Jetsons

Very informative post, alligoat! Darn good info for the franken builder. The 16800 case also looks a bit shallower to me. I don't have exact measurements but it appears that way judging from the photos. Thanks!

I enjoy both. I mainly collect gens with a vintage flavor (ditto for clones) and the hunt for some of these has been very educational and in some cases, not at all easy. The reps that I have are on the rare side or crammed with difficult to OEM source parts. On both counts, the bigger the PIA it is to obtain or build, the more I enjoy the watch. I seriously doubt I would enjoy a watch that was simply purchased with a CC at an AD. That would be boring indeed and just too darn easy to do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- rower, what happened to the original Tritium dial? Perhaps the photo is of a newer model as the Luminova dial is not a rlx service replacement. Nice Sub!

TT, your MBW 1680 very much resembles the watch that's on my wrist as I type. It is a terrific piece of workmanship and with all of its OEM parts installed, it was less than RBJ's tab. I could not begin imagine what the cost would be for a RBJ "works package" loaded with new rlx factory parts. Thankfully, we have very talented friends that enjoy this hobby as much as we do and aren't interested in taking advantage of our trust. Nanuq, awesome to see that "Red" meets with your approval! That's not something one sees everyday, specially when the subject at hand is a sports vintage rollie.

BK, I believe King was asking $2.5K for the 3135 SD which is way too high. One can pick up a nice used example for $3.5K with all boxes and papers. Perhaps her watch didn't exist or it was custom made in very few numbers. Whatever it was, it had a good case. If that's the only way we can get an accurate SD, then we might have to live with only the 1665.

I hope members from RW1 have enough sense to visit here before sending watches to RBJ. I'm not a member so I have no idea what goes on there. This fraud has been going on for as long as I remember and yet, people keep sending their watches to RBJ. It puzzles me why the sheep keep visiting the slaughter house with all the info that has been posted on this subject. The $600 plus price tag is an absolute total scam assuming it doesn't include the cost of the watch. Even if it includes the watch, the price for cheap rep parts and labor is absurd. Man, this sh*t totally pisses me off. Diesel, I'm glad you finally received your watch.

I'll wait and see if anything happens with King's 2892 which looks good to me. Heck, I would be happy with an Asian 2892 if that what it takes. With regard to the 2836-2 variant, I'll take a pass. I'm a little tired of waiting for this one as well. Maybe I'll just build another MBW 1665 to let out some of the frustration as I have extra gen parts.

Laz, your reoly was perfectly fine but I just missed it. Glad to hear that all turned out for the best. Cheers!

Laz, I'm not sure if this would help but you might try sending an email to CF which runs alpha-watch.com. His English is not great but he is a nice chap. He seems to be helpful and sells quite a few watches with the Venus copy movement. Perhaps he has access to parts or can supply a new movement. Best of luck! Regards, J

Nico, it would be the older 16610 case with the side case holes. The new cases have the flush sides which would not be accurate for the 16800. Something like the old TW Best or MBW case would be just about perfect for this project. Add the MBW dial for the white letter 1680 and you would be well on your way. The problem would be sourcing the correct case as they have been long discontinued. Added: My mistake: The MBW 1680 dial will not be correct due to the lower depth rating. I've given this option serious thought as well using this guy:

I agree with BT, do not touch the Tritium dial & hands if at all possible. Over time, the Tritium should develop a rose patina which is terrific. If you ever send it to RSC for service, insist on them not replacing the dial and hands. Otherwise, they will swap them out with the Luminova service parts and they will keep the originals. These alterations will adversely affect the value of your watch. Luminova is just as bit boring, IMO. BTW, great watch and considerably more collectible than the new model. Enjoy!

King's new super duper ultimate SD is the one that looks veeeeeeeeery impressive. It needs the accurate dial & hands (no maxi) and I think this is about as good as it will get. Crown position looks darn near perfect compliments of the thinner 2892 and thick case. I've read that she's working to correct these issues. This particular SD also has the side case holes that appear to be FINALLY correct.

A few pics of the Alpha PN:

thewightstuff, darn terrific 16800. Another relatively limited production rollie that's rapidly becoming quite a collectible. If memory serves me correctly, this one took the place of your 5513. I don't see these offered anywhere in the numbers of the 5513. Is that the original insert? I ask as the dial and hands haven't developed the patina of the Tritium dot. Congrats!

There is another watch movement manufactures that is up and coming, Stellita. I've read that Stellita will be introducing a Valjoux 7750 clone in either late 2008 or early 2009. If you're interested in the Seagull ST-19, the Alpha Paul Newman chrono has it. It's a hell of a watch for $120 delivered to your door, alpha-watch.com. They are also sold at the Bay by the same seller.

Joe, didn't mean the 1655 which 1s also a rare bird. I was referring to this & that:

Joe, both great watches but the Milgauss and 5517 are as rare as hens teeth and fetch a princely sum. The 5517 requires mods specially to the CGs. If you're comfortable wearing watches of such rarity, go for it. The MBW 5513 might also be an option but again, one can't help but mod this watch. It is not a rare model (as is the 5517) that a collector would keep under lock and key and rarely wear. You might also look at the vintage Explorer or the current 14270 which IMO, do not scream rlx. The latter is specially accurate. Cheers!

Would that happen to be the one that was listed at TRC? It was a long time ago but as I recall, it was gone before I could type "I'll take it". I've been fortunate to collect a couple of T-dials (both WG no-dates) but no luck for the 16610. Part of the fun of this hobby is the hunt for OEM parts.

Excellent! That is the ancient TW Best/MBW with the correctly positioned lug holes. I have the same from a few years ago and one does not see these too often. Yours looks terrific with the T-dial and OEM insert. I would like to install the same dial on mine.

Thanks for the info, Bytor! Looks good to me specially for the price. It's too darn painful to grind a high cost gen insert.

Good to hear, Stephane. As I mentioned in my original post to this thread, regular postal mail can take 30 days to the EU. This has happened to me in the past & the reason I now use Global Priority mail (5days). So how are the new inserts compared to your gens? Curious minds would like to know.

Tribal, I've seen this case back on "the double red" but since so many of those dials were replaced by rlx service to the "white", it should be fine. Laz, this is some great stuff! Your modded 1665 case back looks terrific and the DJ project look very yummy. I nice old butterfly Cal 1065 would be one sweet movement. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, J

Sounds like you have your hands on a 5513! Does it have the matte or the WG rlx replacement dial? Looking forward to the photos.

Sure is. It the new 14060M, now with new chapter ring and COSC certification proudly displayed on the dial. No other changes were made. Unfortunately, it's not mine.

The print on the new chapter ring apparently isn't too obvious on the wrist. Not sure why they added this to a simple tool watch. Pure speculation at this point but I've read the Sub line may also be getting the ceramic bezel insert treatment. Added: One more,