freddy333

The vast majority of people who see your watch in the wild will never comment on it. But, as I have found, there is a large (& growing) number of (silent) WIS types out there & just because no one calls you out does not mean your rep has not been ID'd as a fake.

That sounds like a match (Lexus & Grand Seiko). Nice watches.

Certainly, these worn out parts have little functional value. But, as always, when it comes to vintage Rolex, you cannot think that way. It is similar to an old canvas full of old paint having been painted by 1 of the great masters. The value is logarithmically subjective & is set by the marketplace, which is inhabited by growing numbers of rabid buyers.

Still Tuesday where I am & wearing 1 of my Newmans, pictured here above Emerald City

People told me I was crazy to pay $400 (each) for the last couple roulette datewheels I bought & I said 'just wait a couple of years & they will be selling for twice that'. Well, I was wrong. This 1, from a reputable seller, is going for more than 4 times as much & it is in much worse condition (click pic for link) I have also noticed that vintage Oyster bracelets are beginning to skyrocket back to pre-2008 levels. So, as is often said about vintage Rolex, today's outrageous prices will be thought of as yesterday's bargains tomorrow.

I have a set of 2 taps made for Rolex cases & I have always used the 5.3mm for pushers. That said, I have run into 2 cases (1 from DW & 1 from Phong) whose pusher holes were drilled too large. The only option was to fit a larger set of pushers that I got from Ofrei. Unfortunately, the thread pitch is not indicated on either tap, so I cannot tell you what it is.

If the watch is water proof (& you have had it recently & professionally checked for same), dish soap & warm water. If not, spray a small amount (do not soak the watch) of glass cleaner on it & wipe dry. Works every time.

That is a BIG crown.

Ditto that (take lots of wristies, hambone).

Shortly after midnight Sunday (early Monday morning) & wearing 1 of my Newmans while cleaning tubes/valves

Why?

I think you are way overthinking this. Lugs on most 50+ year old watches, especially those that have been used for most of their life (as opposed to museum pieces), have been polished many times over their lifespan & rarely appear as the lugs in your gen pics do. As long as the lugs have some semblance of their original shape, they are within specs for a vintage watch. Far more important, at least when an appearance of authenticity is the name of the game, is for the case (&, to a lesser degree, the dial) to appear 50+ years old (as opposed to pristine/new).

A good, but not great flick, but & Hunt's talents are both attractive & professional.

I have never seen or heard of a source for inexpensive plated brass 6542 bezels.

Works for me.

There are many redialers, but only 1 or 2 that perform commission work for Rolex SA (1 of them did my watches).

Here is something that I have not seen in decades - a redial commisioned by Rolex SA & sold through Sotheby's (click pic for link) As far as I am concerned, this seriously blurs the line between gen & franken. In fact, it forces a rethinking of the term 'franken' & causes me to reconsider whether I even need to qualify some of my all-gen-except-for-professionally-repainted-gen-dial watches. Apparently, if a professional dial repainter repaints a gen Rolex dial using a gen Rolex template, the dial, as far as Rolex SA & Sotheby's is concerned, is gen. So, using that specification as a guide, this &, excepting the insert, this are genuine Rolex watches

Granted, a used/unserviced or poorly maintained 1030 is not going to prove reliable for daily or any other use. However, once properly overhauled, there is no reason it (or any subsequent Rolex caliber) cannot be relied on for daily use. That said, I would never wear a mechanical watch for activities where it might be exposed to bumps, bangs or fast acceleration/deceleration. That is the purview of solid state digital devices.

As happens with ever new Rolex model release, 6 months after release, many of the initial nay-sayers are (proudly) wearing them. Amazing, how predictable these cycles have become.

chriz74 - Some builds are constructed from gen parts, some builds are constructed from replica parts & some a combination of the 2. If you can be specific, you will get a more specific answer.

Older Twinlock tubes often had to be broached, but, as others have said, you have a 702 crown, not 700