Jetsons

Reg, @ 50% off you should be loading up on gens such as Rlx. Patek, JLC, Vacheron and the likes. As to the original post, I agree that deals are not as common as they once were. On the other hand, customs is more of an issue now than before, shipping costs have soared and the methods of payment have changed for the worse. The latter two can add considerable cost to the advertised prices & pmt can sometimes be a PIA. This is nothing compared to the price escalation of gens (new or used) in the past 2-3 years which is downright amazing.

Truly spectacular, J. With this post, all rumors of a gen movement not fitting an MBW 1665 case have been laid to rest. I would be interested in doing this as well. The finished product is very close to the real deal in nearly all respects. Would the case clamps to hold the movement have to be custom made? That's probably not too difficult to do in comparison to all your other mods. Thanks for posting this. This is an eye opener of a post.

The weekend would probably be best for everyone, 14th or 15th. I'm good either way. This GTG may just have a great turnout.

Gorgeous movements! A display back would be something else. I can't wait to hear details on the installation. I've thought about doing this to my 1665 but didn't know it was possible and perhaps it is. Best of luck with the super franken project and please keep us informed.

Great watch! The date wheel & T-39 look great. An acrylic pearl would be a very nice finishing touch. I don't know if this will save you some trouble but a gen 5513 is considerably smaller & lighter than the 1665 & again smaller compared (slimmer case) to the 1680. Sometimes, size does matter.

These might be of help: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=15294&hl= http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=4531&st=0 http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...mp;#entry115732

I also know of a nice Italian restaurant in Little Italy with a great court yard. We would have to take a chance with the weather but it's also close to Canal Street which some folks want to visit. I'm not sure they have steak but they do serve a terrific veal chop. The CN place is great casual dining but I suspect they don't accept reservations. They would probably work with us given sufficient lead time...but we need an accurate head count. Their staff can probably spot all the reps.

Fantastic post, Eono and an equally impressive piece of work. The OEM dial/hands makes all the difference in the world. I suspect you were fortunate to find the parts. Thanks for sharing....did I mention this is a terrific post.

Patina for me as well but not a fan of beat up watches & prefer them to look as minty as possible. I have gens that are anywhere from 20-50 years young and outside of dial patina, all else doesn't look much different from the day they left the factory. As to vintage rollies, an easy solution is to expose the matte dials to direct sunlight. It may take 2-5 weeks depending on the desired look but it works nicely and it's easy enough to do. Easy on the wallet as well. The sharp case edges are easy enough to soften.

Sure, the new Stang GT or wait for the new Camaro which looks fantastic! Added: Since you seem to have a loose budget, I would seriously consider the Porsche 911, either new or slightly used. For the cash, this is a world class sports car that has few peers. Resale values speak for themselves on this guy.

Interesting read, gents. I would spend $700 for a rep only if it were a franken crammed with OEM parts or it had a ETA 7753. I have close to this invested in a single rep but most of the cost was attributable to some rather rare gen parts and their installation. I browse TZ and the Bay on a regular basis searching for hidden gems and for this kind of cabbage, there are some very high quality & interesting alternatives. As to the label "super reps", the new models may looks terrific but I recall the day when in this price range and below we had access to some very fine pieces with an authentic ETA 2893, 7750 and 7753.....the real super reps, IMO. We're talking very high quality movements here than can last a lifetime with proper care. To pay the current escalated prices for watches with questionable quality movements & QC is something that I'll leave for others to do.

I know what you mean, DH. I tried to snag that beauty the second time it was offered. but was five minutes too late. Probably one of the most complete Frankensteins that I've seen up for grabs. The 100% factory gens continue to escalate in price like there is no tomorrow. Terrific collection, Ubi! The darn Daytonas are stating to grow on me no small thanks to you.

Ed, have you been here? http://www.leshalles.net/ny_park.php Located @ 28th & Park and it's reasonably by Manhattan standards. Very nice place with good steaks & a nicely varied beer selection. Great bar as well. Lively plus they have tables for larger parties. For steaks, this would be a place to consider. If interested in Italian, Continental or something else, I'm sure I could think of something.

