Mapman57

Thats a very generous gesture, well done

So many variants here? Are you talking about genuine OEM assemblies?

Great work guys....my collection of parts is underway and the teachings of Chi/Star and RA will be followed Other than Yuki and NDT are there any other sources for 'no date' 1675 dials? Also, is there a supplier of hand sets for use with a modified eta 2836 movement?

Frank that is looking great - can you share where/how you picked that dial up? How did you attach he bezel assembly to the case set when you converted from the 1655? Do you by chance have any pics of the component structure of how this is built up now?

And finally you have it.......congratulations, I admired your persistence and hunger for knowledge in doing your homework on this piece! Got to say the pictures have just about crashed my computer! You know what you want to do and what you need to do. Take your time, do it step by step and enjoy the journey. For me modding the crown guards and fitting a gen 703 crown is a must start. Swap out the crystal also. These make a very real visual difference and do not cost too much. The opinion polls will always be swayed both ways by the pro 'so called MBK/MBW' supporters and the 'so called PT' supporters. Either way, regardless of what you fit and change, they will BOTH be replica watches, capable of giving you pleasure and fooling 'both nobody and everybody'. At least the $200 saved over a 'MBK', will fund a lot of what you wish to do. Looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds and develops............and if you find any rep 585 end links, please order me two sets! I have never seen an inser line up problem like that before............

Good point to highlight on the 580 end links - thanks 'high' and Dizzy. The open 580's I have shown are from a low cost/quality rep bracelet and not gen, of course! I do have a pair of 'closed rep' 580's on my DRSD - which in fact are wrong - should be 585's I believe? Thanks for poining this anomoly out 'high', I will put the closed 580's on my 1680/93150 and stay on the look out for some 585's to replace my open 580's on my DRSD! I didnti quite understand th e'pinvise and 2mm bit' reference though?

OUCH! 'Once bitten, twice shy' or whatever? Good advice, been tempted a few times, will stay clear now.

I believe that the 93150/580 combination was an OEM fit to the 1680 and as Freddy says 93150/585 was OEM fit for later 1665's. However, the better Cartel vintage 1665's such as PT, come supplied with a 93150/580 set up - unless you is unlucky and get someting quite random!!! My 1680 came with a 93150/285 set up - which is wrong, as the 285 end link should be with the earlier 9315 bracelet of the 1665 - but I now have a spare set on 285's, which are not that common, or are they?

Many thanks to all for the comments Some good news this week, I managed to source a new replacement plastic gasket for seating the retainer ring. This will provide a temporary fix for me to continue the work and the project build. A custom retainer ring from Justin remains the ultimate goal!

Second that, I've got a PT DRSD 1665 and my friend just bought one. Great service form Angus to the UK, a really nice example and around a week to arrive. Shave those inner CG's, fit a gen 703 crown or 702 if your wealthy!), age it to death (well to the look youdesire) and that is a great and simple start - but of course you can go as far as you wish with the modding. Great depth of research by the way - enjoyed all of the threads you started! Enjoy..... Edit - This has reminded me that I must update my avatar as the watch has moved on a little!

Congratulations......sounds like a steal to me. Keep a low profile until the heat dies down and the search is called off ! Hope we get to see the assembled piece quite soon?

Wow - I never realised that! I have got a Cousins 116 and a Clark 116 on the desk ready for a similar 1655 josh based project now. I will have to investigate and measure with the digi calipers to see what I have and how they compare. I will post some dimensions later. I do know a Cousins 116 will fitthe josh case and bezel cos a friend of mine has already built one. Tight in the case very) and OK on the bezel from memory? I'll be back with more.....

So my 1680 came with a very nice quality and correct 93150 bracelet and matching clasp. This has been aged and aged and aged However, the end links were incorrect being 285 reference - when they should be 580's. Why do hey do that? I picked up a lower quality bracelet from a member some weeks back (many thanks Gileto ) with correct 580 end links. However, being of a much lesser quality (probably from a more budget rep?) the end links would not take a gen 2mm spring bar. They were even extremely tight on the standard bars that were fitted!! So, I took my trusty (30 years old!) round needle file and spent too long, working the diameter out, so it would take the gen 2mm spring bar. I did not trust myself drilling this out, because the wall section in the tube in the end link was so thin to begin with. As I said earlier in my thread - go gently, one bit off at a time. Added a touch of ageing and softening; and 'voila' - now we have a really nice quality 93150 bracelet and clasp, with 580 end links! And the lug pins are looking nice (see pics below)

