Ronin

Freddie, thank you. That polishing block is what I am after. Since I have an extra rep 116710 bracelet I can practice on that.

Thanks! Michael Young was the name I remember. I’ll post some pics of the stretch. My fear is loosing the Gen watches these service. I understand the stretch comes from the pins wearing thin and ultimately thru. Pics tomorrow.

I am doing some mod work on 116710's and 126710's and absolutely dislike Polished Center Link's PCL's on the bracelets. I am willing to dive in and "brush" the center links, but was wondering if anyone has any suggestions? 3M Pads by hand? Can it be done with "quality"? I tried swapping Submariner bracelets over, but prefer the smaller clasp of the xx6710's. Bench Grinder with appropriate wheel? Thanks in advance!

I have the following genuine bracelets that could all use a little TLC to fix the stretch. A Google search yields me a handful of options, but some seem sketchy. Anyone have any recommendations? I am also not opposed to DIY, but I fear the tools & parts are probably out of reach. C&I 7206 Rivet from '68 6215H from 1973 B-Links 9315 (Late 60's IIRC) 93150 (Early) and, I forgot the model, but a "Stretchy/Expandro" Genuine 19mm Rivet for a Daytona Thanks!

Thanks. Your posts are always awesome and educational. I wonder if there is an opportunity here. The Seiko Aftermarket solved this exact problem giving options from 2.5 down to 1.8 and maintaining Gen like fit and quality connections. Aka the Skinny Fat. I wonder what would be involved in having custom SB made? 🤔 Case in point there are so many 62510H Jubilee’s out there with 555 end links with 1.8 center links. That could be used on 4/5 digit GMTs and Subs (with lug holes). All we need is the right SB to get the job done and maintain the lug whole appearance that I think looks awesome. 😃.

Edited my original post. Basically, looking for 1.8mm spring bars but with the full length of a 2.0mm and with thicker ends to take up all the room in the lug hole.

Does anyone know if there are aftermarket spring bars for Rolex 4-digit "Sport" models that maintain the length and the outer push-area thickness, but have center area in the 1.8mm range? The rationale behind this is to use bracelets with "5" ending end-links on watches that otherwise require a "0" ending end-link? In Seiko land where they have ridiculously think 2.2mm+ spring bars that do not fit most aftermarket straps/bracelets and are often too thick for NATO's the market responded with "Skinny Fat" springbars to bridge the gap. I have used Explorer 1016 & 1601 springbars to get the bracelets with "5" end-links on watches like a 1675, but they don't quite fill out the lug-to-lug like a true 2mm... Any ideas?

Yeah. I read similar by arm chair Internet experts. But I spoke to a watchmaker at a National High End Rolex AD. Their service department has been using the same 8oz+ bottles for at least 10 years. He said when you understand how little oil is actually used in a service. These 8oz+ bottles of lube last forever from a usage perspective. You would think if it went bad, how much would be waste? And that being the case you would think they would sell it in single use packs or something smaller.

Speaking of D5 & 90xx oils. I bought large bottles of these circa 2010. I’ve heard mixed messages on if they expire. Is my 12yr old almost full bottles still good?

Wow. This was super helpful! Pin this post. Here is a questions to take this deeper. Q. Can you put a clone or GEN 3xxx series movement in a 4-digit GEN case? (With 15xx becoming harder to maintain, is anything stopping a 3xxx to 15xx swap? ) Also, to the OP. The current 3xxx Rep Clone movements (not sure about the OG Yuki) should fit in a Genuine case and take a Genuine dial. Maybe go that direction. Find someone who has parted out a OP/DJ 5-digit and is selling a case and find a Gen dial you like. I think if you take the time you might end up all Gen except the movement for under 1K.

"The main problem I have is keeping the front side of the mid link from showing a slight bend line after removing or installing an adjoining link." Yes, this is very true, and I did this to a GEN C&I Folded Rivet 😞 However, the way I see it, this is supposed to be a 40+yr old watch, it should have a dent or two 😉 Also, the last one I did, I managed to ACE it. The trick is sacrificing the link(s) you are removing by removing it with the most minimal unfolding and then essentially mangling the removed link(s). Andrew sells replacement bracelets for $70 IIRC. So, it is not the end of the world if you sell it to someone with a larger wrist once perma-sized...

