Jetsons

Darn nice photos, rolli! I've never been able to properly capture the tuxedo dial in my photos but yours certainly does. I have the same with the 2893-2 & it's a terrific watch. The movement is super smooth and keeps near perfect time plus it doesn't hurt that is the same mvmt used in the genuine article. Definitely worth the upgrade if the 2836 decides to act up. Thanks for sharing!

Excellent! Looking forward to some huge photos. I just received the 4th gen orange 42mm PO and it is one stunning watch. The bad news is that the little woman was so taken by the orange that she has permanetly borrowed it. I installed a nice leather sport strap on the PO and I must say, it looks darn good on her. I'll be sizing the SS bracelet this week and fixing the weak link between the bracelet and clasp. Luckily, the clasp doesn't seem to have any issues. The bracelet is soaking in WD-40 as we speak which hopefully, will make the pin removal process a little easier.

Mark, that would be a huge list to cover them all. A small sample: . Heuer: All the pre-Tag models and highly collectible and have a cult following specially, the Carrera & Steve McQueen or anything with the VJ-72. The Tag Heuer 1964 re-editions are also collectible & cosidered classics. Interestingly, one of the most collectible Carreras is a blue sub- dial model manufactured by Heuer exclusively for Abercrombie & Fitch. Omega- Seamaster 300. A classic diver and father of the PO. Tudor: Specially the plastic crystal Submariners, pre-Tiger Chronos and Monte Carlo. The latter is one rare collectible classic. On a side note, I wonder how Ubi is coming along with the Monte Carlo project. Zenith- De Luca-Marvelous chrono with the El Primero which bears a very strong resemblance to the Daytona. These things are skyrocketing in value. Anthing vintage with the El Primero is highly sought after. Jaeger Le Coultre-Memovox and Reverso. These are the JLC hallmarks. IWC-Anything with the caliber 89. Cartier-Tank Francaise. Instantly recognizeable as a Cartier. Breitling-Vintage chronos with plastic crystal. Reps: TW Best 16610-Discontinued. Pam 029 & 063 with the 2893-2 movement. Specially the fist editions with correct case back-Discontinued. Omega Seamaster and 40th Anniversary 007 from the old factory-Discontinued. Pam 196 with the old accurate case & ETA 7753-Discontinued TW Best GMT Master with 2893-2- not an easy find Breitling-Massive Titanium case beast-Discontinued. Planet Ocean- 42mm plus 45mm ultimate- Available.

That is one amazing time piece, BT! I'm a big admirer of vintage pocket watches. One can almost picture the craftsman laboring over an old wooden bench adding all the intricate touches and assembling these fine pieces. Unfortunatley, this is mostly a lost art today with very few exceptions. The hand painted ceramic dials are fabulous. Thanks for sharing! Your Dad has terrific taste.

Ufortunately, the deep and massive TW best case (which had the side case holes) has been out of production for sometime. The case was also used in the MBW. I'm not sure which case MBW currently uses but it is not the same. The only way to source the old TW case is to find a forum member that would part with theirs. Easier said than done. Both the old TW & MBW may have been inaccurate out of the box (specially the dial) but damn, that case was good.

This one states that is has closed 6's & 9's plus it seems to have the etched crown on the crystal. That would be correct for the new flush case model (no side case holes). I don't believe the old cases with the lug holes are still available.

Browsing a few watch forums, I stumbled across the new Hirsch Mobile rubber strap which some folks are using on their POs. Apparently, it is a very well constructed. At $53, it's a relative bargain compared to the outrageously priced OEM. Thought to pass this along in case someone had an interest. They are available for the 45mm PO from Walt @ Lonestar and they fit, http://www.watchnet.com/forums/tradingpst/...mes;read=297036 Oh, no...not another PO pic.

Heck Randy, by the time I'm finished typing this, you'll have it looking good as new. You're right...a darn good excuse for more mods! Have a great weekend!

M5, you lucky SOB. Between the two, my pick of the litter is 16600. I would suggest finding the older discontinued models with the side case holes. I can't undestand why rlx removed their long lived tradition of the bulging thick spring bars. The 16600 & 16610 strike me more as luxury type watches than sport with the new flush cases. I'm not so sure you can sneak either one of these for under $3K. The lowest I see the 16600 from reputable sellers, complete with all boxes and papers, is around $3.3K. TZ is a terrifc place to look. As others have mentioned, the 14060 with the T-dial/hands and the 14060M are available under your radar and might be something to consider as well. I suspect the older T-dial would be the more collectable of the two. Best of luck in your hunt!

