alligoat

You might keep looking around- read, read, read. A couple of hints though, Noobmariner TT and an MBW TT- might try the search feature on those. Also, might check and see if WM9 has a TT sub. Try looking for ByTor's review on Sub TT's, also.

Congratulations Marty. That's a beaut, and like the guys said, it looks to be in great shape for it's age.

It sure would be cool if these were the Vietnamese cases that Phong and Natalie sell. You could build a 5513 with a 1520 movement for $1500-2000. Pics of the dials weren't too good, though.

I agree with Freddy about the Brevet crown- it's way too expensive- so I'd just stick with what you've got. An insert from Michael Young at Classic Watch Parts would be a good start: http://www.classicwatchparts.com/catpart/c...php?cPath=34_56 From the looks of it, the 6536, 6538, 5508 and 5510 all take the same size insert. And since the 5508 takes the same size as the 5513, you could even buy the insert on PMWF and put an Ofrei pearl in there for another $20- but the font on the numbers wouldn't be the old round font. Freddy brought up a good point about the case being thicker and I'm not sure which crystal would fit- a gen would take the T-18 (or is it a T-16?), both are very scarce. Maybe a T-19 would work. I'm not sure how faithful the 6538 MBK is to the original- does it have the eta 2836-2 movement which would explain why the case is thicker? Drill the lugholes, beat up and polish the case- simulated age. Also, like Dizzy said, aging the dial would help. We haven't seen many of these MBK 6538's. They look like a cool watch. Keep us posted on what mods you do make

Hard to say why the 7750 is above the 727- but it is definitely a V72 or variant thereof- not a 7750. Typical deal, bad pics, high price and from Hungary- something to stay away from, IMO.

When it comes to WR Rolex Sub reps, the noobmariner comes to mind. Mine was for awhile, until I took it apart recently for other reasons. Others have also had good results with the noob. As Allergy Doc and Freddy say, it's best to grease seals and test first. A WM9V2 would also probably be good- it's the same design as the actual Rolex sub, but once again, test first.

I agree with Freddy on the dial- that 12 o'clock marker is encroaching on the Tudor Rose and should be penalized 15 yards!

First of all, let's get something straight- there is no equal to a genuine vintage Rolex watch. So then we start down the ladder. Next would be a franken put together from various vintage parts- hopefully all genuine. Of course, when you are buying 40-50 year old watches, you have to realize that the chances are that some of the parts have been replaced. Plenty of people buy and sell old Rolex parts, putting together better watches- they may even sell them for high prices claiming they are all original. After that you have the companies like NDTrading and Jewelry and Watch (Phong), who sell 'replacement' parts. These are better quality than typical run of the mill rep parts, but they are still rep parts. With a little bit of aging and modding they can be made to look very convincing. MBW/MBK puts out nice vintage replicas in the $350-500 range, but they also need modding to look convincing. And unlike NDT and J&W, MBW's don't have real Rolex movements taken from donor watches. In the replica world, it comes down to how much money do you want to spend. But more importantly, the first question is going to be, are you happy with a decent quality rep or should you really be buying a genuine watch? No rep will ever be equal to a gen, there are only levels of closeness to the gen, but a rep is always a rep.

Won't this watch take a standard 5513 assembly? Flat washer and bezel with insert. An MBW perchance. And of course, if that won't work, there's freddy's and my friend down here in beautiful Sugar Land, TX- Faisal Ali- wholesaleoutlet999/jewelryoutlet555. Seems like he sells the bezel assembly for the 9401 Or NY-RSC- but that could get pricey. Natalie at NDTrading.... Does the crown/case tube assembly look like a 24-702 assembly? The case tube looks like it to me.

Beautiful watch, CC. Kudos to you and Avitt and Chieftang, it's fantastic.

This is the older movement for the 16800 and 168000 Submariners from the 80's. Price is OK, and hopefully so is the movement. The seller says it's fine, but you never really know til you get it installed in a watch and see how it performs, or your watchmaker takes a look at it. It's a lot to spend on a movement unless you happen to have a case lying around to put it in.

I think the watch is probably OK, but I wouldn't buy it from that guy- he's not that strong a seller, IMO. Pics could be better to say the least.

Those Daytonas are pricey. Yours is worth $30K plus or minus depending on condition. Rick's watch is probably a little overpriced- esp. in this market- but he says it's pristine w/ B&P. Also, the R serial is the latest I've ever seen. Who knows, it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Yep, that's Andrew's noobmariner. Ought to be just fine.

Finding a genuine bezel isn't easy and certainly won't be cheap- I know I'd just stick with the MBW bezel. Now a better insert is an easier task- there are plenty of those around.

If Customs seizes your watch, I would figure it's gone. But most of the dealers will replace a watch if it's seized by Customs. But of the 30 or so reps that I've bought, I've only had one problem. Of 3 watches ordered, 2 were removed from the package by the time I got it. But the dealer replaced the other two.

This is what we call a "franken". You know Frankenstein- well this is a watch put together with non-original parts- in this case the case is not original, but rather a replacement. Also, the dial has beeen redone. But when you consider that an original 1655 would run $10,000-30,000US, buying this watch for $3,600US is a less costly proposition- if that's the watch you truely want with the Rolex 1570(5) GMT movement. It's all a question of how much money you're willing to spend. You could also keep an eye peeled around here in case anyone decides to sell their 1655 rep- that would run maybe $400-1000 or so- but wouldn't have the Rolex movement inside.

U.S. Customs isn't typically an issue. Most watches just go thru unopened, AFAIK. Usually it takes 1-3 weeks depending on the mail service used and the speed with which the collector dispatches your order. It's really not a big deal.

Actually bklm1234 is another possibility- he used to mod the noobmariner and improve it- usually with the eta 2836-2 movement- the bkmariner was a very nice watch at the time (2-3 years ago). Don't know if he can still get them or not, but you could certainly check with him.

Gary Clark is first rate- crown is a good price. You might beat the price, but w/ Gary, you know you'll get what you're paying for. The case tube is aftermarket, but good- I have one in my Noobmariner. Just make sure you tap the hole before you install the tube- remember, this takes tools to do the work.

Wow! Allergy Doc, you are killing me! The last thing I need is another Sub, but this is an incredible offer. Damn you, but thanks anyway!

Part # for a gold crown is 24-703-8. The last number ( denotes gold. I believe it will fit the latest MBW case tube which is a copy of the gen. That Rolex part number for a case tube is 24-7030-0 in stainless, I don't know if Rolex uses gold case tubes- if they did, the part # would be 24-7030-8. Being that gold is softer than ss, I would think the ss case tube would hold up better over the long run. And no one sees it unless thay're winding the crown, etc. Ebay is the best deal I know. VFR- vintage Rolex forum is another possibility. Watch supply houses carry generic tubes, but their crowns can't be signed- with the Rolex crown- due to copyright laws which Rolex enforces very strictly.

Jon, Think of this, Dr. No was made in 1963- 46 years ago. We all know Sean Connery is around 78-79 years old these days. If Ursula was 25 at the time, that means she's 71 now- ouch!

Beautiful indeed! A 5508 with the Brevet crown, if I'm not mistaken. The dial and hands are beautifully matched- great work JoJo.

Keep your eyes peeled in the for sale sections. There are always deals popping up there. You'll pay more than the cost of a base MBW, but a lot of times it's still cheaper than if you had the mods done yourself. These things get expensive fast, but the modded pieces typically sell for less than the sum of their improvements.