freddy333

A funny thing just happened when I caught a glimpse of my watch out the corner of my eye -- I thought I had installed 1 of the lumeless gen Daytona handsets, because I saw only black lines on the hour & minute hands. No lume! Fortunately, after shifting my wrist in the light, the lume sections came back into view & all was right with the world again. But that initial scare got me thinking, which got me experimenting -- Viewed through a loupe, if you position a gen Rolex watch so that a straight (ie, non-Mercedes) hand containing lume catches the light in exactly the right angle (so the light obscures the separation between the lume & paint), the combination of black paint & lume forms a perfectly straight line down the entire length of the hand. Although they do not do justice to what is seen with the naked eye, these modified pics should give you a good idea of the general effect. On the other hand, with (almost) ANY aftermarket Rolex hand (the hands included with The Big Kahuna are almost gen-like), because the painted black lines on the hand are both narrower & slightly offset relative to the lume section, the effect is that of a broken line with the lume appearing wider & slightly askew of the thinner black line. This straight line effect affects all of the gen Daytona & Datejust hands I have checked. It is kind of interesting to discover these tiny details as you look closer rather than seeing more imperfections, which is the case with reps. I thought others might appreciate this --

Great thread topic, auto! Best would have to be my (white dialed) Phase II 6542. A notable second would be 1st (black dialed) 6542 franken, which was 1 of the most complicated watch construction projects I have participated in. I say participated because it took several of the most knowledgeable RWG regulars, including Bob, to get everything worked out at a time when there were no 6542 reps & the final watch was a franken -- a concatenation of 4 different & heavily modified watches & a number of 1 of a kind, hand-made parts -- in the truest sense of the word.

Still wearing my freddy333 Daytona (aka The Big Kahuna) while awaiting arrival of The Next Big Thing (aka The Big Gold Dot) --

As long as your chrono hand has a good rivet, you should be able to tighten it with your staking tool. After centering the staking table with the centering stake, place the hand -- tube up -- into a stump that allows the face of the rivet to sit inside it. You want the face of the hand wand sitting flat against the stump. Install a convex stake that allows the tube to fit into the hole at the end of the stake with as little play as possible, but so that it slides in easily. You want the round face of the stake to fit around the tube & sit against the back side of the rivet. 1 or 2 LIGHT taps with a brass hammer should tighten the rivet joint. DO NOT BANG ON THE STAKE OR YOU WILL DAMAGE/DEFORM/DESTROY THE HAND! Remove & check for tightness. If still loose, repeat. Once you try it, you will be surprised at how simple the process is (& why you did not do it sooner). Good luck.

Depending on the type of hand it is, you may just need to have the rivet (that holds the hand wand on the hand tube) staked (tightened). A simple job for most watchmakers. Have you shown it to any local watchmakers? Epoxy works on pretty much any hand, but it is often a slow/finnicky/messy job.

Are you talking about the chrono seconds hand? If so, is it not resetting back to 12 consistently? Complete balances (part 721) are available for both ETA 7750s & Valjoux 72s. Many of the watch parts supply houses sell them.

Bracelet is gen.

Stay Tuned for The Next Big Thing (aka The Golden Cuckoo) --

I would have gone with 1 of those as well (the white dialed 116500 is the 3rd most beautiful watch I have ever seen), but they are much too common now (the most hyped watch in history). So I decided to go with the previous version (116520), since its time as The IT Watch passed several years ago. I think most now assume that those 116520s that remain on wearers' wrists today must be 'old' gens. I also have to say that having lived with a 4130-powered watch for awhile now, I am sold. This thing is a Mack truck wrapped in a Mercedes SL body. The 4130 is just all-around better than ANY other chrono movement ever made. & I do not say that lightly. Everything about this watch is just better than all Daytonas that came before. &, yes, that includes my beloved Newmans. That is how good modern Daytonas are (& the clones are functionally gens). These Daytona clones singlehandedly renewed my PASSION for watches. They are perfect platforms for those of us who enjoy the challenge of frankens. If you have ANY interest in Daytonas & have the discretionary cash, I would pull the trigger & just get 1 of these clones into your collection as soon as you can. The Rise And Fall Of The Hype Watch

As the balance is removed, the pallets will instantly stop & lock the escape wheel (&, therefore, the entire train) in place. So there is no danger in removing the balance. However, if you then remove the pallets (with power still in the mainspring), you run the risk (high) of damaging something as the entire movement will spin wildly out of control -- until the mainspring is fully unwound. Before disassembling the rest of the movement, (while holding the winding crown firmly between your fingers so it cannot move) you should dislodge the click from the ratchet wheel & slowly allow the winding crown to slowly spin between your fingers to manually 'let down the mainspring'. Once the mainspring is discharged, you can then safely disassemble the entire movement. I think either Ziggy or I posted a tutorial on this many years ago, but I cannot find it now.

