alligoat

A replica bracelet like this would be nice. I've heard of MBK puttting out nice 93150 reps. As for the end links, 585's are very expensive, but 580's can also be used for a DRSD. Rep end links have a couple of notch outs on the back side, so the gens are the best. I don't know if anyone is making decent rep end pieces yet- if they are, they are still rare. Like Stilty says, you just have to keep looking around. I've bought all of my gen 93150's with gen end links for $300-450. And they're not that great- I'm just as pleased with two of my rep 93150's.

Certainly, we appreciate their efforts for improvement. But what I personally would like is more effort to improve the outside appearance of the watch. All I really want in the inside is a dependable work horse. The important focus is on the outside of the case- what does the watch look like on the outside- case, dial, hands, etc. That and a good, dependable movement and you've got a great rep- open the case and all bets are off. No serious watch person will ever be fooled by this quasi-Rolex movement. And hopefully the majority of us aren't out to deceive anyone beyond basic appearances. I'm not out to scam anyone, but I enjoy reps.

Wow! This is like HE valve 101. The He valve was developed to allow helium to escape the case during decompressurization. But at the same time, at pressure, the valve should be closed- can't let water in. The original valve was gasketed and could not press in much and spring loaded on the inside to allow air/helium out. So I would think the valve might have a little bit of give to allow for compression against the gasket, but not much overall. I guess the old adage may apply, "a rep is a rep".

BK is referred to as the 'sub cannibal' on another rep board and as much as I love subs, he's miles ahead of me. I'm sure he can help you out, he's helped me in the past and I've even had the pleasure of answering a few questions for him. It's that sharing of knowledge that makes this a great place. This hobby can be frustrating at times, but in the long run, if you stick with it, you'll learn a load and end up with some fine watches to boot. This experience with George that you've had hasn't been the greatest, but hopefully you'll be able to salvage it and end up with a great watch. These subs have come a long way in the last 4-5 years and the WM9/BK subs are some of the best we've seen to date. You made a good choice w/ the refurbed WM9 because it's really the best watch case out there for building from, IMO. Once you get the dial and hands squared away, you'll be good to go. I know it's a lot of money, but you are working on a first class rep- these are really la creme de la creme. And when you start adding gen parts, they will be basically indistinguishable from the gens. Hopefully you'll stick around here and continue to learn. I guess that's what I really love about this place is that you can learn so much- just keep reading and asking questions. This is really the place to learn about watches in every fashion, gens, reps and frankens.

I'm with jfreeman, no date 14060. from the TV shot, I could hardly tell it was an oyster band

Like I said about the pic on the computer... The pic I see has about the same hour markers thru-out and the hands are just ever so slightly greener- not much at all. Getting George (WM9) to the table... I just don't know, and he is in Taiwan, which is a postage headache, IMO. That's why I think BK might be a good possibility.

From your picture, I can't see where the color difference is that great. But maybe it's my computer. A slight difference between the hands and the dial is not to be totally unexpected. If I was plunking down $5K for a gen, then it would be a diffferent matter. Heck, George says buy the new rep for another $130 plus or minus in his ad, if you have any reservations about a refurbished watch. And no returns (granted he says in regards to the case), You really got a good deal for the $400 you spent, but if you're unhappy and George doesn't come thru for you, there are a few other options you could try. 1. You could buy a set of hands for ETA from a place like Clark Watch Supply (Nostalgia2000 on ebay) and have a watchmaker install them- maybe $20 for the hands, $10-15 to install. Hopefully they'd be a better match. I have a set on a sub and they have good lume, also. 2. Get in touch with bklm1234 and see if he could take a look at the watch for you. Since he sells these WM9 subs, he has spare dials and hands- maybe he could fix the problem for a reasonable charge- he's in CONUS- hopefully you are too. I have a gen sub with ten year old dial and hands and already they are aging at different rates. I'm just happy they still glow in the dark. But my point is, a slight difference between dial and hands is not that big a deal.

Yep, I'd pretty much reached the same conclusion- way too perfect to be a rep!

I have never figured out if JoJo built this or it's a gen- but it is beautiful.

The Explorer I that I was thinking of is the 6610. http://ndtradingcorp.com/zen/index.php?mai...products_id=168 But NDT doesn't have the dial- just a watch w/ the refinished dial. I did notice your sub dial has no crown above the Rolex- guess it got painted out in the redial process

I agree with Freddy 100% One option might be to come up with an early Explorer dial and make it an Explorer- is it the 1016? Maybe NDTrading has something like that. Of course, it is an interesting franken on it's own.