Some time back I picked up a PT 1680 form a member over on RG. The watch had been aged a little and some good work had been commenced. I am not an experienced modder, but have found the work completed so far on my PT 1665 to be very satisfying and a great learning curve. Apart from general ageing/softening, it has had a crystal swap/crown swap/insert aged and recessed/pearl aged/CG's shaped/lug holes opened a touch. First lesson to budding modders.....research the forum, be patient in what you do (especially with the search function ), be brave and only do one small step at a time - you can take more away, but you cannot put it back! My 1665 Cg's and new crown...as it is now.... At the time of purchase of my PT1680 I understood that some epoxy had possibly been used 'to seal the crystal in place, to make it waterproof'. Surprise, surprise..........Ouch! Second lesson....nothing is new here - ask the members for help, post a thread and get the info you need.....thanks to all for their assistance. So now the crystal is out and all parts are cleaned up. My plans include; Age and soften the case Shave the CGs in and out Fit a gen 703 crown (fits on the existing tube fine, but I might still fit a new Yuki tube and gaskets) Fit a recessed used gen insert Fit a Clark 127 Tropic Age and soften the bracelet and replace the clasp with a better version (thumb flip location) with 93150 markings Add 580 end links (93150 and 580 is the correct combo) Regulate the movement (was running fast) Open the lug holes (just a little) and fit gen bars The good news ; The gen 703 crown will fit the existing tube The gen insert will fit the existing bezel The Clark 127 is a nice tight fit to the case The bad news : My case was epoxied to keep the bezel retainer ring in place - NOT to seal the crystal! :shh: The bezel retaining ring is too large on the inside diameter - it is loose over the crystal. It leaves the factory with a plastic gasket in place. Mine is completely missing and I understand from research that once unassembled, they are difficult to re-assemble and get trashed! This must be what happened here. Some pics for those who do not know......fully assembled, then bezel removed, then retainer ring removed - Nice glue job eh? Also, the bezel tension spring washer is missing. This is because the fit of the bezel over the retainer ring is quite loose. Put a spring washer in and i pops the bezel off!!! I have been in touch with Justin (member JMB here) who has kindly offered to machine and supply a new custom retainer ring for me. This will resolve all of the above issues. So, in the meantime all other work is underway. Heres a few pics of the new lug holes, revised CG shape with the Gen 703 crown in place. The insert in these pics is the aged PT supplied version. I am ageing (industrial grade bleach submersion and wiping technique) the PT insert to a paler grey colour. The gen insert is less discoloured. Both are without pearl. I plan to have the option to wear the grey insert on a Nato and the darker version on the bracelet. :cool: I have collected a library of gen pics on case and crown guard shapes. They are so variable over the years and different revisions of this model. I feel that mine are still a little too high, but I welcome any input on this point - and any other modification, of course. The next challenge is to address the line up of the date wheel, to the dial window, to the crystal loupe. Dizzy has recently undertaken some work in this area recently and posted details - a pioneering mod you might say! Thanks Dizzy, that will inspire me to follow - but my eyes are so bad and that date window is so small! I plan to update this thread as the mod's and final build comes together over the next week or so. Thanks for looking and getting this far :munch:

So I finally found the time to dig out the crystal and it is as many have advised. The original crystal was fitted to the rehaut without plastic gasket, or 'O' ring gasket. There is a rebate for an 'O' ring gasket, as there is on the gen. The Crstal fits over the outside diameter of the rehaut and hence over the 'O' ring to make a seal. The Clark 127 does fit this case perfectly. A nice tight fit over the rehaut and will also accept the 'O' ring gasket (Clark sells these also for $3!). The problem is the retainer ring, as Justin stated they are too large on the inside diameter. They sit loose over the crystal. The epoxy glue was in fact just holding the reatiner ring in place, not the crystal! So now I have to either; glue the retainer back in place? or, order a new custom retainer ring from Justin? (Obviously the best technical/quality solution) or, find a gasket/ring to fit between the crystal and the existing retainer ring? I have plenty of pictures, if any body needs to see anything more. The case and ring have cleaned up nicely. Thanks to all for your assistance.

Yes, absolutely correct in the sense that the 78360/580 was the OEM bracelet for this piece. But the 1655 does date back 40 years and spans over many years of its model life; and as you know, many vintage pieces are used/assembled to many bracelets from the period, during their lifetime. Is anyone selling a decent 1655 Rep on a 78360/580 combination?

It was $80 last time I saw? Thats great if it's less now?

Gotta agree with Alligoat on this one! My PT1665 bracelet - 93150 with 580 end links with 2mm bars - is the best of 3 different 93150's that I have picked up over the years. With some oiling, ageing and softening its proven to be an excellent bracelet. The clasp is not as good as say a 93250, I have made a hybrid with the best of a few. It should have a plain flip lock, small thumb recess and 93150 markings. I admire the research you have done on this model - thread, after thread these past weeks - time to BUY!! Good luck and enjoy.

Gen springbars are gen spring bars - many sell so called 'same spec as gen - but I have not found any yet that match. Dimensions are the same etc - 2 big differences I have found are - spring strength and memory retention - to fit you have to compress the centre bar a long way, many rep/gen bars have weak springs that lose their memory/resistance very quickly - downside is that the bar does not protrude through the lug hole on one of the sides! Bar tips can be more rounded and polished on gens if you want that look and who doesn't. If you find a source at reasonable prices, other than Rolex AD - please share! I have tried the ebay suppliers, Yuki and others - none compare in my experience.

Sooooo NIIICE! That crystal is hgoing in mine next!

You can pick up 580 end links from most 93150 rep bracelets - like those supplied by PT on his vintage range of Rollies - 1680, 1665 etc

Josh sells his latest folded 7836 bracelet and endlinks for $55 plus shipping - same as he supplies on his so called 1:1 1655 - well reviewed across the forums - had one, very, very nice! But not 580 end links - with 358 end links! Looks even better after ageing.........

The 2846 in my PT 1680 is also a gen eta confirmed by my experienced watchmaker who is taking care of it just now! Same goes for my PT 1665.............

Many thanks Justin - under all of the glue, that appears to be the case here. The ring will slide back over the crystal and glued/plastic ring and fits quite snug but not really tight. I expect that before I took it apart the ring was glued to the top surface of the case. I could always do this again after rebuilding with a Clark 127? I have PM'd you ref the possibility of a new machined retention ring that matches the crystal and the bezel ring - that is currently a loose snap fit! Many thanks to all for helping me to understand all of this - learned a lot!!

+1 on that one...............I have a Jan 2009 pre order for a WM9 SD as well. Just go get a DRSD or GWSD 1665, you will love it for sure! Dont get anal at the outset ....go to a PT for $200........always will sell on if you do not like? I'll by it myself if you do not like or want it!