aeromatic

I'll give it a go and see how I get on I didn't want to get it too raised, as I'm hoping that being more flush with the insert, the marker might stay in place, rather than snagging and getting pulled out, which I've found happen with all my raised pearls thus far...

i used to have that problem too with all my pearls but member george loiz came to the rescue with him home made pearl these will not fall out as they have a thin base the is wide and the top thin part then slots through the inset hole he made these yellow in colour to match the yellow dial markers

with a glass type cover! i should get him to do me a cream/white one

here is a couple of mt watches that have been fitted with these pearls!

he has also done some customised colours like red ,black!

I did it with a deepsea pearl and after a while built up a nice high round glass like covering, one coat let it just about dry and then add another, as it drys it gets thinner i think i had about 10 coats at least

thats a good idea! i once replaced a sub pear by building it up with white nail varnish i mixed a bit of brown nail varnish i put a blob on a tooth pick and when it dried there was some settlement and i then built up some layers with clear nail varnish there was no lume but it did dry in a glass dome like finish and lasted a long while until i sold it the new owner said its still on!

Let me throw in one more quick comment. Don't forget the cost of ownership here. You buy a used watch that will probably need servicing at the tune of what, $500 at the RSC?

$500 every 5 years? That's $100 a year for the pleasure of wearing an overpriced watch that everybody's gonna think is fake anyway. I'd stick with the WM9 cause once you have the gen you'll probably leave it at home and wear the WM9 just cause you don't want to scratch it.

Well said here too! and we know that you will never own a rolex watch! its like you are renting it from them they dont like aftermarket parts and there history of changing parts as part of the service without the owners consent! how many vintage watches have been ruined by having the dials and crowns updated! on there prices they should provide free service for there watches! reps have proved that you can have a good quality watch for under 1,000usd and with a regular service they will last many years too!

Any time, bro I think you're spot on with your point of 'where to go' with a gen after buying it. Sure, an inherited or gifted gen would have sentimental value, and a purchased vintage at least has it's past adventures to be interesting, but a straight up purchased modern gen, that's just 'another watch'... Projects are always fun, and definitely result in a strong connection to the watch, but I accept that not everyone's into projects, and just wants something nice 'out of the box' I think a BK Sub will provide everything a gen sub would provide 'out of the box', except for the bill at the AD

you are correct and let us not forget that without our projects we wouldent have much to write about in this friendly community except post some gen watches! and for persons who are not into projects there is thankfully a lot of nice out of the box watches i own some of these i call them homage watches and leave them pretty much as they are and enjoy them with out pulling my hair out comparing the watch to the gen, but i have also projects that i want to be as close as possible to the gen like my yuki 6538 bond watch! and i can understand some members being annoyed with some high priced reps with small faults when being compared to the gen but the good news is high quality reps are getting better and better! yes i know that if we added all the money spent over a time that we could have bought a gen, i have owned more that a hundred reps over the years!! and we all go through the v1 to v6 or v7 ! we should take our hobbies lightly, enjoy it,and not let it become an obsession!

I wearing this today

Love it !

Today im wearing my 5512 2873 eta powered slow beat movement that is very close to the tudor 2874

this is becoming my daily work beater!

My 2 beauties on the road again

Nice collection!

+1

Absolutely spot on, bro

Thanks teejay i was expecting your response here! and besides its true we may get bored quickly with a gen and regret all that money gone on a watch!

our hobbie and fun is from getting our reps looking like the gen, and appriecating all our efforts, when you got a gen where do you go from there?

of cause this does not apply to vintage subs! its like a house its one thing buying a house and moving in and another if you built it all my yourself! this adds sentimental value to it!

