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Ronin

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Everything posted by Ronin

  1. I have one of these in my parts drawers. The applied lume plots were laughable. Can you tell me more about the crystal and bezel swaps? Did it require much mod. Was your bezel a click, wire, or nylon tension system? looks like you didn’t drill the lug holes fir 2mm bars????
  2. Similar situation here. Got the Gen’s I wanted. Was gone for about 5 years. In 2019 I became frustrated and put off my what was/is happening in the Gen and Grey markets. Not to mention I have owned Gen’s from all the major brands and actually had many issues requiring warranty work that usually came back botched (Tudor). When paying >$5k for a “Swiss” watch that has QC issues it sent me running back here. I think the price hikes are relative and generally worth it. A Seiko Turtle will run you the same as a NOOB, VS/VR, GM, BP; Rolex, PAM, Omega rep that is damn close. Get an ETA base run it till dies and swap in a Gen ETA/Sellita. If you haven’t handled the VSF 216610 Sub, it is worth every penny. The VS3235 movement is a true custom clone 3235 movement with an astonishing 72± hours power reserve. Takes Gen Rolex calendar parts. If you can service ETA, you can service this. I go back and forth. I am fortunate and grateful I can walk in to a Rolex dealer and get what I want. At the same time the lure of Reps is equally, and at times more fun and satisfying.
  3. Ditto! I usually say something like "It's my own Restoration, a real Frankenstein <with a laugh>". Also, "Swap-Job". This will flush out people who have read the "The Rolex Report". Or if it is a straight up Rep same as you: "MBW, Vaclume PAM Mod, Trusty VSF "Special" 😛
  4. Amen! Just as Rolex purists have no tolerance for us, I have none for purists. Name one other hobby involving mechanical components that does not have aftermarket parts available. The Vintage Auto scene is the closest parallel. It's great if you have a 'trailer queen' just like a 'safe queen' more power to you. However, reality is I doubt that 1969 Porsche has Original Tires, Brakes, etc. Franken's have started showing up at Red Bar and other GTG's. I say bring it on! Be honest and transparent about it, and you will probably make some new friends. If you encounter someone who thinks you MUST buy a rusty $800 NOS Mainspring, or $500 'brittle' non-water resistant Tropic 29 vs a Clarke $20 NEW Mainspring or $12 replacement Tropic 29...agree to disagree. I think the Rolex craze and shortage is helping to bring more acceptance. At least in WIS circles I run in.
  5. Came across this posting from Angus (PT). GMF, NOOB, and V6 have been mainstays over the years. Thoughts? "April 28, 2021 As you may know there was a severe raid in the replica watch industry, it is the biggest raid we have ever seen so far, many factories / makers stopped delivering and we had to relocate our QC and Shipping deprtments for safety reasons. We decide to stop taking new orders until most makers are back to work. 80% of the watch makers are not working and we still have some pending orders to ship, we will arrange as soon as the makers start to deliver again, sorry for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding. Here is the delivery availability of the major makers: Closed and probably not opening again: GMF, TBF, NOOB, V6F, V9F, JBF, Green Maker; Closed and will reopen: AR, JF, VS, XF, VRF, KZF, OXF; Available for delivery: EW, ZF, GF."
  6. I don’t want to speak for Nanuq. But, I think what he is saying is if you think Phong is tough to work with, MQ is is tough and of lessor quality. If you have high expectations, or expect customer service, on par with Amazon/Wal-Mart or eBay you may need to recalibrate your expectations. These guys don’t chit chat, educate, or answer more than one question. You take the risk / GAMBLE that you will get what you want. If you want a 6542, that still won’t fool a VRF/TRF or RWG guru, that is the closest to Genuine, 10x5 powered,be prepared to gamble $7000 with Phong. Simple as that. If you want something turn-key, and done right, I doubt you will find it or be satisfied. That is why most of here have taken the DIY approach and/or learned enough watchmaking to correct/finish/fix the final details. ...again the last thing you want to do is send these guys paragraphs of txt., or a large list of questions. Give them simple marching orders, cross your fingers, hope for the best, and be prepared to fix something on your own.
