ubiquitous

I've only seen one person with a full 18k 750 yellow gold Daytona, and that was FF. Euro 2K if I recall correct (for the blinged one).

I'm looking for some who can create a custom datejust dial..anyone here know of someone reliable?

There are a few places in Texas, I believe... Don't recall their names off the top of my head (I'll have to look them up when I have my books in front of me), but they can re-finish your existing dial to specification.

Tallguy-

The case, bezel, tube, crown, crystal and dial were $400. The movement, bracelet, hands and other misc. parts were in addition to that cost.

tutima,

Correct. The standard white text dials are simply later production pieces. It should be noted, however, that there are different variations of the white text 1665 dial, depending on dial manufacturer, date of production, etc.

The MBW 'Singer' dial:

Inside the caseback:

1665:

1680:

How to identify an MBW:

Link.

Brian,

Note the 'S'

Look carefully. It's right there in plain sight (answer to follow shortly...)

BTW ubiquitous,

How did you know that the clasp was replaced?

There is a tell tale sign on the clasp. Can you spot it?

So Ubi, who has the best replica bezel inserts that we can buy from?

Replica (and/or aftermarket) inserts? I haven't any clue (sorry).

Genuine inserts? My supplier! (as well as crowns, crystals, etc)

Rep Rolex Crown on dial is a little high.

>>Bingo.

Some reps have lume dot over crown, that's wrong.

>>Correct, and the DW does not have this lume dot at 12:00 (which is correct).

Gen pushers have little indented ring just below caps, above where the spiral track engages the pushers. (This rep might be ok!)

>>DW pushers are quite accurate.

Knurled crown on gen is not quite as large or thick as rep

>>Not a concern- It's an easy swap to replace with a gen Triplock.

Case lugs on gen get narrower to point than rep

Case lugs on gen are slightly rounded on underside.

>>Both of these observations are of an improperly refinished case.

Crimp on link that attaches to springbar is rounder on gen than rep.

>>Not sure what you're seeing here. Both rep and gen have the last link connecting to the end link as flat links.

Caseback is thicker on rep.

>>Only on a 7750 based rep. The DWs have casebacks of correct size.

Rings on inverted piepan of rep subdials are more prominent than on gen.

>>Perhaps... Or, it could just be the photo and lighting.

Now we're really on the arcane.........

Euno- My thoughts exactly, buddy! Buy watches because you enjoy them, not for speculation! If they happen to go up in value, it should be considered a nice little benefit in addition to having a great watch!

Here is a hint:

12:00

Hey now, my thumb my be torn up, but it's not that jacked!

For a 1:1 comparison of this specific genuine, the 'flaws' pointed out would be correct. However, as there many variations with genuine parts, the following are not necessarily incorrect:

tachymeter font- I've seen at least 3 variations on the 6265 bezel. Some are original issue, some are service replacements.

center seconds color- The standard black dial 6263/5 can have either silver or black with contrasting arrow tip.

'DAYTONA' font color- depends on which manufacturer the dial originated from. Some may also be faded from age/sun/elements as well.

With regards to polishing- Cases can be worn down from inproper case refinishing, etc.

Lume aging is done by me.

None the less, you have a very observant eye

imo the diference is quite obvious ....

It's not "that" close ...

let's play the "difference game"

the font on the tachymeter for example and even the general aspect of the stell polish.

the second hand color ...

the lume aging on the rep is over-exagerated as often, but the white part of the dial aren't aged enough

the daytona red color (but that could be a ligthening matter)

i'm shure somone more familiar with vintage daytonas can find more

ho i olmost forget.

Still very nice for a rep ...wich is after all ...a rep.

The GST wears much larger than it's size would suggest (40mm - 41mm). I suspect this is because the case is very thick (the term 'tuna can' comes to mind), and the large diameter crystal, dial and tachy ring give it a much larger feel than reality.

DW:

Genuine:

Intriguing... And, incredible! A huge undertaking to create a case like this to the precision achieved!

As impressive as that project is, I'm simply happy to have my DW

If you are going to get a 1665 replica, you're best off buying a DRSD or all white SD. The Single Red (SRSD) is a very unique piece, and is quite different from the 1665 that we all know today. The SRSD was the very first Sea Dweller to exist, debuting in 1967. The first two prototypes used Submariner cases, and lacked the Helium Escape Valve. The He Valve made it's debut on the Submariner 5514, which was issued to COMEX divers only. The use of the He Valve proved to be very beneficial to the deep sea divers, and became a feature on the 1665's (which still had the SRSD dial and still used Submariner cases). The SRSD dial is also unique in that the depth was signed 500M = 1650FT. After initial testing, and a change to the thicker 1665 case, the dial was changed to the DRSD dial with even greater depth ratings signed; 2000ft = 610m. With the initial run of DRSD pieces, the caseback is signed 'Patent Pending', as the patent for the He Valve was still pending approval. As such is the case it is clear to see that the initial batch of Sub cased SRSD's was very limited; these initial 1665's were issued to divers for testing, and over the testing procedure of analysis and servicing, many dials were subsequently replaced with the DRSD dial (along with tubes, crowns, etc.). With this in mind, it is easy to see that the SRSD is a very rare piece indeed.

Now, getting back to the SRSD rep- Since these watches used a slimmer Submariner case, the replica is simply too thick as it uses the standard 1665 case. Granted, there won't be too many people out there who will even know what a SRSD is, let alone a 1665, but if you're after accuracy, I would suggest the DRSD or the WSD over the SRSD any day of the week.

Looks fine to me. I see the following as having been replaced:

New Luminova dial

New hands

Insert

Clasp

Caseback

The caseback can be polished to eliminate the radial finishing.

All of these items were most likely recently replaced with a service from an RSC.

I suppose at the end of the day, my gripe is that there are many individuals out there who are buying vintage Rolex for the wrong reason, and in my opinion, pushing up values artificially. I've heard some people even go so far as to say 'I buy Rolex because it's a safer bet than stocks'. I couldn't believe it.

P.S. Anyone see anything wrong with the 1019 dial??

Just a few misc shots from some stuff in my inventory (not for sale).

Bezels and inserts:

Crowns:

Crystals:

Dials:

Correct. Building a 16520 from parts.

Genuine:

Case

Bezel

Crystal

Crown/tube

Pushers

Dial is a reprint on a genuine Rolex blank.

Side by side with it's vintage counterpart:

All I need to add is an El Primero 400.