freddy333

1680 is correct. Viewing a good rep (in the real world) on the wrist of someone who fits the bill generally passes without incident. But, when viewed on the web, where the viewer has time to examine with care & without the context of the wearer's overall deportment to sway his impression, a rep/franken is likely to get called-out. A gen dial in a decent rep case is not likely to cause much havoc, but an aftermarket dial in a gen case usually will.

I am more familiar with 1665s, but what you did looks good to me.

I just received the new MQ Newman dial & it is a virtual clone of the MQ dial in my '41, except for the colors being reversed. I was going to post a pic of the new dial in my '39, but, as usual, the chrono seconds hand (from Phong) is free-wheeling. So it is being epoxied & I will post a pic of the new dial in the assembled watch once the cement has fully cured (tomorrow). In the meantime, here is a teaser

This is a fairly common model, so most of the sellers listed in the Watches, Clothing & Accessories forum should either have it or be able to source it for you (you may need to upgrade your member status to access some of the site features). I would recommend that you 1st read the Forum Rules & Toad's Guide, both of which are pinned atop the Introduction Forum.

You are a sick man (I was thinking the same thing, but I am too much of a gentleman to say it).

Font alignment is off, but, otherwise, looks nice.

Neither. It is a franken consisting of a modified DW case, gen (or Phong, I forget which) handset, modified MQ dial with genuine coronet, gen crown/tube, gen 7835 bracelet, Ofrei pushers (same as gens) & powered by a Valjoux 72 (V72) movement (same base movement that Rolex used). You might want to take some time & research these frankens as many members have built them (expect to spend $2.5-4k+, depending on how many gen parts you include).

Odd, but not rare.

As long as the blow dryer is set no higher than WARM (not HOT), it should not damage anything. But, over time, you may prematurely dry out the rubber gaskets. So, if you want to use the hair dryer, be sure to have the watch professionally water-pressure tested at least yearly.

Search out my old Phase 1 6542 articles that describe the work involved in getting a GMT out of the Silix & then decide.

I am often amazed at the lengths UK tv producers will go to maintain factual & historical accuracy (those of you art historians who are familar with the Lovejoy series know what I am talking about). Just now, I was watching the 'Captain Cook' episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, which I have seen dozens of times before, &, in the scene where Blackadder, Baldrick & George were sent out into no-man's land to paint pictures of the German positions, I happened to notice something very unusual & interesting about Blackadder's watch As you can see, the watch crystal has a Mesh Guard covering it, which was an invention often used by soldiers in the trenches of WWI to protect their watches from flying shrapnel. Now, I do not know whether the watch was assigned to the actor by the production department or if it belongs to him & he chose to wear it for its historical accuracy. But, either way, this is quite impressive for a tv series! Now, contrast that with a major Hollywood motion picture like Argo (that takes place in 1979), which has 1 of the main characters wearing a ceramic Submariner (which was 1st produced just a couple of years ago).

My (black) Phase 1 is 2846-powered & has JoeyB's insert, but the case is a modified Silix, not Yuki I agree with panerai53 that the 2846 would be a much better choice for a vintage Rolex (I believe that all ETA 28xx series movements have similar (though not exactly the same) dimensions, so they should be interchangeable). The only negative to using the 2846 is that you may have trouble sourcing GMT parts for it. I simply transplanted the parts from the 28.8kbps 2836-2 that came in 1 of Andrew's 1675 reps onto the 21kbps 2846), so the GMT hand varies from its correct position over time, as you can see in the pic above.

You would do well to ask Yuki, since it is his case, but I believe all those cases are designed to fit gen movements. Yuki sells ETA spacer rings elsewhere on his site, but you had better check to see if he has them in stock before assuming anything (he often does not). JoeyB's insert is made to fit into a gen bezel, so it should fit Yuki's case. But, again, always best to ask the source of the part 1st.

Ouch. Some 'lucky' buyer is going to be 1 very unhappy camper when they receive the inevitable bad news from a friend or RSC as to this 'bargain' they grabbed.

Adding to panerai53's comments, if you are going to spend more than $500-$1,100 on 1 of these better aftermarket dials, I would seriously consider sourcing a proper 1575 movement & do it right. That way, not only are you making better use of the parts you have, but you can install gen hands & datewheel to the gen movement, which, sooner or later, you will want to do anyway. And if you have cut the dial feet off a nice aftermarket dial, you cannot easily reattach them later.

Nice work, but you definitely need to put some wear on the external parts to pull it off. Which method did he use to achieve the tropical look on the dial?

I would vintagize it & swap the bezel insert for 1 of JoeyB's, but, otherwise, it looks good to me.

To begin with, you should not be wearing a rep into a Rolex store (AD). Have you read RWG's Rules in the Introduction forum? In some areas, you may be risking legal trouble by doing so since reps are considered illegal contraband in most countries &, if the staff or another customer IDs your rep, you come off as a poser. That said, we have all been there, so I get it. I would tell friends/family the truth. Never good to lie to people who matter to you. For everyone else, why not purchase a good, ETA-powered rep & then learn about who ETA is & how they rank, performance-wise, versus Rolex's movement (hint - they are pretty close). Then, when a stranger asks about your watch, instead of lying or telling them it is just a replica (which most will interpret as a 'fake Rolex'), you can dazzle them with details about ETA being a venerable, old Swiss ebauch manufacture & how your watch's case is made of the same type of steel that Rolex used to use in the 60s (as are most of the better reps), etc. That way, instead of coming off as just another know-nothing poser, you appear to be a knowledgeable & discriminating watch collector of limited means. Of course, you could always just start saving a few dollars/week to put toward the purchase of a used gen Rolex later this year or next & your problem is solved.

The key phrase is 'appropriate to that model'. Assuming the bracelets are genuine & fit within the specifications for the model, then Rolex should not have a problem with it.