alligoat

Try http://ndtradingcorp.com/zen/ I just ordered the 5508 case and a gilt dial- now I'm looking for the 1520/1530 movement.

Genuine insert??? Set of hands- saw some at NDTrading for $100 Also might want to consider a service for the 1570- around $200 maybe Fitting the movement into the case may require a little filing on the side opposite the stem. Other than that, I believe it's a pretty simple fit- up. Especially if you've already installed the case tube. Good luck. Sounds like you'll have a very nice franken for a little over $2K.

If you want an eta movement, buy the watch with it in it. Don't go to the trouble to switch an eta for an asian 21j- esp. the day date movement- parts aren't necessarily interchangeable and getiing the parts you need will take too much time and effort- new hands, new date and day wheels, etc.

The asian ETA 2813 is really a misnomer. This movement is referred to as a DG2813 in the ofrei and julesborel catalogs. It's an asian 21j and is closer to the Miyota than an ETA. I think it was Josh who referred to it as an eta copy movement, but it just ain't so! Look for the WO symbol under the balance wheel- that means it comes from PTS Resources in China. I personally like the movement, but it's like any other rep movement (ETA included), it could be dirty and need to be serviced. But once it's been serviced it's fine. And if it's running well, then you may not have to service it for a few years. Ironically, it's also cheaper to replace it than service it- the Chinese Conundrum!

I just had a genuine insert put on my 1680 last year for $65. It's the same part # 315-5513-01, for the 1665, 5513, and 5512. New inserts will be luminescent material and say that on the package- lumi. I kept the old tritium insert and put it on my WM red sub. $95 isn't a bad price if it's genuine- this stuff is hard to come by and with a rep you just can't walk into an AD! I don't know about the flat top T-39- at $150, I'd probably just go w/ a Clark's, but it's all just a matter of how correct you want to be.

If a bracelet has been polished a few times, the crown on the clasp won't be as crisp as it was originally.

I'm with Freddy, I've actually had two eta's serviced and at least a couple of asian movements repaired/serviced. Finding a rep friendly watch repairman is always worthwhile. But on a couple of occasions, I've had to find the rep spare parts (from China) for them- they just don't have the sources for spare parts (esp. Chinese movts). But working on an eta is usually pretty simple, they can readily get those parts.

Yep, I thought those prices were too good to be true!

Supply and demand, there just isn't the demand. But don't hold me to the prices, that's just my gut feeling.

Guess that old price is no longer any good! Damn Rolex parts keep going up every day! Like you say, Ponycar had them for a good price, but I guess he came to his senses.

Here's one in the US for $41: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rolex-Plastic-Crystal-...1QQcmdZViewItem item # 320215903699 these are worth $15-20. Timezone had a bunch for sale by Ponycar up in NJ- good prices, too. Just have to keep your eyes open.

If it's gen Rolex, $300-700, depending on condition. I'm thinking it's 904L steel, being late model stuff.

Oops! Looks like trouble to me- that's a short clasp, like the one found on the GMT Master II and the Explorer II's. And SEL's are all wrong for a 1680- got to be 280/380/ or 580 detachable end pieces.

So would this be an early 60's idiosyncrasy? Pre tritium, so to speak

A fair competent watchmaker could do it in a couple of minutes for say $10. To do it yourself, you need the Rolex caseback tool (duct tape isn't really an option, IMO) and a 1.2mm screw driver. Open the back, take out the crown/stem, remove the hold down tabs and out comes the movement. Clean the crystal and put the watch back together in reverse order. Gioarmani recently posted a tutorial in the Rolex section on modding the crown guards where he shows you how to remove the crown/stem, after that, reomving the tabs is idiot simple and there are other tutorials around here also showing you what to do- just keep reading and searching. Finding a rep friendly watchmaker is certainly worth the time and effort, especially if you don't want to buy the tools. It'll also make this hobby more enjoyable if you keep buying watches.

The caption beside the photo says it's a genuine 16610. It's actually the same photo he uses on his pamplet 'The Rolex Report, Companion Pocket Guide'. The pearl on the pamplet looks better, BTW.

