alligoat

Yuki is the best deal, then send it to PBdad for a relume. Send along a set of hands so everthing matches. This is my matte dial 16660- great at night!

I wouldn't touch it- it doesn't past the smell test!

Looks beautiful and I love the gilt dial! Only problem is it looks too NEW!

I just snapped my 16800 gen bezel off with my fingers. If the bezel and the insert come right off, look out for the click spring- you don't want to loose that small little booger. The flat washer just lifts off. But the retention ring is usually pretty tight and a utility blade razor is good for getting under it and then popping it off. Might have to tap the utilty blade with a small hammer. There's also a black rubber o-ring gasket that goes on the bottom of the crystal retention ring- a little silicone helps keep it in place when you're pressing the crystal ring back on over the crystal and the gasket. It's really a pretty easy assembly, but keeping the crystal clean and crap out of the watch (lint, specs of dust) is probably the biggest challenge.

Adding to what w.genzo already said, tritium dials went out around 1998, SELs came in in the early 2000s and the no lughole case around 2003-4. I could see an SEL bracelet on a lugholed case with your tritium dial. But that would mean drilling lugholes on your WM9 V3, which I don't recommend. Guess you could always start another watch! Or you sell the dial- the tritium is probably fading anyway!

The flat 4 insert went out around 2002-3- here's a P serial w/ lugholes, flat 4 insert, 'Swiss Made' dial and SEL bracelet http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLEX-Submariner-Stainless-Steel-Black-Face-BOX-PAPERS-16610-LNIB-/140737554144?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item20c49ca6e0 Next up is a Y serial from 2003- still has lugholes, triangle 4 insert and 'Swiss Made' dial, SEL bracelet http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolex-Submariner-16610-Steel-2003-Y-WOW-/110856654188?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item19cf924d6c I agree that a flat 4 insert is not correct for a 16610T case. But what if an AD changed out a damaged insert w/ a NOS flat 4 insert- it's still 100% gen Rolex! Sometimes we worry about this stuff too much.

$1300 is not a bad price for a 3035 if it's running well.

Silver date wheels for the 16800 are definitely an endangered species. But the older ones in white are also becoming rare. The new replacements from Rolex have a smaller font and look like crap- I had one in my 16800 which was serviced by Rolex around 1998/9. Luckily I was able to find a NOS DW for $90 and was able to get back on track with it. But my watchmaker had to send the other DW back to Rolex. So before you go to taking off the paint on the your gen DW, maybe you could find a replacement DW to use as a guinea pig. Seems like wholesaleoutlet makes a replacement part for the 3035 movt. Or you could post a WTB on VRM. Since DWs are a wear item, it would be worthwhile to save your old one, just in case. Like Red said, jmb is the person to talk to, good luck.

I've never heard of a 8kt WG bezel on a sub either. Certainly the TT models and the FGs have 18kt YG bezels and they're even more pricey if you can find them. Ordering form star tine is a challenge to say the least- they don't sell to hobbyists so that means you have to be a watchmaker. And in state they wanted a resale certificate from me. Could have gotten one but it take 2-3 weeks. Went to my watchmaker's and had him order the parts I wanted.

The crown guards look short, but maybe it's the angle- heres a gen 16800 to compare with

Looks good. My guess is that Steinhart is a 42mm case. Enjoy your subs.

I'd guess you need to try another gasket and maybe a crystal also. Like the rest say, the crystal and gasket should press on the case and then it's a tight press getting the crystal ring on. After that you need to check the TC case and make sure it's the correct width. Same old chinese/aftermarket conundrum- parts don't fit!

It's a great looking watch A. Thanks for sharing it with us and I hope you enjoy it. It would be fun to see what it looks like in 10 or 20 years. That looks like a flip lock clasp on the backside- with a rivet bracelet- kind of a new 'improvement' no doubt!

Phong does engraving- JAW- jewelryandwatch.com

Thanks for sharing that with us T! Fidhle007 caught my eye with his latest 16610/3135SA build and it's great to see yours- very informative.

CousinsUK has the 25-286 crystal (no cyclops of course). This is the best rep crystal I've seen with the way the gasket fits into the crystal at the top, it might be a good place to start for not too much money.

For a 16660 case, you need a 2836-2, because of the crown/stem position. 3035 movement takes a 2836-2, a 3135 takes a 2824-2

Thanks for the explanation watcher. So the late model SDs have what we can call a detachable rehaut or chapter ring. The crystal and gasket fit over this and the retaining ring presses it altogether- then the retaining ring, click spring and bezel snap on. With a gen dial and case, Deokhoon, you could probably put together a decent watch and use a 2836-2 movement. We just have to figure out how to find the rehaut ring, or maybe jmb could make one. You could even use a Yuki matte dial as an interim measure.

Yeh, tell us about the case- Star Time- is that the supply house here in Houston? i like those lugholes.

The rehaut not being part of the case strikes me as very odd. Knowing how rolex took the 16800 design and created the 16610 using a lot of the same parts, I would assume the 16660 has similar construction, only slightly smaller. I'm wondering if the retaiing ring was removed from the picture if the rehaut ring wouldn't be more visible. A removable rehaut would just be one more place for a leak to start in my mind.

Nice build watcher! With that 2824-2, you've got that nice high crown position of a gen. Good job.

Serafino's last pic doesn't have the right printing below 12 o'clock to be a rolex- oyster- cosmograph, No crown at 12 either- looks more like lume maybe. I agree the case doesn't look right either

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SS-Rolex-Submariner-Seadweller-Crown-for-models-16600-16660-5512-5513-7928-/320876787295?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item4ab5bf365f Here's the link to the crown- guess it wasn't in my previous post- duh!

I would never do this and I doubt any of the other oldtimers would either. We can enjoy our frankens, but it's not to our advantage to put these watches in the AD's face. Likewise, I would never try to misrepresent my franken and sell it as a gen.

You could check w/ Mark greenberg- moelarrycu- but this is a 703 crown pictured and $39 is a good price, but the BIN price is your best bet and be done w/ it. User to be in the old days you could pick up used 703 crowns for $25, but all Rolex parts are going up these days- Too many rep buyers out there, no doubt!