alligoat

Logically, you'd think Rolex would keep all of the thread sizes and pitch for the Submariners the same. Rethreading an ss case makes no sense to me. But it would be best to find a watchmaker to check it out w/ first. Neverthelss, here's a crown from Mark: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-SS-Rolex-Submarin...1QQcmdZViewItem Good luck.

I would think that the threads are the same on all three. My watchmaker didn't indicate any problems when he changed out my tube and crown from the 702 to 703 assemblies.

Euno, The 24-7020 tube will not fit your twinlock crown. You could however pick up a 24-702 crown and install the tube and crown assembly and have something that's earlier than the current 24-703 assembly. Mark moelarrycu has the 24-702 crowns from time to time, that's where I got mine.

Euno, Your crown is the earlier 24-700 w/o the three dots and is the twinlock. The tube on the 24-702 assembly would mean changing out your crown also, as it says in the tech blurb. I had the 24-702 assembly on my 1680 but had to update to the 24-703 assembly. Both are referred to as triplock.

These subs aren't perfect, but they're not that bad, I've never been called out even on my old CN throw down and I do think some people like bk, bruce, ubi, bytor, etc. have done alot to get awfully close. And heck, that's what's fun about this hobby. I like to think of it as "The Search for the Perfect Sub".

Yep, Euno, it might be a scarce part, being 35+ years old. BTW, I can never get Mark's ebay name right. Here's one of his current auctions: http://cgi.ebay.com/SS-Rolex-Submariner-Se...1QQcmdZViewItem This would be the 24-703-1 crown, but a little pricey IMO.

If you're talking early twinlock for a 5513 where the crown just has the Rolex logo on it, wouldn't that be the 24-7000-1 tube? Earlier than that, I don't know. Larrymoecu (Mark Rosenberg?) up in NYC has those old parts from time to time on ebay. I got the 24-702-1 crown from him a while back.

If you're looking for genuine parts, the correct crown and tube for the 1680 is the current crown and tube assembly for the 16610. Part # 24-703 and 24-7030. It is a 7mm crown. Older crown and tubes like the 24-700 and 24-702 could also be used, but they are more expensive and the 24-703 assembly is the latest and best unless you're trying to return an old gen back to it's original condition. Rolex updates older subs with the 24-703 assembly when servicing older watches. When buying on ebay, you have to be careful, because other numbers are often times used and older crowns don't fit the newer tube. Used 24-703 crowns are easy to find and then you can get an aftermarket tube from a place like Clark's Watch Supply (Nostalgia2000) on ebay and it should work out OK.

LOL, Looks like business must be good!

The original GMT Master was the 6542 and it had no crown guards. Dates from the middle 50's into the 60's. The GMT Master 1675 came out in the middle 60's and had the 1575 GMT movement and the crown guards. GMT hand tracked the hour hand on a 24 hour basis and you could tell the time in a second time zone by turning the bezel. Reps of the vintage GMT Master aren't considered all that good, mainly because the rep makers use the submariner case which isn't correct. Here's Paul's version: http://www.wo-mart.com/product_info.php?cP...products_id=814 And one by Silix-prime: http://www.silix-prime.com/product.asp?id=1494 I'm not sure if the dial on Paul's is correct, if I was to guess, I'd say it's an older copy that predates the middle sixties 1675. Markers are too yellow for my taste, and cg's are wrong. Silix's case looks a little better, the Jubilee bracelet was an option in lieu of the oyster bracelet. Euno's picture is of a very nice gen with the small GMT hand which only lasted for the first few years of the 1675 production run.

I'm with Bazz on this, I'd love to see a bezel assembly that copied the original Rolex design, same rehaut and same cg's. It would be nice to slap a gen bezel insert on there w/o having to do a bunch of filing. Also, it would be nice if gen dials would fit. As I recall, King had a sub six months ago or so that had copied the original bezel design more faithfully.

@ Bytor, Paul's "So-called Perfect Sub" was added June 2006 and is the eta version of the Noobmariner that's been out for a year. It would be nice if watchermaker9's case wasn't a scam, I guess we still need to check it out.

