dieselpower

Cheers for that rrari1 but I think a fellow member here might be helping me out. All helps much appreciated.

Is it me or are us watch fans heavily into classic cars and Led Zeppelin? Surely we can't all be wrong???

OK. Thanks for all advices. I'm going to go plain Jane. Basic 5513. I've been looking at ingod44's dials and I'm not too impressed. I have no issue with his pricing but I can see many, many flaws with his feet first dial when I compare it to pictures from the web of gens. From what I can see virtually all aspects are wrong. Am I insane? Do you know different? Discuss......

OK folks, I'm opening a new topic aka can of worms. A while back it was generally accepted that the aftermarket pushers that Ofrei was selling for 6263 daytonas were exactly the same as the replacement pushers that Rolex themselves would put into a gen 6263. So, presumably the pushers were not actually made by Rolex but by some other outfit who supplied both Rolex and Ofrei. Well, according to LHOOQ (and I have the utmost respect for his words) the Ofrei pushers are not actually all that good. So - here's the question, when Rolex fit replacement pushers to a vintage Daytona who makes them? Who makes the Ofrei ones? Are Ofrei ones rubbish? etc etc....

Lovely piece, and if I might add a testament to our hobby. Lets not forget we build reps, not gens. Its not so hard to spend a load of cash buying gen parts then get a watchmaker to assemble the piece. But, I admire the replication of watches, the amassing of rep parts from various sources which when combined go to make a very accurate replica of a vintage watch. Well done, wear it well.

Thanks for advices. I know Domi and have used him before - he's a good guy. He has a 6263 project of mine at the moment, can't wait for that one to be finished! The thing is I have a 1665 SD that has stopped running, hopefully just needs a service. I have a good watchsmith in Bond St London but he won't touch reps. All I need is a service for this one and frankly it is probably a little below Domi's skills, also was hoping to find someone in the UK, makes no difference I suppose postage is postage but Domi is so busy at the moment and I am rapidly running out of working watches!

As I have recently said, I've been out of the loupe (!) for a while. Is there a recommended servicer/modder here in the UK? Any advices appreciated.

Welcome aboard!

Re: Ofrei pushers: I thought these items were exactly the same as ones Rolex themselves fit to a 6263 (if needs be) when servicing, how can they be a POS?

Couldn't agree more with automatico's very funny post. Now, I don't know if this is true but a friend of mine said he read this somewhere and it kind of sums it up. Apparently some years ago the ceo of Rolex was at Wimbledon tennis championships here in London and he was talking to Steve Jobs. Steve asked him how the watch business was and ceo replied "I don't know, I'm not in the watch business" Draw from that comment whatever you like but in my opinion when the ceo of a company as so lost sight of what his business should be about then it is ultimately sunk. I suppose they now look upon themselves as a "brand" rather than a watchmaker. A similar thing happend to the theatre here. Producers stopped referring to plays as plays and started calling them "product". These people are the sputum of satan and should be ridiculed and lambasted for the destroyers of all things good that they are. Was that a little strong? Oh pardon me I'm so sorry.....

If you want a more complete analysis of marketing and advertising than do check out the routine by the great man who I have the honour to use as my avatar. I'm sure you'll find it on you tube.

Fantastic looking watch and even more fantastic when I read the ingredients list! Wear it well.

You can't put old heads on young shoulders.

I have invested in an MBW 1665 and have never regretted it. In fact the only thing I regret is the money I spent on a cartel 1665 before getting my MBW which was money wasted.

I have a modded DRSD 1665 which was my daily beater and I love it. It has had all the usual mods including the flat top 3 datewheel overlay from Ubi. Although it changes date ok it is a bit reluctant to click over on a few days and I am told this is because of the space occupied by the overlay causing the datewheel to rub on the back of the dial. This all makes sense to me. Anyway the watch has now stopped running - I have no idea why and I would like to get it seen to. Now, to get to the point - I seem to remember a while back somebody saying that there was a rep flat top 3 datewheel that fitted an eta 2846 available. Am I going mad? Is my memory failing me with these advancing years? If there is such a thing and mores the point if anyone has one they could part with I would be most interested as I would like to get my beater back on my wrist with a non-stick datewheel. Thanks for any help.

Lovely lovely stuff

@ hambone - Hermans Hermits music was arranged by John Paul Jones, he also played on a few tracks. What did he do next? Went and joined a band called...... Led Zeppelin. So yes, we gave the world The Beatles and The Stones but we trumped them both with Zep ;-)

@ Dopey, from one Londoner to another - welcome. This is a great place, enjoy.

Personally I would go for the 7750 then have a watchsmith take out the rotor/auto wind stuff and also remove the hacking assembly then you end up with a manual wind non-hacking movement which apart from the sub-dial spacing is exactly what the gen functioned like.

I have just picked myself up off the floor. The room is spinning and I feel a little fuzzy in the head. I'm coming round, slowly. Was it a dream? Did I really see what I think? I'll have to take another look, here goes..............(Thump!)...........Sorry, I just fainted again. But yes, it's true, I wasn't dreaming. I have to sit down. Keep calm, that's the trick, breathe slowly and deeply, you'll be ok, just hang on in there. Phew. I'm ok.

Thanks for that LHOOQ. You nearly ended the life of a husband and father of two. Have you no heart? Please do not post threads like this ever again without an appropriate health warning.

Absolutely stunning stuff, thanks so much for taking the effort to share such a great build and great photos with us.

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I've emptied it

Arabic or baton that is the question.

Wow, woof* I like your style, straight to the point no pussy footing around. Have to ask a question or two, josh's 5513 - why that and not an MBW? You don't mention movements, what's your take on them?

Cheers.

Thanks for the welcome. A change of career, buying a second home and having another child certainly does take up some time! Now where was I? Oh yes, watches - the date or no date issue, given the fact that I have a nice 1665 SD I am tempted towards the 5513. I am a simple chap and the simplicity of the watch appeals to me. So. If that were to be my chosen project what is the way forward? My limited knowledge says MBW case, slow beat eta, replacement glass (don't know what the gen is but I have a source for gens) and some nice vintageised dial and handset. As for the bracelet my instincts say gen, I have a few gen bracelets and they really help the watch on its way to feeling pukka.

So, here it is - I am going to build a 5513. I am going to acquire a mixture of gen and rep parts. My pocket is not and endless pit and I am quite happy with an eta slow beat movement. What do you suggest?

P.S. Its gooooood to be back

Hello to all,

I have not been around these parts for ages. Sorry. Things have moved on in the rep world and I am now trying to catch up. I have a 6263 build underway will show pics when I get it back. I need a repair on my modded 1665. Will report when fixed. Anyway to get to the point of my thread: I have been considering gathering parts for a sub. I have decided on either a 5513 or a 1680. From my out of date knowledge MBW cases would be a good start - is this still true? If you experts were to embark on a build what is the route forward for the best value reasonably accurate result? I don't think I will be going down the gen movement path - too pricey and slow beat eta's are to me a perfectly acceptable replacement. So, if you don't mind sharing your knowledge and possibly starting a heated debate - what would you do?

Thanks in advance for all opinions/help.

Welcome Bryzen, really nice of you to post your appreciation. You will find many decent and kind individuals here, welcome and enjoy the ride - it may get bumpy but if you give it the devotion it deserves you will not be disappointed. Merry Christmas.