dieselpower

Mmmmm.... very interesting. I've always hated date magnifying windows which is why I haven't got a Sub but that makes it look really nice. 10 x better than a Sub with a window. Food for thought...

For pure aesthetics I think the red wins. The GW is a little 'anaemic' for me. Oh, and the best one will be mine when it is finished.

Hi all, I missed out on buying a gen1530 movement for $520, was this a bargain? What do you think? If it was and the buyer was a fellow member then congratulations - I forgot to set my alarm clock to wake me up for the end of the auction. I had no idea what they are worth anyway so I didn't bid. Oh well, next time..... Cheers

Outstanding Red team, get you a case of beer for that one!

I have caught it too. Quite worried to hear that there is no cure! I can confirm that I have not even properly started modding my 1665 and I am already wondering what to go for after that. I really am in trouble. Maybe total abstinence is the only answer, like cold turkey, has anyone tried this? How long do the shivers and hallucinations last?

I have an iMac, I hated Microsoft and changing to Mac was the best decision ever.

@ Yachtmaster - If his DRSD were a rep would it not be extra kudos to him for having the balls to wear a rep in an AD and have the so called experts fooled? After all if he never actually tells them it is rep then he's told no lies, they would have just shown their lack of knowledge by jumpiung to the wrong conclusion. @ Nanuq - great story, and I do know what your DRSD is, so your balls aren't that big!

I've had a look at Jules Borel and they have a 2846 mvmt but it is a day and date type, is this ok to use?, do you just leave the day wheel off?

I have an MBW with the 2836 movement inside. I met a friend who has a gen sub from the early 1970's. Although the watches are different models I was looking at his crown guards, bezel etc etc but the thing that leapt out as being different was the sweep of the second hand. The 2836 is just way too smooth. I did not know at the time that a slow beat eta was available at a reasonable price but I am now collecting parts to mod the MBW and a slow beat 2846 for me is a must. Good luck with your project.

It could be Terry Wogan - he's an old DJ.

Just to add, above you have first a gen DRSD 2nd another gen then an MBW (not mine but I used it coz it is a clear picture of the hands)

Whilst researching my DRSD 1665 project I noticed something that interested and intrigued me. It seems that there were two versions of the hands on the 1665 SD. If this is common knowledge then forgive me my ignorance but I noticed that the hands on most of the genuine photos I had seen had a slimmer "y" in the 'mercedes' circle of the hour hand when compared to the MBW rep. Also that the painted lume area inside the minute hand was fatter on the gen than the rep. I took this to be the reality and decided that I would try to source somw gen Tudor hands so my project watch ended up more accurate. Then I discovered the following photograph of a gen 1665 for sale and I studied the hands and found then (to my eye) to be almost identical to the MBW hands that are already on my watch. Please observe the following photos andyou can see for yourself. What do you think? Am I insane, ignorant, or can you see my point?

I bought an O ring from a Cousins watch parts in the UK. They have loads of different sizes. Hope this helps.

Read this: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...amp;hl=He+valve Good luck!

If you win the lottery could I put myself first in the 'give away list' please?

Glad you agree! As for the mod process it's all part of the game. Can you imagine how I will fell when my 1665 is done properly with gen parts etc? A man can not experience true happiness unless he has felt truly sad.

I had a thought and it lead to me posing this question for discussion. I have a couple of nice gens (Speedy Professional and 1953 semi bubble back Rollie) and also 8 various reps. I can honestly say that I get more satisfaction from wearing a decent rep that gets admiration than wearing a gen piece. Maybe it is something to do with kidding people (although I always say a rep is a rep) or the fact that people are amazed that such good copies even exist. I don't know but the sense of satisfaction is marvellous. You don't get that with a gen, just go to the AD or used watch trader and buy one - it's almost too easy, know what I mean?

Old faithful of course, getting the usual abuse - she loves it!

As it was me who started this thread I feel that I am empowered to end it. I have read it from beginning to end and am genuinely heartened by the offers of help and assistance, I shall certainly be taking some of you up on this so expect PM's! I would like it to draw to a close as it is now veering off the subject and mud is beginning to be slung off subject and that is not right. I also think that there is enough info in this thread for a level headed person to make their own judgement of Joe and his work. Thanks again to all for responses and lets not forget, we are all learning and that in itself is a pleasure. I still love reps I will still collect them and llok forward to having my DRSD 1665 modded.......properly! Cheers Dieselpower.

