alligoat

Let's get something straight- you will never ever achieve perfection in a replica- it's just not going to happen- it will always be a replica. If you want perfection, go buy a gen and then you'll realize that even a vintage gen watch will have flaws probably, unless you buy a new OOTB watch from Rolex. http://vintagewatchesmq.com/ MQ also has high quality vintage parts- check him out. Only drawback is that he's in Saigon, but I've never heard anything about people having problems with him. Also realize that you're talking about high end replicas- maybe $2500-5000 usd- close to the point where you could almost buy a genuine vintage watch. BTW, welcome aboard, there's a lot to learn so keep reading and maybe buy a few inexpensive reps to get started- work your way up the ladder slowly.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VALJOUX-STEMS-CALS-22-23-72-54-69-90-92-551-7730-7750-AND-MANY-MORE-/311756363246?var=&hash=item48962095ee:m:m643pHK5FrMYHf3Y1KlmOYw This 23 stem with the .90mm is correct for a Rolex crown

Did the rep guys come out with it first?New Yachtmaster

Considering the corrosion, the dial could easily be a later service dial. Did you happen to look at the back of the dial when the movement was serviced?

A lot of times the DW 6239 case came with oversized recesses for the pushers. If it has the small recesses, it would probably be easier to get a correct case.

The dial doesn't bother me. The corrosion between the rehaut and the crystal concerns me more. I'd replace the hands- I just can't go with trashed out hands myself.

As I understand it, the gen pushers and the Ofrei pushers are both .25mm thread pitch. You can re-tap the holes with the 2.5mm x .25 tap which is a standard Rolex tap size. In re-tapping, you might want to use a little loc-tite when you screw in the pushers just to help with WR.

You'd need a set of DW 6263 pushers and I don't know how you'd find those other than posting a WTB. The indent openings in your 6239 case at the pushers are probably big enough to accept the 6263 pushers, but a pic would help. Ofrei pushers have a different thread pitch than the DW pushers- .25mm vs .20mm for the DW as I recall. This case on ebay could possibly be a DW case- no guarantees! http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIY-Watch-Case-Kit-for-Valjoux-72-Movement-Daytona-6263-6265-Lug-19mm-/282279550116?hash=item41b92c1ca4:g:trAAAOSwintXRmh3 If you use a V 23, I guess the subdial at 6 o'clock will be fixed.

It sure is hard to beat an MBW with some nice mods. I consider them the equal to their vintage Rolex counterparts at one fifth to one tenth the cost of a gen and it sure is easier and cheaper to keep a Swiss eta running than a Rolex 1575! Nice watch!

+1 what Freddy said. What movement are you using?

Well with Ziggy gone, maybe mymanmatt could look at it, mikespied (Mike) would be another possibility and you could always ask automatico if he knows of anyone. I'd never heard of the P-3000 movement so I had to look it up- developed in 2010 by Panerai, I'm surprised that it's already been cloned

Ofrei has the pearls- lume dots- I think they run $18-20 each. Since you're in EU, Cousinsuk has the T-127 crystals- sternkreuz, etc.

Doesn't look like a TC 2824 to me- look at the cut outs in the plates. I'd figure this is a German site that's selling movements, no connection to TC that I can see

It's going to take more than one pic, but off hand I'd say the dial is too pretty for an almost 60 year old watch and the chances of a mint condition insert are slim to none. Hands are replacement hands no doubt. And what about the seller??

The Rolex 295 C crystal has a unique side profile. The Clark's crystal that I got had a flat edge, but it worked fine on my MBW 16610 with gen like construction. I don't know about the Startime crystal, but looking at the enlarged picture, it may have the correct side profile. For $30, it's not much of a gamble to try one out. Cousinsuk has the correct crystal, you might check it out. I got a 295c from mymanmatt and it had the correct profile, but it came with a watch case that I was buying from him. If Stettler make crystals for Rolex, they probably wouldn't sell to you directly- I'd figure that they have an exclusive relationship with Rolex.

The first link is for the standard Rolex sapphire crystal- aftermarket, of course. So yes we've all heard of them, what's your next question?

http://jewelryandwatch.com/contents/en-us/d145.html The only place I know of is Phong. but you could also check Ming Quy over in Saigon.

Great post! the only thing that I'd add was that there was the SWISS dial which came out for only a year- I'm thinking it was around 1998 and it was during the time when Rolex switched from tritium to luminova. Around a year later Rolex switched to super luminova and hence marked the dials SWISS MADE. Also during that time, Rolex actually produced some dials that said SWISS- T<25 and were lumed with luminova- I have one of those dials in my 16800- kind of nice- still glows well at night. I also have a 16610 from 1988- the first batch of 16610s with the R serial and the open 6/9 datewheel- tritium dial that doesn't glow much at all anymore- but an original watch in good condition.

Yes, hands are 150/90/25 and it's a 21600 bph so it looks like a good movement for the 1665SD http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&ETA_2879 Just remember Ranftt- great source for specs on watch movements

If the crown comes out, it probably means the keyless works got boogered up. It was a $40 fix with my watchmaker when I did that- cheaper than sending it back to Andrew.

http://www.startimesupply.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=ETA2846Y&Category_Code=2Move_Manu_ETA-z19 here's a 2846-2 from startime- I think they've started selling to hobbyist- they email me all the time but gave me a ration of you know what when I tried to open an account 3 years ago. Startime also has hands, Tudor like for eta, as does Clarks or TC

That's a lot to pay for an old movement- plus it probably needs a service. And the seller says it's new- that doesn't seem right to me- that pointer on the balance isn't a current eta feature, plates are rough- I'd personally stay away and look for a better example

There's no way to fit a gen SD bezel to a SSD. First of all, you must realize that the Rolex SD is a beast unto itself and the unique case construction has never been copied- hell, even Rolex needs special tools to mess with a SD (16660 and 16600). SSDs have a rep bezel assembly- nothing close to gen. Your best bet is to get a BP SD and go from there- but other than a bezel insert, forget about gen parts other than the old crown and tube mod. TC makes a good SD dial, but the BP dial isn't bad to begin with. If you're really stuck on a SD, buy a gen - but finding one for $5K usd is tough these days. They quit making the 16600 quite a few years ago.

Swapping out dials on a 16570 shouldn't be that expensive- I would expect to pay my watchmaker $25-40. I figure that beats the heck out of screwing it up yourself

Nothing beats on the job experience! And I promise you my watch bench is twice as cluttered as yours. Keep up the good work.