alligoat

If that ETA is an original Tudor movement and your watch isn't a franken, why not go into an AD? But any watchmaker ought to be able to take care of it for you. Couldn't find 954.112 in the current www.julesborel.com catalog, but hand size on the 955.112 is 70/120/20. One would think the 955 is a later version of the 954.

Very nice. Now you've got a damn good 'beater' at a fraction of the price of a gen. Perfect for swimming, fishing, snorkling, jet skiing and even light scuba. Enjoy!

The back of the second dial is unmarked. My gen from '78 is stamped Beyeler on the back. Lume is somewhat sloppy, so I'd agree that it looks like a redial, or it's an outright fake. I concur with freddy that the NDTrading dials are new. They refer to them as redials in an effort to stay out of hot water with the Rolex guys is my theory.

Very Nice! I had to look at the two pictures for a while. Yours has a rivetted band, darker lume dots, and a darker chrono seconds hand. But yes, that is a nice dial- very subtle and no Daytona in red at the bottom- very early looking. Congratulations.

MBW is Maria's Best Watch. It's a type of watch that comes out of Thailand and a few dealers carry it. Various models such as the 1680, 1665, and the modern 16610 or in your case the 16613 are available. Do a search and start reading. There is no perfect rep, but with mods you can get damn close and fool 99.99% of the people. Here's another TT watch from BK: http://www.replica-watch.info/phpBB3/viewt...117&t=37023 I don't know if it's available in black but probably so. You'd have to get over to the other forum- RWI and check it out. And fixing yours still might not be a bad idea. You can buy movts at www.ofrei.com and www.julesborel.com. Date wheel can be swapped out from you old movt. But finding a watchmaker would be the key- a small independent type guy that does his own work and will work on reps- you just need to ask around- don't be shy. Good luck and keep on reading.

Say the case is a TW Best, that's ok. The dial isn't the best. You're lack of power reserve indicates that the surplus movt in your watch wasn't that good to begin with. Not your fault, just the nature of the game. None of the movements in reps are that good- even eta's- lack of service/surplus movts. You could trim the crown guards, service the movement and it would be better. Or you could spend more money and start over- MBW or something else. But you have to learn and then decide.

You could either fix the movement, or put a new one in there. Depends on whether or not you have a watchmaker that will work on it. New ETA 2836-2 might be the easiest route to go- new movt and labor might run $150-175. If you wear the watch all the time, it's not a bad investment. It's not a perfect rep, but to do better, you'd spend quite a bit more. As B-T says, the winding/click wheels/ rotor interface on an eta is the weak link- you have to wind them ever so gently and it's best to keep them on a winder and not wind them at all- maybe just adjust the time when you wear them.

Gasoline in your lighter! KABOOM! The guy may be rich, but he ain't so smart!

If it doesn't work one way, go the other way! I was changing the date on a PTS Resources DG2813, which is different from the true noob movt.

There's two parts to the bezel assembly- the bezel itself, which is the metal part and the insert which is the black part. Removing the metal bezel on a noobmariner is tough- it doesn't just pop off like the typical CN sub. You have to slowly work your way around lifting up with a case knife or razor being careful not to scratch the case- masking tape helps. BKLM1234 did a tutorial on this- use the search feature. Removing the insert is a little easier. I dropped my watch on the pavement and it popped right out! But actually, you can try slipping a razor between the sapphire crystal and lifting it from the inside- careful. Or you can pop the pearl and lift it from the pearl hole. Don't know about an exacto knife between the metal bezel and the insert itself- might damage the insert. Inserts are glued in. If you do happen to remove the bezel, you can just pop off the insert with your thumbs from the backside. It's not the easiest of tasks and you have to be careful not to damage the parts or you're SOL.

Opening a tight caseback would be easier with the LG Openall- it's like a $65 tool from ofrei or jules borel. MY WM 1680 is also difficult- I put it in a movement holder and then clamp the movement holder in a woodworking vice. Then with downward pressure on the Rolex wrench, I'm able to turn the caseback and remove it. I agree the CG's are off center- your only option is to file the top side. But also, they are too fat on the outside- this is a common problem on the MBW/MBK/WM vintages also. I believe Pug polished his down on the outside- alot of work. I do think this is one of the big tells between a rep and a gen vintage. CG's on a gen are typically thinner.

Just ran across this jubilee from roling- the guy that sells the really nice Datejust cases and dials. Starting at $150, and tight- looks to be in good condition. http://cgi.ebay.com/100-ROLEX-Jubilee-stai...1QQcmdZViewItem item # 330213539992 if the link doesn't work.