Freddy, I spoke to George about this when the 5513 was in the planning stages. The MBW 5513 does indeed use the same case and the 1680. THe 5513 case markings comes in handy for other projects. Some other intereresting reading on the 5514: http://www.rolexsamler.dk/sea-dweller_1665_gb.htm http://www.watchkiller.com/comex.htm http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=msg...0&rid=25611 http://forums.timezone.com/?t=rview&th...412#msg_2050412 The last post on the above thread is spot on, IMO. To make it easier, here it is: "Back in those days they (Rolex) did not even think that some day in the future there will be people like us "collecting" these things and paying these exorbitant prices for them! They couldn't care less. Still to this day, they don't give a crap about collectors and they are not talking about these "subtle" differences between certain models. It would be nice if one of the family members in the company would sit down and write a book on history of the company accompanied by photographs and actual data. But that will never happen, although it would be a bestseller, no doubt. Maybe its us that put all that "mistique" to this brand and the "founding fathers" never envisioned any."

Starting to explore chronos & came across this poor man's Autavia. Not a bad looker for a 29 year old.

Freddy, I opened them as much as possible by applying upward pressure on the loop opening with small screw drivers and drilled them the rest of the way (all performed free hand while securely holding the bracelet ends with the taped pliers). There was sufficient metal (at least on the pair of MBW rivet bracelets ) to do this and the watch is very secure. There is absolutely no play, warping or deformation of the metal. Examining the modded bracelet one would not notice what was done other than the 2mm bars now fit. The hole punch idea is a good one. I will give it a try on the next go around. The difficult ones have been the pair TW of SELs I have done this to. Those were time consuming in comparison to the vintages. The easiest thing would be to source vintage oyster bracelets with the correct hollow mid-links. The pair that I have are ready to accept the 2mm bars as is.

The Zigmeister, I live around 13 blocks from Kruz. I'm very much looking forward to your visit and having some fun. Perhaps we'll make some time to discuss watches. I hope your terrific lady friend is coming with you.

With regard to the 183 which happens to be a gorgeous piece, be aware of possible L-T problems with the crown threads stripping. This is a common issue with the 183 otherwise I would have picked one up. The 111 is a much safer bet as it has no crown thread issues. It is a big watch but I suspect you'll get used to it. BTW, my SO regularly sports a Pam 063 and loves it. She has slender wrists (uses straps that are on the thiiner side in a 24X22).

I'm looking forward to a heck of a lot of pics! Sounds like a terrific piece. The Zigmeister has only serviced a few vintage pieces for me and his workmanship has been terrfic. How he is able to remove rust from old hands without disturbing the original tritium lume is beyond me.

i hope I didn't confuse anyone. I was referring to drilling the non-SEL bracelet ends in my above post & not the end links. I've done exactly the same for SEL bracelets but it takes more time and patience As to the non-SEL end pieces, I have drilled them in a similar fashion but that is tricky business. Another option is to slice them at the center with a thin rotary cutting blade which is much easier. Either way, ths bracelet is secure on the watch without any sloppy movement.

I tape the ends of pliers (prevent any scratches) to firmly hold the bracelet ends. I apply lubricant to the bracelet hole and drill bit... Snap-On Cobalt. Repeatedly clean the bracelet ends and bit of cuttings using lubricant as needed (usually three times per end). I use the rotary tool's lowest operating speed (5K RPM on mine) and drill slowly taking my sweet time. Make sure the tool is running before inserting the drill bit. I've done it this way several times freehand and haven't had any problems.

Vintage trio.

Darn great watch and work, K! To get much closer, you would be looking at $4.5K for the gen. I hope you decide to keep this one for a while.

Darn nice 063, Kruz! Some Ti today:

This is one of the best I have seen. If I recall correctly (it's been a while), it started life as an old model Paul 1655. The mods were performed by Palpatine. Palp certainly has a magic touch with vintage rollies.