ubiquitous

This morning, I decided to go with something different. My wife seemed to notice a bit of a change... Her: Hmmmm... Expensive watch I see. Rolex? Me: Oh-mee-ga. Figured it was time to give the Cosmographs a break...

Don't forget- I'm sure there have also been a couple of T signed dials switched with L signed dials during service...

Thanks, BT. The crowns on both are the same- Just standard 24-703's... Maybe the lighting makes them look a little different? Looking at both in person (I'm holding both wrists up to my eye), they look the same

Well, vintage Rolex used 316L, so grade of steel is the same. The change to 904L didn't happen until the mid 80's. As for being 1:1... Hard to say. They may be close, but not exact. I've not seen one of these cases in person to say one way or the other.

I wouldn't count on it...

Oh yeah... Only other thing I would suggest changing are the subdial hands. Swap those and the dial, and i'd say you're set...

A quick one with natural light... Definitely easier to take clearer shots, but dealing with reflections can be tricky

bahleeted.

I am hesitant to say without having seen one of the MBW 1655s in person. Based on the pics, there are some details that make me doubt that this particular MBW will accept gen parts in the same manner that the 1680 and 1665's would. The dial/crystal/bezel are all quite large in diameter on the gen; the MBW seems to be a bit smaller. None the less- The MBW looks great, highlighted by Neil's fantastic photography skills. Depending on your level of expectation, this could be a great watch...

Cases are not gen, but sold as 'replacement' cases (though never implied otherwise in the auction). They are not MBW, but very high quality. They also have some very cool Patek and VC frankens as well- all solid 18k that they don't offer for sale on eBay.

The 1655 rail is a Stern manufactured dial, as are all 'rails'. These have been found in 1655's up to the 5M s/n's...

Very cool! Reminds me of the Ugly Duckling on Paneristi... Out of curiosity- What's holding the hour pinion in place?

$2k- Not bad at all for a V72 powered watch! If I may make a suggestion... Swap the dial for a better one. That's the only area of improvement I can see that really needs work. Otheriwse... It's a great looking watch!

Indeed- The caseband (mid case) looks quite a bit thinner than the DW and EE- Particularly noticable at the lugs. Dial does not look familiar- The printing and coronet are not typical to the DW or EE, and the case engraving is not the same either. Quite a few gen parts are installed... Very interesting. And a very nice watch! If you don't mind my asking, how much did you pay for this?

BT- The 1655 has been around the $12k to $14k range for a while now (depending on dial type- Standard vs. Rail)... Easily over the past 12 months. The ones to start watching are the 5512, 5513 and 1675. I'd say 1680's, but those are already on the move...

Gorgeous, B... A real work of art!

I meant from the wear and tear of having to frequently unscrew the crown from the tube to wind the watch. Daily winding can cause those threads to wear down quickly... If your current crown isn't giving you trouble, then you can certainly leave as-is. But, I must say... Having the gen crown and tube is a huge imporvement, both in aesthetics and feel. Definitely a good, functional upgrade...

Ahhhh... I myself have not had much luck with the mystery movement. On my beloved 6263, I went through 3 - 4 movements, each of them with faults before swapping to the Swiss V23 to finally solve my troubles. On the flip side, I also had a gorgeous PN 6263 with a perfectly running/winding fully ziggied movement that I ended up selling to kruzer00. To this day, it's still running flawlessly... So, sometimes it's just luck of the draw. I would agree with Oli- Don't use the stopwatch too much, and I would also suggest the swap out to a genuine 24-703 Triplock crown and 7030 tube. The crowns that these watches come with aren't always the best- They tend to fail at the spring, and sometimes break free (hence resulting in what might feel like slipping when winding). Aside from that, you'll also benefit from having the Triplock in the numerous threading/unthreading when winding.

MP- Your 6263 looks GREAT! The hands set is correct- Black sub hands with silver center secs. The dial looks quite good- Nice position of the coronet! All in all, a great example of a vintage Cosmo... What's ticking away inside?

Alternating between the usual pair this weekend...

Amazing... Another 913/ff masterpiece! Perfect? You bet! Bad ass? Absolutely! But to tell the truth, it's what I've come to expect from ff... You can really work some magic...

UBIVISION... I dig it! May have to trademark that...

I myself don't see anything wrong with frankens as long as they are accurately described as such. I enjoy building frankens for myself; it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of this hobby for me. But, I don't pass them off as genuine, which is the problem that most on eBay seem to fall into.

Nicely done! I used to have one of these old 'bargain' Tudors... from Chinatown Adam, right? Those were a phenominal buy for the money...