ubiquitous

Well, nothing can be done about the movement. This we all know. But, I still love the forward facing design... And would gladly wear it to formal events.

Amongst my very small list of dress watches, I'd love to get my hands on one of these!

The simplicity is just lovely to me. Best of all, the lack of complications should make this one fairly simple to rep Perhaps even in solid 18k 750 gold.

Perhaps not everyone's taste, but I dig it.

I believe Ziggy mentioned in a prior thread that 7753 parts are unavailable from his parts house, as ETA stopped production of the 7753? I could be wrong though, but I seem to recall this being the case...

Excellent post, K! This was inded a great read!

Wow.... Absolutely incredible project. Very, very nice!!

What's on your wrist this hump day?

I'll be giving this one it's wrist debut... First time ever worn 16610 Franken-Sub

Nice work! I've done similar procedures using a razor blade to wedge between the links to seperate them. It takes a little longer (okay, it probably takes a lot longer), but may be less damaging than the vice grips. Just a lot more trying on the patience (namely, mine)

Regardless, great work!

Which customs port? SF? Dallas, JFK, O'Hare, etc. etc.? Some are much worse than others...

Sir By-Tor... I am humbled

Well, in the case of $800 modded Subs becoming obsolete in a few months time.. There is no fun in that. At all.

I suppose we're all in this hobby for different reasons. But I must say that the work I do on my watches isn't by any means special, nor is it difficult. It's certainly not rocket science, and I do believe that with the right tools, patience, mind set and a good eye for detail (as many of the members have- Quite possibly the most scrutinizing eyes of any WIS forum) most people can do this exterior modification work (not to be confused with movement work and overhauls that Ziggy performs, which DOES require skill, talent, knowledge and expertise). It does take practice, but we all gotta start somewhere. I wish more members would give it a try...

Anyhow... I think I must have somehow siderailed this discussion from the original topic to a debate on mods I'm going to sit back for a bit, enjoy my Excedrin and Mountain Dew cocktail and try to zone out for a bit.

For the tube wrench, I believe there are only two sizes- Men's and Ladies'...

I have a minimum of $600 into each of my watches... $2600 into my most extensively built piece. I could have bought some nice gens with the money, but I'd rather build

...quality over quantity. Words that I live by....

I am among those who believes that if you want the best, sometimes you have to build it. And if you have to build it, start with the best platform to do it. MBW's offer just that. A good basis to start with. Sure, you have to swap out a considerable amount of items, but let's face it- replica parts just look like... Replica parts. Want it to look like genuine? Use genuine parts. It ain't cheap, and sometimes finding such parts is not easy, but the results speak for themselves. Sure... It's still a fake. Sure, it's expensive. But, it's a hobby, and hobbies are never cheap. I'm picky... And I've been called picky. Doesn't bother me... It's just the truth. I like my stuff to look as high quality as possible, and I take pride in the fact that my watches are a direct result of the time and effort invested

If I wanted gen, I'd buy gen. But where's the fun in that? I'd buy it, wear it, and eventually get bored with it. If I build something, it's given me an opportunity to do more with my watch...

2.5mm and 3.0mm is indicative of the size of the hole for the threads on the tube and pushers. 5.3mm and 6.0mm is indicative of the size of crown that is compatible with said tubes.

For the crown tube, the '6.0mm' tap in that auction should work just fine (tubes for 6mm and 7mm crowns have the same size threaded bodies). Not sure about the tube for the 5.3mm crown, but that one just might carry the 2.5mm diameter, as that's the one used in ladies' size watches...

The 2.5mm tap is for the pushers. You'll want the 3.0mm tap for the crown.

Sometimes, building Frankens drives people crazy... this happens with me too...

Yes, I will agree with this...

Indicies look okay to me. I've seen markers like that on some legit 6263's. At first glance, they did look a little wide... But I think it might have been my eyes playing tricks on me; the angled portions of the markers are kind of masked by the shadow and lack of light which gives them a shorter, wider appearance.

Interesting comments about the watch that the caseback came from...

Keep them coming, folks! Some great watches... And excellent taste!!

As the original poster, I'll play along too...

1) My franken 16520 Daytona with El Primero 400. At the top of my list for accuracy in both aesthetics and function, and easily one of my favorite watches I've put together. As close to genuine as you can get without buying the real deal.

2) My DW 6263. My 2nd favorite for accuracy and aesthetics; currently getting some heart surgery Some nice genuine parts fitted, and very close to genuine.

3) My MBW 1665. My 3rd favorite, and one of my favorite daily beaters. Simple, durable, a glutton for punishment and fitted with a ton of genuine parts.

I did find it interesting, however, that he lists the dial as intended for a 6238 Pre-Daytona and a 6241; both of which were Non-Oyster models with pump pushers and Twinlocks. That being the case, I'd think that this Oyster signed dial would be more fitting for a 6263/5...

Just as the subject states; what are your top 3 favorite rep watches in your collection, and why? What makes them special to you? Quality? Function? Aesthetics? Sentimental value?

Ubi... many a true word is spoken in jest.

I think that your erotic may have a GMT function.

Clive-

I don't have one of these... But I love the caseback! I may have to pick one up as a novelty...

Difficult to say, really. Authentications must be done using a loupe to inspect the printing as well as the lume for the tell tale indications of age to really authenticate as original. To my eye, the dial looks good, all the fonts line up with where they're supposed to, except the the T SWISS T, which seems a little squished between the minute track and the 6:00 subdial. I have, however, seen a few examples where this is also evident on some genuine watches owned by well educated collectors, so this is probably not an issue. The coronet looks legit, and overall the dial looks correct.

For those of you unfamiliar with MBW's...

How to identify a vintage MBW 1680 and 1665.

Original post is here....

With all the talk of MBW's vintage Rolex models, I thought I'd do a small little write up on two popular models (the 1680 and 1665) to outline a few key tell-all characteristics on how to identify a genuine MBW from the others.

Starting with an MBW 1680 Red Submariner:

Here are the first key characterisctics- s/n L341455:

And the Ref. number. Note the purposely mispelled 'POLEX':

Now we move on to the actual construction of the bezel assembly. The MBW's bezels are put together just like genuine:

*Retaining ring

*Bezel washer

*Bezel ring

*Bezel insert

Retaining ring, which holds the crystal down, and keeps things water tight via a gasket underneath the seated lip:

The bezel washer, which allows the bezel ring to rotate bi-directionally, but allows enough tension to keep the bezel ring to spin freely:

The bezel ring itself:

And the bezel insert installed (in this case, a genuine insert):

And, of course, one other characteristic- Genuine Rolex parts fit, no muss, no fuss.

Genuine Tropic127:

And, as mentioned above, the genuine vintage inserts simply snap right in

And now the 1665 White Sea-Dweller:

The s/n- 5790134 (The DRSD uses s/n 5790358):

This time, the Ref is simply stamped 'REGISTERED DESIGN':

Bezel assembly is the same as the MBW 1680 and Genuine, except the profile is stepped, and not flat like the 1680's:

*Retaining ring

*Bezel washer

*Bezel ring

*Bezel insert

Profile is stepped, and thicker. Like the 1680, the retaining ring has a gasket under the seated base:

Bezel washer:

Bezel ring. Much thicker than the Sub (same profile as genuine):

Genuine insert snapped in:

Genuine Tropic39 installed (non-superdome):

Genuine crown/tube and springbars: