freddy333

Yes. That 'little colour' on the dial turns an early Sub into a very rare collectible. If that 6536/1 is all gen (hard to tell from the pics & the seller's 98.2% score does not help matters), then someone got 1 hell of a deal. That watch (without the red lettered dial) is worth at least $25k-$40k, easy.

Still wearing my 5514 today

Ditto.

Pull up a seat & grab your popcorn, kids. There is another Bond Sub (this time, a red 6536) for sale on ebay from a seller without a history. Bidding is currently at $43k with 18 hours to go & (based on admittedly crappy pics) it looks legit. This should be good (Click the pic for the link)

Like they say, measure twice, cut once. Wise words.

Ah, the old spit-&-shine. But try Meguiar's. It produces more clarity/sparkle than A&H or any toothpaste or CD/DVD cleaners I have tried.

When the wear begins to inhibit your ability to clearly see the dial, I would either have it polished or replaced (with either a gen T39 or, better yet, Clark's, which, being newly manufactured, should guarantee stability & water-tightness). To polish - start with a fine grade of wet sandpaper (wetting the crystal before sanding). Once the deepest scoring has been removed, use any commercially available plastic polish & a soft terry cloth cloth or Viva paper towel to return it to crystal clarity. The whole operation should take no more than about 20 minutes. I always have great results using Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 Fine Scratch & Blemish Remover, finishing with Meguiar's PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish (available at many automotive parts stores or online from meguiars.com)

Crowns are generally measured by their outer edges (black lines).

Good point. Best not to ingest your watch until it has been fully tested by an approved government lab.

That is a somewhat different issue (not wanting to mar a polished finish). Unfortunately, Rolex has decided to pump-up the bling factor in recent years, a move that leaves many of their long-time customers cold. I love my modern Daytonas & GMTIIC, but they see relatively little wrist time due to my reluctance to scar (or be overshadowed by) my watch. For years, I absolutely lusted after a 116520. But, once I finished constructing a believable franken, I found it an (emotionally) uncomfortable watch to wear out in public. While I have no plans to sell it (for those of you about to hit your PM button), it kind of gives me that I-hope-no-one-saw-that feeling every time my cuff rides up to reveal its over-polished presence. It is very similar to the feeling I had every time I rode in a friend's Hummer (which, thank goodness, he finally sold last year). Kind of like being the only guy to show up at a black tie event wearing a bright red fez. On 2nd thought, a blingy watch is even worse than a fez.

Today's hot dish nearly always becomes tomorrow's cold fish. Classic pieces are timeless & remain relevant forever.

Still wearing my Comex

A couple of points - 1st, it was only some of the version 1 double-reds that had the lower-profile case (similar to the old MBW DRSD mid-case, which is what I used for my franken). Beginning with version 2 (probably around early 1968 or thereabouts), Rolex redesigned the 1665 with a thicker (higher profile) case, which remained in use until the end of the 1665 production run in the early 1980s. So, unless you have a version 1 double-red dial, the higher-profile case (with the slightly elevated Hev position) would be more correct. It was sheer luck that the dial I happened to settle on was essentially a version 1, which made the MBW mid-case more or less correct. If I had a later double-red or great white dial, the MBW case would be wrong. 2nd, I specifically modeled my case after 2 well-worn gens, which is why my case appears more aged than Yuki's (or any other new aftermarket case before it is modded). I believe that the 2mm springbar issue affects only the rivet bracelets.

A number of the aftermarket dial sellers (Phong, NDT, MY, etc) have them. Beware that these do not fit some V72s as I found out when Ziggy was unable to install the 1 I got from Phong ($450). I cannot remember exactly what Ziggy said the problem was, but I think it had to do with the bridge's height.

That case looks like 1 of the low-profile 1st versions watches, which did have a centered Hev. All later versions of the 1665 had slightly thicker cases with the Hev slightly elevated above case's vertical mid-point. I am not sure of the dates for the various versions except that version 1 came out in late 1967.

The problem is that, beginning with the 2nd version of the 1665 (the 1st version had a 'low-profile case' with a vertically-centered Hev), Rolex placed the Hev slightly above the vertical mid-point in the side of the case in an effort to avoid the valve's pin coming into direct contact with the pillar plate when the valve operates (this slightly high location of the Hev is 1 of the improvements you get with Phong's case) Unfortunately, Rolex's scheme was only partially effective, so they had to notch the pillar plate (the main plate onto which all of the movement's components are fitted) to provide sufficient clearance for the operation of the valve's center pin. If you look closely, you can just see the notch cut out of the pillar as indicated by the red arrows just below the end of the Hev's center pin (if you install a working Hev in your case, make sure you notch your pillar or provide some alternate method to provide sufficient clearance for that pin)

China Crisis while posting this. Oops, ipod just shuffled off to the Beatles playing a live version of 'Shout'. Amazing, the amount of talent that came out of Merseyside.

All you need is alot of time & money. I did make a mistake in my description - I forgot that the crystal is from Clarks. At that distance, it is nearly impossible to tell it from the gen superdome (which is 1 of the reasons I opted for Clarks). Good luck with your build.

Mid case by MBW. Everything else you see is gen

Like all aftermarket parts, Yuki's case is not perfect, but those sins can (for the most part) be mitigated with a bit of judicious effort. If you want a slightly better case, try Phong's, which, as I recall, will cost you roughly 3 times the Yuki case & will still need a bit of work

Only when I am in the mood for a Daytona or Beatles record Still wearing Comex

Life is a series of choices. Mine is Comex

Not a fan of the model, but I do not see any obvious problems.

You go, girl!

With a flat-top 4 bezel & a bit of CG reshaping, I would agree. Very impressive as it is. Well done.