ubiquitous

You could swap the SELs from the solid bracelet that came on Luckyyy's watch with the SELs on the hollow link bracelet. This would ensure the holes for the springbar line up with the lug holes. Not a difficult job to do- The link closest to the SEL has to be taken apart to get the SEL off, but that's about it

Indeed, Oli. $16k to $20k is far too little for a genuine... But far too much for a fake

DW does offer a 14k YG 6263 case kit. But I can assure that the watch in the eBay auction is a fake. The movement says it all at first glance; one look at the balance is all it takes. V72's re-worked by Rolex should not have a regulator, but rather microstella screws on the balance wheel. The case... As Ludo mentioned... spring bar holes on only one side of the case?!? Those pushers are weaksauce, and that caseback looks too tall; comparing the auction pics with an EE 6263 I have on hand, the caseback is the same. Some other details just don't look right either, and I'm sure if we had a better, closer pic of the dial, we'd find problems there too. This particular watch looks like it probably wasn't cheap to make, so with all that money invested, why not go the extra distance and at least get the case right? At least the movement cannot be seen under everyday conditions, though if trying to sell the watch, there is no doubt that any educated and smart buyer will want to see what's under the hood. Oh, and one final observation from me- The saying 'if it's too good to be true, it probably is...' Well, folks. We all know that stainless steel Daytonas sell for ridiculous prices, but what about the 18k Newmans?!?! Those puppies are up in the $90k to $100k+ ranges depending on condition and whether or not complete with boxes, papers, etc. As of this writing, the watch has 10 hours left, 30 bids, and $16k with no reserve. A bit underpriced, no? Don't you think that the seller of a true, GENUINE watch of this value would want what the watch is really worth? I know I wouldn't want to short change myself nearly $80k US. But, that's just me

Euno, you know that I know you appreciate vintage crownies of all types! Thanks for the kind words!! Errrr... I hope this is a good thing?

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up on this one Toni! Definitely good to know! I was under the impression that the gen tubes were a direct replacement, but maybe that's only on the V72 case kit?

Nope.

Genuine Tropic 21: Check! Genuine springbars: Check! Not much more to correct after that. Just the crown and tube. Everything else is pretty close to start with.

An excellent new addition to the collection! Enjoy that beauty!

Dave- I was searching and searching for mods to do on these DW's, but there just isn't much that needs to be changed

Yup, that one will work, but way over priced (in my opinion). The crowns in my picture above are 100% genuine (though used); if you're interested in a crown, I'd be willing to sell one of mine at a fraction of the cost of Kristi's (scanron).

For genuine 6263, it's a 7mm Triplock crown. Funny that you mention this, as I'll be fitting a gen crown and aftermarket tube set up on my DW 6263 soon...

SD- The seconds hand for the ETA's are definitely too big. ETA 2836-2/2846/2824-2/2892 are all 90/150/25; The AS is 90/150/22. So, the seconds hand has to be reduced.

How about them big ol' 8mm Brevy's? You mentioned having them cast. Might you have more of those available too?

Note the direction the datewheel rotates. Hmmmmmm. Arrived today in working order (though it needs to be serviced). Best $8.00 I've spent in a long while!

An example of a 6263 with black center seconds hand from a very reputible dealer. Watch Commander.

I feel the same way. With every wind, I feel like I'm slowly bringing the watch to it's grave. Of course, it doesn't help that the original movement in my watch had winding issues. I'm a little gun shy to say the least.

The Panerai Tritium seems to age to the pinkish beige and sometimes yellow-ish patina prematurely because of the varnish used to coat it. This was a problem even up to the F serialed Submersibles (mostly on the hands). Lots of owners would send theirs in to be changed under warrantly as corrosion was speading onto the hands' borders. All in all, looking good, Mark. The only apparent issue I see is with the shape of the numerals on the dial and the size of the baton markers, since the Pre-A's used Pre-V dial left overs. None the less, a nice job

I must say first and foremost- I love my DW 6263 dearly. But, the manual winding just kills me. It has a V23 copy movement in it, and even though the power reserve is 56 hours, the winding every 2 days is a bit much. I spend more time looking at it than wearing it these days.