OK, let's try again. Unscrew the crown til it's free, then try winding it- should get the winding sound/feel. Next pull the crown out to the next stop gently. Turn it counter clockwise to adjust the date. The last stop is to set the time.

Sounds like a good "beater" to me. You beat it up and it keeps on going. And the great thing about it is that you didn't pay a whole lot of money for it. Those are the best kind.

OK, interesting to know. But if it's thinner, it may not line up as far as the stem/crown and the case tube.

There's nothing wrong with a 21,600 bph DG2813. There's nothing wrong with any 21,600 bph movt. It's just a slower beat. As for the swap, all you can do is try. The biggest problem is the date wheel and date window lining up- if it doesn't, you'd have to get a new dial or datewheel overlay- also hope it all lines up w/ the cyclops. Second thing is the hands swapping over- you won't know til you try. Lastly, the crown/stem has to align with the case tube. All you can do is try it- there are no guarantees. If it doesn't work, what are you out? $50-60? I would doubt that your case is a TW Best- as in Taiwan Best. It's possible, but highly doubtful. A few months ago I bought every cheap $50 sub rep I ran across on the Bay, hoping to stumble across a TW Best w/ lugholes. None of them were. A TW Best has the deep rehaut, and the inside diameter is in the 27mm range so that you can fit a gen rolex dial which is typically around 1mm smaller than a rep dial- most modern rep dials are in the 28.5mm range (for subs). BTW, a DG2813 is identified by the WO symbol under the balance. It comes from PTS Resources over in China. It's the best Chinese movt. IMO. Next step up is the Miyota 8215 for around $40.

This would not necessarily be an easy deal. I had a couple of $50 Datejusts where I wanted to put one dial in another case. The stuff didn't fit- obviously two different manufacturers. And the 8413 movt you refer to, is that the DG2813 you're thinking of? The one that Josh refers to as an asian ETA? If that's the case, you just need to ante up the $120 and buy Josh's beginmariner. It's a good watch with a good movement. Second option would be to buy River's Sub with the ETA copy movement- it's also a "noob" like the beginmariner. I've had both- gave the begin to a nephew and I'm wearing the River noob today. If I was to do it all over again, I'd get the River copy eta noob- it's been a great watch. I'd just chalk the Canal St rep up to experience- it'd be great to practice on!

Are you talking SS or TT? Obviously stainless is cheaper. Like Freddy said, I'd figure a SS at $150-250 and a TT at $250-350. Here's a TT aftermarket for $36 that I ran across http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-18KT-SS-BAND-FOR-D...1742.m153.l1262 ITem # 2002011546617 if the link doesn't work This guy also sells alot of rolex parts

I guess it's more a question of what is correct in Rolex'es eyes as opposed to what actually fits. It's interesting that the 501B's fit the 5513 case and the 16610 case- these are two different cases- just not that different, I guess.

Only the 1680 and 1665 will accept gen inserts (and aftermarket ones for that matter- part #315-5513-01) You will have to mod the WM inserts to fit the modern (16610) MBW and TW bezels- basically by filing the back of the insert so it will sit inside the bezel itself and not protrude- Bruce79 did an excellent tutorial of this which really should be posted as a sticky at the top of this section.

From looking at the Rolex bracelet charts I've seen that: 501B's fit the 5513 and 16610 (93150 bracelet) 580's fit 1680 and early 1665 " 593's fit the 16800 " 585's came along later for the 1665- maybe the GW model What the slight differences are between the end links are, I don't know- I guess there are slight variations in the cases which need to be accommodated with the different end links.

Yep, Jewelry and Watch- the expensive rep game. Just like these guys http://ndtradingcorp.com/zen/ Consensus is this is the good quality high dollar stuff coming out of Viet Nam. But if you want to build a $2-3K rep of a $10-30K watch, these are a couple of your choices. Certainly a step above MBW/MBK.

That dial is atrocious. And there is no Valjoux 72 R- the R is the Valjoux symbol- like a copyright logo. V72's were A, B, and C. The C was the triple date movt. After that it was 722, 723, etc.

Countersink the hole and use gasket sealer. The other o-ring may fit around the crown stem as I recall, if you need it. When I tried it on the tube threads going into the case it got all distorted, so I took it out and used gasket sealer. And make sure you tap the hole all the way with the tap- the Clark tube is delicate and I've snapped off a couple.

For a while I thought he was wearing a SS Datejust w/ polished center links, but after watching Season 1, I'd agree w/ the Yacht-Master. Can you say Rolesium? On dress ocassions, I've noticed he puts on a gold watch w/ black strap, I believe.