freddy333

Cleaned & oiled, but, sadly, still sporting its original monochrome datewheel (2 of the dates on the repainted roulette were misaligned )

Nice bevel, but, like most of the aftermarket T21s, it lacks the glimmering clarity that only the gen xtal provides. Aftermarkets are often improvements over the original rep plastic, but the gen lens is always worth the extra cost. It gives your vintage Rolex watch a wonderful, jewel-like quality

No offense taken. CGs vary depending on model, version & condition (how much polishing they have received over the years). Here are a couple of others

Ditto. Either that or something was missed during the last service. Ziggy needs to do a review of this &, hopefully, DW will up the ante to making/sourcing a V72 clone. A V72 clone, qualitatively equal to the A7750, would be a game-changer.

Welcome to the world of vintage Rolex.

Because the A7750 is a clone of the ETA, it should be a direct swap (although I cannot tell you which, many, but not all, of the parts are interchangeable between the 2 movements). Properly serviced, there is little functional difference between the Asian & Swiss 7750s - both can be accurately timed & should provide many years of reliable service.

Still wearing 1 of my Newmans while searching (since Saturday night ) for its (misplaced) roulette datewheel so I can recase/wear my freshly serviced OPD As usual, I put the datewheel somewhere so I would know where it is & forgot where is is.

Looks really good, but you can buy 1 of these portable watchmaker's workbenches for less than $90. Set it on top of a standard table/desk & it puts you right at the correct level for watchmaking work

In the context of RWG, a franken is any watch constructed from a combination of gen parts & replica (non-gen) parts. Since such an assembly could no longer be termed either genuine or replica, the term franken, based on the Mary Shelly book describing a man ('monster') constructed from parts from other men, was ascribed.

Congratulations. Click me.

Wearing 1 of my Newmans while searching (since last night ) for the (misplaced) roulette datewheel (professionally repainted) so I can recase/wear my freshly serviced OPD As usual, I put it somewhere so I would know where it is & forgot where is is.

The CGs looks great as-is, but I would lose the bracelet (looks fake from a mile away). The new insert looks better, but you need a better pearl (see if Ofrei's illumines dot will fit your insert). I would also replace the dial (which you said you were doing anyway), hands (try Clarks on ebay) & polish the case a bit (it should not look like it was sanded, even if it was). Nanuq has a great vintagizing scheme - he places the polished case (without movement) into a can full of coins (I would add some screws/bolts to the mix) & then shakes it until the desired surface effect is achieved. Overall, other than the bracelet, a good beginning.

You might ask DW for a sample of the engraving before you ship the watch. The engraving on the last 6239 case I received from him looked like it was made by hand (previous cases looked great).

Check out doubleredseadweller.com.

You will need to measure the pinions (the posts the hands fit onto) & then search ebay (try Clarks) or 1 of the watch parts houses for generics 'to fit Rolex' (Ofrei, Julesborel, Cousinsuk, etc).

To some degree, yes. You need a set of broaches, which are circular files/burnishers that you rotate in the hole to increase its size (Click the pic for the link) If you have a light touch, you can hold the hands while broaching them. Otherwise, you need a hand holder (Click the pic for the link) IMPORTANT - Be very careful & re-check the hole size FREQUENTLY as the difference between too small & too large can occur very quickly.

Have you checked with DW to see why you received a case without even the usual laser etched lug numbers in the 1st place? Very odd that your case would have nothing. I am pretty sure DW will engrave it for a reasonable fee if you are willing to return it to him. Alternatively, try some local jewelry stores, most of which engrave alot of watch cases. Just take them the blank case & tell them the original got worn away over the years due to the end links rubbing against the case. Many of the yavos who work in these shops would not know an antique from a toothbrush.

Wearing this while overhauling this

Correct. The 1665 & 5514 at the ends are gen-powered MBW mid-case-based frankens

Rodico.

Not nitpicking, I think it is misguided. 1 of these cases is gen & the other is a standard MBW rep case. Can you tell which is which (even if you know the history of each of these watches, I think you would agree that, in practice, the steel composition of each case is not a reliable way to gauge authenticity)

Remove the screw & plate adjacent to the arrow in your 2nd pic, then the datewheel will come off. Reverse to reinstall.

Why are people so concerned about the steel composition of their case? No one & I mean no one can tell the difference, visually, between the steel used to make a good rep 5513, 1680 or 1665 & the 316L Rolex used. In fact, with the possible exception of the brushed texture (which often looks better on reps), I cannot distinguish between my oldest, cheapest POS Sub rep case & my gens. Unless you plan to use your watch in an acid bath (in which case, 904L is definitely the way to go), I fail to see what all the hullabaloo over steel composition of rep/aftermarket cases is all about? If you are talking about a modern Rolex, which uses the slightly whiter 904L steel, then you might have a point. But, even then, very few people could ID a rep case without having the gen on hand for a direct comparison. I certainly would never put any money on my ability to identify the steel composition of a vintage Rolex watch on the street.

No need. Here is the link.

I would just clean off as much of the debris as I could & use the dial as-is.