  7. Yep. Sounds right. My last international watch order hit the USA and took a full 7 days after clearing customs. Google: US Post Office Slowdowns. Sigh...😞 We were still receiving Christmas cards in February! And I am in a major metropolitan US city.
  8. Short answer = yes. What country are you in? Many TD's stopped using DHL. Also, the USPS is a $hit show these days thanks to politics.
  9. VSF and ARF got hit the hardest according my TD of choice. I’ve had “parts” on order for over 2 months.
  10. Are you contacting him on WhatsApp or email? Did you email a bunch of questions? From my experience, he prefers WhatsApp and “few” questions. Either you know exactly what you want and are ready to pull the trigger -or you will not be a priority. HTH.
  11. Yep! The theme this week is what can we get from Seiko. Looking closely at this, this is basically an early Seiko 7002 (pre-SKX) bracelet.
  12. These are positioned as "SeiLex" Seiko+Rolex Homages. Rolex'ish Case meant for a NH35/36 (aka Seiko 4R) movement and therefore the larger 28.5mm dials meant for SKX's and SRP's. If I had to guess, the Bezel is a "Nylon" ring tension bi-directional system on the acrylic dome models. (Similar to what BP-Factory uses on some of their Vintage models). Guessing the sapphire get click bezels. The Nylon system sucks. Breath on it, and the bezel rotates. At least the "Wire" system can be tweaked for tension. Also, the adhesive rings for the inserts are usually too thick, best to just use GS hypo... 😞
  13. Old time sworn to silence. 😉 @curiousbunny the dimensions of the calibers are in fact close, but the dial pie-pan dial and calendar alignments will make it challenging.
  14. Exactly. 10yrs ago I think our Frankens could fool actual Rolex collectors because the vintage Rolex Market & Internet knowledge base hadn’t reached critical mass. I mentioned before, I go to a lot of GTGs pre-pandemic. The Frankens and eBay specials are showing up with no intent to deceive. It’s almost become a right of passage to show up with a questionable vintage Rolex. Case in point, there is always a 6542 available on eBay. Pretty amazing for such a rare watch 😉🤔 That said, I wouldn’t sweat the details as much these days. If you land on an aesthetic AND reliability, and in budget. Enjoy it.
  15. Correct, the mid-case never changed throughout the 4 major revisions of the 6542. There were dial, bezel and insert changes over the years. Keep in mind, looking at pictures of 65yr old 'used' watches is not a good way to gauge things. I'd venture to say they have ALL spent time on the polisher, and with 65yrs of wear and tear I am sure no two will be the same. As far as clone movements are concerned, instead of trying to reverse engineer and make a replica/clone movement- I would much rather see an aftermarket attempt to build a moment platform that: 1. Matches alignment with crown/tube holes 2. Accept genuine/aftermarket calendar wheels 3. Accept genuine/aftermarket hand size (and with an ETA Option) 4. Have a mounting system that leverages genuine case mounting (and with a case clamp option) 5. Has accommodations for Genuine or ETA dial feet, or Pie-Pan/6542/6538 dials 6. I really don't care about BPH. No one is fooling anyone anymore... A reliable, plug-n-play movement(s) that allow reliable swapping would be ideal. I would almost think the thinner ETA-2892 would be the best 'base' for something like this. With it's thin 3.6mm height, just push it out from 11.5"' to Rolex 12.5"' ligne, and play with canon pinion height and proper spacers. There is definitely enough room top side for overlays, pie-pan dial's, GMT complications.
  16. After a recent haul / buying spree, I have no fewer than 3 watch all exhibiting what I believe to be stem length issues. Although I have built many watches, I never had any of these issues with my builds. So from a diagnostic perspective any help in matching up these symptoms with too long vs too short or something else, please chime in and help me out, as I set out to fix them. #1 (Noob): Unscrewing the crown, the watch fails to go into manual winding position about 50% of the time. It just free spins doing nothing when it should be winding. I can usually jiggle it, or pull the crown out to setting and push back in to winding position. (too short, too long, something else like clutch on Rolex crown) #2 (GMF): Sometimes when pulling the crown out, it will go straight to 'date setting' position. You think you are manual winding, but instead you start flipping the date. (too short, too long, something else) #2a (GMF): Attempting to screw back down the crown is very difficult, especially with a full wind when fighting the mainspring. It is very difficult to get the Rolex crown to engage the tube threads and then 'clutch' and free spin when screwing down. #3 (Noob): When manually winding, it will occasionally make a loud CLICK like it is slipping or failing to stay engaged with the winding pinion. (too short, too long, something else) Thoughts? Anyone want to take a crack at this?
