freddy333

Wearing my '39 tonight

Correct, but the indented areas are hidden below the bezel, so what you actually see should look similar to the watch in my pic. The rep (not from Andrew) I took apart had the standard lug holes & this may differ from Andrew's. Of course, Andrew usually knows his stock, so I could be wrong in this case.

Gaskets come with crystals.

If you can remove the end links, you should be able to use any aftermarket strap (20mm width), but there will be a gap between the end of the strap & the watch case

Like Diesel, I have limited experience with modern Subs & others can probably identify more problems, but here are some of the more obvious problems with your watch when compared to the genuine Sub Again, YOU must educate yourself about the specific model YOU are interested in. Then, compare each seller's reps to the gen & choose the rep that has the least number of problems that bother YOU.

Not sure it qualifies as tropical, which is identified by a distinctly brown tint, but it does look nicely aged. And I would not worry about the watch being too big for your wrist in an age where some are still wearing pocket watch-sized watches .

I am where the temps are in the 70s & please do not re-quote entire sets of pics just to add a line or 2 at the end.

29-295-1 for both 16520 & 116520.

Cubeistan - Very nice. Have we seen this watch before?

We only give sellers space on rwg if they are good. However, like I said, YOU should do your homework & educate yourself before buying, because no rep watch is perfect. Each rep has a different set of mistakes or inaccuracies & YOU must decide which mistakes bother you the least.

Very inaccurate (poor quality). Go to Google & download several pics of the genuine Sub you want to your computer. Then, go to an authorized Rolex dealer (AD) & try the genuine watch on. Wind it, set the time & see how it looks & feels. Then, browse the dealer listings in the link I provided above & compare. Once you are more familiar with the genuine Sub, I think you will be able to tell & see the difference.

Yes. Search through the dealers listed here & use the Search (top right corner of every page) for reviews of the Sub model number you are interested in.

Check out some of the simpler Pateks. Patek Philippe is at the top of the horological ladder, but they do make some beautifully simple models. Check out Ubiquitous' recent posts that highlight 2 of his brilliant & stunning Patek frankens. Obviously, both are above your preferred price range, but I think some of their more basic models might work for you.

I never said not to produce them. I just think the time/effort would be better spent (& more profitable for DW) on producing a 100% accurate Newman dial before doing prototypes.

If you use Paypal or a credit card when purchasing; buy from sellers who provide good, clear pictures & descriptions that show off details instead of obfuscating them; pack/ship properly with appropriate insurance; & remember to buy the seller before you buy the watch/part, you have a good amount of protection. But to equate (unpaid) forum Admins/Moderators, who were neither on-hand to witness the original transaction nor involved in the packaging/shipping of the item, with Paypal, is folly. Read Toad's Guide &, if in doubt, ask (in the public forums) before clicking the buy button. That is the true value of RWG.

Interesting, but I would much rather have him concentrate his efforts in producing an accurate Newman or standard 62xx Daytona dial before getting into prototypes that were never released for sale. I mean, you cannot actually wear a watch with any of these dials, because the average gen owner will think they are fake & collectors will know they are fake.

Ditto TeeJay's comments, but you should read this. The biggest problem with Lange reps, at least those with dates, is their lack of an oversized date feature, which the rep factories have yet to be able to replicate for a reasonable amount of money. So what you get is a watch with a standard (small) date, which is a dead give-away to anyone with knowledge of the brand. After all, the oversized date feature is 1 of modern Lange's claims to fame (1st seen on the Lange 1, which is 1 of my grail watches). I picked up a Large Arkade just before 9/11 from a website that went out of business several years ago As you can see, it lacks the oversized date, but the rest is a reasonable facsimile of the genuine Lange. Unfortunately, the Arkades were never big sellers (for Lange or the rep makers) & I rarely see them in sellers' listings. 1 of the problems you will run into, even with better sellers, is listings of models that are either no longer available or whose specs/appearance has changed since the seller's website descriptions/pics were posted. And, unfortunately, as I have discovered in the last month, even some of the best sellers listed on rwg continue to advertise stale listings (even after being made aware of the specific items on their website that are no longer in production ).

A quick search through my archives returned a US Dept of Justice ruling that is apropos here - The way I read this, since 2006, Rolex has been prohibited from restricting either supply or pricing on Rolex parts in the USA. However, since virtually every authorized Rolex dealer & watchmaker within the Rolex network has told me that they will lose their account if they sell parts or fail to follow Rolex's guidelines for parts exchanges (watch serial numbers must be recorded when changing parts & old parts must be returned to Rolex), I have to say that I am more than a little confused by this? Especially, since Rolex US has tightened the reigns even more within the past year to the point where, for the 1st time, 2 of my long-time sources have refused to do business with me altogether. And, in 1 case, I have been doing business with this guy for more than a dozen years. So either Rolex never got the DOJ's memo or, once again, they have been able to skirt the law by way of some (Rolex-wearing) politicians' favors.

Still wearing my '41 (pardon the dust)

Still wearing my '41

Read this (make note of item 5 under posting) & this.