P.S. And yes I did say I was happy with the watch. That was posted in haste and should really have been more like "I am happy to see the watch!" It was after a little thought and closer appraisal that I started this thread. I would like to thank everyone for their kind offers of help and I will PM those concerned to try to get some things done to it to make it more like the vintage piece I imagined. As for the reticence I show, well, I don't like to cry over spilled milk. This is a learning curve and I am learning! I am a life long watch fan and I suppose I always will be. In future I will probably have many watches modded and will happily pay for the service and this lesson can only stand me in good stead and probably save me hundreds in the future. I look upon it as an investment. In myself.

OK chaps here is a direct quote from the email that Joe sent me concerning the costs: "the case refinishing is just as described in what i sent u before here it is again 120 -red sub works package-mill cgs,tighten bezel,water test (,the obvious stuff like regrease o-rings , clean dial , clean crystal , clean inner ring like it should be, if using same insert i realign it for u , ) u can also just option for cgs milling for 60 bucks and the obvious stuff is included in that as well 75-new genuine crystal with correct date font i recommend and it is genuine ok i found a company from texas that will sell me the correct crystals and they say genuine , they cost 45 bucks and looking at it i really think it is genuine ok ( note if for a drsd add 30 bucks for the tropic 39 they cost me more ok)(45 bucks just to install, if u have your own crystal) 100-caseholes or lugholes drilled out and put the fatter pins in it also mill out the bracelet to fit the new pins ok 75-refinish case to make it look like a refinished watch like a 1970's watch should look like (no sharp lines on the top of the case lugs ) 100-change crown/tube out to a smaller one more like genuine but aftermarket , the gens require more work actually and r not that much better imho (sometimes i have genuine ones in stock as well , generally they will run anywhere from 40 to 80 usd more , so u would add that) 100-to age the dial and hands add 50 bucks if u want them to glow abit and have more of the tritium effect 65-new insert with correct ring around the pearl(metal) and font size(i do have genuine acrylic pearls as well that is a 60 usd upcharge) installed also i do put a glass like coat on the pearls now to make them look even better 40-polish and oil the bracelet to give it that silky feeling like genuine only with package if separate it is 60 bucks(what i do is buff each link and then put simichrome paste on it and rub it in good then i oil it down with wd-40 and then i scrub it in hot soapy water with a soft tooth brush) now these prices r only in a package type deal , so basically if u choose two 100 dollar or more things to do u get this pricing if u pick and choose or u could do the whole enchilada as posted down below, doing things seperate r treated like a seperate job and i have to spend xtra time doing that particular job , so it will cost a little bit more, if u do a couple different jobs then it will be all apart more than likely so i already have it all apart therefore it is not as time consuming, hope u understand so that is pretty much all the options on the red sub but that is what it will take to make it almost perfect the only thing that would not be correct would be the movement and the datewheel color but i still think they made the datewheel in white as well as ss so i dont think it is a big issue but i may be able to get those to i am waiting on a parts list from a new company ,hope this summs it up for u and u now no how picky i am and some things can be optional now the question is how picky r u? lol and if u get it all done I will give u a price of 600 for all mods done to it and 630 for the drsd (crystal cost more), also add 50 bucks if u choose the tritium glow look to the total price ok (upgrades stuff is extra) , i have a bergeon water pressure tester and i test them to 50 feet for u and if they pass i will tell u and if not i will tell u but understand this , if it passes I AM NOT GUARANTEEING ANYTHING , I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR WATCH IF IT GETS WATER IN IT i can only give u peace of mind , u r not paying me like u would the big boys for that guarantee , but if u want to give me 3000 usd i will guarantee it then ,LOL!!! , cause in a sense u r paying for that luxury from the name brand watch makers!!! DISCLAIMER- i am not responsible for any postage losses outside the usa , i have never had a problem yet but i cant predict what other countries do,, also i will insure all packages for 100 usd , if u want to insure for more u must pay for this and i ship two day priority , if u want shipped differently then u must request this and pay for the extra charges , thanks joe" I am glad that docblackrock now finds this topic useful as I think it is important that people are made aware of the dangers to their pocket when dealing with certain individuals. I would also like to point out that it would have been very easy for me to keep quiet about the watch, enjoy wearing it and thus possibly allow others to tread this somewhat regrettable path. I can only hope that this thread is read by many others, especially those new to the world of modding and that they take careful heed of the much appreciated help contained herein. If it saves only one individual a couple of hundred bucks then I regard it as a thread well worth starting. Please continue to make observations about my errors. As I said I have a thick skin and believe me, in the grand scheme of things this is not a life changing issue. Thanks to all.

