Rolexaddict

I posted this already, nobody took care,

one again : Rolex specs. Ofrei stuff has the Rolex specs.

and drill at 1,3mm

I have also a strange problem with Cosmographs,

I like to build, I like to take photos, I like the cosmetic/vintage apparence image,

but when I wear that kind of watch, I feel something is vrong. Not my style, doesn't match with my clothes/style of life/what-I-have-in-my-brain... etc.etc

doesn't match with me. Even after many beers.

Your foot? looks like an avatar's baby foot

Well done, RA! I like the bargain builds.

Thanks D.

I will send you a pm to give you news !

Very nice RA...I also have a Josh 5514 that I am going to work on, but I am still in the hunt for a good dial!

difficult...

I would say, stay with Yuki, avoid NDT, they are just Gentlemen Scammers

and the reality : my older brother was a commercial in the Comex company from 1968 to 1976. 5513 dials contract with the Comex stamp was limited to around 150 pieces... so, wat americans try to impose to you is [censored], Ebay americans Rolex parts dealer are 99.99% scammers selling fake.

Rolex is European and belongs to European culture. Period.

error

I am all for building-on-a-budget & can see that you put alot of effort into this. For the effort/skills required, I say well done.

But, as much as I hate to be critical in these (budget) cases, I never understand the reasoning behind fitting a grungy-looking dial into an otherwise nearly pristine case. If you like that grungy look (I do not think I have ever seen a gen Daytona dial that looked like that), I think you need to mirror that grungy appearance with the case & bracelet. Actually, I would toss the bracelet (looks fake/cheap) & replace it with a solid link or cheap strap, either of which I think would make the watch look a bit more authentic. Or not............

Thanks for your imput freddy,

no efforts, just playing around.... oh, ...yes, takes time...

you are complete right about matching dial/case/bracelet, but in my parisian posers collector environment I have see worse sold 50K euros.

Also look on Mazzariol blog, lot of rusted and ruined dials assembled on shinny fake cases, like Italian are masters

believe me or not : I sold the watch today. My clients know my watches are 100% copies. They dont like expensive and complicated frankens, as frankens are just expensive fake

I have found a dial and an old working 7750 sec. at 9 in my magic box, also a metal bezel ring from an old vrong Daytona case and a rivetted bracelet. I bought a case set from David and hands.

The fat 7mm crown was reduced : fixed dremel -the crown is hold between fingers using both hands-, 5 X magnifying glass, no beer before the job,

Aged dial and vintage lume on hands

I admit, this movement/dial option is not the best accurate thing, as the subdials spacing is incorrect, but the finished watch cost me peanuts.

note on pics :

The chrono hand must be re-stacked as its not well aligned.

Thanks guys for your nice comments !

Looks great, but I think you need to flatten the upper curves of the lugs (the area above the springbar holes) to match the curvature of a Sub case. Although you have done a great job reducing the height of the case, the shape of the top of the lugs (when viewed from the side) still looks more like a Seadweller than a Sub

Compare to your case

Also, you may want to replace your bezel, which also looks more like a (thicker) Seadweller bezel.

Thanks also freddy for your positive critic,

You pointed out exactly the 2 visual flaws :

First point :

I forgot to mention I had also removed around 0.5mm by filing the bottom of the bezel ring. But it is still to hight, I cannot remove more metal as I would ruin the bottom limit of the retaining spring groove

The only solution would be to by a complete set of retaining ring and sub bezel from VSO, but it cost the price of the entire watch...

Second point :

Yes, you are right about the curve of the lug top.

For the story, I bought 2 watches. The first one I got -I think- the right sub side visual profile. But I think -imho- I removed to much material from the crownguards, especially from the bottom, also I thought it was to pointy. So I considered this job as missed, then I started again with the second case, removing less material from the crownguards and without grinding the top of the lugs

pics of the first case I have modified :

If you think this case is better, I will switch

Starting with a 98$ 5514 Comex from Josh, the only investment was a pair of gen Rolex springbars (5$) and a 8.95$ plexi.

What I did :

- The case high was reduced of about 1mm of thickness to look like a 5513 thinner Sub case. Josh's 5514 uses a 1665 case.

- The rehaut was also reduced as it is to hight

- Lug holes are drilled to accept gen springbars

- I adapted a PA 462-67 plexi from OFrei which has been rounded and complete repolished to look like a dome

- Reworked crownguards -not to much- according what I have seen in vintage shops

- The ugly fat crown was reduced and the tube screwed deaper to match

- Vintage lume job on dial and hands

- Home made pearl (a drop of epoxy mixed with lume pigments, once hardened I coated with crystal epoxy)

I came back from a second short trip in Thailand, the watch was 5 meters deap with me in apnea and around 40 meters deep with a friend who dives with bottles there

TOTAL COST :

1 watch ....................... 98.00 usd

shipping ...................... 35.00 usd

1 plexi ....................... 8.95 usd

1 pair of Rolex springbars .... 5.00 usd

Elbow oil ..................... 00.00 usd (took a little time...)

