ubiquitous

I say #3 (1st choice) or #4 (2nd)...

16520 for today...

25-128's are just ridiculously expensive... And difficult to find...

I see that listing went for $450... Was it an RWG member that won?

BTW, the fundamental construction between a gen 16610/16800 and 1680 are more or less the same; you have a crystal that seats to the rehaut lip (either with the entire crystal as would the case with an acrylic, or with the gasket and sapphire) and then you have a retention ring that seats over the crystal or the gasket. So, keep in mind that the new sapphire crystal should also have a small channel on the underside to seat with the gasket. However, with these factors in mind, you should have a decent, water resistant retrofit May be worth checking with some of the crystal suppliers like GS, or watch supply houses to see if they have something in stock that might work...

Ryaku, The diameters of a vintage and modern Sub (more specifically acrylic vs. sapphire) are completely different. The modern sapphire crystals are significantly larger in diameter, so it's not simply a matter of exchange from one to the other. Rather, if you have a sapphire crystal of the same diameter as the acrylic along with a corresponding gasket of correct diameter and height, thickness etc, the sapphire could be a direct replacement. But it all depends on whether you can find a sapphire crystal of the correct size.

I'm not sure if I still have that old Tudor crystal, but I'll check. FWIW, on that aftermarket 125 that I had, the cyclops was glued on, so removal was rather easy.

Looks great, J! I love the band on that one!

I've done so before while experimenting on aftermarket crystals... But for gen, you may be better off just going with a proper Tropic over Cyclope. e.g. if you are swapping a 1680 25-127, you can use the 25-19 for the no-cyclops look.

You can try watchmaterial for a low cost pearl replacement. Or... You can also opt for a gen insert...

Killer collection of Bases! I love that 6152 as well

PAM + Dirk:

DL- Indeed; that gilt is quite lovely

Yessir- I've got a gen 78360 on mine

It's a strange world, that one... But maybe a good example of 'less is more'?

It's been a few months since I've priced a 162xx, but the last one was without crown for around the $240 range (everything else intact). They are still around at that price point, but some shopping and diligence is definitely required

Unpolished, heavy bevel/chamfer lugs with flat, slab sides command the premium, no doubt. Gen vintage collectors would prefer a scratched up, never polished example over one that's seen a buffing wheel, no matter how shiney/mirrored the polishing results.

Another alternative is to just pick up an old gen DJ shell. They're usually not very expensive, and being gen they accept gen dials perfectly. Throw in a 28xx with the appropriate stilty ring, and you're good to go.

So, would this print be a candidate for one of the slarti dial decals?

I am sure you can find someone with a gen 16610 dial in not so great shape. I've seen some for sale with scratched surfaces, etc. selling in the $50 range. That would be a good basis for a custom dial methinks...

Indeed- Watchmeister's 5512 is very nicely done As for my thread on Ronin's 5513- Linky... There's progress pics throughout the thread, so if you take a moment or two to look through it, you can see how it progresses. Cheers! ubi

Hi Ed, You are correct in that there aren't too many vintage 5513 reps out there. Most of the examples out there are for the 1680 date. But, you do have a couple of options. 1) Find an MBW 5513 for a stock, out of the box option. 2) If you want an even nicer 5513, find either the above MBW 5513 or 1680 Date Submariner (both are based upon the 5513; some of the minutiae of this particular case makes it more correct for the 5513 than the 1680 date, however). Use this case to build a decent 5513 by swapping in a nicer dial and correct crystal and other parts depending on how far you want to take it (If you do a search on 'Ronin', you will find one I did for a fellow member here on RWG). 3) Use a CN 1680 to build a 5513 similar to step 2 above. 4) Find someone with a built 5513 that is looking to sell. Not sure if this helps any... This is one of the more under-represented watches in the rep world (in my opinion). The nice thing with modifying a watch is that it can be put together suting an individual's taste. //ubi

That's a beautiful dial, TeeJay!

Ryaku- Anything should be possible with the right size crystal and gaskets