watcher

Wearing this YM today.....

The dial is ok but i'm not a true expert on these I'm afraid.

The gasket came off perfect and maybe the gen tropic made the difference but it went over the crystal and sat at the base until I pressed the retaining ring on my homemade press! It seems to be on firmly so fingers crossed!

They are great for the money and I too wonder where the movements are coming from but it looks very clean and winds smoothly with a positive date click.

Today I received a 1665 vintage white SD from Joshua. I have been curious ever since Puretime listed these models andJoshua has added what I think is the very same watch.

First impression is excellent value for money considering the nice clean 2846 slow beat movement it has inside. Everything on that front seems to be fine!

The crystal is awful! as is the crown and cg's but they always are on these budget watches!

The dial is not too bad really for the money. Lume is a bit too mustard coloured but acceptable I guess for now.

Insert is very nicely done and bezel is good too.

Datewheel is nice with flat 3's and open 6 & 9's. Well centered in window too.

Case is nice but needs vintagizing and the crown needs throwing away!! Crown tube is a fat one so no need to chage just yet. I will when I properly re-work the CG's but a quick improvement will do for now!

HE valve is fake and does not go through the case which does not bother me.

Case back is ok but I think is wrong for the GWSD. I beleive 'ROLEX' should be around the outside edge with the other text rather than across the back as in the DRSD.

The braceelt is light but so are the old 93150's. THe end links fit well and it has 2mm bars but the holes in the case are not big enough all the way through so they do not stick out to the edge as they should. Fairly easy fix I think.

Clasp is ok and the diver's extension clicks in nicely when not needed.

The bracelet needed all the edges softening and a good aging polish but good now. Sorry no pic of that until the camera recharges!

First job was to remove all the workings and test a better crown on the tube. I have 2 spare BK crowns which fit perfectly so first step is easy.

Next I softened the case edges and widened and smoothed over the cg's a little.

Then I removed the bezel and crystal and as someone else has said they have used a white gasket to keep the retainer in place. This was not a problem. I had a gen tropic 39 from an old project and this fitted nice and tight over the rehaut! I then re-used the white gasket and pressed the retainer back into place and fitted a rubber gakset onto the case(not provided by rep factory!) before re-fitting the ring.

I polished the whole watch and now very happy with it for the costs involved. I will take some better shots of the built result tomorrow. Here a couple of pics as I went on.

The crystal has a different fitment on the sd and the rehaut screws into place rather than being part of the case mould. Maybe this is what George means.

I guess I'm an 'entrepeneur' I split my time between England and Spain and run a group of companies including a food takeaway chain and also property rental and investment.

I'm considering a PAM 104 from Cartel, which T48 crown do I need to mod with the 7750 movement inside? Thanks guys!

Congrats, that is a true beauty!!

Very sweet my friend!! Enjoy them all!!

They are not currently listed on WM9 site but he has started shipping to people who ordered a long time ago. I think they cost $775 or thereabouts.

@gplracer

Yes you can do that as the basic watch is the same with gold bits as you listed. You can buy mostly gen bits if you keep your eyes peeled on Ebay etc and finish with a very impressive rep.

TT Sub today and tomorrow.

Shot at 2010-04-09

If you get the chance to order a BK/WM9 TTSub then do! I have seen this watch in the flesh and it is worth the wait and the saving!. The blue is beautiful and very accuratley replicated.

It really depends on the watch. I would have thought a maximum of 50% return is fairly typical but certain watches reach a higher figure if desired. The problem is that only being 5 months old you will sustain a big loss incomparison to having the watch a few years and still getting a similar figure in exchange. Omega Seamaster's are a prime example.

I would not buy the gen LN Sub but Puretime's best edition is close enough if they brush the centre links.

The EXP with white bezel is beautiful and has prompted a call to my AD to place an order, shame it does not exist though!! No price yet and not likely to get it this year either according to them!

I thought I better add my franken 3717 to the rollcall!!

V1 Case and Dial

Gen 79320 movement plus gen day/date wheels

Vaclume dial and hands

Cheif Double AR

Gen IWC bracelet

I use the same hand pullers and a loupe so you get a precise view of what you are doing. When resetting only use a very, very smal amount of rodico on the end of the hand setter and just take as long as you need and you will get the knack of it. Sorry no pics at the moment.

Tricky to tell from the pics but the insert is genuine and the bezel and retainer do look right in the pics. I think it would be a safe punt if it were me. Cannot tell on the crystal though.

850 is too expensive! I paid 650 for mine in near perfect condition. The difference is amazing with a gen bracelet but be aware the end links need trimming to fit a rep case. Not a lot but little on the lower lip so it fits flush.

The dial is black on the franken but the strong AR and halogen lights make it appear grey. The V1 has the nearest finish to the gen but is not precise. The V3 dial is not very good to be honest even though the correct parts are lumed as in the V1. I think Vac may have slimmed down the markers for me.

As to AR, the Taka crystal does have a more gen appearance but more reflection than Cheif's but Cheif's is stronger than the gen IWC coating. Somewhere in between would be perefect. I do think the watch is missing something without the blue hue but it does show the dial beautifully.

Taka's crystal does indeed have AR! but not in your league Cheif!!! It did'nt look bad until I sat yours next to it!

Today was a special day as it is the first time I have sent a watch to a modder and it returned looking very beautiful indeed!!! This is a V1 3717 with a far superior dial to the V3 I showed last week. Also the case is better too in it's profiling. The bezel is not as tall and the lugs are tighter with my gen bracelet fitted.

It received a Lume job plus Cheif's AR which in the pics you will see how that compares to Taka's crystal! and also has an IWC 79320 movement powering it's little body! with a gen date wheels too.

Vac has done a beautiful job on the whole watch and I would have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone.Thankyou Vac!!!

Now for some quick pics, more to follow later this week.

The AR is chalk and cheese. I thought Vac had forgotten the crystal!!

The Heart!

That's a sweet looking EXP! Nearly bought the gen a while ago but still struggle to fully appreciate a white dial Rolex, even the daytona looks better in black to me!

How about this one.

WM9 V2 case Sub 16610

Gen dial, crystal, crown, crown tube, bezel, bezel insert, crystal retainer!

Cheers!

I bought one too. It is the corret part for a Sub 16610. Managed to buy a gen bezel with insert here in UK on Ebay a couple of months ago but they are rare. Best bet is Rolexforum. Steve Mullholland may have them.

While pushing the button in the hole on the inside of the bracelet, push the pin from the side that corresponds to where you are releasing it at the same time

I've just taken my gen bezel and insert into my Rolex dealer without watch and ordered a new insert without any problem.