Sending you both healthy vibes.

That is a great question & 1 that I have wondered about myself. Rolex's current sports models appear to have their movements installed with bridles (ie, case clamps) rather than fixed main plate screws that fit & tighten into the case wall grooves. But I have not seen any official Rolex service bulletins that highlight or detail this as being a formal design change -- it just seems that the current lineup all use bridles now. Hopefully, someone with more info can shed some light on this.

I believe it is a Heuer Carrera.

Still wearing my freddy333 Daytona

Great post, auto! In spite of Goldberger being an Italian with a non-Italian name , I have always taken him at his word (& purchased his books). In this case, that this watch was an authentic 1-of-a-kind Daytona purchased through private channels, which, for a watch of this caliber, would be understandable. But now that we are able to see good, clear macro photos of the watch & movement, which contains numerous suspect details, perhaps it is time to take another good, clear macro look at the man himself.

The best things in life are free. The 2nd best are very expensive and look like they came from Tiffany's.

The freddy333 Daytona

I do not like the clowns in the video below, but I have heard the exact same thing from people in the biz that I respect. They pick up on some of the comments earlier in this thread referencing the tough position Rolex finds itself in as gen market realities alienate their customer base at a time when the Chinese factories are filling the widening void by pumping out fakes that are nearly indistinguishable -- visually, tactilely & functionally -- from what Rolex is producing at a fraction of the cost. So I think every potential Rolex buyer should view this -- The Rolex Waitlist is Fake

Unfortunately, my Rolex parts catalog precedes the 4130, so I have just been asking watchmakers if they have a spare, but serviceable, 4130 balance & bridge. Oh &, because of all the Daytona flipping, be prepared for sticker shock, even for these used parts. I just saw a used gen 4130 sell for a bit more than $13,000. That is nearly the MSRP of the 116500 itself!

I have no direct experience with VSFs, but, based on the positive reviews I have read & my 1st hand experience with these A4130-powered Daytonas, I think you made the correct choice. If you want to cross all of the t's, invest in a gen dial/handset & balance/bridge & you will not have to look (for the gen) at all. Your VSF's look/feel/performance should then match it. Oh & congratulations on the sale.

???

As Automatico indicated, there are a number of downsides to building gold reps. Unless you use some gen parts, you are likely to run into the same issues. For these reasons, most (generally) suggest avoiding yellow "gold" reps or avoid wearing them often. The few yellow gold reps I have had were either unwearable because the gold plating wore away, which screams FAKE, or spent most of their lives as case queens (ie, purchased more to drool over (in a case) than to wear). As it happens, I am awaiting the arrival of The King of (gold) case queens as I write this (details coming soon). If you have your heart set on a gold gen, I would either bite the bullet & go the franken route -- beginning with a gen case/dial -- & fill in the blanks with aftermarket parts or use a stainless steel case that accepts the correct dial & have the case gold-plated by a jeweler (or diy if you have the time/funds to learn & purchase the plating supplies). Or, better still, stick to steel & 'white gold' models.

Close, but no horseshoe. Stay tuned --

I have been thinking exactly the same thing. But I am not so much worried about what the Chinese government may do. I think this new 'clone' 4130 is putting Rolex in a very difficult spot, which, for the 1st time, is forcing even their established customers to have to redefine what the definition of 'the real thing' is. & I do not see how Rolex can remain profitable (or passive) in such an environment. I would expect to see a SERIOUS crackdown on the entire rep supply chain soon. For that reason, I would recommend that anyone considering 1 of these not delay too long. Is it smart to be forced to wait years & play games to buy 'gens' at crazy prices or is the smart 1 the person who buys a (clone-powered) fake for a fraction of the cost & without any of the wait/games? I think the Asian factories are just a step away from producing entire clones that are the equal of gens. As it is, I consider my franken the 1st diy 'gen' in my collection. In fact, based on look/feel/function, it seems the equal of any of my actual gens. Even my all-gen 6542 (sans insert), fells less genuine 'Swiss' than this Daytona. I could never say that before. These 4130 clones are incredibly good & lack nearly all of the traditional shortcomings & tells of previous generations of movements found in even high-priced fake Rolexes (eg, MBK/MBW, etc). Bottom line -- this watch, as received, is a $5,000 watch that I paid less than $1,000 for. These things are a STEAL. p.s. My little contribution to the Daytona story has been delayed due to fitment issues with the final part. Hopefully, the maker will be able to address their mistake & I will be able to reveal The freddy333 Daytona soon. I think it will be worth the wait. Stay tuned --