freddy333

I cannot tell you the source, but the dial is definitely aftermarket or repainted.

TeeJay, you are too intelligent to fall for that 'Rolex deserves to have their trademarks & patents stolen because they are a greedy multi-national company'. Since when have we become so Obama-nized to believe that running a business for profit is akin to clubbing baby seals or stealing money from the church? Rolex, like any other successful company, must be in Asia if they want to compete in the global marketplace. In fact, Rolex (along with Apple) spent a decade or so marketing their products in China long before the majority of Chinese citizens were even allowed to buy them. Somewhere in my gigabytes of picture archives, I have photos of a Rolex Daytona poster in Tienanmen Square from the late 1970s (or early 1980s) & I remember thinking that Rolex is going to sack their entire international marketing team when they get the bill for that waste of money. But, as it turned out, it was a brilliant move because those marketing guys did their homework & were 1 of the 1st western companies to see the writing on the Great Wall (that is, China's future), probably even before the Chinese saw it. Once free enterprise took hold in China & people began to amass a bit of extra cash to spend on luxury good, guess what name these nouveau riche immediately thought of? Rolex, of course. And it was not by accident. It was a gamble that cost Rolex alot of money, but it was a gamble that paid off. So why should they be chastised for throwing the dice & (because they did their homework) profiting from a clever investment? Just sayin (again)..............

Are you aware that watches become magnetized by everyday items like stereo speakers, drills, tvs & just about anything that has an electric motor? You would be surprised at how easily watches can become magnetized & how often owners pay hundreds of dollars to have their watch repaired when it is just magnetized. The point is that it is not just those who work around high magnetic fields who benefit from parachrom hair springs (& the same can be said for most of Rolex's other innovations). Just sayin..................

Speking personally (unofficially), I thought the original poster's comment was sophomoric. And as long as it was made in a general context & not directed at anyone in particular, I would just say don't feed the trolls, if you know what I mean.

A few years ago, I brought this issue to Yuki's attention. He was not aware of the problem, so he installed 2mm springbars in another bracelet & sent it to me (the 'bars are rubbish, but at least I have them in the bracelet). Contact Yuki & ask if he can install the 'bars for you.

Do you have a pic you can post here?

Certainly, value is in the eye of the beholder & I agree that Rolex as well as most other iconic brand vendors do make excessively large profits. However, it is difficult to put a value on branding (after all, it took nearly 100 years & alot of effort/money for Rolex to make the Rolex name the icon it is today), so who is to say whether the prices charged for Rolex are reasonable in the vast scheme of things? The owner who has to pay to get his watch demagnetized or his (scratched) bezel replaced probably does care, even if he is blissfully unaware of the engineering & technology that Rolex put into the advances that allow him to avoid these types of problems that plague Asian-made copies. And, again, whether that is worth the price differential is up to you.

I guess you could be right, but my Yuki 7206 was 1 of the 1st & its end links are properly shaped. I tried everything I could think of (drilling, bending, stretching, pounding, etc) for quite some time, but could not fit 2mm 'bars without deforming the intermediate links that connect the end link to the 1st link on the bracelet, which leaves the end links VERY tight & immovable.

Wrong. Read about the research/engineering that went into development of the parachrom hairspring, ceramic bezel or any of Rolex's recent innovations. You should know, too, that most of the functions/features that make the modern wristwatch what it is today, were either developed or 1st implemented in a major way by Rolex. Contrary to popular opinion, Rolex is constantly researching new ways to make a watch better, more accurate or more reliable & that costs alot of money. And that does not even take into account all of the charities that Rolex has (often quietly) supported over the years.

Me thinks you protestith too much. If there was a problem, in lieu of an 'Expected delivery date', you would likely be contacted by customs or the Border Agency. You just need to be patient & let the system do its thing.

The 7750, if properly serviced (the movements in rep watches are generally used/unserviced), is a very reliable beast & your watch looks great. Welcome aboard.

Sorry to hear about the bike (& your injuries) & glad to see you back.

Not sure about the red sweep seconds on vintage tickers, but, overall, I really like what you have done . However, I would definitely replace those fake-looking rep rivet bracelets with either gens or Yukis, either of which are more suitable with work at this level.

Nanuq - those look damaged. Maybe during handling/shipping? I wish I knew a way to properly reshape end links as I have a few gens that are in similar shape.

I think it is safe to say that, eventually, many of Rolex's calibers will be cloned. This will not only be a boon to franken builders, but, also, to gen owners who, because of Rolex's onerous & unaccommodating trade policies, have found it difficult (at best) to source replacement parts for their watches. Imagine being able to source new ebauches & parts for the 72B, 722, 630 or 1030gmt.

Still wearing my 'Graph

I do not see that happening with my pics, which are generally resized to 1024x750 or so. Are you guys uploading larger (greater than 1600x1020) image files to Photobucket? If you are uploading directly from your camera phones, you are likely sending very large files. If so, they are probably being reduced (optimized) for a variety of reasons. Try resizing prior to uploading to Photobucket & see if they look better.

Who is NY (I thought it was a typo of MY)?

Interesting story. Welcome aboard & I hope your health improves.

What is this about & why do you keep bumping a thread you only started yesterday?

I would round-off the tips of the lugs & check the bezel (when possible) for the infamous too-widely-spaced 1-1-0, a sure give-away to knowledgeable watch mavens. Other than that, should be a beauty.

Unless you have the cash for a properly plated gold franken (a watch put together with some genuine Rolex parts to improve function/appearance), I would avoid rep 'gold' - it scratches/wears off easily, potentially limiting the usable lifespan of the watch. Further, if you do not want to be taken to task by knowledgeable friends http://rwg.cc/uploads/emoticons/default_wink.gif' alt=';)'> , you would do well to Read This 1st.

I do not have 1, but I would assume you need to compress the ends of the springbar until the bar can be slid out from between the lugs. I believe there are tutorials among the pinned articles in the Watchmaking forums.

We all have way too much free time.