___________

Grand total ................... 146.95 usd

The watch look o.k for me, I did everything just by feeling and observing gens, not a great work, you can put critics and comments, no problem, I know is not perfect and here there are many moders with better eyes and skills than me,

Just keep in mind its only a play which cost me only around 150$

Pics are not really good to enhance the watch, but it give you an idea

I tried with a Tudor insert

Also with a leather strap

I know this is our rep space, but does anyone have any recommendations as to where I should be shopping to purchase my first gen rolex? I think I want a Sub or an Air King. I've looked on rolex forums. I've looked on ebay. Hell, I've looked at the AD and a local watch shop guy. I want a good deal, though. It seems as if I can get a 16610 for around $4K I'm doing well. Are the watches on rolexforums trusty? What about some of them on ebay?

Maybe I should just wait and find one I want and let all of you guys pick it apart via hyperlink.

Thanks,

--Jer

If you could find a way to get a Rolex from France or Germany, that would be fine. Better choice for both vintage or modern, Rolex watches in USA are overpriced

When you communicate the layout issue with DW, keep things simple & concise. DW uses translation software to communicate in English & if you get too wordy or emotional, what he reads at his end may not equate with what you meant at your end. It often helps to include a good, clear pic that demonstrates the problem.

Other than DW, I am not aware of any similarly priced Daytona cases. You can try your luck on ebay, but no guarantees there.

lol,

thats true, also, depending time -local, GMT, Hong Kong...etc...- you will experiment different people with different level of English, "David" is virtual...

Masturbation one more time.

Buy a genuine complete Rolex watch with box and papers. No anymore psy problems.

Thank you for sharing you knowledge. I can read a few Latin based languages, including Italian, but I only write in English. Is the Italian book "Rolex Daytona, a legend is born" written in Italian or English? Can you please tell us what the "mistake" is, or do we have to buy the book. : - ) Ciao

My book is written in both Italian and English,

Can you elaborate on this.

Thank you

First, I coul be vrong - exceptions could exist, but on dials written OYSTER (screwed pushers) the red DAYTONA is not printed

Now, concerning the difference between a genuine exotic dial and a replica, look here this one from Stefano Mazzariol :

look the minute counter and compare with the minute counter of your picture. You get it ?

Here the flaw made on all aftermarket dials, all sellers on ebay show Daytona PN with the minute counter hand at the reseted position...

I cut and resized both minute counter subdial from Mazariol and from your picture.

The line at 30 ON ALL NEWMAN GENUINE SINGER DIALS is longer than the 10 and 20 lines

And you can compare with ALL aftermarket dials or with those sold on ebay, its always the same flaw

ps : I just checked with Jewlery&watch, minute subdial on PN dials look better than a few weeks

almost -to don't say all- PN dials sold on ebay are not genuine. Even those from Phong or NDT, even those sold for lot of money,

there is a very little detail on the minute counter subdial who tells its a fake. Very simple, and no one notice it, and no one aftermarket dial maker correct the flaw,

Simple, the mistake is explained on the Italian book "Rolex Daytona, a legend is born"

I've got a 7750-powered 6239, and I love it--except for the tumah beneath the crown. Yes, I know the later '39s were shaped differently from the earlier run, but DW's version has a lot of extra metal on the right-hand side. Otherwise, the case is finished very nicely, and the steel bezel is among the best aftermarket items available. Praetor (I think) correctly pointed out that the bezel was angled a bit more steeply than the gen, but this is a minor sin.

Technically, your picture shows a 6241, but DW's black plastic bezel is great, too. The '110' spacing continues to be a problem, but getting rid of it requires spending big bucks (for, say, a Phong or a gen) or exchanging it for a different set of inaccuracies (as on Yuki's black bezel).

sounds like you got a good metal bezel, can you give us in/out diameter and thickness ?

the one i got from DW a few months ago is complete out of the reality (to small)

great job !

I take the permission to add my 2 cents,

for me its the case which is to thick, Comex 5514 were built from regular sub 5512/13 case. Personally I would use a thin 5512/13 case and drill myself the HEV hole.

anyway, the watch looks very, very good as it is, I love the lume on the dial

Talking about GMT 1675 dials, what I see around me in shops, the background is very mat and black dark, printings are consistant white brillant and slightly in relief

Yuki have poor inconsistant flat writings, and not enough white

all my GMT dials where refinished in Paris here : ATELCA - www.atelierducadran.com +33- 1 42 77 05 02 (if these infos can help Europeans)

it cost only 130 euros. When its a particular dial and if they don't have the right font templates, they have to take a photo and this cost 180 euros more

For Rolex, they have almost all types and fonts. But if the dial is a fake, they will refuse the job. They refused from me certain Yuki dials with a back stamped star followed with a number. They accepted the job when it was stamped Singer... this is ridiculous as Chinese put themselves a Singer stamp

A shortened rep crown need a shortened rep tube. The best way is to screw the tube a little deaper in the case (arround 0.5mm)

To seat the rep tube deaper, the easy way is to chamfer the case tube hole.

