freddy333

Welcome. I would begin by reading the 1st & 3rd pinned articles in the Introduction/Rules/Support forum.

Why not just wait for a bit until Ingod straightens out his PP account (or offers an alternative payment option)?

I appreciate the offer & will certainly take you up on it if you are able to source something better than what I have. Unfortunately, I have not seen any truly accurate 5514 casebacks (other than the 1-off replacement Ubi received from Phong or gen).

Worse than all that, I paid Phong's full price ($1,650) for my 5514 case (specifically, so he wouldn't have an excuse for pulling any bait-&-switches), which was pictured on his website with this caseback (pic taken from Phong's site - later, I found out that this was a pic of a 1-off replacement caseback he sent to Ubi) but received this caseback (pic taken from Phong's site) It may be difficult to see in this pic, but the coronet looks like a cheap fake & none of the text is straight (ROLEX looks like a wavy line). Long story short, after receiving 3 replacements over a period of more than 2 years, each worse than the previous (with the last 2 looking exactly the same even though the last was supposedly made from new (perfect) artwork), I finally surrendered & decided to continue the search for another caseback (seller) or gen parts. Oh & right after I returned my original caseback to Phong, it appeared on his website as the caseback for his 5514 case. Is there anything we can do about Phong's prices & questionable marketing practices? I doubt it. & since he still sells some good items, I think you just have to deal with Phong as you do Mr. Slimeball. That is, use him as a last resort & pay him only what you can afford to lose in a gamble.

My blingfest Daytona was calling me today, so that is what I wore

Well done & the results speak for themselves.

A yellow matte varnish spray will yellow the lume (along with the rest of the dial) or a plain (non-yellow) matte varnish will slightly whiten it. Search this forum for 'matte varnish' for pics & additional details.

If it is any consolation, I had the same problem. This was also the instigating factor that convinced me to replace the ETA2846 with a gen 1575. Problem solved.

Yes, alot of interesting pics & articles there. Enjoy.

To be honest, I have replaced the battery & upgraded the hard drive a couple of times, but it does the job very well. And, these days, it attracts attention as a piece of 'vintage' gear.

If it ain't broke.................

No.

Glad to help.

Since I am up working past midnight (early Saturday morning), I might as well start the weekend wristies while wearing my beater

Once the dial is off, just apply a dot of boot polish where you want it. In this case, since the dial will already be black (in my case, the dial was brown & I was darkening it), you would use brown polish. Just apply a dot around the center hole & rub your finger in a circular fashion to spread it around the hole, being careful to keep away from the text. Same thing around the date window & anywhere else on the dial you want to lighten. Just err on the side of using too little & you should be fine. Once the color looks the way you want it, you can optionally give the entire dial a light spray of clear or yellow matte varnish.

No, not mine. But I wish it was. They could easily produce an updated version today, but, as Rolex has said many times, they are in the business of selling new watches, not rehashing the past (Milgauss & Prince, excepted). Additionally, I think Rolex (& most of the other luxury watch brands) are targeting their marketing towards Asian customers, who prefer big, gaudy pieces (I have heard through reliable sources that Asia, in general, & China, in particular, were the impetus for the supersized cases & added bling that we have seen from the historically slow-to-change Rolex in recent years). Probably 2 truck loads & your & Nanuq's less than fawning opinions of the watch were probably shared by whoever Rolex polled back in the 1960s when they made the decision not to market these Ferrari Daytonas (as some have termed them). My guess is that it was produced as a market test or promotion. Maybe it was made as part of a race sponsorship that got cancelled or something like that? Remember, the Daytona was originally called the 'Le Mans'. I am only aware of 3 authenticated copies of this watch. Clapton had 1 (I think it was sold as part of the famous Clapton auction several years ago & I think the buyer has remained silent), Goldberg has 1 & Rolex has the remaining 1 in their private collection.

Actually, you are not too far off on the application. I use a toothpick to apply the polish & then diffuse (smear) it as needed with my finger. Although there does not seem to be alot of consistency with dial patina, I generally find that the area around the center pinion tends to be darker. I think the color variation is due to a combination of UV exposure & reaction by the paint & since it is covered by the hands, the center tends to be less affected than other areas of the dial. But I also apply a bit of polish to other bits just to help maintain some inconsistency. The trick is to keep the color variations to within a narrow range, so the dial appears differently depending on the ambient lighting.

I hate to say it & hopefully I am wrong, but I have a feeling the reason the overlay re-centered itself after being jolted is because it is coming off the datewheel & you may soon have another problem.

Any less gagging here?

Exactly, my thoughts. Summer watch to wear at the polo club on a warm day. Almost Gatsby-esque.