Jetsons

Great work, trios. That's one heck of a vintage beauty plus has the correct hand stack. Were you able to fit the OEM crystal without much of a problem? I suspect it had to be glued.

trios, the reason for the profile photo is that I believe I saw a new MBW using a Sub case. Perhaps my eyes were deceiving me and wanted to make sure. I also noticed an MBW Sub with a Sea-Dweller case back. FYI, additional photos of the TW cased 16710 which should be the same as Joshua's, http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...2967&hl=gmt Trusty's is a CN GMT which is the version most dealers have.

Do you have a profile photo of the MBW, specially the side with the crown? Joshua's has the far superior 2893-2 caliber which is worth it, IMO if you plan on keeping the watch for the long term. The crown is also accurately positioned on the case. The negatives are (1) the dial which isn't the best (CN reps are much better in this regard) and (2) the GMT hand is too short.

Be glad to. One thing the TW 2893-2 has is a correctly positioned crown on the case. The bottom is nearly flush with the top rising above the case. This was a very pleasant surprise when I received it & should make it easier to install the OEM crown/tube.

No worries about the lack of dial lume. A 30 year old + gen Tritium dial would have zero lume by now. Neither would the hands. You could always have the dial lumed and given the large surface areas of the hour markers, it would glow like a torch. Great collection and as always, photos Stephane. You've acquired some terrific pieces in a short period of time.....it took me a heck of a lot longer. Glad everything arrived safe and sound.

Fantastic post and photos. elprimerozen! Perhaps the best side by side pictorial that I have seen. Thank you for taking the time (and I'm sure it took plenty) to post all this. Very helpful! You're right....some of the GMT reps are quite close. I have the MBW with the 2893-2 and it's a fantastic watch. Not totally accurate with regard to the dial and GMT hand but that will change when I finish collecting the parts. Cheers!

Darn nice Sub, BT! It's Friday so decided on something colorful:

Kruz, that is one fantastic addition to your collection! Amazing work of art by Falco. I think you're quite safe strolling into an AD with this one. Enjoy!

I would opt to pick up the MBW 1680 and got from there. It's a terrific complete watch for less cash. The MBW 1680 case is marked 5513 which may come in handy for the project.

Blush away, Ubi! You try to leave us for a few days and see what happens. I usually do not buy parts without consulting Ubi beforehand. He's kept me out of trouble on more than a few occasions and directed me to those sellers that were 100% legit. It's a mine field out there when it comes to OEM parts but not so with Ubi's expertise and guidance. I recently received his old MBW 1680 (many thanks TT) and found the bezel washer was missing, which is the way he received it. No problem.....let me look though my magic tool box and see if I have one....bingo, a perfect fit shows up in my mailbox. What can I say. Always a total pleasure to chat with and one of the most helpful and generous individuals I have had the pleasure of knowing. All the best! Cheers, J

What's an Alaskan? A very happy Birthday, Nanuq! Have a terrific time celebrating.

Flave, congrats on the beautiful Ebel! That's one hell of a watch. Sporting my MBW 5514 with a Ubi aged insert.

Oli. I was referring to the rehaut metal spacer. I don't have a before photo but my TW's dial spacer ring was duller prior to a light polish/cleaning.

Fantastic GMT, Euno. The tiny GMT triangle gets me every time! I'm sporting this one today. Thinking about installing a Pepsi for summer fun.

EPZ, if it's not too late, perhaps Repustria can polish the dial spacer ring. The dull finish on the rep spacer is caused by dirt (more like a haze from the factory). Clean with tiny bit of fine metal polishing paste or Cape Cod and it makes a huge difference. The small details add up. Post some close up pics when you get a chance.

Very nice work and Sub, Tribal! Gotta love those MBW cases. You can probably fully mod one of these in a bout 10 minutes now. Good to see you back!

The pearl looks good as does the insert. As to the watch being gen.....

The 2893-2 is most definitely a superior movement. It is a super smooth, accurate and reliable caliber designed for the GMT function. It is worth the additional cash IMO but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This particular watch also has a superior case compared to the standard issue. The case is thicker with a deeper set dial and the sapphire crystal is substantial as it is on the gen. Just to give you the heads up, this is the earlier side case holes model and those need to be drilled (as does the bracelet) to accommodate the OEM 2mm bars. The insert can be changed without much of a problem. It is glued to the bezel with double sided tape. Remove the bezel and soak it in soapy warm water for an hour or so and it comes off easily. A gen insert must be ground/thinned to properly fit the TW bezel. Not sure if an after market insert is a direct fit as there are quite a few variations produced. BTW, I have this GMT with the red/black insert and it is one of my faves.

Very nicely done & great photos, Stephane! Congratulations, you are the proud owner of the "best Sub"! The TW Best or MBW are terrific and by no small margin, have a superior case. All I have done to my TW (old version with the side case holes) is install an OEM insert and spring bars. Other small details have been to polish the inner ring, bezel & case, lubricate the bracelet. and clean the inside of the crystal. It's not perfect but the TW looks fantastic and has terrific presence on the wrist. With regard to the TW GMT Master and MBW 1680 & 1665, I highly recommend all three. The TW GMT with the 2893-2 is a stunner with a fantastic movement, case and super thick sapphire crystal. With regard to the vintage sport models, both are excellent platforms from which to build but I'll give the nod to the 1665 for its massive case. Thanks for sharing!

Have a terrific and safe trip, ed! I hope you jacked the CC limits. Let's have Asian when you get back.

Nice collection Tanfo! I was expecting to see a blue dial Titanium Samurai....great watch! Just think of all the cash you're saving on straps. Good to see you!

V, I'm certainly no expert but you probably need the matching OEM tube (or generic equivalent) and retap the case for the new tube. This is what needs to be done when installing the OEM crown/tube on Subs which I am familiar with. The stem may also need to be trimmed for the revised tolerances. The rep tubes are usually smaller and not as robust as the gens, at least that's the case with the Subs. If you can source the tube set with seals, it shouldn't be much of a problem to install your crown. The OEM crown looks sweet!

I don't think folks from the USA feel comfortable openly discussing shipping methods. IMO, simply follow the seller's instructions and if lost, it becomes his/her problem.

Just awful! Amazing relume by Mr. Zig and perfect match with the gen hands (how in the world did you get a hold of these?). Those have to be most difficult dials to do correctly. Fantastic pair. I don't think I'll be bringing my Pam GMTs over for comparison. Excellent photos!

Terrific 1680, K! I'm sure your friend will have a fantastic weekend, indeed! Great work on the bezel.....nice flush fit with the insert. Did you drill the lugs by hand on this one? Very nice case work!