phillycheez

My question is unless you were "cannabalizing" and older DJ for the movement, why would you part out a usable popular model? in my opinion, the whole is worth more than the sum of it's parts. If you have a genuine 16610, and you want or need a new insert, you can take it to a local Rolex AD and they will replace your old one (They are probably going to keep the old one), same with bracelets, crowns/tubes, etc. If you want it serviced , any Rolex trained watchmaker will work on it, and replace parts with genuine Rolex parts. Once you break it up, from Rolex SA's point of view, it's no longer a Rolex.Dealers won't replace parts, work on it, and don't think about having a RSC look at it!!

Also in my example D-series 16610 doesn't it have SEL 93250 bracelet? I'm not trying to get into semantics. But it just seems to be getting out of control the price of the gen parts on the market.

Only $800 for the bracelet? Where can I find one for that. I've been looking! That's actually what started me thinking about this. That and some of the threads about people building frankens and spending near close to the price of a good used gen. But of course if you build yourself a really nice franken you get the satisfaction of doing that, rather than just plunking your cash down and walking away with a watch.

Ok, so I've been thinking, and this might be a really crazy question, but given the current gen parts market here in the US especially. Are some watches worth more than the sum of their parts? Lets say you pick up a nice 16610 D series, they run around $4500-$5500. Ok so lets say you get a good deal and pay $4900. You could probably get like $1800 for the bracelet, $200 for the bezel insert, $250 for the bezel, $200 for the hands, $350 maybe for the dial $75-$125 for the crystal. $2k for the movement and $1k for the case. That's $5800-$5925 Am I off on these numbers? It would be a shame to do.

It would be hypocritical for them to be against part swapping when RSC does it all the time. Yes but then the RSC records what was improved. It's done honestly. And they will not "upgrade" a watch, like making a white 1680 into a red. My 1680 was literally beat to hell and $1,000 later the NY RSC made it look new again. With documentation for the "upgraded" (new) bezel, insert, crown, tube, crystal and band. Any subsequent buyer will know that work was done. Laser welding a case to improve it, then passing it as an "untouched original" is fraud. It's beneath contempt.

It would be hypocritical for them to be against part swapping when RSC does it all the time.

I've dealt with jacek and his partner multiple times and trust them fully. Even been to their store front in SF.

Well I understand the part swapping... That's a live and well and I thought it was a commonly known practice. The Rolex Vintage market is a scary place if you believe people that say it's "all original". If I ever buy a gen vintage again the only thing that I only care about is that it at least has period correct parts for that specific model. Easier to sell and keeps it's value better. But currently I have no plans on buying vintage again. I realized I am waaay too picky and only a personalized franken build would satisfy my specific tastes in patina. I sold my last gen 5513 cause the dial markers mismatched the hand lume by just a smidgen!

Interesting indeed. I've heard of suspicions on him a long time ago. He sells stunning pieces for a 20% premium over market. If he's really restoring them... Who is his modder! He's the best I've ever seen and is the Michelangelo of lume jobs. And why hasn't anyone who has sold him a watch come out and say he's modified it? If he's been doing it, someone by now would have caught him with old photos of the same watch to compare.

WoW the blue one is very popular as it seems    Here my own build, it is a Franken Snowflake   also blue          You can't buy it by the TDs   If you want one you must build it self   You can find here good parts http://www.yukiwatch.com/index.html

You guys are too much.

Patina varies widely and nobody really knows why they end up that way. Matching hands and faded inserts were a rarity up until the last 10 years. It's a vintage phenomena... Or rather part swapped and priced accordingly... :/

My tastes I like vintage egg white on 1665s.

Vintage cream and orange patina on 5512, 5513, and 1655s.

Always matching hands for me, and fat font inserts with a creamy pearls.

I like fat lugs, thick crown guards and sharp edges. Pretty much a clean unpolished baby. Primo example gens is what I like and after owning and selling a couple sweet 5513s I've realized a Franken project will only satisfy my needs for perfection.

OP get what ever color you think looks best!

That is a luscious bezel pip. Can you tell me the case you're using and then crown-crown tube? It is a complete package!

Thanks!

MBW 5513 modified case w/ drilled lugs

Gen crown and tube

Gen t19 crystal

Gen service insert

Gen hands and dial

Slow beat ETA

I didn't modify it personally. Bought it off a member who purchased from ubi. Work of art really.

Genius idea with the hour hand! Never heard of anyone doing that.

The Mercedes hand is correct too but the lollipop is definitely preferred. Nice job.

I'm a fan too!

Where did you get the hands?

Nice job so far. It's okay if you go overboard on CGs ad its plausible over the years its been polished monthly for decades.

Yes! Finally vintage love.

Thank you so much for your efforts!

Mentioning selling my frankens was kind of a joke, sorry if I broke any rules. All sales will be through proper channels if the time comes.

I'd love a 16610 lughole sub, I have gen lumi hands and dial I could install and save the trit stuff for when I resell but I'm still looking at $5k. It looks like I could nab a 14060 for around $3.5k though, which is almost what I have into my sean case 16610...

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Considering I've been there... And done it and now back to Frankens..

Do it! It's the only way to rid of that craving for a gen.

It will eat away at you from the inside until you do.

Good luck!

And please try not to buy it off eBay..

Am I really the only one here who wants the Tudor snowflake!?!

In for a flake, 5513, 1680..

Damn... That's a great idea.

With retail prices over $80,000 I agree with you guys. Way over priced and when on my wrist (special sundays on a leap year) I don't really feel the joy of "wow its beautiful." Don't get me wrong, they are definitely a work of art, and engineering (I have no idea how they fit so many functions in a thinness less a 1/3 the size of a submariners), I dont see myself ever buying one. And you don;t wanna know what service and maintenance run. Rolex cert service x's 10, and they change and upgrade parts all the time. Postage cant be trusted with these watches so all services require two trips to Switzerland every five years. 1 to drop it off and 1 to pick it up 6 weeks later. ......my wife is going to kill me when I actually have to take care of it

High end mail service does exist so you don't have to do that.... but it is a reason to go to Switzerland!

Oh my... God.

Would like to know more about that case!

No fat font inserts available except for gen!

Considering they are $500-$1000 right now I'm pretty surprised.

In the market for one now and seriously considering it... Sadly.

Fair price for #1. Prefer to never have the case restored though.

Number 2 isn't worth $6500... Even with b&p. I've seen way too many nice 1680 examples for under $6k to ever choose something that.

If I was still looking... Perfect dial with matching hands, silver date, excellent case, and fat font insert with tritium pearl. For $5.5-6k that is easily possible. Personally I would pass on both... This is vintage Rolex, be as picky as possible if you are going for a premo example.

If ya dig fat font inserts a nice one with tritium pearl go for $700-800... I'm in the market for one now and kinda wish I just bought one that came with one.

Actually the build quality of Ginault is up there with the best of them. I love it... It's actually survived my constant watch flipping for a year now. I already have plans for it, replace crystal with big crowns (AR Cyclops) and get my family crest printed on the dial. It's actually turning out to be the one ill be passing down to the kids (that don't exist). I own a gen 5513 too but oddly the Ginault means more to me in the end. :/

I got it in the very beginning, cost me around $500 when they had a promo deal going. I was able to grab one of the handful of swiss ETAs too. Case back has engraved made in the USA by the way.

I'm probably gonna be doing this eventually.

Who is the best? I feel zig is as he has proven to do lume jobs no one else would touch.

There's also a guy named Kent Parks on the gen forums.

Non hacks stopped around 1970-1972. My 1973 is hacking.