a very nice franken. V3 comes with an A serial, and 16610 marking at 12 o'clock, but I figure no one is going to see those. A Euro V3 is an MBW case essentially- the latest version. CJT74 stuck a 3035 in an MBW case and even drilled lugholes. You might want to check out his post. An old 16800 matte dial would make for a very cool franken, but they're not cheap- $400 at NDTradingcorp.com. A 93150 bracelet and 593 end pieces are correct for the 16800.

Congratulations on a very nice franken, CJT. You've managed to put together a nice list of gen parts with a few rep parts and come up with a great looking TT. Enjoy your new watch.

For $100, you could put a correct Rolex crown on your DJ. At that point, with leather strap, it's worth $1250-1500 in decent condition. Of course, the value is in the movement. I certainly agree with Mickey, I would not change the movement into a no date. Fix your TT DJ, and take it to a dealer and see if you can trade for a 14060. If you look around, I would think you can find a decent 14060 Sub for $2500-3000. Maybe you could trade up for $1000-1500. Or you could go buy a 14060 rep. I realize they have shortcomings, but one with an eta should still be a good beater. Rolex movements are good, but these etas still make damn good watches. Personally, I think the Rolex movement is over rated and the etas are under rated. I do own 5 watches with Rolex movements, 1520, 2-1575's and 2-3035's. BTW, from what I've read, of the three- 1575, 3035 and 3135, the 3035 is the weakest. It was an improvement over the 1575 with the quickset date feature, but it has other inherent shortcomings which were corrected in the 3135. The 3035 was only in production for around 10 years- the shortest of the 3.

Thanks for the link to the MkII modded Sandoz, Frank. That's pretty cool

A bk WM9 is certainly an excellent choice, IMO. I would have gotten one, but I already had a Euromariner V3 headed my way. As for gen parts, a gen bezel insert is a good start. A gen crown would be another possibility- it will fit on the rep case tube these days. but you might want to check with bk first, and make sure it's ok.

Congratulations, Stephane, on acquiring a truely beautiful watch. I, too, wish RA was still around here, he is certainly a master watch builder.

Congratulations, Greystash. Nothing beats a Rolex service, if you can afford the charges. But at least you know that now your Rolex is 100% correct. Interesting about the hands flaking. I guess that's why all of the vintage guys on TZ send their Rollies to Bob Ridley for service- so they can keep the vintage parts- I think he even can fix hands and dials- maybe with a sealer on the tritium to keep them from flaking. How's the lume on your dial holding up? I have a tritium dial in my 16800 gen which I figure is from 98-99 and it still glows very well at night.