About lug holes : personally I drill at 1.3mm. Most of the time 1.2mm is to tight.

I made a little blue print from the classic Rolex springbars specs for vintage Sub/SD/Explorer/GMT

How did you adapt the Clark 25-116 ? as the high need to be reduced and the plexi glued

The case ans the bezel is a Sub rep case. A gen or aftermarket will never fit the Sub bezel, the inside diameter of the bezel must be machined

looks like mod I did on these watches 2 years ago

RA: I have always wondered about the subdial spacing of the ST19 versus the spacing of the V72. But I assume the Sea-Gull movement will not fit inside DW's case?

Seagull is not like Valjoux. All kind of Valjoux will fit inside all kind of Rolex 6263-65, 6239-41 cases. Cases made to fit Seagull are not the same production line like cases from Yuki, DW or Phong,

Cases allowing to match with Seagull don't have exactly Rolex specs

V72, V727 and more advanced V7750 series have alle the same dimension specs. If I rmember well its something like 13 lines and arround 6,5mm thickness

All these movements fits in all kind of cases. When DW or Yuki talk about Daytona cases made only to match with V72, its not vrong but a vrong description.

Rolex drilled 2 more holes at different location in the V72 movement plate to fix it into the case. R.C.Spielmann company who made cosmograph cases for Rolex machined cases according these new fixation features. But a V7750 can be fitted into a Rolex specs case.

The difference between the full chrono fonctions and the faux subdial at 6 :

The subdial spacing is slightly different between V72 series and V7750 series. In these reps powered by Seagull, the Seagull movement has the same 9 and 3 subdial spacing like the V72/727 but no hours counter fonction. It result the faux subdial with a faux hand at 6.

The full chrono fonctions reps using a 7750 have a slightly different subdial spacing -arround half a millimeter- Gen dials or aftermarket dials with exact Rolex specs don't fit. Dials made for Daytona reps powered with the 7750 are specific.

Possible, but most of the time rep tubes are platted, you will have an ugly yellow surface which will rust or fade,

also on all tubes -gen/rep- the surface in front of the tube and retaining the inside little O-ring is very thin

imho, - and it was what I did, to seat the tube a little deeper is the best, as the outer O-ring area stay wide enough

My 5513 purchase from Joshua was inspired by Star69's 5512 review. Same build quality as the 5512 and at $98 a great budget build foundation. I don't have a Rolex case opener so I played around with 'vintagizing' this as far as I could today. Here are some pics:

I couldn't remove the tropic retaining ring, so got stuck here and didn't get a chance to play around with the actual dial.

On these reps -old with non correct bezel assy and new with the correct assy- cases back are oversized. Personally I have molded a tool using epoxy mixed with stainless steel powder.

To remove the plexi/bezel retaining ring, use a cutter blade and a hammer. Place the cutter blade between the case and the ring base and knock with the hammer. Do this gently at 12, 3, 6 and 9. When it starts to show a little space, lift gently with a harder blade or a little screwdriver. It will come off.

I think they are a bit short but that is made worse by the huge crown that is fitted as standard

The crown length can be reduced, but if reduced, the tube must be seated a little more deep in its hole. This has to be made to avoid a space between the case and the crown when she is full screwed

Thats my Comex 1665 built last year, its the old type with the vrong bezel assy

complete vrong,at all levels.

Just considering the lug holes location, this mean to block by TIG welding then re-drill and re-polish the case sides.

and even if you decide to modd this piece of s... just let it at home in a display window, as nobody in the today real world wear a 6542 so everybody will know is a fake

If the clasp does not provide sufficient adjustment (you should always try the clasp 1st since it is made to be adjusted), you have 2 options - take the bracelet to a Rolex watchmaker who has the tools, parts & experience to do the job correctly, or unbend the underside leaves of 2 links, remove/add links as necessary, & rebend the 2 original links back. Rolex used to have a special tool to perform this operation, but very few watchmakers still have them. In many cases, you can achieve more or less 'acceptable' results with a flat blade/screwdriver, but the work also tends to leave the exterior of the bended links warped/crumpled. I have attempted this twice & the links' external surfaces were left in a less than perfect state in both instances.

well explained, I experimented the same.

Someone in a shop told me than, in fact, Rolex shops/AD watchsmithes had spare middle links, brand new, but with open leaves ready to put in place and close without visible damage on the exterior face. As the exterior visible slight distorsion starts when you open the leaves