alligoat

I'd have to agree that Jewelers Tools doesn't have a clue as to which 6mm crown he does have. I did buy one from him and I couldn't screw the stem in, but at that point I just got one from my watchmaker which, of course, was more expensive. I don't know what his source for Rolex parts is, but when they (the parts) work, it sure is nice!

overlays can be bought from cubic-works over in Hong Kong http://www.cubic-works.com/watchtools/index.html- I certainly like Shawn's concentric circles- cool idea. But I do think sometimes the problem is that the dates aren't always aligned on the wheel. Luckily, on my frankenjust, they are just slightly off on only a couple of days. My link didn't work, but you can type in cubic-works and go to tools and at the end of the list- springbars page and scroll down

A TT with the flat 'S' in Submariner. WM9??

That's the one. The same insert which is used for the 16800, which predates the 16610, is also used on the 16610. Rolex PN would be something like 315-16800-81 maybe- don't know what the last 81 denotes. You could also try www.watchmaterial.com/ but last time due to a software glitch, the only way to find the insert on their site was to search for 16800. They have a good pearl, and then bklm1234 buys an insert from jewelryoutlet999 or something (the guy in Sugar Land TX) and puts the WM pearl in it. But it runs around $45-50 by the time you're finished. Helfands also has a decent insert as does Raymond Lee. It helps to file them down on the back side so they'll fit in the bezel of the rep better. You could also pop out your zit pearl and put one of the other pearls in- you have to enlarge the hole first and it's a good idea to take out the insert, file down the back, install the pearl and then reinstall the whole shebang w/ some glue.

I ran across this dial yesterday on ebay and the seller has quite a bit of stuff for sale. The seller has lots of Rolex stuff and looks legitimate, but like wight, I'd still try to find something matte and/or in better condition. It is interesting how the seller is trying to generate interest from the Antiquorum sale where a 5513 with spider dial went for $15K. That sale was pretty interesting in and of itself- things got pretty out of hand pricewise.

Cool story! I'm certainly envious of the guys that can get over to Hong Kong and Guangzhou. My watchmaker just got a deal to fly Delta to Shanghi for like $750 round trip and jumped on it. Don't know if I could talk the wife into it or not. Angus has had some ups and downs in the last few years, but it sounds like he's doing better now.

Andrew's $218 sub is a noob with the ETA. Paul also sells the same watch(pam111.com). He calls it the so-called perfect sub. The important thing is to jump in and go swimming. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Happy Birthday Nanuq- what are you now? Three? Like you say, the chocolate dials were seen on the 1665 and 1680- can't recall seeing them on the 5513. Exposure to UV and maybe the type of paint formula used. Kinda like the early Explorrer II dial that turned cream color- something in the paint. Of course Rolex would change out the dial if you didn't stop them!

No no Mickey! Give a little, get a lot!

I seem to recall some cracking on middle 80's 16800 dials w/ the wg surrounds, but it didn't look anything like that- more like a very fine random pattern of shrinkage and cracking of the paint. This dial would date from that era, but I would probably opt for another dial- for a 5513, I prefer the older dials w/ no wg surrounds. There are a lot of the "repainted" ones out there which I think are really just new dials from Viet Nam made to look old. I picked one up on the bay for about $150 a few months ago- I put it in my 5513 (the $139 one from Paul) and I actually think the yellow markers are fading- Ive thought about leaving it out in the sun to speed up the process.

I asked bklm1234 about this case yesterday and he thought it was a TW Best case. The deep cut of the bezel teeth and of course the rehaut. River and Eddie Lee are the two main sellers of TW Best, but there could be others. And of course, I haven't seen Eddie Lee around for a while. I keep hoping to find an inexpensive TW Best case- to hell with the movement, etc., inside.

The watch looks good- a little puffiness to the lume, bezel insert appears to be replaced- triangular 4 in 40, 7.2 mil dates from '81-82- still ok. Anything under $4K, USD is a steal. Low retail is $4500- watch sellers would want $5000-5500. Bracelet should be 93150 with 593 end pieces. This watch is becoming a vintage. I look for value to double in the next three years- especially with the transitional matte dial (pre white gold surrounds). The 3035 movt has a few shortcomings, which were corrected with the 3135, but you can still get parts and Rolex still services them- you'd just have to specify don't touch the dial or hands! And a Rolex service would probably still run $500-1000- which is why so many people use watchmakers with a Rolex parts account- it ain't rocket science!

That is a nice case and based on the SN, it is recent. I ruled out Paul, Josh, Andrew and Angus. Some like Silix don't show SN's. I didn't check EU sellers cause I'm in the US. Interestingly, Paul sells a $99 sub with case # D320840 and decent rehaut and apparently good date position. Josh sells the same case w/ ETA, but the date is too far right ($218) as does Paul (w-748- $229). Andrew sells the same case in his Ultimate ($488) but date position is correct. Maybe someone will be able to tell us more about F641105.

I've done OK on ebay, but stick to the reputable sellers. My wife got a nice TT DJ for $2K and then we had it serviced. Probably best to stick to an EU seller, but watches might be cheaper in the states with the dollar taking such a hit lately.

Bummer! Kinda like the gen sub dial only fitting in a TW Best/MBW case.

Yep, considering the flaws of the rep dials, that's why I've held off on the Explorer II- but I'm like you, I love the white dial and ss bezel.

Very nice Mickey! Looks like the gen dial is the way to go on the Explorer II. I'm kinda of the same opinion on the incorrect handstack- it's not that big a deal.

Congratulations cibOrgman on a beautiful franken! And I can certainly sympathize with you on deciding where to draw the line in building this watch. The costs can certainly get out of hand. But the end results are beautiful and Ziggy did a great job. Enjoy your masterpiece.

Paul's DRSD has a working HE valve, and I would think this one should also. But, I don't think a gen T-39 will fit or a gen insert for that matter. To do that, you have to go to the MBW ($350+) or up to the Vietnamese cases from NDtrading or Jewelry and Watch. But it might still be a fun watch to play with- trim the cg's, reglue the crystal for WR, put a good pearl in the insert, maybe even a gen crown and aftermarket tube, drill the lugholes, grease the o-rings and have it water tested. If you did the work yourself, you could probably do it for under $500 including the tools and the watch.

Just cut the dial feet off and glue the dial to the top ring of the ETA movement and the top ring in turn to the movement top plate.

I agree with TMG, on two out of three at least. Better pearl- maybe the $10 one from Ofrei might work in the MBW insert Trim the Cg's slightly Evening up the color between the hands and markers- a little variation isn't that big a deal in my mind. All in all, it's a good looking watch- just wear it and age it!

Very nice job, w.genzo. Congratulations.

Get the 16013 case from roling- mine worked out beautifully after I serviced the 2836-2!

Yep, flat S in Submariner, well centered lug holes, good rehaut. Click mechanism on the bezel- can't remember if it's TW Best or old WM9.

Tropic 16 for the crystal. They are tough to find and expensive- around $200-300.