JoJo35

A very special 6263 I acquired a while ago that I'm considering selling now. Just wondering what members thoughts might be:

I've got one of these. These are gen vintage blanks with a relume from Vietnam. I've got it in my parts box, never used it. If anyone might like it they can have it for $500 shipped

I've got the ultimate 6263 case. PM if you'd be interested PS: it's neither of the two you mentioned

I agree freddy. Watches built by our ultra franken builders are 1000x better than anything at Jewelryandwatch.

By-Tor and freddy, please don't feel left out. The both of you have (and continue to) provide a wealth of information to both the active members of this forum, and to the leachers who choose to never even comment with a "thank you"

So, at this point, it's been more than a few years since I started this journey of collecting watches. For what it's worth, it all began way before I ever heard of RWG, let alone RWG1. I guess I was about 17 or 18 yrs old when I took a trip over to NYC, and happened to stroll down 34th street in front of the Empire State Building. A guy outside the building had a briefcase full of watches, and he told me that he had "automatic" Rolex's. Wow, I thought, Rolex reps that weren't quartz and actually had a sweeping automatic movement! I checked one out, and before you know it, I had my very own rep for thirty bucks About fifteen years later (time does fly, doesn't it?), I found myself back in NYC, and wandering through lower Manhattan, eventually finding my way to South Street Seaport, and finally down to Battery Park. It was there that I saw a multitude of street "vendors" selling reps that ranged from Tags, to Rolex, to even Brietlings. This really sparked my interest, since at that point in my life I had already made some decent gen purchases, including a brand new original Movado Museum, and ceramic Rado's. The funny thing was, even though fifteen or more years had passed, the price still remained the same: about thirty bucks for a (greatly improved) rep. So, with my interest piqued, I went home and attempted to find out a little more about these watches on the internet. It was then that I accidentally came across RWG1. I joined up, and soon learned that there were actually people out there who knew quite a lot about these watches, and who made a hobby out of improving these "reps". Over the past few years, this has certainly been a learning process. I went from china town reps, to a multitude of good quality reps from our dealers, to modded "MBW's", to fully modded frankens, and finally to where I am now. Although this learning process took years, it has brought me from not knowing the first thing about watches, to knowing just a bit more, and to finally becoming a strictly gen collector. I certainly wouldn't have become so inspired if it weren't for the good friends I have made here at RWG. The Zigmeister, Kruzer, Ubi, dluddy, Justasgood, vlydog, Jetsons, and Stephan are just a handful of people who have helped me along the way. Now, I'm at the point where I am considering some serious gens, and I'm thinking of selling all of my reps. I've already sold off most of my collection that was unmodified, and even one of my super reps. I've also listed a bunch of parts that I had been hoarding over the past few years in the for sale section, and now I'm thinking of selling the rest of my modded watches, all of which are very much ultimate replicas (for those of you who know me, and have seen these pieces, you know what I'm talking about). One thing I have learned, and that's for sure, is that nothing beats making a watch as close as gen as possible! I'd just like to express my most sincere gratitude to RWG, and to all of my friends I have met here who have helped me along the way. Most Sincerely, JJ

FYI, the crystal retainer ring should not have come loose when you popped off the bezel. The retainer ring is usually pressed with a (hand) machine so it goes on flat and true. However, considering you have a rep, and it very well may have come loose, you may want to use small dabs of hypo so it seats. Pressing it down can be accomplished by hand if you use a dowel or similar non-marring tool to slowly work your way around the retainer, pressing it home. After that sets for a day or so, the bezel can be pressed over it so it snaps back in.

There's been so many posts about this watch lately, you should be able to find it pretty fast. To be honest, I've never even opened one of them, but couldn't help seeing them because there has been so many. Have you considered buying gen? Prices have come down quite a bit over the last year or so

I'm not really into the DSSD, but hasn't there already been countless posts regarding this subject??? denz, you may find that if you'd do a little searching, you'll probably find the answers you're looking for

The crown would have nothing to do with the bezel, and if it did touch, you've got bigger problems than just the bezel not turning! Why don't you just pop the bezel off with a flat blade and clean it?

Thanks By-Tor. I agree that these are definitely good investments, and certainly good looking watches with a unique history. IMO, definitely worth adding to a collection

