Jetsons

Since you seem to prefer sports watches: Vintage Tudor Submariner. All original minty examples with original factory boxes & papers can be found for less. It's a terrific watch that just happens to be a darn good investment as well. A true classic. Used Omega Planet Ocean. They are now currently around $1,750 but recently, a very nice one sold for $950 @ TZ without the bracelet. I think with a bit of patience, one may show up in your price range. Heuer Carrera, Autavia & Steve McQueen reeditions. Modern editions of the timeless designs by Jack Heuer which are available within your range. Jet

My first MBW. I think this is the only no-date 5514 on these forums.

Great thread! My faves: MBW 1665 white letter with OEM goodies installed. A total pain in the rear end to finally source the parts but darn, this finished product looks fantastic. MBW 1665 double red. It took me a long time to finally get a hold of this guy. Strong sentimental value on this one. T-39 superdome and OEM vintage insert are waiting impatiently to be installed. TW best 16610. I bought this one to give as a gift but the moment I strapped it on the wrist, I know it wasn't going anywhere. Even with it's dial inaccuracies, this watch feels as rock solid as the gen. I drilled the case holes/bracelet (my first mod attempt) so I'm a tad attatched to it. While not my favorite, it gets as much wrist time as any watch I own. Admin, good thing that you pulled the ad on your 2893 Pam 029. It is a fantastic watch! Added: Not to leave out the ladies, my wife's favorite is her Pam 063 2893 & a nice assortement of straps. Her gens have been collecting dust in the watch box since this big guy arrived. Jet

Randy, thank you very much for the detailed photos & info. I would have thought that you ground the insert with fine sand paper to achive that level of accuracy. It amazes me that you were ale to achive this level of fit and finish with nothing more than a dremel & a steady hand. If it were possible for you to mass produce these modified OEM inserts, you just might the answer to early retirement. If you have an interest in polishing the case sides, attatching a square of cape cod cloth (say 1.50" X 1.50") to a cotton/felt round dremel wheel @ 2500 RPM does an amazing job. No pressure is required and best to allow the CC cloth to gently & evenly glide over the surfaces. To attatch the Cape Cod to the wheel, I use a piece of string or short thin wire. After cleaning the surfaces, follow with a bit of car wax. I can't recall who posted the CC cloth and dremel idea but it works beatifully on polished SS with very little effort. Awesome 16610! Regards, Jet

That is one fine looking 16610, Randy! I believe that with this example, you've created a clone that has no peers. How were you able to so accurately grind the OEM insert so that is would snap on as the gen? I've seen OEM installed many times but if memory serves me correctly, all had to glued to the bezel. Amazing work! Regards, Jet

Very, very......... nice, Veni! My compliments. Cheers, Jet

Vintages! A bit over two years ago, I was introduced by members at the old RWG and TRC to rollie vintage sports watches and a certain manufacturer that produced these very special pieces with amazing matte dials & 1:1 cases. While the movements are not on par with the quality of the gens, the three that I am fortunate to own are very accurate time keepers and have been as reliable as any gen I have owned. Install a few OEM parts, and these will transform into very, very special & rare time keepers with style to match. I agree that clones are a fantastic way to experience the watch prior to making a long term commitment with the rather expensive gen. Several members on our forums have purchased the gen after having lived the rep for an extended period of time and I'm sure they are very happy with their decision(s). Regards, Jet

That's one heck of a watch, Kruzer. A stunning Ubi creation. Is this the DW with the The Zigmeisterfied movement? I hope to have the opportunity to see this watch in person. Congrats on your purchase and enjoy! Your vintage Rollie collection is getting very interesting for a Pam guy. Regards, Jet

Very sorry to her this Reg. I hope this #!%&*@ comes to his senses and strightens out this sitiation pronto. However, nothing changes the fact that this chap cannot be trusted by anyone on our forums. I believe you're right that this chap has ended up with both of your shipments. I was going to suggest a payment system that would help eliminate such proplems in the future but Neil has beat me to the punch line. Regards, Jet

Great choices, Alextor! My pick of the three would be the Sea-Dweller followed by the Submariner. Having said this, try them on and see which feels the most comfortable on your wrist. The SD sits much higher do to its super thick and sharply angled case back. On my wrist, the SD seems to move from side to side quite a bit. The Submariner with its lower profile and flat case back may be more comfortable for you. You might also check out the 14060 Submariner no-date which is not as common as the cyclpos model. It is considerably less expensive and seems to be in hot demand these days. They tend to fly off the shelf on TZ considerably faster than 16610. Happy hunting. Jet

