alligoat

The case is fine, but has been well polished. This would have been a matte dial 16800 originally, so the original dial has been replaced- I would assume, didn't see it on the sellers site. Possibly the Swiss T<25 dial he has was the replacement dial- it's a later MK1 dial. At the prices this guy charges, I guess he makes money parting out these watches- $625 for the bezel and insert, $2250 for the case, maybe $1500 for the movement and $350 for a set of hands. Wonder where the click spring went! And 93150s with 593 end pieces are pricey these days also. Good luck on your build

Yep, now that I look at it- printed a picture of it and drew lines- the 'L' in Rolex is right of center, the twelve o'clock marker in the minute track is crooked, crown emblem is slightly cocked to the left and I do see the slope/rounding on the two subdials at 9 and 3- probably also on the subdial at 6, and there's that ring around the center hole. But alas, it's a rep dial and the big thing people need to do is decide if it fits their needs or if they are going to keep looking around. Price enters into the equation and also if they're putting a V72 in there, which is a costly proposition in and of itself, so it might be a good idea to find a little better dial.

Other than the crown emblem at 12 o'clock looking kind of flat and possibly lopsided, I'd say it's a pretty good dial- lettering and numbers look good. Once it's under a crystal, it ought to do fine.

If you got your case from Tony V, I'm thinking that it's a DW case. Some of DW's cases came unmarked. As for the crystal, you just need to try a few others, a gen would be good, but there are other aftermarkets that will work also http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-Plexi-Watch-Crystal-For-Fit-Rolex-Tropic-21-Swiss-Made-/291781159157?hash=item43ef8328f5:g:eTkAAOxyY3ZRwOf5 Sternkreuz has a 21 - XS-306.449- might get it from CousinsUK or Ofrei. It's been my experience with plastic crystals that you may have to try a few until you get one that fits and with DW cases, I've had to sand down the bezel to make it fit over the crystal- but if you have a better bezel, hopefully that won't be the case. I do think it's best not to get a 6263 wet- it would be nice if it were WR, but I wouldn't push it myself.

I'm with automatico on this, I use the #55 cobalt drill bit from Snap-On Tools.

Nanuq's caseback is polished, the sellers is brushed in the center- he also doesn't show the inside of the caseback with the III/72. In fact his pictures basically suck- no head on shot of the dial, no look at the datewheel. no decent pic of the cgs except the rear one. Movement shot wouldn't hurt either, but he's probably one of those who can't take off the caseback- or maybe it is a replacement case. That insert's red color is interesting- never seen a fade like that either- definitely unique... Got to trust the seller first.

One of my happiest days was when I found a watchmaker here in Houston that would work on my reps. He also works on my gens and is reasonably priced. I don't know where you reside in France, but if you're in a big city, I'm sure there are independent repair guys that wouldn't be opposed to working on your reps. Also, there are watchguys on this forum that work on watches and are in the EU. You need to start looking around. Also, your watches aren't a race car so that comparison doesn't hold water. If you're worried about your a2836, the smart thing to do would be get it serviced and quit worrying!

You spend a lot of time worrying about breakdowns- why don't you just enjoy your watches and deal with it when and if they do breakdown. If you have two watches, you can always wear the good one while you get the broken one serviced.

Yep, it's the too open 6s, the Submariner font is too short, and SCOC is a wee bit too tall. Add to that the stubby cgs and too tall rep crown and there you have it. MBW makes a nice white sub dial, don't know about Yuki, etc.

The more that I look at the first dial, the more that I wonder if the Rolex Oyster Cosmograph printing isn't lopsided- or is it the Rolex crown not properly centered? The second dial has a pretty thick Daytona, and not as nice a center crown emblem. But the thing is, you have to remember these are rep dials- good, but not perfect. You just have to make a decision based on the fewest faults, price point and which you like the best- there is not a really right answer.

The dial looks pretty good to me- good crown emblem, faded Daytona which is ok for an aged dial.

The 1680 is a cartel with the fantasy dial. Second is a late model noobmariner with the SN M092118 Third might be a BP SD No idea on the GMTs The two tone 16613s have a SN of M241509- is this a WM9 SN? Can't tell if the sides of the center SELs have gold plating but it kinda looks like they do. The black dial looks pretty good to me, blue I can't see very well.

That UV lamp will do the trick for curing uv glue- or just use the clear epoxy.

I think the ID of the T-22 is the same as the T-21, but the OD is slightly thicker- it goes on the 1016 which is more robust that than the Daytonas (6239-6265, 6238, etc.). Those sure are a rough set of hands and dial! Nanuq brown!

People on the rep forums aren't going to sell Swiss etas because they're too valuable and they can always use them in their own builds. You could buy an older watch that has a Swiss eta in it, but then you need to figure a service which will run maybe 80-90 euros in your neck of the woods. Buying a new 2836-2 from Cousinsuk will run a lot also. this seller in Singapore doesn't look bad to me http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-SWISS-MADE-ETA-2836-2-AUTOMATIC-MOVEMENT-NICKEL-NEW-WHITE-OR-BLACK/222063625217?_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D82eef3309fd94046b4a31a3319ed4018%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26

Looks just like my calipers from Harbor Freight for $15.

You might consider buying a rep with an a21j movement- that will save about $100 a lot of the time. I've had good luck with the Asian 21js lately and if it fails, buy another one for $30-35 and swap it out.

I've had problems on various site using Internet Explorer (IE), but like kernow, when I used Google Chrome everything worked fine.

If you want a Swiss eta, check ebay. You'll have to get the DWO yourself and either install it or have someone else do it for you.

G-S Hypo Cement might also work- nice thin applicator. Also, could you update to an aftermarket 5513 bezel and crystal retention ring?

https://www.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/306729-New-Cartell-1675 read what the folks at RWI say, like all reps, it's certainly not perfect, but maybe you can make it better.

Of the usual suspects, I would start with the crystal. Hope it's somewhat gen-like construction.

http://www.trustytime01.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_12&products_id=15121

If you have a 2836-2 in your watches- a spare 2836-2 will be a straight drop-in but you'll need a DWO also.

Well you can't rule out a kink, dirt and maybe even a broken gear, but the first two are more common. Asian 2836s aren't put together under the best circumstances, so you may need to be ready to have them serviced if you develop a problem. When removing the stem, I pull it out to the time setting position and then use a 1.2mm screwdriver to depress the button, anything smaller and you risk screwing up the keyless works. Reinsertion is a go easy type of deal and rotate the crown stem if it helps. Good luck.