I purchased a Gen A series Sub early last year for $2750 with box and papers. I was very content with the watch but then the itch came again and I started looking at other models of rolexes and purchased an F series turnograph. So I decided that the sub had to go and with good quality Sub reps easily available, I thought that I would buy a rep if I missed the watch. So I purchased a V3 from BK in Jan 2010 and I must say that I can hardly tell the difference. I ve put the watch on a 93150 bracelet and it looks exactly like the ex A series minus the lug holes. I have not looked back and am happy that the V3 has filled my modern Sub void. What I am trying to say that for me personally, if the watch looks 99% like the real thing, then there is no need to spend 5-10 times more on a gen. I guess its a personal thing I am quite satisfied wearing a rep that looks great, because the person who really cares is me and no one else really notices or cares about whats on your wrist.

well said!

I dont see the point of buying a gen anymore after visiting the AD and learning the new list prices for the 16610.. ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR F'ING MINDS! I still cant get over it, ALMOST $7K for a watch with $500 worth of materials in it. then you go outside and look at your super rep as you put it back on your wrist and you cant help but laugh all the way home. there is NO DIFFERENCE ANYMORE! the watch feels the same, i've studied it carefully. by raising the prices of their watches every year Rolex stands to alienate their customer base and make their watches out of reach of the casual collector. Rolex will push their prices until they start to loose money. remember, you're NOT buying a $7,000 watch, you're buying a membership to an exclusive club, and I think the WM9 v3 MORE than gets you there, part for part the only thing the Rolex does better is the finishing, but thats not worth $6500 more and you can polish your own bracelet. the new ceramic black SS sub will cost about $9,000 in Sept my AD says as they mark up the 16610 because it's "discontinued"(a$$holes) and collectible now (what ever that means). when you visit the AD the price of BKs V3 isnt too shabby at all, in fact it's a steal! only thing it needs is a gen insert

Ditto! i couldent have put it better myself! rolex reminds me of a james bond film! no not goldfinger, but the "world is not enough" its just a watch! they do not only want the world they want the universe too! i love rolex watches but crazy prices are not justified these new offerings with bk parts are superb, you dont need a gen! and rolex is not content with taking you for a ride on the purchase alone but on there aftersales service too! rolexes are no longer a "watchmaker" just mass production watches riding on the past reputation! sorry no offence intended here! while i can justify a vintage sub like say a 5512 selling between 2,000 and upto 3,500usd but no more than that, but modern rolexes just not worth those prices!

This pan-am rolex gmt watch is superb! this was given to PAN-AM pilots and crew during there "joint venture" to create a two timezone watch!

why this watch has not been replicated or as far as i know not available as aftermarket parts is beyond me this was issued only to pan-am and was not available to the public!

I cant remember which site i found these photos so i am unable to credit them!

just found the site! www.fiftyfathoms.net/rolex/6542 ! sorry im unabe to use the link!

This pan-am rolex gmt watch is superb! this was given to PAN-AM pilots and crew during there "joint venture" to create a two timezone watch!

why this watch has not been replicated or as far as i know not available as aftermarket parts is beyond me this was issued only to pan-am and was not available to the public!

I cant remember which site i found these photos so i am unable to credit them!

Definitely. This should come as no real surprise to the old-timers here, but there is a new crop of 6542 inserts that are starting to hit the dealers' shelves that is damned close to the real thing. Check this 1 out

p.s. the White 6542 dial on NDT is aftermarket. Not sure why Natalie does not have the dials listed on the website, but I suspect they are available for the asking & will soon appear there (& on many other sites).

Although i have only ever seen these inserts in photos that is very close, i imagine this will be pricy? they look great! and looks like they have the raised number too! and they do have a vintage tint look about it! question can these be fitted to a standard coin edge bezel? or will it need a special bezel to fit?

here are some photos i found cant remember from where so appologies if these belong to any member (for i am unable to credit him/them)!

I am wearing this today the 6538 bond! although it may not suite in a modern automobile!i should have put my classic hillman minx on the road of 1958 vintage! i dont own a aston martin you see!!!!

It seems that the insert is the hardest part. Watchesandparts has a very nice 6542 for sale right now at $10,000 but it has his aftermarket insert, which on that gen case and dial, just looks clown-like.

i was thinking on the lines of a homage watch to the bakelite no crown gmt! a homemade acrylic cover curved and glued with uv glue as used for sticking cyclopes it wont give gen like results but with be interesting and will have a modern beat FXRAndys 2893-2 movement!