Linder, there are serious doubts that the MBW case is forged from 440 SS due to its magnetic properties. This was discussed in thread recently. My take is that MBW uses and has always used the TW best case which is reportedly 316L. This is the same case used on EL's TW classic line and his top line LV. There was a time when the MBW's were there only cases available without the side case holes but that is no longer the case. BTW, I have the TW best 16610 (old model with side case holes) and that is one heck of a heavy & rock solid a case. No need to worry about its long term durability. Cheers

I'm a huge fan of dive watches as well. Hopefully some day: A couple of good friends:

Excellent info, cwai02. Good to know these OEM parts are available for the PO. Cheers, Jet

Zero problems with the four 2836s I have, a couple which are around 2 years old. Two keep darn near quartz accuracy out of the box. If one should need repair, I will probably replace the movement with a new as they run less than the cost of a quality service. Very reliable movements IMO which have a bullet proof reputation assuming they are not the surplus junk we saw a few months back. No worries. Jet

As a suggestion, you can order from one of our trusted dealers and have it delivered to your NYC address as you will be here for a sufficient amount of time. Some of these dealers offer super fast shipping. EL & River come to mind. I'm in NYC but farnkly, it's just not worth the effort for me to locate the quality reps in that sea of humanity. I was there yesterday and while interesting and fun to shop, our dealers simply offer much bettter quality. Enjoy your visit! Jet

You can replace/swap the bezel ring which from what I have read, isn't too difficult. If you don't have a need for the GMT function, it shouldn't be much of a concern plus you can always install the original. I also prefer the simplicity of the tuxedo dial with the larger hour markers. As a side note, I don't believe anyone would notice except us watch nuts. I swap between the 029 and 063 ( my wife's watch) and as of today, not a soul has picked up on the fact that they're different watches. Jet

Added; Good idea to polish the bezel whille it's off. A dremel and some fine plolish ( I used Simichrome paste) made it look much better. Glad I could be of help. Cheers, Jet

I used a thin coat of silicone grease. Works perfect. Jet

It's tempting at times for me as well. However, some of these clones are very, very good and in many repsects are as functional as the far more expensive gens. The modern Rollies IMO, are currently priced significantly beyond the quality they deliver so the temptation has a tendancy to fade away. Unlike the vintages, most modern Rollies seem to loose 20%-30% of their MSRP in the secondary market so buying slightly used makes a lot of sense. If you have a change of heart, it may not cost much to try out the gen. I would also check into the vintage Rollies which have very stable values and many just keep rising. $4-$7K is a darn nice chunk of change to spend on a single watch so take your time and consider your options carefully......you have many. Good hunting. Jet

To add to all the great choices, this is one very nice JLC from super quick EL, http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e186/300...rrent=jlc01.jpg http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e186/300...rrent=jlc02.jpg Uncommon, very elegant and I belive with an ETA movement. Jet

I think that still holds true. Must be the reason I have one. Jet

hk45ca, the best sub question has been answered many times. However, new and supposedly improved 16610 reps are launched at least twice a year and it's almost impossible IMO to pick just one without the ability to personally handle them all. Photos are the tool that most of us have but it will not communicate the weight and feel on the watch. I believed the TW best classic Sub was leaps and bounds above the rest when I snagged it a year ago (at its price point) and would make the same decision again. It has the most accurate case to my eyes which was also used by the MBW. It is also very close in feel to THE 16610. The best Sub by far is the MBW 1680. It has near exact case dimensions externally (no other has this) coupled with an excellent dial . If one chooses, it can be taken to the limit by cramming it with OEM parts with little or no modifications. They are assembled exactly as the gen which is the only Sub that remotely resembles the gen in this regard. IMO, the only way to replicate the genuine article is to replace as many of the rep parts as possible with OEM. The difference is night and day in appearance, feel and functionality. Which 16610 is "the best" may be entirely subjective and will probably remain so for the forseeable future as new models are continiously introduced. However, this is not the case with the 1680. Jet

Darn Randy, you beat me to this one. Jet

It probably took the seller 1:29 to sort through all the emails and confirm receipt of pmt.

It didn't last long! http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tre...o=1971997&rid=0