Does that mean you had them serviced? And by who?

Yep, now that you mention it, I see the Swiss at the bottom of the dial. Still, it's a beautiful watch.

Congratulations! That is one beauty. The dial , hands and movement look flawless.

That's nice, and it predates Tritium, so that would be early 60's, I guess.

Heck Neil, you've got a great Daytona. But last year watchmaker 9 was seliing your Noobmariner w/ an eta for an outrageous price, And now he's come up w/ a 1:1 submariner case. Wouldn't it be great with your contacts if you could get those 1:1 cases and sell them to all of us at a fair price. You'd be a double big hero, especially after your MBW success of the last few months.

I wasn't sure about the 16610 on the right, but I guess it's the reflection in the photo on the pearl. I like the pearl on the LH 16610, also. I have the 5513 w/ the Explorer dial and I'm still trying to figure out how to make the dial printing look more gold and less yellow. I don't mind the yellow lume markers that much, but the yellow green prints got to be fixed- or I put a gen dial on there, if it will fit.

Here goes: I would pick the second watch from the top , which looks to be the 14060 in the center at the bottom of the pile. I liked the white 1680 middle row on the left, No. 5 scrolling down, except for the big chunk out of the bottom of the case bet. the cg's. I like the cg's on the 5513, No. 6 and on top in the group portrait, but I don't like the dial. I like the cg's on the 16610 on the RH side, but I don't like the bezel insert and the LH 16610 and the red 1680 could use an inside trimming IMO

I would think you would need the whole clasp assembly with the first link on the LH side and then you would just screw it together. You're not gonna be able to install the pin and put a machined head on the end of it like they do at the factory. I've heard of two part pins with a head on each end which screw together in the middle, but I don't think that's what these pins are.

Try Josh at perfectclones: http://www.perfectclones88.com/rlyls10001-...6712-p-422.html Of course, I don't know where yours came from, and that might be the first place to try, since then the two watches might come from the same manufacturer and look the same.

On gen Rolex 16610's the correct bezel insert is the same as for the 16800. Part # 315-16800 or something like that. The problem occurs, like Bruce says, when you try to fit the bezel insert in a rep. That's when you have to go to modifying the insert to make it fit.

Like you freddy, I've seen both datewheels on DRSD's (or WSD's), but I would say that the flat-top 3's are the more common type of datewheel seen on the 1575 Rolex movement. I actually have a gen 1500 Date from 1966 (1575 movt) with the round top threes and closed sixes and nines. I've also seen the round top 3's with the open sixes and nines similar to the later 3035 and early 3135 datewheels. But overall, I've seen more of the vintage 1575 movts w/ the flat-top threes, and open 6's and 9's. In original subs and SD's they were originally silver background, but later Rolex replacememtns were white background. And of course, during initial assembly by Rolex, they were prone to using whatever stock was on hand. I've got the Watchmeister datewheel, but I haven't gotten around to installing it on my WM 1680, because it's just not that big a deal to me at this point! I;'ve also noticed that Wholesale outlet in Sugar Land, TX is selling a 1575 aftermarket datewheel w/ the flat top threes and open sixes and nines for around $40 on ebay. Last week I saw it w/ alternating red and black numbers!

A DRSD takes the old style bracelet- 93150 with the 580 or 585 end pieces. The SEL's only come on the later 93250 (after 2000 16610) and aren't correct for the DRSD.

The bezel insert for the 5513 is not the same size as the insert for the 16800/16610. And of course, the pearl on that 5513 insert is not correct for that model. bklm has been taking the pearl from a www,watchmaterial.com/ insert and applying it to the noobmariner bezel insert w/o removing the the insert itself. Pop off the old pearl and glue in the watchmaterial pearl. I bought a bezel insert from Raymond Lee on ebay and put it on my old CN sub and like it for the price- under $20, but I haven't seen his stuff on ebay lately. And on my noob/begin/perfect, I have just left the stock pearl and insert on there. Heck, the big a$$ crown bothers me more than the pearl. And I always trim the inside edges of the cg's.