Me too....

EDIT: Wonder if its possible for a lume-master to duplicate the raised, crisp numbers/indexes used on the bakelite bezel in order to mould a homemade bezel using ICE Resin. One advantage would be that one could mimick the "bleeding" of the markings. Thought I´d ask everestwatchworks about this. Another advantage of a homegrown bezel - one could add a more organic patina into the resin itself as per gen vintage. I fear, however, that a DIY approach to the bezel markings might never look machine made?

Found this on the bay:

http://www.iceresin.com/

Way too advanced for me though, although I ordered some resin after a couple of drinks the other day

Thanks mastergod very interseting this ice resin and would avoid any problems attaching an acryilic cover over the bezel insert i assume this stuff self levels too? it would be difficult DIYing an exact replica of the bakelite insert therefore mabe the 380usd that yuki asks for might be the way to go to achieve gen like results, mabe this can be purchased in a low cost build by keeping the costs down by not using an expensive gen movement or high priced case but a watch costing around say 400usd, a home made insert would have to be a acrylic cover fixed over the insert without doing any reprint this would give a sort of fifty fathoms style insert!

TT Sub today and tomorrow.

Shot at 2010-04-09

Nice tt! i sold mine last week to finance other projects! i will have to get a new one!

+1 on the bk gmt. here's mine and i love it:

i recommend a vac lume and gen crown/tube set up. or closer to gen.

Wow! that is great! love it!

You can get 6542 handsets on ebay, but they vary (alot) in quality

(gen to be used with my Phase 2 6542)

That is what I had to do for my 1st 6542. The GMT hand is composed of parts from 3 hands that I had to solder (very gingerly) together. Difficult, but it can be done. I happen to be wearing my Phase 1 6542 today

Thanks freddy333 i will check ebay yes i was thinking along the same lines there with regards to soldering 3 parts

oh and thats a super gmt you got there!

When not on my wrist, it resides with grace here:

For now, on my wrist:

nice watch and a nice box too !

I've been 'slumming it' the last few days... :bangin:

super watch!

I see plenty of pics of Rolex watches, some have the case back sticker, some don't. My experience has been after a little wear time they come loose, etc. So, my question is, if you want to preserve the sticker on a watch you are going to wear regularly, what do you do to save it?

i heard that most gen owners remove them before wearing there watch and some carefully remove it and save it!

leaving it will only result in a messy sticky caseback!

hello guys, today a buisness partner of my brother in law was so surprised on the DSSD from him, and after he said its a replica he wanted also one, so they askd me, if there is a real good TT sub or yachtmaster rep??

real gold of course, i think the price is not the mainfactor it should be the best TT (noob??) sub or yachtmaster, sorry but i realy have no idea about rolexes, so guys i know its boring but please help me

all the best

deniz

HI deniz

he should go for the 14k it is better but i would say tt subs are not good for everyday use only for best wear because sweat acid attacks the gold plus scatches appear on the buckle its worth noteing that even a gen tt the buckle is also only plated a friend of mine has a blue tt and after 5 years all the plating on the buckle has worn off leaving the stainless steel showing! if you have a desk job the worst is rubbing the buckle on the table! i would go for a white gold like the oversized case new sub with ceramic bezel as these the white gold colour is polished stainless steel and any scratches can be polished out on the shiny parts and rebrushed on the brushed parts using a 3m scouror pad!

it makes the dial look huge!

It doesent in real life only when i photograph it strange , it doent look huge like the 1665 superdome this crystal has a flatter surface not domed like the 1665 comex

What is the profile on on that any chance of a photo

Me the 1680

Love the 1680 what a watch! here are some more photos of the subs crystal we used a cracked tropic 19 for a pattern i wanted the same shape and distortion as on the gen but i wanted it taller 6mm thick total i love tall crystals on vintage watches

last photo the comex is extream! but its custom built i think it looks cool ! the three watches one on top of the other the sub 5512 is the middle one!