Nice to know. You mention Yuki, I saw a farewell that Yuki was shutting down operations/stepping away ?? Also, I have resized those bracelets using two hand remover levers to get in and pry open the folded link to remove and then used various pliers with electrical tape on them to reclose. Pics?

1. a 2. a 3. f 4. e 5. (ALL of the above) Given this is a Replica forum, you are making the case for wearing a replica. In short, you don't care about the security.

+1 the 4-digit era stuff is simply no longer worth it at today's prices or parts availability. The glory days of 2008-2013 are gone. It used to be easy to pick up complete Rolex donor watches with 15xx movements for under $2500. Those watches have now doubled. And the 10xx series movements, too much trouble. The questions you must answer are: 1.) Are you trying to fool a real Rolex guru/enthusiast. (which is not going to happen, the jig is up, even the $30-40K vintage models on eBay are know to be Frankensteins and only fool newbies) 2.) Do you care what anyone really thinks? 3.) Are you simply doing it for a look/aesthetic you like? Hopefully #3 is where your mind is at. At which point, find the dial that most appeals to you, a good case, and power it with whatever works. I have reached the age/stage in life where I am totally truthful about my Frankenbuilds. Even at "Official" watch get togethers. "Yeah, I built this out of parts, it is powered by an ETA 2782....Pretty cool right?" More times than not, people are more blown away by the fact that I created it, and ask if I can build one for them!!!! The vintage Rolex appeal is in the aesthetics not the mechanics.

Yeah, sorry, not clicking a link to surveylegend that tracks the following information on your behalf. This is a Replica forum after all.... For all we know you can be Hans Wilsdorf reincarnated. 😉 Track individual survey respondents Respondent’s country Respondent’s city Respondent’s browser info Respondent’s OS info Respondent’s time spent Use external IDs Collect IP addresses Consider asking outright here, or use the Forum's polling feature (if it still exists)

Awesome collection. It would be nice to see a resurgence in quality 5 digit Rolex reps. The 4-digit stuff seems to be handled well enough on the Vietnamese side, but 5-digit is lacking now. If the factories put the effort they do into the 6-digit stuff (i.e. VSF 126610), that would be great. It seems like the ARF-16610 is the last decent 5-digit being produced. It would be nice to get CHS 16710's and 16570's rolling... Do we really need a "V13" NOOB 116610? If you can't nail something by "V3".............. 😉

Welcome. Welcome. Welcome! A "one piece collection" 🤣. I just surpassed 100 watches in my collection. The best part of replica's is it allows you to test drive otherwise unobtainable watches. This is a great way to hone in on what might be your 'one' grail watch someday. I have bought REPS, only to turn around and buy the GEN version.

Mine arrived from Andrew and without a doubt this is the best out of the box Rep I have ever purchased...and I have been at this Hobby since 1986! VSF makes NOOB look like 💩. Every NOOB I have picked up over the last few years has had bezel alignment issues, movement issues, etc. This VSF managed to nail a 12:00 perfect Bezel alignment (something even GEN Rolex fails at... see complaints on the The Rolex Forum) , and the "click" is tighter and more GEN feeling than NOOB. Even hand winding this new 3285 feels great. I have a Gen 126710 and winding them side by side isn't too bad. The Rep Movement is quieter than most ETA clones, and mine is pretty smooth. If someone is not experienced manual winding a GEN vs this REP, it ~might fool them. Still waiting to see if the power reserve is really in the 70hr range as advertised. The only thing I would still change is the crystal for GEN. **** Does anyone know if this will take a GEN crystal? ...and the Rolex Part Number? As the owner of a GEN 126710, REP's simply can not replicate the Cyclops AR correctly. I would say the VSF crystal is on par with a Clark's. However, if someone put a Clark's on a GEN, I would think the otherwise GEN watch was a REP...

I am looking for the ISO 3159 PDF. I have an issue paying for an international standards document regarding timekeeping. Seems like it should be public domain... If anyone has a copy, hook a brother up. 😁

Got it. Yeah, I have always lumped these into the early Maxi dial category as well. Lollipop in a Rolex context for me always invokes thoughts of early Submariner seconds hand.

Interesting. Still not sure what the “lollipop” denotes?