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ubiquitous

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Posts posted by ubiquitous

  1. Whomever once said 'you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs first' must have also tried building their own GMT.

    This has been one of my most frustrating projects to work on... Ever.

    I started this project off by obtaining soem GMT parts for a 1675...

    100945-26304.jpg

    Simple enough...

    But, the biggest problem, I suppose, must lie in the fact that there really is no decent basis to start with as far as cases go. The reps use the same case as the vintage 1680 Subs, and the opening for the dial is just too small for the 1675 dial- By about 2mm, which is really quite a lot when you're dealing with a dial.

    So... I did what any insane person would do, and stripped apart a modern RLX rep, and started shaping it with the old Dremel. Unfortunately (for me), my trusty old Dremel took a dump on me and decided to say '[censored]it' and stopped working midway through (I was about to give up and say the same...). But, my loving and wonderful wife surprised me with a brand new dremel, so I continued on.

    Here we are at a bit of a starting point... In these pics, I'm actually about 2 hours into grinding. The rehaut lip has to be reduced in both height and O.D. and I've started to take the CG's down

    100945-26305.jpg

    100945-26306.jpg

    100945-26307.jpg

    100945-26308.jpg

    About 8 hours worth of work later, I start to get somewhere...

    100945-26309.jpg

    100945-26310.jpg

    100945-26311.jpg

    100945-26312.jpg

    Unfortunately, that's where I am left at a stand still. There are problems with the crystal retaining ring fitting properly, thanks to the machined groove where the old click mechanism was contained. The retaining ring got bent during removal, and the crystal cracked, so new parts need to be ordered. Of course there are a number of other items that need to be addressed as well... But for now, I'll need to take a break from this one while I let my blood cool down from a boil (seeing ths one gets me all heated up, and angry... Heh heh).

    More to come... Maybe...

    :)

    Best,

    R

  2. Those vintage inserts are un-possible to get now :( Confirmed from not just one, but three of my sources (actually, 2 of the 3 told me this 6 months ago; the other ran out last month).

    Parts are getting harder and harder to come by...

  3. Dial does indeed look like an MY. You can tell by the font and marker size. Also... Seems sometimes the ROLEX 'L' isn't always aligned under the coronet with these dials.

    I'd like to know what s/n this one supposedly has; the case style and the case back certainly do not match. The case profile is consistent with an early 1665- say from '67 to '68/9 (2.1M to 2.6M). The caseback is from a later white font Sub from the mid 70's on; with that in mind, you see where I'm going with this. Yes, the caseback could have been a replacement by a service center, but keep this in mind- the case itself looks to be in too new of shape, while the caseback looks worn- the case edges seem to be a little too crisp for a watch of this age and wear (look at the condition of that caseback compared to the rest of the watch). However, any notion or thought of the case even being genuine goes right out the door when you look at those CG's. Way too tight around the crown, and too thick.

    The bezel, though a bit funky, is for a 1665; the Sub's is more flat and doesn't have any step or straight angle to it's profile. So, I think the bezel is okay, but the insert is a different story.

    The bracelet, end links and movement look okay... But then again, those parts aren't terribly difficult to source...

  4. As a broker, I spot reps quite a lot where I work, and live... however I see these guys like

    brothers, and never break their cover to the outside world.. or even let

    them know, that I know...

    Nothing more embarrassing.. :unsure:

    I do at times, for friends, when asked, guide them to a better class of reps ... ^_^

    So the question is.... Are we, our own worst enemies ?

    Pfffffffffft! I ALWAYS out people! I jump up and down, pointing and yelling 'SEE?!?! SEE!?!?! THAT'S A FAKE! MINE IS SO MUCH NICER!!' Regardless if it's real or not.

    lols. Just kidding, folks.

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