Total cost for the job was $645 (including postage)

Photo of watch with crown unscrewed. Hope there is enough detail!

Feel free to criticise. I have a thick skin! I suspected the crown/tube would be gen and to be fair I don't think Joe ever said he would fit gens but I hope that the aftermarket ones used are the same threads as the gen so that if I buy them they will drop straight in. Like I said, work in progress and all advice is much appreciated. Thanks

Some of you may be aware that I recently received my DRSD from Joe in the US. I am aware that Joe has been banned from this forum and I thought it might be of interest to our members to hear of my experience so that they might make their own minds up as to weather they want to use his services or not. I shall try to relate the story as accurately as possible. Firstly lets have a look at the piece in question which is photographed here after Joe has performed various modifications. When I first set about having my watch modded I chose Joe as I had read good comments about his work and I contacted him via email and he responded swiftly. I told him that I only wanted to send the watch out once and therefore I wanted a bells and whistles job with as many genuine parts as he could supply. I myself had a Clark T39 superdome which I said I would send out with the watch for him to fit. He explained that he had his own glass supplier and that he found these to be of excellent quality and that he would fit on of them to my watch. I duly agreed and sold my T39 superdome to a friend. joe also mentioned that he had a set of Tudor hands which he could fit and re-lume to match the re-lume job he was going to do on my hour markers. All was music to my ears and I duly sent the watch (on 2nd March this year). I realised the Joe is a very busy man and his time is much better spent actually doing the fine work for which he is paid rather than answering emails so after having confirmed that he had actually received the watch I let things rest and waited. After a couple of months I was getting itchy feet and I dropped him an email which was responded to quickly and he assured me that he would be starting work on the watch soon. Time dragged on and after about 3 months I contacted him again. Again I received apologies and had no choice but to bide my time and wait. After a long bout of waiting I decided again to contact him (we are now about 5 months into the saga) this time, rather worryingly I received no response. I kept emailing, virtually daily, but got nothing. I was now worried, I posted my worries in the VIP section of this forum and was told in no uncertain terms that I had not done my research properly and that my tale was typical of dealings with Joe. Some of the replies were very helpful and I was advised to get in touch with him via RWI. This I duly did and within a couple of days received a response and apologies for not contacting me earlier but was told of IP problems at his end. I confess I was at the end of my tether and had to send a couple of quite stern messages - I asked for my watch to be returned to me immediately regardless of the state it may or may not be in. Joe reassured me all was well and that I would have my watch back as soon as it was finished. Thankfully towards the end of September he sent me some photos of the piece (the photos that you can see in this topic) and I went about the arduous task of sending USD to him from a USD account that I have. This process was confused by my bank and caused a further delay of about 2 weeks. I finally received the watch on the 8th October. I would like to point out that this is the first watch I have had modded and have no previous experience of the process, indeed, this is the main reason for starting this thread, I want it to be of use to others so that they are under no illusions as to what is involved. Now to the watch itself. Overall I am pleased with the work that has been done. The cg shaping is - to my eye - excellent and the finish of both these and the lug holes is beautiful. The watch I am told has been tested to 5 atm and I have bathed and showered in it and would feel very confident to go swimming and snorkelling with it. I also think that the slight yellowing of the markers has been performed with great skill and the hands have been finished to match. The crown and tube have apparently been replaced but I confess I do not know weather they are gen or aftermarket or what. You will notice that the hands are the ones that came with the watch - the Tudor hands never materialised. I have mentioned this and look forward to receiving a reply. My biggest disappointment is the glass. I had offered to send my superdome with the watch for it to be fitted but was assured that the glass he supplied was of high quality. I am not questioning the quality but as you may be able to see, the glass is the flat T39 and not a the superdome shape. I have now sold my Clark superdome so I will have to buy another and get it fitted! In conclusion: As you can see the process is time consuming and that is something anyone considering having their watch modded must take into account. I have now got a watch that I regard as 'work in progress' and I suppose that all reps are exactly that, they day that they are not is when you have a gen on your wrist! Would I go through it again? Abolutely! With the same modder? Not sure. I'll stop banging on now and leave you to draw your own conclusions and to burn me down in flames for any glaring mistakes that I may have made and lack of info that I may have supplied. Cheers