Jetsons

Looks great, watcher! The gen insert makes a rather substantial difference. Since you've owned the gen, could you comment on the overall quality of the watch? How would you compare the clone in weight and feel to your gen for example. The SD looks much better in your photos than those of dealers. The overly touched up dealer photos don't do this watch justice. Many thanks for posting the pics!

Fantastic post, pics and of course, vintage beauties! The art work performed on dial/hands on the single red is something very special. Amazing work by I believe, RepAustria. I hope you enjoy them, Stephane!

That would be a very collectible dial indeed. I have never seen this before. Nightstroker, sorry for my misunderstanding. The only sport models that I'm aware of without the "Officially Certified" are the 5513, 14060 & 14060M. Perhaps you can post photos of the watch you're looking into which would be a big help. If in any doubt, walk away. As I mentioned above, you can purchase new for $4475 from a very reputable grey market dealer.

Looks to me that someone is being cute. The "Officially Certified" appears to have been blacked out for the photo for whatever reason. Sloppy job of it at that. The price is too high, if used. A new can can be purchased for $75 more.

Absolutely, Frank! Best of luck. I would be most curious to see how you do this. I've researched dremel attachments looking for something that would work drilling from the inside the lugs but no luck yet. However, there has to be a way to do this.

What a beauty, Kelster! Terrific work! I am also planning to do the same to my lug hole case TW best 16710. I have finally collected all the parts required for the project: OEM T-dial. correct length GMT hand, OEM crown/tube and I was finally able to source an OEM insert at a reasonable cost. IMO, this is the best project for the GMT as the T-dials are readily available and not expensive, yet. Modern but with a vintage flair. The only trick is finding the correct lug hole case.

Your welcome, F. The rail dial is a beauty & rare little b*stards. Another GW with the infamous T-39 Superdome.

F, nothing wrong with a T-39 Superdome on a Great White. The gen crystal is a thing of beauty, even on a Seiko. This white gen was snagged up recently for $13.5K, plus shipping. No flat top on this one.

Hmmmmmmm. What are you up to Stephane? Good to see you back and up to your teases. Cheers, J

I recently stumbled across a Tudor Sub with the Tropic 19 installed it also looked terrific. I asked the owner if he had any issues installing the T-19 on the Tudor and there were none. This is a swap I wouldn't mind doing to mine. The T-19 gives the Sub the much cleaner look of the no-date and SD. You can't beat "beauty in simplicity". Nice looking 1680!

Whatever you do, stay away from the great white! It is one POS ugly ducklin'. If concerned about the Great White not having the correct case back and you're stuck with the T-39 flat crystal, keep in mind that the RR dials were swapped out by RSC for the white.

There are a couple on the Bay that are darn pricey. I had no idea but in vintage land, nothing should be too surprising. I'm glad I picked up my old auto Heuer which is similar. These old divers seem to be all escalating in value. I'd say go for it you spotted a nice deal. They seem to be a collectors' piece plus it's a darn nice looking vintage diver.

Congrats, Jo Jo. That is one awesome piece of work by Mr. The Zigmeister! Looking forward to seeing pics with the bezel and OEM folded bracelet. Are those the original MBW hands or something else?

I have been admiring the new Milgauss as well. The new 40mm case looks very tasty specially with the green sapphire. I asked an AD about availability recently and they had no clue what I was talking about. Not too surprising but a large AD should at least know the model existed. I suspect collectors are going to be all over these, at least initially.

Euno, I remember your selling that bracelet. I was just too darn slow. If I recall, it was it very good shape reasonably priced too. Hope you can get it back.

I am very sorry to hear about your loss, Laz. I wish you and your family all the best during this most difficult time. J

Having seen the blue Cousteau diver in the flesh, all I can say is WOW. It is an amazing watch. Actually, I didn't want to take it off my wrist. Excellent IWC collection, Kruzer!

The Zigmeister, I hope this excellent post doesn't fall on deaf ears. It is shameful that people with little or no watchmaking skills advertise that they are proficient at performing intricate work such as this. Furthermore, they have the balls to charge as though they were professionals. Enjoy your well deserved time off and hope all is well.

I have the exact same Tag with the gray dial that was purchased brand spanking new in the early 90s. It was my first real watch and not inexpensive @ $500 plus tax. Unfortunately, the watch flooded while diving and the movement & dial were damaged. All else is excellent and still have all the B&Ps. It was a terrific watch and a daily beater for around 10years before its demise. Being a Heuer fan, I replaced it with an auto diver. I'll take better care of this one.

Most excellent , Kruzer! How about those individually numbered case backs on the GMTs. Old school indeed! Those are very accurate looking rep crowns.

Tag is tight with parts distribution & one most likely needs to send the watch to the Tag service center. In the US, it's in New Jersey & as with rlx, they keep the old parts. Sometimes you get lucky and find what you need on Ebay but it can take time.

Agree, BT! This is the best 16610 I have seen and not just in appearance but also execution.This Sub copies the assembly of the gen which is a first since the MBWs. The new Sea-Dweller was a total disappointment & a sad comparison to this. The good news if that we now know what can be accomplished and hopefully, we'll see more of this.

The Sub looks excellent to me as well. This is first time I've seen a bezel assembly that looks very close to the gen's mechanism. i wonder if a gen bezel would fit this one? In addition, the crystal presses all the way down against the case with a retaining rig that seals it in place. As far as I know, this is also a first and again, the same design as the gen. This watch if properly sealed should be good for diving with zero problems. With the addition quality insert pearl, this is one very, very nice 16610. Many thanks for posting this watcher! Excellent photos!!

The mod should work fine. Tudors with 1680 and 5513 dials appear near identical to the original. The watch would also be entirely a rlx. I've seen franken Tudors on Ebay and the dial mod doesn't hurt their resale value. I have a vintage Tudor Sub and enjoy wearing it as is. The conversion would be easy enough but the Tudor is different and rarely seen. BTW, no one knows what these watches are anyway regardless of the dial. Tudor Subs were manufactured in three case sizes. You would need the large 40mm case and these are rapidly escalating in value. The other two cases are 33mm and 36mm. The one you pictured looks to be the mini-Sub which is 33mm.

Movements are best kept in a moisture free environment which a quality sealed case does. Once you open the crown, moisture and the elements can enter the case. Moisture can also damage dials over time. Batteries are cheap and last a few years assuming they remain dry. I would keep the crown closed and take my chances on the battery life. Sorry to hear about your Ebel.