Jetsons

That's a heck of a lot of clams to pay for an ETA 2824. Talking about one nice profit margin considering it's a $70 movement! I'm also a huge fan of diver watches. I have a few myself. Jet

Goegeous watches & pics, gents. This is eyecandy at its best! Keep them coming! Bytor, since I know you like Tudors, you might check this link out. Very nice collection of photos plus history of the watches, http://forumamontres.forumactif.com/viewtopic.forum?t=1013 Longshot, that is one terrific Seiko collection you have. Palp, the 5508, 1655, 5512 and 5513 totally rock! I wouldn't mind owning that GMT as well. Randy, I've said it before but your Seamaster 300 is the business. I hope you don't restore it too much. Looks terrifc as is! Offshore, thanks for the compliment. The Longines is a great piece and adds variety to the collection. I don't believe the case has ever been polished as it has all the original factory brush marks. The tall and thick convex crystal distorts the heck out of the dial which gives it a very cool effect. You might also check into the Bulova tanks from the 30s and 40s. Their art deco designs from the era were gorgeous plus they had quality movements back then. Here is a pic of the Longines movement. It keeps very accurate time and is super smooth to wind. They certainly built them to last, once upon a time.

Great idea for a thread, Bytor! I don't have pics of all but here are a few: Left to right: MBW 5514, MBW 1665 white letter, MBW 1665 RR Tudor Submariner, ca 1993 Longines 14K Tank, ca 1954

Wow, none of my reps have made the list so far. I'll add: Pam GMT 029 & 063, ETA2893-2 Pam 036 w/o the canion pin issues, Joshua Pam 111 & 111H Pam 196, ETA 7753 Pam 183 (careful with the crown threads!) MBW 1680 MBW 1665 MBW, James Bond Rollie Explorer I, ETA 2836 Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow, Venus manual copy movement These are all terrific as well. Jet

Very nice work, Sub! Much improved specially compared to the older rep inserts. My TW Sub also arrived with the thin metal insert. The gen Rollies use a higher nickel content ss which gives them a higher luster. I'm not sure this was the case with their vintage models. However, a thorough cleaning and polishing of the rep 316L cases, bezels and bracelets yields one heck of an improvement at minimal cost and effort. Jet

Thank you very much, avitt! Very helpful tips that will come in handy when I start on my MBW white letter 1665. Cheers, Jet

Great looking GMT, Palp! Darn good investment as well. halley, it's always a good time to pick up a vintage gen, specially the 5513. This happens to be my fave vintage Rollie. The no date with the matte dial just speaks to me much more than the others. They are escalating in value rather quickly, specially in the past year or so. I've looked for an excellent example of the 5513, GMT and Seamaster 300 for sometime but along the way I stumbled across a minty all original Tudor Sub complete with all factory boxes and papers. I couldn't resist specially for the price. That is also a terrific vintage piece that can be still found for a reasonable price. That appears to be changing quickly as well. Good luck in your hunt. 5513s pop up on TZ from time to time (a couple recently located in the EU) so keep checking. I've also seen them at reputable vintage dealers but their prices tend to be quite a bit more. Jet

That is one fantastic RR, avitt. Beautiful work that you can always be proud of. From what I can see on my vintages, the non SEL end links don't have much metal to give to accomodate the 2mm spring bars. You mentioned that you drilled them so there seems to be enought metal to work with. That has to be one very tricky operation. Were your end links close enough to begin with? Perhaps someone can suggest aftermarket sets that would work with the OEM type bars. This is RWG at its best! Thanks for sharing plus terrific photos! Jet

A fantastic post and step by step photos, Bytor! It's so dartn good that if I had the SMP, I would rush home and start work on it ASAP. Thanks for taking the time and the obvious effort involved. Cheers, Jet

Excellent choices, Floris! I'm gad to see that all turned out for the best. Hope you enjoy them for many moons to come. Jet

This guy. The bezel doesn't rotate but at least it's on.

Great post, Randy & awesome watch! I love these photo tutorials. Your crystal press is worth it's weight in gold. The OEM inserts and crystals make all the difference in the world on the MBWs. Thanks for sharing & look forward to your next installment. Jet

You're welcome gents. Glad that I could be of some help. Jet

Randy, will the Homer riveted bracelet and supplied endlinks accept OEM spring bars as it arrives or must it be modified? Curious minds would like to know. Thanks! Jet

Not The Zigmeister but here is what I have done. It's best to remove the bezel from the case. Use a case knife, sturdy razor blade and perhaps an old credit card may work. I use electrical tape between the bezel and case to prevent scratches. Work the case knife GENTLY around the the bezel aplying upward pressure on it. It will work itself loose & off it comes. Soak the bezel & insert in warm water and liquid soap for 45 min or so and it will dissolve the glue. The old insert will come off very easily wtih zero damage. Clean all excess glue form the insert. A toothpik will work as will an old tooth brush. For glue, I suggest using G-S Hypo cement which has a very fine applicator designed to work on jewelry which makes the application a breeze. I found mine on Ebay. Jet

The little woman will not take this guy off her wrist since I installed this fun summer strap. It totally changed the look of the watch and gets nothing but compliments. Jet

Excellent comparison and photos, Thor! Beautifully done. The super sloppy rep crown threads explains why one must be careful so they do not strip. Thanks for sharing! Jet

WOW! Terrific vintage Seamaster, Randy! One of my faves! I have looked at these for many months but finding an all original example in excellent shape is not an easy thing to do. There are way too many frankens (or at least redials) out there to purchase online with confidence. You were fortunate to locate an excellent piece locally that you could comfortably check out. Congratulations on a beautiful new addition to the collection plus a darn good investment. I'm sure the MBW will get its wrist time but probably not for the next several weeks. Jet

The vintage Heuers are totally kick [censored]. Gorgeous watches with innovative designs that well were ahead of their time. I'm not holding my breath for the clone factories to manufacture accurate representations of these beauties with reliable movements This is a nice vintage Autavia complete will factory boxes/papers for a very decent price. Amazing what once could have been purchased for $54.50 plus tax in 1969. http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tre...o=1891198&rid=0 Jet

Poor man's sub, today.

On my Rollie Subs, I remove the bezel and soak it in warm water mixed with dishwashing liquid. Within an hour of soaking the bezel, the glue dissolves and it's a breeze to remove without risk of damage. Allow it to soak longer if necessary. The excess glue will also be very easy to remove from the bezel and insert. For adhesive, I suggest G-S Hypo Cement which has a precision applicator. This makes the adhesive application super simple. I found it on Ebay for around $5, shipped. BTW, I found this product based on a recommendation by fellow RWGr (Enu, I believe) and this stuff works like a charm. Jet

I'm not sure why the factories would install incorrect crystals on the Omega, The sapphire clones I have ( Pam 029 & 063 and a TW Sub) have crystals that are flatter than Kansas. However, they did forget to apply AR coatings on the Pam crystals-it's always something. I suspect if we make enough of an issue about the Omegas, someone might listen and install correct crystals on future versions. Great watches, Ubi! Another vote for domes, vintage acrylic that is.

Very much so. I have the TW Sub with the solid mid links (better IMO than the hollow) and it feels very close to the gen. With the solid mid links, it may even be a tad heavier. It's a rock solid watch. I don't have experience with the CN cased Subs so I cannot comment on those. Jet

More of the T-Stuff. Good thing I stepped in before Andy raised his prices 50%.

Same old watch. BTW very nice new Breitling, Bytor!