TJGladeRaider

Some time ago, I had posted that I use 22mm springbars when I drill the lugs on a vintage Rolex if the 20mm Rolex Bars cannot be made to fit, and you cannot tell the difference in how they look. Our very own Chieftang asked for more specific information, so here goes. These are the springbars I use. Standard 20mm bars on top, below that is a 20mm Rolex bar, and below that is a 22mm Standard Spring Bar. While I have no doubt that our resident gurus have no problems getting the Rolex fat tube springbars to fit once they drill the lugs, mine don't always seem to want to cooperate - and getting those big fat tubes thru the endlinks is enough to make you crazy. I drilled the lugs on this GMT II and could not get the Rolex bars to fit no matter what I did. Since I wanted to wear the watch, I used two 22mm spring bars instead. Can you tell the difference? If you mic the lugs, they are just over 20mm wide - 20.16 seems to be a representative measurement. If you mic a standard 20mm spring bar 19.36 seems to be a representative measurement If you mic a Rolex 20mm spring bar, 19.7 seems to be representative If you mic a 22mm standard springbar, 20mm seems to be representative Just to make things more clear, I took the bracelet off again so you could see the lugs, the 22mm bar (back) and the 20mm bar front. Notice that the 22mm bar is only slightly longer, but it is significantly thicker. Once I reinstalled it, I think it looks exactly like the Rolex Bars look. Note that there are all kinds of spring bars out there so be sure and get the ones that look like this instead of the ones that seem to have little [censored]s on the ends. They install SOOOOOOOO much easier than the Rolex Bars and since they are thicker, and a little longer, they fit tight. Bill

That isn't what bothers me - I can always find a way to get money to either of those guys, and if it came to it, I'd send them cash in an envelope. Nobody is higher placed on my "trust" scale. What I would like to know is why. Is this some slimeball competitor jacking with them, or some snitch for Uncle Rollie perhaps? I dunno, but we CAN figure it out. First question - any other major players had their accounts shut down?? Bill

Concur . . . Gio's experience is exactly the same as mine. I found the initial statement about diligently researching the point to be interesting considering all the tests I have done with pictorial posts. Bill

I don't see any reason why a waterproof rep wouldn't re-start with a shake once it was thawed out. Why all that condensation? That seems very odd to me. Since water expands (unlike most everything else) when frozen, I am wondering if the freezing water forced itself into the case somehow. In any event, now ya got me curious. Bill

I hope you're right. It would plumb tickle me to death that people I like dealing with who have treated me well are getting rich at it. Bill

OMG . . . someone convinced you that was the real thing? Jeez Louise, but I hate to see a poor guy get hosed totally so I'll tell you what - I'll give you $1000 for the POS. I know, I know, I am constantly in awe of my own generosity. ; ) Bill PS - that post ought to be pinned somewhere. Best "how to avoid EBay rips post I ever saw.

A little of both. I enjoy these vintages and I like playing around with them. It's always better to have some input from others - for example, Sherrington does some of the best CG mods I ever saw. I also wanted to see if the OEM replacement bezel set with a Tropic 19 on a Chinese Rep would cause any confusion . . . I think it took Nanuq all of two minutes to see thru that. Bill

It's funny how history gets recorded. I have always been interested in watches, and I distinctly remember the first quartz watches being made available by Seiko. They can say whatever they want, but if you owned a quartz watch when they first became available, it was most definitely a Seiko, no matter what anyone had on the drawing board. I also remember the first digital watch very distinctly - it was an ugly pig by Seiko marketed under their Pulsar subsidiary followed by an LCD version marketed as a Seiko. I first saw it advertised in a magazine on an airplane and it was incredibly expensive -- but I cannot recall how much. As for Bulova, all I remember them for was something aboutusing a tuning fork in a watch. Memory is amazing. I remember all that stuff so clear I'd bet serious money, but sometimes I can't remember what I did yesterday. LOL Bill

Mine is definitely the Conquistador - black face. The more I look at it, the more I think I should wear it cuz it is one beautiful piece. Bill

The Japanese invented the Quartz watch - Seiko introduced it in the 1970's. I wonder how they feel seeing advertisements that make the Swiss sound superior. Bill

