lhooq

I'm pretty sure the Longines 332 is a rebranded V72, and I don't see a GMT complication anywhere on the dial. I think the crown at 10 turns the internal bezel. Beautiful watch, by the way.

Thanks, red! Yeah... Nearly impossible... And that beveling. Who could possibly redo the edges on a rep Tudor case?

One of the biggest admirers of my DW 7032 is a local Rolex collector who I've referred to in the past as "Mr. 6263". It was his Daytona, after all, that featured in a side-by-side comparison with my DW 6263 last month. The guy has a huge collection of vintage sports Rolexes from the 60s to the 80s, but he has never owned an early Tudor chronograph. Ever since he saw my 7032 last year, he's been hunting for a gen. Unfortunately, these watches aren't nearly as common as hand-wind Daytonas (ho-hum), so it hasn't been easy for him. Last week, a blue Tudor 7149 finally showed up on the local market. Mr. 6263 sold a couple of sapphire Subs, and he was off to buy his Tudor. Obviously, this isn't a like-for-like comparison: The dial and bezel of the 7149 are completely different from the 7032, as is the movement behind them. (Sorry, no shots of the beautiful Valjoux 234!) However, the early and later Tudor cases should be nearly identical. So let's begin! Gen at bottom of each pair of photos: I was happy to confirm that the crystal profile of the rep is very close to the gen, if not quite as tall. I should note that I do have a genuine Cyclope 128 fitted on my 7032, but mounting it wasn't a straightforward task. I was worried that the crystal didn't protrude as far as it ought to, but the difference is insignificant. The second feature that jumps out of these shots is the beveling on the corners of the lugs. The gen has a thick character line on the outer edge, plus a little bit of work on the insides of the lugs. The DW's bevel is barely there by comparison. Believe it or not, the gen has period-correct 282 endlinks and they fit terribly--marginally better than my rep 358s. Perfect-fit 589s wouldn't be available until the latter part of the 1970s. Profile view. Here's where we get to the real meat of the comparison! But first, I should note a few glaring points of interest in these pictures: My 7032 flew off my wrist and landed crown-first into the pavement while I was vacationing in Bologna. Consequently, my 703 and reset pusher are forever scarred as mementos. The 7149's Twinlock is partially unscrewed in these photos. My fault for not checking it first, but don't let it screw up your depth perception. Q: Why is the 7149's reset pusher so far to the left? A: It's a Valjoux 234, which has the same asymmetrical pusher layout as the V23 and V72. As a wise man once said, "'Uneven' Pusher position as per genuine!" So here we finally see the big difference in lug and CG shapes, which -to be honest- isn't nearly as bad as I'd expected. In fact, it looks pretty good. The lugs are blunter on the gen, but it's the lugholes that cause the biggest headaches. As I've discovered, there is no way you can fit a 589 or 605 (from the Tudor Big Blocks) endlink between those lugs. CGs are overly square ("excessively orthogonal?") on the rep, and are missing the slightly concave outer surfaces, and the angled corners created by those aforementioned bevels. Overall, the entire CG area on the DW could use a bit of softening. The rep pushers, as on DW's Daytonas, are toothier than the gen's. The next time I get my hands on this 7149, I'd like to pull out a ruler and measure the length of the case. I get the feeling that the DW is longer from lug-tip to lug-tip. Oh, my poor Triplock! Here we see a more angled cutout beneath the crown of the gen. Otherwise, no significant differences. The caseback is the single weakest part of the DW rep, in my opinion. Fonts are passable, but it's the shallow engravings that ruin the illusion. justasgood did a great job of improving his engravings with a dremel, but that's beyond my capabilities. We also get another good look at the CG area, especially the concavity of the surfaces and softness of the edges that I mentioned above. There's not a lot to directly compare between these two, so here are a few assorted notes: My 7032's sweep hand is from CWP, repainted in Tamiya Orange enamel after it was scratched up during a repair. The color match is excellent. As noted in my hands comparison, the CWP is the only aftermarket sweep hand for the 7032 with a correctly long tail. It's a bit shorter than the gen in overall length, but I believe the tail is more important. Heck, it's right in the middle of the dial! The downside is that you'd be paying a lot for just that one hand... The apparent difference in rehaut depth may be due to the difference in movement. I'm not sure. The DW could really use a wider dial opening, though. The DW dial's dimensions are near-perfect, and there really ought to be some black between the orange minute numerals and the rehaut's edge. I was glad to confirm that my datewheel has the correct font! Note the blue sunburst pattern on the genuine dial, and the inverted dishes in the subdials. I don't think the aftermarket (read: Yuki) has even attempted to replicate those features. Also note the beveled frame around the date window. Breathe easy: The genuine 7032 didn't have one. Lume on the gen has all but turned to dust and blown away (or collected around the edges). What was it about 70s Tudor lume that made it age so badly, especially when compared to the stuff on Rolex dials? So that does it for this comparison. As with the 6263, I only had a 10-minute window to finish this shoot. I really wish I'd taken a few more close-up shots of the CGs (and screwed down that crown), but it completely slipped my mind at the time. If I get the chance, I'll shoot them and post an update. Overall, I'd say that DW came off pretty well in this comparison. I've long held the opinion that his dial blew all previous efforts out of the water when it was released last year. However, the DW 7032 case is also a much better replication than I'd believed. (Outwardly, at least.) Its biggest flaws are the wrongly-placed lugholes, crap hands, and the fact that it can't take a genuine C128 without some effort. Considering only one of those absolutely cannot be fixed, that's really quite good. Also, given that DW's kit sells for less than 1/5 the cost of competing cases, it's a real bargain--even if you're only buying one for, say, the dial and bezel. But if you've got large piles of cash sitting idly...

