Jetsons

I gave the same mod some thought but after examining photos of very well cared for gens, the MBW dial is actually very good as is. I diverted the funds to the OEM T-39, insert & crown/tube. Those three mods combined make the watch one very special piece. Gen 1665 vs MBW: MBW 1665: Jet

Flavor Flav might be able to help out. He is the member that I was referring to above and apparently thought it was a relatively easy surgical procedure. We need a good tutorial on this. There's a lot of POs out there that would benefit from this mod. Perhaps a PM to FF is in order. Good luck with this! Jet

Beautiful vintage IWC brought to you buy, Joshua. With the correct acrylic crystal (states sapphire) it would be one fine time piece. As is, it is very classy and elegant vintage time keeper. I haven't seen this IWC mentioned so here it is. Beautiful and appears to be well done. The dial seems to have a light ivory patina (at least from the photos) which is nice touch, BTW, I'm seeing quite a few new rep cases using 220 grade SS. What's up with that? On to the photos, compliments of Joshua (I hope you don't mind using your photos ) http://perfect-clones.com/iw10006-vintage-...ater-p-216.html Jet

TRC member 913 posted this which may be of help: remove the bezel.....bend the retainer ring a bit........remove the "clicker" pin and spring.......put a tiny dab of hot glue in the hole and install the pin without the spring. very tight and feels/turns/clicks exactly like my gen......comes very loose and cheap feeling. easy free :cheers: 10 minute fix for this. biggrin.gif Congrats on the PO. Very nice! Jet

Good eye, PP! Cib, the side case holes were dropped by Rlx I believe begininng in 2002 for the 16610. You would need photos of the serial serial #s & markings on the case to feel comfortable. The old TW case with lug holes drilled would be the only rep case that I'm aware of that would be similar. It does not have markings or #s between the lugs so it would be easy to spot. The seller does need to explain his error. Perhaps the service papers are from 2004 and its actually an earlier model case? BTW, the pearl looks off to me. The metal surround looks too bulky to my eyes. I'm always suspect when gens are marketed with those darn tiny photos, specailly at the Bay. Added: The insert is an aftermarket. Crown: Seems to fit flush against the case which is not the case with the gen.

Thanks, Randy! I don't have many clones but do try to keep the quality level as high as possible. Something along the lines of "quality over quantity." Regards, Jet

Great to see you returning to your old form, Admin. Great purchases for sure and a darn excellent package deal. The 2893 Pams must be getting awefully scarce. I have the 029 with the individually numered case back and its a fantastic piece. The little lady loves her 063. Welcome back! Jet

Very, very nice Randy! Thanks for the update. I'm hoping they have the reliable Venus manual wind movement. If its the Asian 7750, I'll just sit back and admire all the great photos to come. The blue dial Breit is awesome. Jet

Attatchment: Round felt polishing wheel. Fastening Cape Cod: I use a bread loaf tie wire. Wrap it around tightly a couple of turns and twist securely at the ends. Twine will work as well as will any thin wire. Kruzer, my photo skills cannot accurately capture the results but the method works very well and it's simple to do. Before you know it, you'll be drilling side case holes. Thanks, mikellem!

*********************************USE EYE PROTECTION********************************* This grime came from watches that had been previously cleaned using good old elbow grease. The dremel method is much easier and the results are excellent. DEEP cleaning at its best! This was done at 5,000 RPM (slowest setting) with the Cape Cod cloth gently gliding over the case surfaces. BTW, throughly clean the loose dirt with a soft damp cloth beforehand. Follow up using a small amount of car wax and you may be very pleasantly surprised by the final results. Car wax also works great on crystals (all types). BTW, this also works very well in smoothing the sharp inside edges of the rollie ss bracelets. This was the suggestion of another RWGer that I cannot recall. It was brilliant! WARNING: Make sure you use eye protection. When you initially start the dremel (high speed stuff here) with the Cape Cod cloth attatched, it will blow off a mist. Nothing to worry about. Simply start the dremel where the mist will not affect anything and specially your eyes. I lift an old towel over the dremel which does the trick. A few seconds is all that is needed. Jet

Thanks, Kruzer! It will probably will not remain stock much longer as I have some very tasty OEM parts anxiously waiting intallation. BTW, next week would be great. Jet

Thanks for the compliments, guys. Bytor, it is a great case. I would love to see the 14060 with this case. With an accurate dial, that would be one sweet watch. mikellem, you're very welcome & glad it was of some help to you. These type comparisons are fun. I may do another comparing a bone stock MBW 1665 to the modified version. Cheers, Jet

Nice looking couple. This is my old trusty TW classic which has been terrific. The thick case, deep set dial, thick crystal, correct date mag plus correct cyclops placement are its strongest suit. The MBW 1665 as can be seen in the photos below, has a massive case even compared to the not so wimpy TW. Add the T-39 Superdome to the package and it is a very distinctive & beautiful piece. T-39 compared to the flat top of the TW. Well, it's not really much of a comparison. A tasty sandwich. Hope you enjoy. Jet

Very interesting GMT Master, alligoat. I've never seen that version before. Thanks for the link. As you mentioned, one of the great things about vintage Rollies is that there seems to be an exception for just about every detail. Very good for us rep guys, indeed. Regards, Jet

A bit of vintage dome today.