Thank you for that wonderfully well written thought. Just as my youngest is getting oldest to begin to question whether there really is a Santa Claus, I have a new baby . . . for me, this will be twenty years of Christmas with always at least one child who believed. For those of you who are blessed with that, do it up right, enjoy the game and play it to the hilt. Time passes much too quickly and when these innocent days are gone, they are gone. God Bless, Bill & Family

I just looked -- mine is the cleanest, sweetest engraving I ever hope to see and covered with the plastic patch it shipped with. The L's are perfect. Shame to leave it sit in a drawer forever I suppose, but all I wear are the Rollie Vintages and the Classics. Bill

I suppose anyone could be an expert if they applied themselves long enough, but the thing that I note about Randy and several others on the forum is the willingness to help anyone who asks (Randy has spent a lot of time walking me thru things on the phone) and a positive, non-controversial attitude that plumb evades me even when I try. We have some genuinely nice folks here. Bill

I agree with you - I like my Dells. Recently, I got a MacBook Pro set up with the Intel processors. It is set up dual boot - start it as a Mac, or boot it as a Windows XP machine. This solid metal case is really impressive. Bill

Lord you are scary. I looked at the pics, and looked at the watches, pics, watches, pics, watches . . . still felt that the pic from the side was the DRSD but then I noticed the orientation of the crown markings. Some detective I am, huh? Since I had just taken the pics, neither watch has been adjusted so the crown etchings are still oriented the same as when I took the pics. The one I thought was the DRSD was indeed the COMEX and that, my Brother, reveals how YOU KNOW. Those three little dots on the COMEX crown are big fat balls, almost in a straight line, and nearly as wide as the widest part of the (what do they call that crown insignia) but the gens dots are small, more V shaped and just slidely wider than the base of the crown insignia. Bill

Nope, that is a head on shot of the crown from the top. This is a brand new DRSD, they may be using a better crown. What caught me off guard was you aying the crown and tube on the COMEX was the original rep set it came with. I thought I had switched that out for a gen, but on closer inspection you are correct. I did not switch the one on the Comex - but maybe I did on the DRSD. I get confused. The thing I found most interesting is that the Chinese Comex was a perfect fit for the Tropic 19 - snapped tight right in place. The retaining ring fit perfectly - tight but press fit into place. The OEM bezel assembly turns freely and smoothly just like any MBW. Ya think the Comex would look better if I installed a gen crown/tube? Bill

Lord, that poor little bugger on the left. To go thru life looking like that -- so glad to see you are able to have attractive children. I thank my blessings everyday that none of my five kids look like me -- all adorable blondes who look alike, in fact, they look a lot like . . . Phoband, where do you live? Bill

Nope, that's a new DRSD from MBW. Might as well give that up cuz everyone hit it which should have been easy since all I did was drill the lugs and replace the insert. Bill

Not saying anything yet -- By-Tor and Sherrington are bound to have opinions, but riddle me this. Would you use a CN Rep COMEX Crystal with a gen retaining ring and bezel assembly and then expect the CN Insert to fit? Again, not saying yeah or nay, what makes you say one crown/tube is gen and the other rep . . . holding them in my hand, I can see no difference? Bill

OK, what do you think of my daily wear Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?????????? BTW, I never said that anything, or any part thereof, was rep; maybe reps, maybe gens, maybe gen parts on reps, maybe rep parts on gens, maybe . . . C'mon Randy . . . gonna take more than just your nose this time!! Bill

Guess my ass Randy . . . you can ID this stuff by smell, but I am in the process of making it MUCH more difficult. I have a couple I wish you could see in person. Bill

EBay. Quiet as a mouse. I often have them all running in my bed room. No problems. Bill

Tech's avatar is enough to stop my clock. All I can say is, whomever is sleeping with that could not possibly be enjoying her enough! Bill

I promise you -- it is the weirdest thing, but when you use the 22mm bars, they look just like the Rollie gen bars sticking thru the case. I am working my way thru all of my classic watches -- the ones with lug holes. The ones I am keeping bracelets on use the 22mm regular springbars since they look the same and are so much easier toi fit, the ones using shark or stingray bands use the Rollie bars. I have these and a bunch more MBWs since those pics were taken. Bill

I have the Coquistador with the 2892 movement that has not been worn -- have they become rare? Bill