Woody, The pushers should be asymmetric, i.e the bottom is spaced a little more offset tan the top. Here's an image to help illustrate: Note the spacing of the top pusher compared to the bottom in relation to the crown as the centerpoint. With regards to the movements used per generation, they are as follows: Vintage Cosmographs (6239/6241/6262/6263/6265) 1960 - 1988 Caliber 727 Valjoux 72 based handwind 19800bph Daytona (16520, etc) 1988 - 2000 Caliber 4030 Zenith Daytona based automatic 28800bph Daytona (116520) 2000 - present Caliber 4130 1st Rolex in house chronograph movement 28800bph. The vintage Daytonas were not popular in their time. The reason being is that they were manual wind with a screw down crown. Hence the majority sat in dealer displays until the early - mid 80's when the Italians went crazy over the Exotic dial variants thanks to a (mysterious) correlation to actor Paul Newman (the Exotic dial subsequently went on to be known as Paul Newman dial Daytonas). There is much speculation over the origins of this relation of the watch and the actor; nothing as been determined as fact. Their exclusivity has only increased in the past few years pushing values up past ridiculous levels (of which I have my own personal theories and thoughts). Anyways... Hope this information helps a little. Best, R

Woody, The watch you have there is a replication of the Cosmograph 6263, which was in production from 1970 until the late 80's (I want to say '87 or '88, when the 16520 made it's debut). The case should measure 37.x mm (this measurement varies for genuines, as fractions of a mm can be taken off during case refinishing), the lugs should measure 19mm, and the bracelet should have the following markings on the backside (which I suspect your's might): 78350 19 And the end links should be signed '571'. If yours' is stamped with these markings, then you've got one of the more faithful to genuine replications out there. As for your question on the cheap, flimsy feel of the bracelet- That is correct. (genuine) Rolex bracelets have always felt a little flimsy compared to others (like Omega), as they use rolled, hollow midlinks, and stamped metal for clasps (prior to this they used folded links, which felt even lighter, and more flimsy, along with riveted links, which felt a little more substantial). It's funny- I was wearing my DW 6263 the other day, and I was thinking the exact same thing as you- The small clasp kinda does make it feel like a ladies' watch, at least, in comparison to more contemporary bracelets. Enjoy the new watch! Cheers, R

My vote: A pre-owned AP Royal Oak Classic, 36mm. You can get them for $5k on the second hand market. They're quite versatile, and can be dressed up or down depending on occassion.

Excellent info! I'm not much of a gold kind of guy, but if the need should arise, I know where to turn

Great to see you here, Rob!! Regarding the avatar... I kinda liked your old one.

Thanks, gang! I appreciate the kind comments! This one is bitter sweet for me- I was planning to use the 1680 case for, well, a 1680, and the Tudor was going to get it's own case, built up from scratch. Anyhow... A temporary set back. Not a huge deal. It's funny... I initially set about wanting to build a nice Tudor Sub after seeing your guys' (being edge and RPS). The kicker for me was when RPS and I were discussing his before purchase. I was smitten by it's simplicity, and strong relation to the 5513. Plus, it's a watch that's not seldom seen, which really appealed to me. Think I will swap the bracelet out for a rivet band, like your's RPS. it looks especially nice with that combo! I'll post some pics of the case that I was going to use... Best regards, Randy

Very easy to fix. First, you need to pop the bezel off. I use my debit card to wedge between the bezel and case. I use my debit card as it's soft plastic, and there's no risk in scratching the case. I start right above the lugs, and work my way up around towards 12:00. Usually, by the time I reach 12:00, the bezel is raised up enough to simply pull it off with my fingers. With the bezel off, you will notice a washer spring that sits between the bezel and the crystal ring. Give that washer a very slight, gentle bend. This will provide enough tension to keep the bezel from spinning freely. If you want to turn the bezel, it's as simple as pushing the bezel against the case and rotating. When you let up on the bezel, it should remain stationary where you set it. Hope this helps. Best regards, Randy