alligoat

I can't pull up the link, but the 1680 wasn't made for a sapphire crystal so this is another late model aftermarket adaptive part from wholesaleoutlet990 and that group of scoundrels. You can certainly try it and see if it works, but you might be better getting a sub with a sapphire crystal like a 16800, or a 16610. A noobmariner would be the economy model or something from BK or TC would be a Cadillac. If you keep your MBK in good shape, you could sell it and recoup most of the cost for a BK or a TC.

"Sure will but how do I do that?" To measure a dial, you have to take it and the movement out of the case. 1. open the case with the Rolex caseback wrench 2. remove the crown and stem- unscrew crown and pull out to the last stop and then carefully depress the button on the movement and pull out the crown and stem. 3. unscrew the hold down screws and tabs. 4. Flip case over and drop movement and dial into your hand 5. put movement and dial on the table with the dial face up 6. with a pair of calipers measure the OD of the dial. You need a Rolex caseback opener tool, screwdrivers and a pair of tweezers to do this

Well E, I finally assembled my ST3035 case with the relumed 16800 matte dial over the weekend Sorry for the bad pics, I've gotten lazy with my iPhone.It was a bitch getting the gasket under the crystal retention ring to stay put. The 29-337 gasket from Clarks didn't fit w/o stretching and then it broke. So I went to a 325 gasket and stretched it and siliconed it in there. The gen bezel insert did snap in the bezel but I had to file the inside of the bezel so that it would turn- it's still stiff and needs another round of filing. Lugs are thick and too tall on the ends. I compared it with my gen 16800 matte dial which is on the bottom in this next pic. The gen 593 end pices are too flat for the ST case, but I can work on that. Don't know if I'll try to flatten the ends of the lugs yet or not. The flat line at the crown guards needs to be smoothed over Getting the 2834-2 in the case with the Raffles time #2 ring was a bitch- should have filed the outside of the ring down some. Might have even moved the dial slightly because the DWO was better centered when it was in the noob case. Gen crown and a WSO tube are working fine, but I'm probably going to need another longer stem- I can wind the watch, but it would be nice if the crown came out about another mm to do so. ST 3035 on the left, gen on the right below Right now I'm just enjoying the watch. Don't know when I'll take care of the little tweaks or have it tested for WR at the watchmalers. I certainly do like the gen bezel assembly over the slightly smaller noob bezel assembly- just makes for a nicer watch.

I wouldn't think so- Rolex put the 'Submariner' on the top and on the bottom, there were no rules back in those days so to speak. Who would have dreamed that 50 years later people would be so anal and examine all this vintage Rolex stuff w/ a microscope!

The bezel insert doesn't look to bad. +1, just add an Ofrei pearl, Crown guards could probably use a trim, but can't really see them You don't say which movement you have in there- if it's a 2846-2 that's a big plus The dial is ok, not great, the lume markers look a little flat like they're painted on there, but since you didn't pay much, why worry- just call it a beater and go on. Enjoy the watch and if you find that the 1680 is your cup of tea, you can build a better model later on.

A cartel 1680 can come from any number of sellers. Best cartel 1680s would be from Puretime and Josh, but with reservations of course. The Puretime case would need a new bezel assembly but Clark's was selling those a while back, I believe. The Josh case has stubby crown guards which can be trimmed on the inside but are still hard to overcome. Both will take a gen crystal. Other models may also take the gen crystal (or decent aftermarket one). It would be nice if the seller could tell you which dealer the case came from. As for what you do from there, that's up to you. BTW, the Rolex emblem on the clasp of the bracelet is too fat and stubby- i.e. it sucks. Also, the safety clasp should be smooth and not have the lines thru it as was the case with later- 16610 and on- bracelets.

The 2836-2 and the dg2813 are close and should work. The 2824-2 has a higher stem position so stick with the 2836-2.

I don't know what you spent on the dial, but your only other choice would be to get a refund and go somewhere else if your patience is wearing thin.

You might find a gen 3135 movement on ebay- expect to pay $1500-1750 or possibly more. SA3135 from Puretime would be a cheaper alternative or maybe from Yuki- not sure about Yuki though.

