freddy333

Welcome back! Not my favorite style of DJ (I prefer the diamond-cut bezel with a jubilee bracelet), but a nice watch from 1 of the better sellers.

My 1st franken (circa 1987) & it even accepted gen parts (crown, end links & clasp) (click pic for more)

For a wedding, which is all about the bride (not the groom), I would go with something simple, small(-ish) & sophisticated that can be passed down to future Sparkals. Think Patek (click pics for links) JlC

The 6538 came from the factory fitted with either a 7206 or 6636, each with 80 end links. The 7206 was offered with or without springs (my 6536-1 is fitted with a 7206 with springs).The spring versions were made to compete with Spidel's Twist-O-Flex bracelets, which were popular at the time (they allowed you to slide a watch on or off your wrist without having to open the clasp). I would avoid the spring bracelets as they are very uncomfortable.

1stly, never tell any of your friends or relatives about valuables in your home. Loose lips definitely sink ships in these cases. The fewer people who know what you have, the less chance you have of being targeted by professional thieves. Certainly, the best option is to store valuables in a bank safety deposit vault. 2nd best, if you can afford it, is to have 1 of those large, heavy vault-style safes bolted to the internal structure of your house. Think small bank vault in your home. It is highly unlikely that anyone is going to be able to carry off a 2,000 pound block of steel & only a professional thief will have the tools or knowledge to break into a vault. Of course, if professional jewel thieves know you have expensive jewelry in your home, that gives them more of a reason to target you & there is little you can do to stop them. For most people, the 2 best schemes I know of are - 1. Install 2 safes - 1, the bait safe, located in an easy to spot location within your bedroom closet (containing junk jewelry), which is the 1st place most thieves will look & the other, the real safe (containing the real stuff), located in another room with the safe bolted to the internal structure of the house. 2. Buy 1 of those small, portable safes that are designed to look like a Brillo (steel wool) box or soap can or some other ordinary household cleaner & place it in a cabinet in your bathroom or kitchen. That is, somewhere that people do not generally store valuables.

Some of Phong's assembled watches are very nice, but the condition of his mechanicals often leave alot to be desired (dirty, over-oiled, ill-fitting parts, incorrect parts, kludged assemblies, etc). So you might want to have your watch properly overhauled soon to avoid serious problems. You might also check with Ziggy as he has seen alot more of his work than I have, but his comments are likely to mirror alot of mine. It has been a few years, but I think I may have used an MQ case for my 6536-1 (the dial is a modified MQ)

Ending this very rough work week wearing my Connery Sub variant

I think I would have gone with steel (as opposed to gilt) hands with white lume (to match the dial lume) & I am not sure the bezel is gen, but a stunner otherwise.

I think that if function trumps accuracy, I would go with the larger 1675-style hand & lume it with Nightcolor. It will be alot more functional in the dark that way.

That is exactly how I work as well. I would never even consider beginning a project like these, until/unless I have already mentally built the watch in my head. And this includes establishing what parts I need & exactly how I am going to modify them. Of course, as was the case when fitting the bezel during construction of my Phase I '42, there are always at least 1 or 2 things that come out of left field. But, hopefully, even these can eventually be solved with help from other members .

Very likely. Poor visibility was the reason Rolex enlarged the pointer mid-way into the 1675 series & have continued to use them. I can tell you from experience that the small GMT hand is often difficult to see when glancing at your watch.

Ending the work week wearing 1 of my

The inner flange (rehaut) on older Rolex watches has a brushed finish specifically to cut down on reflections

I am not an expert on 1680s, but that crystal looks a bit like the cyclops version of the (non-cyclops) Tropic 19 (which has beveled sides) that I originally installed on my 5514 (later replaced with a NOS T19 dome when I converted it to a pre-Comex 5513)

I like the dial, too, but this is 1 of those rare occasions when I have to disagree with you, Alligoat. All of the 6240s I've checked in my picture archive (not to mention the Daytona Bible) have Oyster dials & the 6240 was experimental only because it was the 1st Rolex ever fitted with screw-down (waterproof) pushers. I do not believe it was an experiment where Rolex was toying around with dials - whether to use an 'Oyster' dial or not. And with the dial being the most important & valuable part of a vintage Rolex watch, I would have to think twice (or more) before plunking down any serious cash on a non-Oyster dialed Daytona with screw-down pushers.

If you are working on a 3rd '42, I think you got da' wrong man, my friend.

Well, like they say, God is in the details. But that does not mean 1 cannot employ perfectionism while turning that sow's ear into a silk purse. My Phase I '42 was the epitome of a bargain basement build, but I think it turned out perfectly.

You know, if you run a coat of clear, matte varnish over the dial (to tone down the shininess, especially over the index markers) & replace the crown with a gen (or narrower aftermarket), that would be a very interesting piece. I love the overall color.

Someone has too much free time.

I am not positive, but I think that is the same seller I got mine from. They are very good (close to last gen version) indeed. The key improvements are - the properly spaced 110 & properly (though not perfectly) fonted/spaced UNITS PER HOUR (you can search out my review from last year for additional details). From my benchmark distance (an arm's length) & on an otherwise credible Daytona, I certainly would not question this bezel.