My second oldest repo.

A radioactive heavy chunk of steel. Fresh from the The Zigmeister spa.

Excellent photos, Robbie. That is one heck of a watch. Enjoy!

Nope! Not sure what they are waiting for as the 45mm is just too much watch for those with mid size wrists. I have tried the gen 45mm and it just too massive, specially with the 22mm ss bracelet. It feels more substantial than the 44mm Pams with leather strap on my 7.25" wrist and that is saying something. I hope the factories get around to the 42mm ultimate in 07. They have got to know that it would be a huge seller.

Excellent work & great pics! It seems the 1680 was already somewhat traumatized when you received it. Is that the new MBW 5513 with the guilt dial? For some reason, I am partial to the clean & simple dials of no date models. Enjoy! Jet

I agree with the comments that the recent rlx reps are worse than some of the discontinued models. The best 16610 I've seen by a wide margin was the classic TW. Even with its inaccurate dial, the case was the most accurate produced. One would have thought that manufacturers would build on that platform and improve the darn thing but that was not to be. The case was discontinued and the rest have been downhill, IMO. Without an accurate case, it is just not worth the time, effort and cash to make the new crop look acceptable. Geeez, they can't even get the insert and pearl correct after all these years. The new GMT movement with the idividually adjustable GMT hand looks to be a bag of worms per The Zigmeister's excellent review. I'm not even touching that one. I have enough door stops as is. I'm full on rlx as well untill I see something that is stunning & special, along the lines of the new Tags, Omega chorno and ultimate PO (can't wait for a 42mm version of this). I believe these have set the new bechmark of what should be expected. The rlx just aren't in the same playing field. The impressive quality of these have blown rlx out of the water in terms of accuracy and hence their fall in popularity. Good post, BT!

Thanks, RT! It's one of my faves. The dial, hands and lume are original. The Tritium still glows a bit.

This old clunker, today. I have nightmares about installing a gen 5513 dial and T-19 on this guy.

I'm partial to the white 1665 as well. Gorgeous watch and easier to wear. Having said this, both of yours are fantastic vintage pieces.

For screw-in crown models, clean the threads and lube with silicone grease. This goes a long way to improving functionality and reliability. Also remove the case back and lube the seal. Other stuff, remove bracelet and give the watch a good cleaning. I usually install new spring bars or quality after market strap screws on Pams. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but these watches usually arrive filthy from the factory.

Fantastic post, photos and comments, Rob! I've always had an appreciation for the El Primero but this post has me looking under the couch cushions and start saving my pennies. Many thanks for taking the time and posting all this information. Awesome!! Congrats Randy on an fantastic movement and properly serviced at that. I'm with you....who else would you trust with this beauty or any other quality movement for that matter. I've suspected the the Rolex caliber was not on par with the El Primero and I think this post removes much doubt of that. Cheers, Jet

I don't think there would have been much argument over the authenticity of the 5513 with your photos. It may be the lighting but the first set of pics sure do look like they're of a different watch. Glad that all turned out well for you and enjoy the 5513. Great watch!

Very nice Sub, specially for the price! You can probably improve the height of the crystal by removing the thick double sided tape on the rep insert. Grinding down the insert a tad might also help. Happy New Years! Jet

Couple of more shots of the gen 5513: To my eyes, the case looks bulky as do the CGs.

I was keeping my fingers crossed for you on this one, Rob. It did not look like you had much to work and as you mentioned, sourcing the correct parts may be difficult and expensive. The end result is nothing short of spectacular and I'm sure you had a lot of fun bringing this old and valuable piece of history to fully functioning order. The 5508 loooks spectacular and better yet, the watch itself is totally original. I'm sure this particular Rolex will grow on you. I recall when this watch was first discussed at length a couple of years back or so at the old RWG. That turned out to be one of the best threads I have read in these forums and a very educational read for me. I was so amazed by this post plus photos that I asked my wife to read it. I let her know that this was the Rob that brought her Longines back to life. It's a understatement to say that she was extremely happy with the result and equally impressed with the work performed on this classic Bond. All the best in the New Year! Jet

Nice pair, chrono. I would take the one on the right. The gen also has a terrific movement which is an added plus. Execellent collection.