freddy333

I think he has a solid link 93150, but not a folded link 9315. I am sure 9315 reps exist, but I have not seen anyone selling them.

While perusing Honpo's site, I found what looks to be GMTIIC inserts for sale (click pic for link) & some vintage Rolex bracelets (click pic for link) In the past, Honpo was only willing to sell to Japanese buyers & he did not generally reply to non-Asian emails (believe me, I have made several attempts). Also, while he used to provide a large number of pics of each item, most of the items on his current website consist of a single pic without any details whatsoever. So it might be useful for 1 of our Japanese members to check into this & report back. For those unfamiliar with Honpo, he has been around for some time & often offers some very interesting (& often accurate) reps that are unavailable elsewhere.

The original watch came from our Japanese friend, Honpo (by way of member who happened to be in Honpo's neck of the woods at the time). Things may have changed in the intervening years, but he used to offer some of the most accurate (though not perfect) Rolex reps (including some very tasty tropical 6263s) that were unavailable from any other dealers. Unfortunately, he only sold to Japanese buyers & rarely responded to emails sent through his website unless you were located in Japan. Anyway, the watch I received was in a pretty poor state (as is typical of most reps), but, after a thorough going-over, it received all the usual mods - gen crown/tube, xtal, 7835/19 bracelet & excised auto-wind module to install v72-style caseback. The watch is nearly due for an overhaul at which time I will exchange its dial crown for a gen to complete its transformation. Honpo's website seems to move around alot, but this is his current site. I noticed he has a number of vintage Rolex folded & rivet bracelets listed, but, as is the case for most of his stuff, little or no details about the items. So you would need to contact him & hope he responds.

Unfortunately, the search is not working. Hopefully, it will eventually be fixed. But, in the meantime, you can use google to locate things on rwg. The simplest way is to just search for the term you want & include 'rwg' in your search.

Someone posted a rep recently, but the dial color lacked the magic of the gen. In fact, it was pretty off.

xxmanxx - Somehow, I forgot about the AirKing, which is 1 of my favorite Rolexes - a brilliantly understated classic. Check out mastergod's franken & then head for your nearest AD (or VRF's sale forum if you want a vintage AK).

Very nice. No, actually that does not describe this watch sufficiently. Spectacular is the proper descriptor & there is no such thing as a gentleman's Rolex being too small.

Did you actually have a watch story to add to your 'Old watch stories' thread?

(click pic for link)

Dial - It all depends on the quality of the original dial & how much time/money you want to spend. The most cost effective improvement is to give it a light coat of matte varnish spray. Case - Either, as 1680 already suggested, Nanuq's method of using nails/coin/etc or just go at it with a dremel/sandpaper to soften the edges & then a light polish. Beyond that, give it natural age by wearing it daily. Hands - Bake them (practice on some extra hands before doing the main 1s). In some cases, depending on the color/texture of dial lume, you might find that a light application of iodine prior to baking helps. If the dial turns out reasonable, a gen xtal, crown/tube & bracelet will ice the cake (fakes in these areas can undo alot of hard work elsewhere).

Considering how well the case turned out , I think you need a better dial & gen xtal (with proper 2.5x mag ).

Get a genuine vintage (pre-90s) steel Rolex Sub or Explorer. These tool watches are hearty, understated, will likely maintain or gain in value (so you can pass it on to your kids) & will always show your good taste without the bling of modern luxury watches.

The price of a good dial is often as much, if not more, than the price of a good rep, so why not just buy the rep with the dial you want?

No need to delete, but please do not duplicate posts in future.

I would say ALOT better.

Samkid10 - Please do not post duplicate posts.

Fortunately, Plexiglas polishes just as easily. There are a number of popular xtal polishes out there or you can use my favorite, Meguiar's PlastX plastic cleaner/polish (available at most auto parts suppliers).

Some were missing & changes have been afoot in the past couple of years since it was taken, but this shows better than half

Sorry, I did not see the 2nd to last pic. I thought you were using the bracelet shown in your 1st pics.

Maybe I misunderstood the problem? If the chrono seconds hand is consistently resetting at the same point off its null position, then you just need to r&r the hand again. But if the hand is resetting at different points, then you may have a loose arm wand (which is common on aftermarket hands, but very rare on gens) & epoxy is the most reliable fix.

The prototypes may have been made for PanAm, but never put into production. The caseback engravings may have been done by PanAm. Hard to say without any input from Rolex.

I would definitely begin the search for a dial replacement (& a better bracelet or nice strap). It is also fortuitous that you forgot to have Zig drill the lugs larger, because the 62xx Daytonas had small springbars (not the same as for Subs/SDs).

Always loved the early '39s. But are they nicer than a Newman? Not so sure about that