Here's another 5508 from bjsonline with the lume dot at 6- peculiar. Guess I'll read Skeet and Urul tonite, see what they have. http://www.bjsonline.com/watches/gallery/p...rowns)/G003.jpg

The original 5512, late 50's, only had the two lines of dial print below, but the printing was gilt. When the 5513 came out in the early 60's (gilt printng, also) Rolex added the additional two lines of print to the 5512- Superlative Chronometer, Officially Certified, to denote the chronometer rated movement (1560 or 1570), Somewhere around the middle 60's the dial print changed from gold to white. 5513's had the meters first dials up until around say 1970, after that the feet first were common. The 5513 pictured above came from Paul a year and a half ago. At the time it cost $139 w/ a Swiss eta movt. I recently transplanted a standard 5513 dial (26mm- a 'redial' for $150) into it. I also changed out the pearl for an acrylic one- popped right in, trimmed the cg's and waterproofed it- i.e. basically greased the seals w/ silicone. So I still have less than an MBW in it. If you want to spend the money, an MBW is a good way to go, but I believe these less expensive watches from Andrew, Paul and Silix also can be fun- and great to practice on- if you screw em up, so be it.

It's definitely an aftermarket rep case- good old 18K stainless and bad cg's to boot.I just report these guys- if enough people do it, it might work.

Nice group of watches, Carl. I like your taste in watches.

Nice find POTR. Has the detachable end pieces which I like better for the model Date. It would probably look fine w/o the Rolex crown on the clasp- who cares, the watch is a gen!

I just got two Florida Watch bezel inserts, but I went thru Gioarmani's tutorial and ordered online and had to use a credit card- took 2-3 weeks. They're ok, especially at $15 each- slightly smaller than a gen insert's pearl, a little greener, but acceptable IMO- probably equal to the watchmaterial pearl, but since I lost my watchmaterial pearl, I don't have one to compare it with! Nice job on the cg's bk, kept the slight inside angle around the crown which is good. I also wondered about the SSD being out of the noob factory with the last three digits being 117! I do like the rep crown and tube on the SSD- may be a copy of the gen.

Yep, there are alot of noobs out there, but if you're only looking for the dial, the beginmariner is fine. It is a noob, but there have been some issues with it- like the bolder font on the date overlay. The case is F520117 and the movement is the asian 21j from PTS Resources in China (it is not an eta copy as Josh says, but it isn't a bad 21j asian movement, it's the DG 2813 which Ofrei and Jules Borel sell). Also seen a few "zit pearls" on beginmariner!

A Date will have 19mm lugs, so you need a bracelet that's 19mm. The current bracelet appears to have solid end links, which is interesting- I've would have figured the watch itself as a 1500 or 15000 series- both of which predate SEL's. You could always ask Rolex what a gold plated bracelet would run, or individual links if they are available. Next stop would be to check ebay and if you find a good one, maybe you could swap out the original Rolex clasp. Silix sells individual bracelets- maybe you could get a GP 19mm oyster from him. What about a nice brown crocodile strap w/ a gold Rolex buckle? Or just a plain gold buckle. I see you're missing some lume on the hour hand- might not be a bad idea to get a service and a new set of hands. That watch w/o strap has a value of $1200-1500 or more if in really good condition. So it looks like you got a pretty good deal. Congratulations.

You've pretty much answered your own question. If you can't find a genuine insert, a www.watchmaterial.com pearl is a good option. I don't think the cyclops is that big an issue- Rolex date mag isn't as large as most people seem to think. As for the bezel teeth, you're probably stuck. WM9 has a more correct bezel assembly- closest to the gen, but can a gen assembly be swapped in there- who knows and finding gen parts isn't that easy for most of us. Crown position will always be wrong with the rep makers using the 2836 movt. You can file/shave the back side of the bezel insert to make it sit lower in the bezel and thereby elevating the crystal profile a little and improving the insert to bezel look. Gen crown and tube mods are good, but I don't recall the WM9 crown being that bad- it's not oversized like the noob crown. And don't forget- these are still reps! You can get close, but it's still a rep.