Terrific start to your build, red. Zig's lume is way nicer than I've seen on any gen example!

Hello, old friend! Great shot, seafoam!

The bad news: This isn't my Tudor. The good news: One more rep/gen comparison coming up!

Alternatively, if you want to trade time for savings, you could try a more generic search like "omega automatic vintage", and look through scores of movement photos, searching for the tell-tale signs of a 565. I actually enjoy that sort of thing!

What db2 said. Yuki has a great return policy, but it's better to be sure before anything is sent. EDIT: Sheesh... Lots of simultaneous messages in this thread!

That's a very good price, in my opinion. However, the implied $90 price tag for the dial is an obscenity! Especially when you figure on the cost of a gen date dial on CousinsUK, as db2 noted. The case should take a push-in crown, rather than a screw-down, so you'll want the wider, thinner SM300 crown. FYI, Silix was selling the same cartel case for $90, I think.

From what I can see, Yuki's stock is a very good update of the old Vietnam case. For one thing, it drops the pineapple-colored bezel markings for white ones. You would definitely want to use a gen dial, as the dial that comes with it is a piece of poo. It collates all of the classic tells on one dial: "Stubbies", closed-loop numerals, over-yellow lume, and a date window that looks as if it were made using a floppy disk hole punch circa 1985. The crown also looks a bit ropey, but it's easily fixed. Genuine crowns aren't that expensive.

red: I've said it before, but that Snowflake is probably my favorite franken (that isn't mine) on RWG. And now that ubi's gone and foolishly sold his 6265, it's undisputed!

Thanks! At the time, it was a bit of a surprise seeing how tiny the gen dial was in comparison. I just had to swallow my cheapness and buy the gen dial, not realizing how much more expensive it and all the other parts would be in a year's time! dutchguy2: I think I prefer the date dial's more neutral lume color, and the T SWISS MADE T script at the bottom. I've never been a big fan of the Big Triangle design, and the circle-T is a bit much.

Where is the case coming from? If it's a case for the cartel rep, then a gen dial will not fit. If you're buying the case from, say, Yuki or Phong, then it will fit. The cartel SM300 has a 31mm dial. The gen is about 27mm. Not even close. EDIT: Ah. Found the shot I wanted. On the right is the VN dial, which has the same diameter as the gen.

It's actually a wet and dreary Friday, but I can dream...

Like the others who commented, I'm pretty useless on the trail. The only berries and mushroom I'm eating are from the supermarket! Beautiful watch, beautiful state!

Careful, Nanuq. That Sea-Dweller might be poisonous!

Functionality aside, the nice thing about DW's crown for the 7032 is that it looks very good. The coronet is much more accurately rendered on the 7032 than it is on DW's crowns for his Daytonas. The laminating machine is busted, but you can have one of these in the meantime:

DJ Thursday:

I was about to say that smooth DJ bezels should be easy to find, but checking eBay has shown me otherwise. J can easily fabricate any smooth bezel you could think of. Unfortunately, the only gen examples I have on hand is an E.T. and a Doug Flutie. I could put the calipers on those, if you'd like.

Hmm... I'm guessing he means that it works great for setting the time, but sucks at actually winding the movement! I recommend you get a genuine 703 as soon as you can. You'll feel an immediate improvement, and it will look great as a bonus. If you're feeling especially sporty, try shooting for a period-correct 700 Twinlock. Inferior design to the Triplock and much more expensive--it's obviously the one to get!

Unfortunately, I'm at work and can't see your pictures right now (so your membership application is on hold), but do you have a gen crown fitted? My DW 6263/7750 came with a very slippy crown, and it was a sensation that can drive you up the wall. The biggest slips felt as if they were taking a horrible toll on the movement!

That combination really works, Hike!

Vespucci Wednesday

Beautiful concept and execution!

First of all, let's refer to them as Sea-Gull movements to avoid any McQueen-style confusion! I think you've seen the thread where ChiMan12 was able to fit a gen-spec dial onto his Sea-Gull-powered 6263, but only after modding the movement. Not an easy mod for mere mortals: I rate it "Skill Level 3" on the Revell scale.