Beautiful watch and as usual, kick [censored] review, Bytor! Good to know that should the Asian movement develop issues down the road, the ETA 7750 should be a simple transplant. Enjoy! Jet

Ubi, thanks for the all the info! It seems to me that for your project, only a gen case will do. I've come across a few very good gen dials but passed on them as I wasn't sure how they would work with a rep case. Thanks for the verification that the dial used on Mrs. King's 1675 was manufactured. Good eye, alligoat. I noticed that as well. I've also seen gens with the closed 6's so I'm not sure what's up with that. Check out the photo, offered for close to $3K. Cheers, Jet

Ponycar is a very reputale seller at TZ. Having said this, I've seen (judging from his photo) cleaner examples with a recent Rlx service plus boxes. I think if you keep your eyes peeled, you can find a darn good one within your budget or perhaps slightly more. The 1675 is one darn nice keeper for sure. Good luck with your hunt! Jet

This The Zigmeister tutorial might be of help. http://www.replicacollector.com/members/in...mp;#entry113788 Best of luck with the project(s). I haven't done this myself but the OEM crown & tube upgrade performed on my 1665 was well worth it. Tools: I've picked up quality tools on Ebay and new @ JulesBorel.com. Their shipping is on the slow side but they have quality stuff at somewhat better prices than most. Ofrei.com is a very reputable source as well. Very funny, Bill. Not long ago I was one of those guys hemmoraging the wallet just to chase a little white ball with a stick on some pretty grass field. The little electric cars came in handy when lugging the heavy beer filled coolers around. Jet

Very interiesting project as always, Randy. Very much looking forward to seeing the unveiling of the finished production. May I ask what you will be using as a base watch? Any thoughts on the illusive transitional 1675 matte dial? Regards, Jet

Hi, Bytor: What I read at Timezone is the vintage 1675 matte dial with the word "date" added & small coronet was produced briefly prior to the introduction of the glossy dial & sapphire crystal model you refer to. I wish I could find photos of the gen but haven't been able to do so, yet. I'll keep searching. -------------------------------------- TZ posts on the subject: It is my understanding that the word 'DATE' can be found on some of the matte dial 16750's just prior to release of the glossy dials. In addition, the matte dials with the word 'DATE' also have a smaller coronet much like the one found on the glossy dial vs. the taller coronet w/o the 'DATE' wording. A fellow member of this board has one, maybe he will post a pic of it. An experienced watchmaker told me don't get excited if a Rolex dial appeared not to follow the conventional wisdom. Rolex puts whatever dial they have in stock on a watch. When I called Rolex NY they didn't know if it was true and didn't care to find out. ----------------------------------------- Cheers, Jet

Mrs. King's version: I hope she doesn't mind using her photos.

I've been searching forums for opinions of the vintage GMT-Master and it seems to be unanimous that a decent quality clone does not exist. This is really a shame as the matte dial version of the GMT with the tall acrylic crystal is a drop dead gorgeous watch. Yesterday, I stumbled across a version of the 1675 has the required side case holes, nice tall acrylic crystal, appears to have good date mag, correct hand stack, accurate crown and the dial markers/hands have a nice ivory patina. All very good ingredients indeed. The issues at first glance would be mainly: * Oyster Perpetual Date: the word "Date" would seem incorrect for the matte dial. All 1675s I've seen in person and photos have "Oyster Perpetual". Correct for the 16710. * Coronet: Too small for the matte dial model. Correct for the 16710. Searching for possible 1675 dial variations, I read this version of the dial may actually have been produced and available in very late model 1675s. It appears to be a transitional matte dial which had the word "Date" and the small coronet of the glossy dial that replaced it . A chap at TZ reportedly owns such a watch but unfortunately, have not been able to locate scans of it. It would be a rare dial but would also appear to be correct. Any thoughts? Jet

Admin, I am very glad to hear that you survived this potential disaster without injury. Man, that was a close call and you were certainly very fortunate. Material stuff, as painfiul as the loss may be, can often be replaced. I hope your insurance can help you recover your loss but the important thing is that you're "A" okay. Regards, Jet

Thanks, Bytor. Jomashop had NOS original Heuer Carrera Reeditions until recently but no more. For some reason, Tag Heuer revised this beauty entirely to the point it bears zero resemblance to the original. To add insult to injury, Tag raised price considerably on the new models. Cheers, Jet