  17. I think you are onto something. If China was pumping these out, I feel like they would have trickled into the TDs, Helenarou, Raffles. Instead we get things like the BP Factory approximations being sold. I have a different theory. Go back 15yrs or even more. I believe that the “Vietnam” versions/parts WERE the ultimate counterfeits that probably made a handful of people rich. The OG Frankenstein’s that made it through auctions successfully, etc. Things were low-key for a reason and even if they came out of China???, the trickery and large $$$$$$$ returns kept it underground’ish. As time went on, thanks to forums like this and VRF and general Internet expansion the jig is basically up. Remember characters like Orchi and when NDTrading hit eBay? That was sort of the turning point in my mind. That brings us to 2021. While you will always have “purists” or pi55ed off people who paid $$$,$$$ for a genuine vintage that never leaves the safe, or got scammed In the early days— I think most people just want the Aesthetic of the vintage Rolex with the Rolex logo on the dial. I have attended snobby GTGs and the Frankens are starting to show up. There is no attempt to deceive, and most people are truthful about the origins of their non-Rolex-Rolex. Most people are accepting. To hell with those who aren’t. 10yrs ago I used to obsess about crown guards, bezel inserts, dial text. (Things that only really matter in macro photos or under a loupe). Now, I stumble across cool dials that while not 100% accurate are simply nice to look at! Same with cases and inserts. Build/Buy what appeals to you, to the aesthetic you prefer. None of us are fooling anyone wearing our 6542, 6538’s out in public. I am all for Franken-Frankenstein’s these days. If I saw a 6542 in public I would ask them if they know “Phong, Ruby, or MQ” and watch their expression. 😉😃 So Vietnam/Vietnamese is just a label to differentiate the closest counterfeit vintage parts and not necessarily the actual origin source.
  18. Like the 3xxx clone movements, the 4xxx clone movements all come from Noob and others dirty and dry. For the price TT quoted just for the movement, that will also come to you dirty and dry, rebuy the watch or current version. And yes all the clones movements are the same. There are two major versions/factories. SA an VR clones. VR clones are the better 3/4xxx. The current state of reps with clone movements gives you 4 choices, 3 if you want a modern Daytona with more accurate case. Buy an ETA based rep whenever possible. You can always swap in a Swiss quality movement. (Not Daytona) Buy your 3/4xxx clone. Cross your fingers, wear it till it breaks or wear only on special occasions. (These are not a daily driver IMHO) Buy your 3/4xxx clone based and service it. Buy TWO. Buy a backup. If the Rolex rep really speaks to you. Just buy a spare. Unless you you can do #3 yourself, #2 and #4 are your best bet. 😕 BTW. You can find the movements on eBay most of the time. I had a 3136 clone GMT implode in a Noob, bought a replacement movement on eBay. Here is one for an outrageous $550 on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/N4130-movement-for-daytona-chronograph-function-new-/313486479556 The 3xxx clones go between $120-$200. VRs at a premium over SAs Edit to add. Yuki started the clone movements trend, and I am not sure if his stands alone or is/influenced the SA VR versions. ?
  19. Yeah, that looks fine to mine. Not sickly yellow, or otherwise. The blue fade is not uncommon depending on how the black paint was derived. I have a bezel insert from a 1665 that faded to an awesome blue from black. Conversely they fade toward brown. I wouldn’t overthink this one.
  20. @curiousbunny sounds like this is what you want. https://tempus-machina.com Me too! 😃
  21. I think the opposite. I think they were too problematic for the average rep buyer. Like I said, I have two of them and they both needed work. Once fixed up they are the best bang for the buck perhaps. I think people probably purchased them, expected them to be “grab and go” which they are not. He didn’t want the hassle.
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