freddy333

Ending the work week wearing my Bond Sub

Yes, but always buy the seller before you buy the part.

I would have gone with the lady's version, but the watch turned out beautiful.

A stunner (& permanent classic) for sure, Red. This is 1 of those must-have pieces that every serious collector needs. At some point, you ought to consider swapping the ETA out for a gen movement. If you ever let this 1 go again, you are certifiably nuts.

Thanks, Ubi. Boutros posted some standard Subs & maybe even an early GMT with similarly brushed sides. But your info rang the right bell that directed me to a section of my archives where I located a few relevant pics With a minimum of bling - that is a TOOL watch. And still wearing my version today

I have a set of pliers (similar to needle-nose, but the inside faces of the jaws are smooth so they do not bite into the metal & leave marks) that I use for jobs like this. Simply squeeze down onto the bent surface & bend/reshape. I think I got them from Ofrei.

I just googled 'ikepod replica watch' & found many sites with Ikepods for sale.

I have a few pics in my archives of vintage Rolex tool watches in NOS condition (some from an old Antiquorum auction) showing brushed sides. I am not sure how prevalent this style was back then, but I thought it looked cool (& different), so I thought I would give it a try on that Sub.

Good question. Back in the early days of the Web, I used to see Ikepod reps on a number of sites. I have not perused many rep sites recently, but I do not recall seeing any Ikepods recently. If you have already searched all of the dealer listings here, contact Andrew or Josh to see if they can source what you are looking for.

Wearing 1 of my Subs again today

Ditto Alligoat & a serial number would help.

The S&U book has been around for a number of years & contains numerous errors. It is better suited as entertainment, rather than education. For general Rolex info (without having to take out a 2nd mortgage on your house), pick up Dowling & Hess's book, The Best of Time, now in its 3rd printing.

Shaken, not stirred.

For a woman, you cannot lose with Chanel or Cartier quartz.

All aftermarket Mercedes-style hands I have seen have the same 3 problems - 1. the center lume section of the hour hand is not long enough 2. the seconds hand is not tapered at the end 3. the edges of all the hands are rounded (the gens have square sides) If/when these 3 issues are corrected, then aftermarket hands become a viable option for many gens.

You can get them from Ofrei.

Yes, looks fine.

1 on my wrist. Never more. And, if the watches have Rolex inscribed across the dial, I believe the US gov't (per Rolex's request) disallows more than 1 Rolex to be brought into the US. It is probably unlikely that any airport staff will snatch your watches, but it is worth keeping in mind just in case.

Did you check Clarks?

Yes, there is definitely something crazy accurate about these older movements. My '42 is 1 of the most accurate watches I have. Runs well within COSC parameters. Definitely, if you have a NOS Twinlock, that is the 1 to go with. Although I would never swim/bath with my Subs, I have never had any humidity issues with them. Remember, the Twinlock was intended to seal out moisture down to 660ft! So, as long as it is NOS & fitted correctly, humidity leakage (via the crown) should never be an issue. At least after a full overhaul, I have noticed the same thing. After a full manual wind (40 turns) months ago, the mainsprings in my GMT & Subs are near full charge every time I check them (& keep excellent time).

With the exception of that THING Nanuq posted above, I have to agree with the others. For a Sub, gilt on gilt is the way to go

I am not positive, but I think a 1964 vintage 5513 would have been powered by a 1530. 1520s would have been used after that.

& welcome back. Been awhile.

The reason the end links are mashed-up is because the bracelet is a franken. The seller (or a previous owner) took a relatively common Rolex bracelet & swapped the end links from another watch to form a bracelet for a more popular (expensive) watch. Until recently, when vintage Rolex values began to skyrocket due to the Web, you never saw damaged/bent/scratched end links or hinges (where permanently affixed end links attach to the bracelet). These days, it is rare NOT to see damaged hinges, because nearly every bracelet designed to fit a popular (expensive) vintage Rolex has been monkeyed with. You can see it here with the gen 9315/380 on my pre-Comex Under normal circumstances, there these hinges should be the least damaged part on a bracelet. Yet, these days, it is common to see a pristine bracelet with mangled hinges.