ubiquitous

Indeed... The closely grouped El Primero subdial layout looks right with a 40mm watch; any larger of a case, and it just looks out of place.

As most of you guys know, this watch is amongst my favorites; I've been through 2 (maybe 3) movements now, and so I am hellbent on getting it restored back to working condition. So much so, that I sacrificed a perfectly good, Ziggy serviced and verified DW 6263 to get this one going. I feel very fortunate and appreciative that we have a Ziggy to help make those visions a reality. I take comfort in knowing that the job is done right; no hacks or work arounds, no short cuts and no cutting corners. In this day and age, it's so very rare to find someone who is not only as skilled, knowledgable and experienced as Ziggy, but also takes pride in the work performed. Thanks, Rob! Best, Randy

I like artoero's ending quite a lot

Today I got to hear my movement's heartbeat... I tell ya, the man can work some magic...

Well... The Tudor was a fun project... And a bit of a fluke. But it turned out quite nice. I do miss it... When I look at old pics... As for the 1665; I fitted it with a CWP dial, though it's not exactly correct... I'll be fitting the old MBW dial once again when my next (and final) mod shows up.

Ahhh... Have a look at my post at the bottom of page 3 in this thread... I posted about how my MBW 1665 made it's way onto the TZ Vintage Rolex forum and went unidentified (with a link to said post)...

Just to clarify- That wasn't me posting the pics on the TZ link that I posted. Rather, I ran into that one morning, recognized the pic, and contacted the former owner, and said... 'Hey, isn't that my watch? Looks like someone's hijacked some pics...' Sure enough, stolen pics. And of a rep no less. Needless to say, that one had me scratching my head...

For me, I chose this one.... All original from 1967. My $600 bargain...

jkerouac.... 10,000 Maniacs?

Yes... If you are looking for a limited run watch, the Zenith based pieces will probably fall into that category if they haven't already...

Well... For what it's worth, pictures of my 1665 (the pics were the former owner's) were posted sometime back on TZ. The watch passed the visual as a genuine; crown guards and all. Here is the link. Toni can attest to the image, and will verify that the watch in the posting is the one I have in my possession now. So... At the end of the day, in many cases, I don't think the experts can really verify one way or the other from pics; there are so many variations out there that no one can be 100% certain, unless the watch is just an obvious fake (and believe me, those you can tell). I suspect this is why many of the collectors, when asked for authentication from a visual, will answer 'take it to an RSC and have them open the back to verify'. Just because sometimes it is so difficult to tell without physically handling the watch, flipping through the dates, looking at the movement beat, looking at the movement, and running s/n checks.

If you have to look that hard to see the flaws.... Well, then you may consider that you're not the only one who has to strain your eyes to see these imperfections. The only time when they're really apparent is when you've got them posted as images, in larger than usual resolution. Then, they become the subject of scrutiny.

I know my limits...! And I know I am not capable of such work! Good thing Rob is!

...with canola oil?

Well... The 1680, as you pointed out, isn't quite right (but I've seen redials that look similar). The DRSD dial is a combination of MKIV and MKV dials, so still not quite right. The white SD, however, is about right, and the closest in appearance with regards to font, alignment, etc. The Rail Dial, is of course, excluded as there are some major differences with the genuine white font dial (there is no rep dial of the Rail). Also... Something else that MBW owners know... The dial feet for these are cut off, and the dial itself is glued to the spacer ring, as STOCK from MBW. If you look at the back of the dial, the location of the dial feet are in the position for use with a genuine Rolex cal 1575.

Same. High heat, sweat, and nickel makes for bad chemistry here. But not quite as big of an issue with 316 SS (just 904L)...

Agree- The seller should go through the proper precautions and care of packaging a watch adequately when shipping. If the watch is damaged as a result, perhaps a full refund and return of the watch, or at least a partial refund to cover the cost of repair (if you prefer to keep the watch) is in order. In this case, a servicing of the movement, and a new crystal (T-21's sell for $35-ish; movement overhauls vary depending on who you go with...).

Well... I think the dials used for the MBW's are very specific to the watch. For one... The dial sizes are very different between a proper 1680 rep (i.e. an MBW), and a modern 16610; the 16610 requires a larger dial. Second... MBW uses those Singer signed dials, which are not present on the 16610's. So... I don't believe it is a case of one dial being used for both... But, for what it is, the MBW dials are quite nice. Especially the white SD dials. VERY accurate for a rep dial...

Good pics. And yes, rep will always be a rep. But it sure is fun to try to emulate! And, at the end of the day, that's what it's about for me...

Pics are compliments of the Ziggy-meister... The movement: A genuine Swiss V23 going into my DW... So, you tell me... Think you can get that movement disassembled without damage, cleaned, oiled properly, and reasembled without any training or experience? For what it's worth, this movement is probably much more simple to work with than the 7750's (please correct me if I am wrong...). I wouldn't even THINK of trying to do the work of overhauling this thing on my own. This is where the REAL skill is folks. Modding the exterior of a watch is just child's play in comparison...

Perhaps it's a size thing. The zenith models were 40mm I believe; the newer chronos are 44mm...

Give it a try and tell us how it works out *bites tongue*

The moisture probably only appears when there is a high level of heat/humidity. Once you go into a cooler atmosphere with a/c, the condensation disappears from the crystal... Maybe re-appearing from the heat of your body temp. Hard to say. Just keep a close eye on your dial- Sometimes that moisture can cause the surface paint to bubble up... And, of course, it isn't good for your movement either...

Well, the screw down collars on the pushers don't provide any water resistance, per se; they're only there to prevent you from pushing them in while under water. The gaskets around the pushers are what provide the sealing.