wiesn089

Didn't know that, that was the impression I got from his description. Sorry if I got this wrong, they are superb quality nonetheless.

This seller has amazing quality boxes, he makes them himself in Germany.

Let us know please, I'm thinking about buying a 1520 for my MBW Milsub project aswell.

Wow, I just checked Chrono24, these really have become expensive! Mine was the blue dial automatic version, not white with blue hands. When I enquired about dials about 2-3 years ago, my source was able to order them ( I wanted the black one), but I eventually decided against getting one because it was just too expensive for me then, over 200€ I think.

If you really like it that much, I would go for a gen and not start buying parts for this one. Gens of these are fairly cheap to come buy, whereas a dial only will set you back about €200+. So dial, handset and crown will be 300-400€ easily plus work. I once bought a gen with blue dial for 950€ if I remember correctly, though I sold it pretty quickly, these are amazing value for the money, if you really like them.

Great catch!

Thanks, that's very interesting! I checked some watches and it seems to be almost spot on for me. I adjusted the values a little bit to fit my taste (<0.13 too large) since a Speedmaster is about the biggest I am comfortable to go and it sits at 0.13, but that's about it, great work, thanks!

Of course! My next one will be a Zenith El Primero directly from an AD. Imo replicas are a good way to testrun watches or watch styles in general, but overall the added value in craftsmanship and engineering you get from most higher end brands mostly justifies the markup you will have to pay (especially second hand). For me personally this of course does only apply to manufacturers with in-house or non-ETA movements. Modern Rolex on the other hand are completely ridiculous and nowhere near the price they are really worth. Good thing I don't like any of them (except the 116520 and while still very, very expensive, the movement makes it interesting for me) and won't buy one (except maybe a Daytona one day). Personally, I won't wear out of the box reps anymore. I love high-end frankens of vintage models and will continue building them, but that's mainly due to the ridiculous prices the gen models command nowadays (yes I'm looking at you VRF millionaires! ) and the fun it is to hunt for parts. It's a thing you have to experience I guess. When you've owned several well made gens (and frankens with a lot of gen parts) or really got to know some of the technical details of a few higher end movements for example, you don't want to go back to Guangzhou standards. That's at least how I feel. But one thing's for certain, you will appreciate and admire the small details gen watches excel in far more than anyone without experience in reps beforehand.

Edit: I'm sorry this doesn't belong here.

I'm not in a hurry with this project, so I think I'll stick to the original plan. Build a decent Milsub with a 2846 and an NDT dial first and if I really like it as much as I think I will, I'll start hunting for a gen dial, a 1520 donor watch, gen bezel assembly etc. Thanks guys, you were really helpful!

Thanks flex, I will look into that. Hmmm, maybe this isn't already over, before it has begun...

Good god, that's a beauty! Congratulations! These engravings are great...

Thank you both. So there's a probable chance a 1520 will fit, even if some work might be required, good to know. I found these hand sizes for ETA (Omega) hands ( M .90 H. 1.50 S .25) and Rolex hands(M .80 H 1.20 S .20). I guess this means ETA hands are too large to fit on Rolex movements? Is there a practical way to make them fit (I wanted to modify Omega Seamaster 300 sword hands to fit on a 1520, they are almost identical to the Milsub hands)? There aren't any good aftermarket Milsub hands around that I am aware of, Omega's are by far the most accurate ones (maybe because Rolex actually had to use their design to fit MOD requirements). Maybe that's gonna be the dealbreaker here, there's no point in putting a gen movement inside if I'm not able to use the most accurate hands...

Beautiful watch you got there Dan, but I know that feeling too well. While I have no idea about DRSD dials, if there really is a better one and you love that watch, I would upgrade and make it as gen like as possible, otherwise you won't be happy.

Hi! I'm in the process of gathering parts for a milsub build at the moment. I have a beautifully modded 5513 MBW case on the way already and now a few questions I can't get a hang of. 1) Is there absolutely no way to fit a gen 1520 in a new MBW case (I think these are made for 2836s)? Why is that? I know that the 1520 is slightly higher, 5.7mm compared to 5.2mm, but couldn't I just have another movement ring made so the stem would line up correctly again? 2) Can ETA hands be modified in a way that they will fit on a 1520? (Omega hands on 1520) 3) Is it possible to reattach the dial feet on a genuine dial without damaging the dial front (I guess they would have to be soldered in place again) in the process? I'm quite anal about dials, NDTs is really good quality but still a little off and imo really expensive (and the coronet not the right style for my back engravings). I don't like the idea of having to shill out $350 for a dial which would be replaced anyway in the near future. I am thinking of having a gen dial refinished and then installed on an ETA before I shell out the cash for a 1520 and a Phong case if there is really no way the gen movement will fit in my MBW case... Can't wait to start gathering the missing parts, but I want to waste as little money as possible in the process this time.

I'd be in for two or three (depending on final cost) of Yukis' if you decide to go that way, maybe we can negotiate the price a little if we buy a couple? P.S. Nanuq, everytime I see your Double Red I'm blown away, that thing is amazing!

Take a look at Kaufmann Straps, handcrafted in Germany, amazing quality!

I'm with Freddy on this one, when you have mostly gen parts (movement, dial, bezel) and good enough engravings you should be good, other than RSC no one will notice it's a franken (it's practically the genuine article anyway).

Wow great parts Valty, can't wait to see the finished product! Kronos_2004 has been offering aftermarket parts before (as confirmed by VRF guys, when he offered me one of his 6263 bezels after one of his ebay sales "fell through"), the one Valty bought from me is directly from RSC via a very well known AD in my hometown, it doesn't get more genuine than this.

A friend of mine owns a gen Fortis chronograph. Qualitywise, from what I could tell by handling it for a few minutes, it's on par with some of the higher end Swatch brands, Hamilton etc. or even some of the previous collections Omegas (non in-house movements). They use ETA movements (Valjoux 7750 in his case), so they should be quite sturdy, nothing special however. I personally wouldn't buy one, but you should be able to get them in the $1000 area used, so no real reason to get a rep imho.

+1

Great find, M, never in a million years I would buy an "all original" 6240 with SS bezel! Just another good example for why I'm convinced that sticking to high-end frankens is more reasonable than buying "original" vintage watches from "respected" dealers nowadays. At least we do really know what's what with our watches!

Beautiful! So did you cut the dial feet? I'm planning to do a similar Milsub build with a gen 70's dial (with pad printed T) eventually, but I really don't know if I should (or better, would be willing to) cut the feet if I don't get a gen 1520 to fit in my modern MBW case...

There has been a debate in gen circles about these dials in 6240s for years (see watchprosite for details). Concerning the watch Tribal is referring to, I highly doubt the fact that it's all original, but that's just due to the seller, nothing more. On the other hand there are various reasons this 6240 might actually have left the factory/AD this way. One explanation is, as already stated, Rolex' tendency to use up old parts where they saw fit back in the days. This was common practice then, other manufacturers did the exact same thing (for example Omega on their transitional 861 speedies of the late 60s). For me personally that's the most reasonable explanation in this case. Another reason might be, that the original buyer requested a black dial watch and the AD was happy to oblige and swapped the original dial for one he had lying around, which - in essence - would make it a franken watch in most collectors' eyes (especially on VRF, if not Rolex approved incl. paperwork ). Nevertheless, while probably not a collector's dream, it's a beautiful piece and one your boss can and should be proud of one day, I know I would be.