freddy333

There are a large number of lesser-known chronograph brands that are powered by the V72 & variants. Purchasing 1 of these V72-powered off-brand chronos is often less expensive than purchasing a V72 by itself. Unfortunately, I am not aware of a listing of all the watch brands & models that are V72-powered, but, because of the Valjoux's popularity, many sellers will indicate the movement in their description. Alternatively, if the seller posts good, clear macros of the balance wheel (most honest sellers will), you may be able to see the V72 stamping on the plate below the balance, identifying the movement as a Valjoux 72. Note that some V72s may lack the stamp. If you have not yet come across any of the many threads detailing the difficulties in assembling these vintage V72-powered Daytonas, I can tell you (from experience) that it sometimes takes alot of time & patience to track down a good V72 & even more time & patience to find 1 at a reasonable price.

Don't laugh. We had alot of good times together.

Based on the price you quoted, I would go with the patina dial & keep searching for gen hands (MQ's second had lacks the taper that IDs it as non-gen). For reference, here is my gen -

They got to be worth a few bob.............

I have not purchased any dials (Daytonas only) from MQ recently, but, unless he now has a budget line, most of his reasonably accurate dials started $1k. So I cannot offer much guidance there. Yuki stuff, again as I have not purchased anything from him in several years, is usually good quality. Hopefully, another member with more recent aftermarket parts purchase experience can offer more specific insights. Your gen pricing seems about right.

Ditto Ditto Ditto (search out 'Mr. Slimeball' for details). As for dials, hands and casebacks, unfortunately, after the movement, those are the most costly components. If you have the cash, only a gen dial would do. If you spend alot on an aftermarket dial, eventually, you will end up having wasted that money when you end up biting the bullet & replacing it with a gen (by which time will cost 200% more than it will cost today). Same with hands, which can often be found on ebay or the vintagerolexforum sales pages. For a caseback, due to the scarcity/cost of a gen, I think your best bet is simply to purchase a good rep with a caseback that is made to gen specs. Alternatively, you can try either Phong or Yuki, because they used to offer gen-sized backs. However, be prepared to pay handsomely for them. For that reason, especially since a Sub caseback is a plain-Jane affair that is very difficult to ID on an otherwise gen-looking watch, I think the rep caseback is the way to go.

I would follow Alligoat's instructions. In addition, it looks like the gasket is twisted, so it will not seal properly. Before reassembly, remove & reinstall the gasket (ideally, it should have a light coat of silicone grease).

As always, compare to the gen

'Graph

I just added this (the 3rd such Firefox 'photobucket fix' add-on, but the old pic I just added in today's wristies is still displaying with the photobucket placeholder instead of the pic.

Apparently, there are a number of these 'photobucket fixes' (here is another 1) & they are being touted on other sites (as recently as Monday) as working, but, so far, none are working for me.

Unfortunately, this looks like a dead end. I just copy/pasted a link from photobucket to the wristies thread & got the same missing pic placemarker. Oh well...............

Wearing my 116509 today, but this is more of a test of a photobucket fix than a wristie

'We're sorry, but we can't find what you're looking for. The page or file you requested wasn't found on our site. It's possible that you clicked a link that's out of date, or typed in the address incorrectly.' Looks like the page has been removed. Can you post the exact name or title of the addon & I will see if I can locate another copy elsewhere? Update - you may be on to something. I think I just found the same thing at another location & it seems to work, at least on the 3 old rwg pages I have tested so far. Install this for Firefox.

I think Clarks are generally the best generic crystals. If you want substantially better than that, go gen.

1st

Incoming bezel heading for my 116520 (original rep bezel on left, gen on right)

For some reason, Nanuq's posts often give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Unless things have changed recently, I believe it is still standard Rolex SA policy to replace damaged/worn or out-of-spec parts with new parts during a standard overhaul. & this is generally a requirement, not an option. They do this because it is the only way they can guarantee the watch's proper function & specs, which is a prerequisite to their accepting a watch for service in the 1st place. Rolex's policy, which for all but a few RSCs in the EU, has been carved in stone for decades & the reason why so many gen owners, especially owners of vintage watches, so often choose to take their watches to independent watchmakers, who allow them to pick & choose which parts they replace or not. Remember, unlike companies like Mercedes-Benz or Patek Philippe, who service pretty much anything they ever made, Rolex SA is not in the (vintage) watch restoring business; they are in the (new) watch selling business. As for not wanting to notice, it has been Rolex SA's policy since at least the 1980s to verify each watch accepted for service by serial number & to use that serial number to verify the format of the watch. That is, they know what dial, crystal, band, crown, etc, the watch left the factory with. Certainly, in the case of vintage watches &/or those non-critical components that Rolex themselves no longer manufacture or have available, they will not reject a watch that arrives (as mine did) with, for example, an aftermarket bezel insert. Knowing that, I made a point of informing the watchmaker of the aftermarket insert in an effort to see if Rolex could replace it with the correct part (knowing they would require such a swap if the part were available). Unfortunately, as I was well aware, TOG inserts have been extinct for decades & if Rolex had any, they were reserved for clients with VIP status. So, I think, all in all, since the rest of the watch was genuine, Rolex had no reason to suspect anything. Now, had there been an aftermarket crown, crystal or caseback, I expect I would be telling a much different story (ie., the story of RSC rejection that is typical for most frankens).

For the past few years, I have had timing issues with my assembled-from-gen-parts TOG, the cause of which I have been unable to locate. Everything appeared copacetic. So, recently, out of frustration, I decided to throw caution to the wind & let Rolex take a shot at it, even though, in spite of the numerous reports of gen owners having their gen watch rejected by an RSC because it contains an aftermarket crystal or other non-critical part, I fully expected them to detect the non-stock formation of parts & reject the watch. Almost shockingly, not only did they accept the watch for repair, but the watchmaker that performed the work on the watch phoned to let me know that repairs had been successfully completed & made a point of complimenting me on the watch's overall condition. Because this is a major RSC, I think this both compliments the watch & demonstrates that even Rolex themselves cannot always identify a vintage franken from its oem counterpart.

It has been a few years since I last purchased a new manufacture dial, but, from what I have seen in recent posts, MQ still appears to be the top dog. Just make sure you receive pics of the watch you will receive & check it carefully before he ships. This is my 5508 reference -

You might want to have a look at this.