For those who appreciate the true history of Rolex, you may enjoy this as much as I did. After finding a NOS Seamaster f300 Electronic practically by accident, I became intrigued with the early electronic advancements of the major watch manufacturers in the sixties and the early seventies. What began with the Accutron 214 , which was used by Omega for their f300 series, soon morphed toward the megasonic, and ultimately the most accurate watch, the Marine Chronometer. Eventually, the quartz movement took over, since manufacturing cost, serviceability, and overall accuracy of the quartz movement was found to be superior. Rolex realized the change in the market (after all, it was still the new age of "electronics"), and soon developed the 5035/5055. The following is quoted from Oysterquartz.net: "Rolex recognized that two key elements to superior accuracy in quartz timekeeping would be needed in their new quartz movement: A higher frequency oscillator and some means to negate the effects of temperature change on the stability of the oscillator. Consequently, the oscillator used in the 5035/5055 was four times as fast as that used in the Beta 21 and the module was one of the first quartz movements to utilize analog thermo-compensation. Oscillator stability over a wide temperature range was accomplished through the use of a thermistor to sense ambient temperature. Data from this sensor is sent to the electronic control module which then regulates the voltage to the quartz crystal, adjusting its rate accordingly. In addition, a rate trimmer is employed on the circuit board which enables the movement to be manually "fine tuned" during Rolex's notoriously rigid internal testing and adjustment, something every Rolex movement goes through before being sent to the COSC for "official" chronometer certification. The rate trimmer also allows for manual adjustment when the movement is serviced to compensate for the frequency drift that comes with the aging of the quartz crystal. Approximately eighteen months after the Oysterquartz was introduced the quartz crystal used in the oscillator circuit was changed to a tuning fork shape. The earlier movements were known internally at Rolex as Mark I movements, while the later ones with the new shape quartz crystal were known as Mark II movements. The Mark I 5035 Datejust movements were never submitted to the COSC for chronometer certification, which accounts for the absence of "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" on the dials of the very early Oysterquartz Datejust models. Everything about the design and construction of the 5035/5055 module shows that Rolex intended this movement to be a "lifetime" movement, designed to be serviceable and serviced just like their mechanical movements. In fact, apart from the electronics and the pulse motor, the "mechanics" of the 5035 are the same as the 3035 automatic movement that was also introduced in 1977 and used in the Submariner and other Date/Datejust models for over a decade. The drive mechanism for the 5035/5055 is very similar to the design of a traditional mechanical watch escapement. The pulse motor drives a pallet fork which in turn moves a pallet wheel. This wheel drives the second hand at a 1:1 ratio with one tick per second. The hour and minute hands are driven off this pallet wheel. The loud "tick" you hear every second are the pallets engaging the pallet wheel. That is why the tick of the 5035/5055 has such a unique sound and is very much like the tick of a mechanical watch, though at one tick per second rather than the eight ticks per second of a 28,800 bph Rolex Perpetual movement. This drive mechanism also ensures the second hand steps around the dial smartly with zero backlash since the hand is effectively locked in place by the pallet fork in between each beat. Even though the technology of quartz wristwatch timekeeping has moved beyond that found in the 5035/5055, this movement still remains one of the most "over-engineered" quartz movements ever produced and clearly carries on the Rolex tradition of solid engineering, superb finishing, and understated beauty. Advancements in technology have yielded quartz modules with superior accuracy, but when it debuted, the 5035/5055 only had one true rival from a technological standpoint: the 2.4Mhz Omega 1516 movement used in their famous Marine Chronometer wristwatches of the mid 70s. But from the standpoint of "build quality" and finish (anglage, perlage, and Geneva stripes), the 5035/5055 still reigns supreme, something that is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. 5035 Specifications: 32,768Hz VCTCXO Quartz Module Integrated circuit: CMOS Temperature compensation: Yes Rate trimmer: Yes Power source: UCAR 357 silveroxide battery, 1.55v Width: 29.75mm Height: 6.5mm 11 jewels Antimagnetic: Yes, to 1000 Oersted Hacking: Yes Quick set date: Yes 5055 Specifications: 32,768Hz VCTCXO Quartz Module Integrated circuit: CMOS Temperature compensation: Yes Rate trimmer: Yes Power source: UCAR 357 silveroxide battery, 1.55v Width: 29.75mm Height: 7.1mm 11 jewels Antimagnetic: Yes, to 1000 Oersted Hacking: Yes Quick set day-date: Yes I had been searching for an Oysterquartz for quite a while, and recently found one, circa 1980, all original and in beautiful condition. I hope all of those reading this will find the subject as fascinating as I did. Although Rolex is certainly well known for their mechanical movements, the quartz movements produced by Rolex certainly deserve recognition.

Anyone want my preorder?

Appears to be very incorrect.

Nicely done, good luck with it

I agree; in fact, I just looked at probably a half a million dollars worth of vintage rolex yesterday, and one of the pieces was a red 1680 with the original angled crystal that had worn down to almost a dome shape around the edges.

Here ya go:

???

Chief, Is that a washed dial? From your pictures it's hard to tell if there's any tritium on the dial

plaifender is of course correct. Do a search, you'll find that this discussion has already taken place here. One of our members was kind enough to perform metallurgical test to confirm.

When the entire movement is fake, what difference does one more wrong part make! lol

The nerve of some of these bastards on ebay... In particular, check out this auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rolex-Vintage-CHRONO-DAYTONA-Mens-Steel-Watch-6263_W0QQitemZ320490054657QQcategoryZ31387QQcmdZViewItem So many obvious things wrong with it, yet this SOB still has the balls to set a reserve on the auction. 93% feedback, pictures that clearly show the flaws, and still people are ignorant enough to bid on it!

IMO, the Tudor is great for someone who already has a 62XX, and wants to further their collection. Otherwise (and IMO again), it just doesn't make sense not to ante up and buy a real Daytona or Cosmograph

...sorry for the post, this is not the proper place for this

For anyone who may be searching for these, they may be worth watching if the price stays low: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-ROLEX-20mm-580-Bracelet-End-Pieces-GMT-Sub_W0QQitemZ320493182211QQcmdZViewItemQQptZWristwatches?hash=item4a9ee1dd03