freddy333

If this was a dress watch, I would get it fixed/replaced. But, on a tool watch, as long as it is not impeding the rotor, I would leave the caseback as it is. It adds character.

Obviously, size does matter.

The look is not the salient issue here (there is little to no difference in the appearance of springbars of the same size/style/type). It is the spring tension, which is considerably stronger on Swiss-made springbars vs Asian-made, that make the difference. The stronger the internal spring, the less chance the springbars will collapse or let go, which can result in a very nasty accident.

If you want to do it right (without spending on a buffing wheel & pads), get a Bergeon 5444 fine polishing pad. Ofrei & other watch parts supply dealers sell them. Find a pic of your watch online & simply copy the direction of the brushing. Use masking tape to block off the polished sections or areas you do not want brushed.

Cooper is a vintage Rolex collector (I recall hearing something about him picking up the hobby from Clapton, another famous vintage Rolex collector), so I doubt he is wearing 1 of those mod-jobs.

It is quite likely that the hand was never pressed all the way onto its pinion at the factory (there is little or no QC in rep manufacture) & the act of uncasing the watch may have been enough to loosen the hand to the point where it is now too loose to stay in place. Your only option is to uncase the movement again, remove the minute & second hand (if fitted), press the loose hour hand down (GENTLY) with a clean toothpick (I assume you do not have a proper tool for setting watch hands) until it gently seats & reinstall the other hands. IMPORTANT - Before recasing, pull the stem out to the time-setting position & manually run the hands through an entire 24-hour cycle to be sure none of the hands are coming into contact with each other, the dial or the inside of the crystal. Check, also, to be sure the date-change works correctly. If everything is working, press the stem back into the winding position & check that it also winds properly. If all is well, recase & take pride in having repaired the watch yourself.

Most of the watch parts suppliers sell 2mm, non-stepped Swiss-made springbars, which are similar to Rolex's (actually, they may be the same since I am pretty certain that Rolex sources theirs).

Quite honestly, unless your watch has some glaring issue that screams FAKE (causing the viewer to suspect & look for additional clues of fakery), no one (other than you) notices whether your springbars peek out of the lug holes or not.

I am better with vintage models, but my gut tells me fake/franken. At least, I would not buy without pictures more befitting a genuine Rolex watch. The pics posted are rubbish & more typical of scammers than honest sellers. Always remember - buy the seller before you buy the watch.

At this point, provenance is key. If you are paying more than rep prices, remember to buy the seller before you buy the watch (or Rolex part).

Mathematics never looked so good, even after subtracting a bit for the pics .

Exactly. Standard springbars will stick out because the lugs have been thinned with excessive polishings.

Nice. Makes me want to break out my JlC (maybe this evening), but wearing 1 of my Subs

Kev - Just take each day as it comes & do your best. That is all you can do.

As always, with reps (clones are reps), have it serviced upon receipt. Problems like this are quite typical. Arguments can always be made that the huge price differentials between gens & reps/clones cannot be justified. However, the differences (in fit & finish) are real & it is up to the buyer as to what that difference is worth.

Ending the work week still wearing my 'Graph

Scanning photos does add a cumbersome set of extra steps, but, years ago, before I got the Canon P&S, I used to scan photos taken by my Contax &, as long as your photos & scanner glass are scrupulously clean & use a high dpi setting (600-1200+), you should be able to turn out great pics. On the other hand, that is alot of work, so it might be worth investing 30-50 quid in a cheap P&S (today's entry level P&S cameras are significantly better than my 12 year-old Canon).

What is the problem now? Has the movement been (properly) overhauled since you received it? My point is that while this movement may very well have inherent flaws, you cannot really know whether a problem is due to a design flaw or simply poor overall condition. Even the generally bullet-proof 1570 will crash & burn within seconds if improperly maintained. As is the case with most reps (& pre-assembled frankens), movements from Asia tend to arrive in poor overall condition & in need of an overhaul. So the only way to gauge the inherent quality of this movement is to have it properly serviced (so the usual problems of dirt, improper lubrication & poor adjustment can be ruled out) & then see how she behaves.

The F3 is more than capable of producing excellent pics. You should read some of the tutorials in the Photography section & practice, practice, practice. Remember, pics like these (& most others) were taken with this 12 year-old, 4MP point-&-shoot Until about the mid-1970s I believe.

Diesel - I can sense the anticipatory drool forming from here. Looks like a beauty.

Ditto.

Still & again (& running within 2 secs/day, not bad for a 53 year-old non-chronometer-rated watch )