alligoat

An ETA 2893-A2 is a GMT movement with the fourth hand like as in an ExplorerII or GMT Master II. With running seconds at three, I would bet on a Dubois Depraz chrono module added to an ETA base movement of some sort. Of course, it could be a totally in house U. Nardin movement. It is not a 7750.

If you look at the bottom of the GMT Master dial, it says T < 25. This dates this dial to pre mid 90's cause that's when they stopped using Tritium. I would think this is a reputable seller, but they must have their pictures messed up, or they aren't so reputable. I thought Rolex stopped production of the GMT Master a few years ago, but I'm not positive. As for Astorlive, they have stopped me from bidding on their auctions because I questioned one of their watches- an old GMT with lousy date mag. I can't say the bezel insert is aftermarket, and I don't know about the band, but I do know Astorlive will ban you if you seriously question them. Makes you wonder about their 100% approval rating. I do agree that there are alot of watches w/ aftermarket parts that are referred to as 100% Rolex, but really aren't. The only way you're going to get around that is by going directly to Rolex for service and paying thru the nose. If you buy a watch, they will verify its authenticity for you for a fee which used to be around $75, but is probably more these days.

Obvious scam, w/ a pic of an ETA movement! I tried getting this guy off of ebay once, same scam, but he's back. Hard to tell what he's selling since the pics don't match up very well. And his description is totoal bs.

I just took a measurement on a spare 1500 Date case which I have, 28.25mm inside. Interestingly enough, the case has a cut out on the side opposite the case tube, I guess to allow for more room for the movement on that side. The 1500 Date takes the 1575 movement also. The ring above that that the dial would sit against is 27.13mm. But more appropriate to your case is that the spare dial for my 1680 is 26.15mm. I'm thinking that the 1665 dial would be closer to a 1680. And of course, didn't the original 1665's use a modified sub case? I guess what you really need is a 1665 case!

Yep, Joe's your man! And he types faster than I do, also. While I'm giving you a long drawn out disertation, he just says, "send it to me." But at least I've explained to you what he'll be doing in fixing your watch. That's the great thing about this board, we've got people who can help you fix/mod your watch and if you hang around long enough you can learn how to do this stuff yourself. You may not always get it right but you're learning and that's cool. too.

Ouch! It sounds like you may have cross threaded the tube into the case. And using a pair of pliers isn't the way to go. Try removing the tube using a rat tail file or a torx screwdriver (I'm guessing you don't have the proper tool for screwing the tube in/out). These go inside the tube and then turn counterclockwise to remove the tube. Also, I guess you didn't clean the inside threads of the case with the proper tap before screwing the tube in. If the crown won't screw down on the tube, you may be SOL. I would guess you've boogered up the threads on the tube. Maybe you can get by w/ another tube, but you also need to get someone to do it for you or get a few tools- at least the tap to clean the threads on the case and something to screw the tube in with- not pliers. You can find a set of taps at ofrei.com.

Dm- Diameter minimum Do- Diameter overall Or it could be Diameter maximum? No Sprecthen zie Deutsch. But I doubt it's German, just technical jargon Or Diameter opening? You can't fit a Dm movement in a smaller case so you'd need a Do that's greater. Just thinking out loud!

Invictas are good watches for the price. The quartz and automatic models (Miyota 8215) for around $100 are a good buy. Many of them are WR to 200m, which is farther than anyone is going down scuba diving as a recreational diver. Many of them mimic the timeless Rolex designs and Invicta even had to stop making the 8926 with the coin edge bezel after Rolex got after them. It looks like the 8926 with the coin edge (Rolex) bezel is still available from Overstock.com and for $100 that's a good deal.

Here's a link to a William Marshall Limited Edition Swiss Masterpiece. It's a Submariner with a 2824-2 movement in it. 200m/660Ft WR. I've tested mine to 90ft last summer. It's a step above the Invicta sub which has the Miyota movment, but cheaper than the Invicta with the Swiss automatic movment. But Invictas aren't a bad deal either. http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-SWISS-Automatic-...tem230066839287

Yep, gio, that's a very nice looking watch. Maybe you could enlighten us as to the particulars. I was thinking a TTK base, but then I looked at the movement and noticed the slot at the button to remove the stem/crown. And today I was looking at one of Paul's movements, an eta with the colored gear, but it had Rolex on the rotor, as I recall. Sometimes I get confused! Tell us more. And great pics BTW.

All of my ETA movements are working fine (at least 7) and two of my asian movements have crapped out- out of 8 total. It may be possible to revive one of them, but the other is toast. I did notice today that Ofrei carries Chinese movements for $15-20 so it may be possible to do a transplant, but hand sizes vary so it could be a little more involved. The original 2824 came out in 1973. The 2824-1 was in production until '79 or '83 and the 2824-2 has been around since that time. I couldn't tell you what the differences are, but I would figure that they are minor improvements that were made over the years. If you find a 2824 or 2824-1 movement in a watch, I would assume it is older. Stick with the 2824-2.

