ubiquitous

I saw an auction earlier at $15k (which I thought was ridiculous), but this one takes the cake.

1655 fell off the radar, D... I'm still waiting too

Hmmmm... A very interesting theory, and probably not far off from the truth. Absolutely makes sense... Buyers will feel like they got a bargain at $5k after seeing a similar watch in prior auctions finishing at $8k and $9k...

Yes indeed... That cobbled movement didn't receive much praise, did it? None the less, the 16710 is just too intriguing not to give it a try.

J- I highly recommend using the TW Best GMTII as the basis: Nice case, bezel is closer in size to gen, etc. etc. Mine is slightly modded; lug holes drilled and a few other small items addressed, but will be receiving some other mods sometime down the road when I get around to it. I have a pretty extensive list pulled together for this one... But for now, there are higher priorities elsewhere Only problem may be finding one... These, like most other TW Best Classics are long, long gone...

Hmmmm... Methinks I may have to start looking!! Thanks for the insight, Rob!! BTW... Mail coming your way...

I do indeed, J... But very glad to hear all is taken care of on yours

Patience is definitely key. Above all the tools and parts and supplies, no doubt. If there's one thing this hobby has taught me, it's patience... Which is good as I'm not the most patient person to start with Anyhow... If your future involves modding more MBWs (or any other watches for that matter), you should seriously consider getting a press. It's a nice item to have...

Ahhh... The albino. I've seen a few references on it... Very rare indeed.

For sake of sanity, and the best interest of your MBW, do yourself a favor and pick up a crystal press. You can use it to press the ring onto your watch with very little fuss. For mine, I use an old gold plated brass Omega case for my die; sits perfect on the ring, clears the crystal, and allows for more leverage in getting the ring seated against the case. One risk with using pliers against the case is that you could potentially bend or warp that ring. Or, as you've discovered, damage the crystal. At any rate... With the proper tools, you'll find your experience to be much easier...

$500 is not a lot of money. I say keep your bracelet and start saving up. Before long, you'll have the two tone Navi AND the Headwind (still on a bracelet)

Hey gang... Wondering if anyone has come across a stem for a 6497/8 with a Tap10 size? Most I see are Tap6... But, I could have sworn I've seen one at this size? Please let me know... Cheers, R

Nice work, T.... The finished results look great, and the tutorial is nice and straight forward... Good stuff for sure!

Who knows what the story is... Could be anything. Maybe shills.. Maybe a buyer who flaked out. At any rate... I think we can agree- When it comes to vintage Daytonas, nothing beats a franken. Let's enjoy these watches for what they are without regard to dollar value... Simply outstanding time pieces!

You can carefully wedge a razor between the base of the crystal and the case and then gently work your way around the diameter. This will give you the initial lift of the crystal...

I'd be down for the 52/72/74/108... But, because they use the El Primero 400, it's likely that we won't see a good rep of it unless they dupe the movement.

A nice idea, but don't watchmakers use loupes to see what they're doing?

Very nice!! The perfect swap from the mystery movement! The V23 fits nicely... ZZ did a fantastic job on it (as always)! A keeper in my book!

It's a strange allure, that one... I don't quite understand it myself

Interesting... Case style kind of reminds me of the AP Millenary...

I'm not accusing you of shills... Just those eBay sellers!

Hmmmm... That balance does look a bit off kilter... Or it could simply be my eyes....

Honestly... I hope you are right. 'Cause, really... It makes no difference to me either way. If it's shill bids, it's shill bids. If it's someone who likes to [censored] away his/her money (and, apparently, there must be lots of them, all looking to buy franken 6263's- Afterall, this is like the 7th or 8th this month, nevermind the fact that you can get a genuine 1680 red AND 1675 combined for the same money... Or a genuine 116520 new at cost from an AD and flip it... Or a genuine great white 1665... Hell, I could go on and on), then that's what it is. But whatever any of these auctions end up being, it's no skin off my nose. I'm just calling it out as [censored]. As for making it personal? Nah... Not personal. Just driving home a point. If these things were worth what they're claimed to be, then the profit margin is easy to see, and is apparently worth the hassle of selling a complete watch, as these auctions on eBay seem to reflect by volume of listings. Hell... A moment ago, you were offering to sell MY watch for me on consignment... So, I guess it must not be too much of a hassle? My consignment fees paid out would be far less than the net profit realized from the sale of one of your watches... So, theoretically it would be more to your benefit to sell your own vs. mine... Besides... Great debate never hurt anyone. The forum's been a little slow... So, I'm just glad you're willing to participate with me. No hard feelings?

44mm really wears quite nicely on the wrist. I'm used to wearing 40mm, but 44mm doesn't seem too out of place when I decide to give mine some wrist time...

So, I guess I should start building V72 Daytonas and start selling them on eBay...