freddy333

You can try some clean Rodico, but if that does not work, I would return the dial.

I really want to love this, but it looks odd. I hate to say this, but the dial looks like a repaint, the GMT hand tip looks weird & the bezel is wrong for a '42.

$500+

It may simply need the effective length of its hairspring adjusted (simple adjustment for any professional watchmaker), but all mechanical watches require overhaul (disassembly, cleaning & oiling) every 5-7 years to maintain good, consistent time.

The 5514 (made/offered only to Comex & never offered to the public &/or for retail sale) was designed for saturation divers, who required a valve in their watch to allow trapped helium to escape while in decompression chambers.

Jim Marshall, founder of Marshall amps, dies at 88

They looks alot like Ubi's & my pre-Comexes (mine below) Antiquorum

The caseback number is a Comex specific number, which is separate/unrelated to the Rolex serial number. I have never seen any verifiable documentation describing Comex's numbering system (& with the ongoing debates over what Comex actually received from Rolex, this should all be taken with a grain of salt), but my guess is that the initial (test) pre-Comex Subs (circa 1970-ish) would probably have had 2-digit caseback numbers, while all later deliveries would have 3 digits.

Way ahead of you (from 2 years ago)

Exactly like gen lume after 40+ years.

The CGs (& area around them) looks a bit wonky, but, otherwise, a beauty.

I usually do not appreciate homages, but I have to say that this 1 is an exception to the rule. In lieu of a gen or gen-powered franken, a very impressive watch with a background story making it worthy, like the original Rolex versions, of a pass-down to future generations.

Like most things relating to vintage Rolex, there are no hard-&-fast rules, but, in general, the lume usually has some texture to it. Sometimes, vintage Rolex lume appears puffy & sometimes it appears flat, but, rarely is it smooth - it often looks like it was applied (or gone over) with a nappy paint roller I agree with you on the flat lug holes. If the lug holes are chamfered (& many are), they got that way after the case left the (Rolex) factory.

fake

A couple points of clarification - 1. AD stands for Authorized Dealer (for a genuine (gen) watch brand). In this case, an official Rolex dealer. 2. Virtually all movements in rep watches, regardless of whether they are Swiss or Asian-made, are used &/or unserviced. Therefore, if the watch is important to you &/or you want it to be reliable, you should have the watch professionally overhauled (disassembled, cleaned & oiled) by a professional watchmaker upon receipt. You can contact some local watchmakers & ask if they service replica watches (it will be much easier to find someone willing to work on an ETA-powered rep - Swiss or Asian - rather than 1 powered by an unbranded Asian movement). There are also a few members of RWG who can help you out (check here). I would encourage any newbies to read this before hitting any Buy buttons. It will save you alot of heartache, believe me.

apcollector - If you have smaller wrists & want the ceramic bezel insert, why not just get the new ceramic Sub (click pic for link)

I was wondering the same thing, but well done either way.

If you search the Rolex forum for 'powdered graphite' & my handle (freddy333), you should find some pics & additional info in 1 of my early graphite threads.

There is no evidence that I am aware of (25+ years of watch collecting) indicating that tritium is directly responsible for a dial's overall patina. In fact, the jury is still out as to what causes just the lume itself to discolor over time (some say UV, some say lack of UV, some say moisture, some say O2, some say heat, etc). The way I see it, if you want your dial to age over time (measured in decades), just wear it. UV will age the paint on the dial regardless of the type of material that energizes its lume.

It has been awhile since I did this, but I recall it being pretty clear/simple once you have the movement in front of you.

Faded/light pink would be reasonable, but I have never seen a red (gen) fade to actual white.

My understanding has been that tritium is unavailable for sale (outside of the military) & I know absolutely nothing more than what you can read for yourself, but try here.