I certainly find it interesting that Angus says the replica watch market isn't growing, but that the quality is improving. I think we've all seen the improvement in quality over the last couple of years, but I find it hard to believe that the market isn't growing.

tvt's right on the money there. My watchmaker will service an eta starting at around $70. I take my Rolexes to him also cause I can't fade the $500 charge at the AD and it runs $150-200. In both cases, parts would be extra. Sometimes, your watch may just need to be adjusted. Put it on the Vibragraf and move one of the levers on the balance wheel. Five minutes of his time, $10-20 maybe. One time I had a vintage Valjoux 72 chronograph which was running fast. My watchmaker took one look at it, said the balance wheel was dirty, loosened a screw or two, dipped it in the cleaning solution, dried it off and put it back in the watch and put it on the Vibragraf, made a small adjustment and voila, it was right on. I got to watch and he didn't even charge me for it- a five minute repair. Finding a good watchmaker can be the key to happiness!

The correct bracelet for a 16800 is the 93150. This bracelet has the same clasp as the current bracelet, the 93250. A 93150 would have end pieces (hollow as you say) which were numbered for the specific model which they fit (like 580, 501) and those numbers correspond to a certain model of watch. For your 16800 Franken, a 93150 bracelet with 580 end pieces would be correct, as I recall. A good place to find this information is on Timezone under vintage or modern Rolex- these guys love to hash and rehash this trivia. I'm not really sure which bracelet an early 16610 (c. early 90's) would have, but if I had to guess, I'd say 93250, but I don't knpw if it originally came with the hollow end link pieces or solid end links like the current models.

Those are some beautiful restorations. I realize nowdays alot of collectors like original unrestored watches, but those restorations sure look fine to me. It's like giving new life to a vintage watch, making it good for the next 20-30 years.

Great tutorial, Bruce. And don't forget, after cleaning up the excess epoxy with vodka and a rag, you can always drink the remaining vodka, as a celebration of sorts!

Richard Brown came to mind for me, also. Speaking of which, I don't recall seeing him post here recently, if ever???

@ aclaimsman Is that a piece of PVC pipe in there on top of the crystal? You could even notch it out to go over the cyclops. Pretty ingenious!

To realign the crystal, take off the back, pull the stem and crown and remove the movement from the case. Then you press out the crystal from the back (inside), you might be able to use your thumbs to do this, realign it and press it back in with a (crystal) press. Make sure you don't booger up the white nylon (plastic) gasket. Clean the inside of the crystal, and reinstall the movement. A Rolex caseback opener and a watch press are the tools you need and a 1.2mm screwdriver if you have an ETA movement- to remove the stem. Or you can do like I did one night. Drop it on the concrete floor, watch the crystal pop out, then go back upstairs and repress the crystal back in- didn't even have to remove the movement!

Well, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a slight variation from year to year. It's not unheard of for Rolex to mix things up from time to time. But I probably would go back to Gio's answer where variations in camera angles and lenses accounts for most of the differences.

The single digit dates always appear larger the the twenties. You see this when you look at the unmagnified date wheels. They're slightly larger because they can fill up the whole date window. The teens are also larger than the twenties because of the spacing. The one in the teens allows more room for the second digit and hence the overall date looks larger. Last week we saw where rehaut was less on a 16800, which would also affect date mag, but on the 16610's, the best deal is going to be to compare the same dates and then as Goi says, you're probably goimg to have to take into account camera lens, etc And of course, date mag on the 1680 is still greater than the 16610's because of the height of the crystal from the dial.

Well damn those Italians, Eunomians! But it does look like an interesting book, however, it would be nice if Amazon would carry it for those of us over here in the colonies!

Beautiful collection, Arthur. But I do have one question, how can you fit OEM hands to a MBW 1665? The MBW has an ETA movement, and the OEM hands will only fit a 1575 movement. Unless you pulled a Saabin!

This could be kinda tricky. If you have a CN GMT where the bezel pops off easily, that's good. But getting the inserts to snap in and out and keep changing them might be a little tough. If the insert is glued in there, you're going to have to reglue the other one each time you put it on there. First step is going to be take off your present bezel and insert and see if the insert is glued to the bezel ring. If it is, your best bet is going to be get a second bezel ring and the second insert, glue them together and just swap the whole assembly each time. If the inserts snap in, eventually I would think they will quit snapping in good and start popping out. The inserts aren't really made to be constantly changed. In the long run, you might be better off getting two separate watches.

I got an email from him Friday. He was having computer problems sending stuff (emails) out. He sent me an email showing his new watches on the second try- from Bootscarl- I guess that's his new alias.