Have you tried Silix? Also, you could pick up a non-branded TT on ebay.

Interesting. It appears to be a 2836-2, but I would think it's a copy movement. You know ETA is not going to produce something like this and can't legally do so. Of course, I've never worried about the movement looking like a Rolex movement- I'm more concerned about the reliability of a movement in a rep. I wouldn't want to pay extra for something like this because I'm not out to deceive anyone.

I've reached the conclusion that Rolex isn't as anal as we are about the position of the date in the window. I also don't think they're as concerned about date mag being absolutely, positively 2.5. And of course, why should they be- their watches are still 100% Rolex. Now we have the 18K full yellow gold with black dial (116618)- wonder if they'll produce the white gold w/ the black dial (116619)? TT's should be out soon- Basel 2009, I guess. Stainless is scheduled for 2010- kinda cool that you can get your rep before the gen comes out! You could bs someone that you 'have connections'!

Welcome aboard. You might want to check out the Houston GTG next Saturday at Guadaljara's Restaurant- Katy Freeway at noon, A group from RG, RWI and here will be there. It's always fun, but we do it 2-3 times a year so don't worry if you can't make it.

The YM insert fit in the Sub bezel- just glued it in.

I actually fitted a YM ss insert in a sub case with a white Submariner dial It was definitely a one off type of thing.

Same movement- 3135, same crystal, 295-C, same bezel assembly AFAIK, although the bezel inserts are different, of course. Case sizes are basically 40mm, but rehaut is shallower on the Yacht-Master, I believe.

The asia eta 2813 is really a misnomer. More of the Chinese false advertizing hype. It is actually a chinese copy of the Miyota 21 jewel movement - the 8215. There is nothing eta about it. But the one in Josh's Beginmariner is one of the best of the batch. Look for the WO symbol under the balance wheel- this denote a movement made by PTS Resources in China. They are also sold by Ofrei and CousinsUK. http://www.ofrei.com/page1119.html The DG2813 is the one. The thing to remember is that all of the movements in reps are subject to needing to be serviced- be it chinese, eta copy or the true etas- just the luck of the draw. But once they're serviced, they are generaly pretty decent. But the problem with the chinese movements is it's cheaper to replace them than to service them. Copy etas can go either way and true etas are worth servicing, but it can easily run $100 or more. Welcome to the rep world.

Yep, as Stilty says, Euro V3 is the only way to go. But it will make for a very nice TT- not cheap, but when you start with a 3035, you've already spent a bundle.

I agree with freddy. Here's a dial from a guy- see the Beyeler on the back and the price- $850.00- his price might be double what I think it should be, but people aren't giving the real ones away. http://cgi.ebay.com/ROLEX-SUBMARINER-BLACK...1742.m153.l1262

That certainly is a beautiful watch freddy! That dial from MY looks pretty awesome- the first thing that caught my eye was 'Oyster Perpetual' and no 'Date' at the end! And I guess you mated a gmt gear to the 2846 movement- that's a pretty cool mod also. The only other thing would be a roulette datewheel.... It's certainly a great watch and a tribute to your watchmaking skills. Congrats.

A list of replica serial numbers, not a bad idea, I guess.... Lord knows there must be a million of the F520117's out there. And the SSD SN ends in 117- Z539117, as does the new M serial noobs. The noob factory is very prolific. A couple of older CN rep Rolex cases have something like an R863... serial #- R serials being from the late 80's as well as the MBW/WM vintage cases with the L341... serials, also late 80's.

I do think the idea of a trip to the Ziggy spa is excellent. I know I'm still very happy with the relume on my matte dial 16800- it just makes for a fun watch. And with a movement service, you're good to go for the next 4-5 years.

Don't try to drill the lugholes unless you're pro. You'll waste a perfectly good case. I would get the Euromariner V3 with the asian 21 j movement. Essentially you're buying it for the case. It has the lugholes and then you have to drill them out with a drill bit like the Snap-on DBCE55A- #55. That's easier than drilling new lugholes if you have a drill press. Expect to polish the case after that some. The Euro V3 will accept gen or aftermarket bezel parts, you can tap the case hole and install a case tube (gen or aftermarket) and then a gold Rolex crown. You should be able to fit the 3035 in the Euro V3. At that point you'll have a franken TT sub. I don't know if you call it a 16613 or a 16803. Either way, it's a TT franken sub.