I like the FC, but it doesn't have a date feature. Even though it's not as reasonably priced, I Iike the Breitling

Well, the first order of business is to remove the crystal and measure it with a set of calipers. On my late model SSD v2, that's what I did. Then jmb ordered a plain 29.5mm mineral crystal from Jules Borel I believe, and I installed it. Only drawback is that it's not WR, but I haven't tried to seal it with silicone or G-S Hypo-cement yet. It might be a 29.5 x 1.5mm crystal, but I'm not sure and the stuff is at home which is not where I am at this moment. The sides on this crystal are straighter which is more correct for the SD.

You got it aero! Commercial concrete contractor

16660 for a while today

Here's the pic of the $139 Paul DRSD Bought this is 2006

I've got a few of the old Paul watches still around- the 5513 has a new dial in it, guess it's time to drill out the lugholes I put one of those better pearls in there also. The 2836-2 is still going strong. I think i paid $139 originally The DRSD case was sent on to Chi and I kept the movement for my 16660 build Yup, it had the working HE valve and I put the other better pearl in that insert- another $139 deal. The last deal from Paul was the noobmariner with a swiss eta for $159. I ended up putting the movement and dial in my Euromariner Sure would be nice if photobucket would work!

The old "el cheapo' Josh subs will accept a gen crystal- then the only drawback is the stubby cg's- but if you straighten them up a bit, you might be ok http://www.1-pc8838.com/rlsv01106-vintage-5513-date-submariner-asia-2813-28800-best-p-9667.html Otherwise, you could try an Angus case since you're using a Clark's bezel assembly- my 1665 took a GS crystal and a custom jmb retaining ring (this was before the Clark's assembly came out). And like Freddy says, there's always the MBW, but they aren't cheap!

I'm partial to the white myself- the price for a real DRSD has gotten so outrageous that I would never feel comfortable wearing one around- even if it was a kick-a$$ rep. MBWs are a good choice but they take a lot of mods to bring them up to snuff.

Welcome aboard Lo'! You might check with jmb and see if he's got anything left over. If not, you can go with the Trusty vintage Explorer 1 and hopefully it will work for you http://www.ttw168.co...products_id=567 It's generally regarded as a good rep and even though we suspect the eta will be an asian clone, it nontheless will hopefully function well. Another thing to do is keep using the Search Function and keep reading- there's a lot to learn around here. One of the things you can learn how to do is build watches- like the Explorer I- I built this one for around $500 I used a gen 1601 Datejust case, a relumed Yuki dial and a 2824-2 eta movement that I had lying around. Other parts were a set of Clark's hands, a jmb bezel and a Clark's T-22 crystal. It's more than a vintage Explorer I from Trusty, but it's a solid watch and WR to boot. You can learn how to build watches by sticking around here, but starting with a watch from Trusty (Andrew) would be a good first step.

+! for 1.2mm

I agree. That's too much to pay for a dial, hands and a case. You'd still have to source a 1565 movement to be correct and it would still be a put together watch.

You'd think that Rolex would have changed the dial at the same time as the movement. Keep asking questions if you're looking to buy. Certainly the watch isn't all original with the 1575 movement in there.

Why not get a good aftermaket tube and a used gen crown? I've had good luck with the wholesaleoutlet990 tubes and then I just pick up a used 703 crown on ebay- I try to get it for $25-40. Rep tubes can be tricky to install since they typically don't have the internal splines for screwing the tube into the case. Sometimes you can screw the tube in with the crown screwed on, then let the loc-tite dry and unscrew the crown later.

Nice job! I agree that the MBW 1680 DW is perfect for the 16800/16660 watches, or even a 16000 DJ. Now you need a set of drilled lugholes!

Rolex uses the same parts on a 16800 and 16610 bezel assembly. If the bezel is smoother on a 16800, that is probably because it's 30 years old and worn. Bezel inserts have also changed stylistically over the years but are still the same basic part size wise- no more tritium peartls and different font on the 4's for instance. The case of the 16610 changed when it went form lugholes- 16610, to no lugholes, 16610T. And rehaut engraving came in around 2008 or 9 on the T case.

Dizzy is right on this and the old MBW 1680 cases are marked 5513. The MBW 1680 dial is 26.2mm and a 5513 is around 26.0mm so it will fit in the case. Just install a T-19 and you're good to go. Oh, and you'll need a better pearl in the MBW insert- those opaque white pearls are a dead give away.