freddy333

(as always)

Plain & simple always looks more gen than flashy & complicated. Aim for a solid silver, white or black dial with stick index markers in all steel & get it from Perfect Clones (Joshua) or Trustytime (Andrew) & it will be very difficult to ID the rep as a rep Remember, as the bling factor goes down, the authenticity factor goes up.

You may simply have bent (or unbent) the inner spring. If you look at Nanuq's pic, you can see the sections of the spring that stick out (towards the center) beyond the bezel. These parts that stick out (towards the center) are what slip around the crystal retaining ring (that metal ring, in your pic, that runs around the circumference of the crystal) & lock the bezel into place With a pair of needle nose pliers, you should be able to rebend the spring to stick out a bit further towards the center. This can be tricky, because if you bend the spring too much, you may not be able to press it back down over the crystal retaining ring (to get it back on the watch). So bend it just a bit & then test. You just need very slight bends to the spring to keep it on the watch, but it may take a bit of trial-&-error.

To civilians (non-WIS types), I suppose an old-looking anything (including a Rolex) carries a bit less cache than a sparking new-looking anything (including a Rolex). Example - a shiny new Cadillac looks alot more expensive than an old, beat-up rusted-out 1974 Caddie. But, to the more enlightened in that group, an older, well-worn Rolex may appear more authentic owing to the fact that most people think rep watches break (& get tossed) within days of purchase. So, the thinking goes, if the watch is old, it must be real (Real) No.

As long as you (& the wife) are aware that 'jewels' in rep watches are about as real-looking as tits on a man, you should be able to locate something in the Watches, clothing & Accessories section. What you describe is a fairly common style, especially at the lower end of the rep market.

History just keeps repeating itself. Buy today, no matter the cost, because it will be twice as high tomorrow.

I wonder if the problem lies with the movement? Where did you source it from? Can you post a pair of good, clear macros (1024x768) of the movement front & back? I find it hard to believe that both Yuki's & NDT's cases would not accept a gen movement.

Clearly, we are back to the pre-summer 2007 days of unrestrained vintage Rolex pricing. Keep in mind that with so many previously third-world countries minting new millionaires almost as fast as the US now mints dollar bills & with Rolex being 1 of the most universally accepted aspirational purchases, with demand for vintage outstripping the limited supplies, prices can only continue ever-skyward. If the recession was not able to stymie this trend, then it is likely to continue for as long as mechanical watches are popular.

1stly, welcome Matt. Be prepared to do alot of reading (of previous RWG posts on the subject of your preference) before buying. At least, if you do, you will greatly reduce the amount of money you waste & increase the likelihood that you will be happy with your purchases (in the long term). As to modding watches - some mod their own & others pay someone to do the work for them. It all depends on your experience/skill, financial state & emotional levels. There are 3 (main) axioms that bear memorizing in the watch collecting game - Buy the seller before you buy the watch (or watch part). If you want it done right, do it yourself. The quality of the work is directly proportional to the investment of time, research & effort you put in before you begin. Beyond that, do alot of research on gen sites for the watch you are interested in & then post your questions here. Good luck &, to quote Otter, my advice is to start drinking heavily.

I prefer to take the cannoli, leave the gun.

Except for cases closed with them, I have rarely had any luck opening cases with these suction gadgets (including tape wads). Further, although this subject has come up many times, I think it bears repeating that those types of case openers are only designed to open a case (not close it) since they may not provide sufficient torque to seal the case.

Dizz - The size looks like an improvement, but why did you round the corners off? By the way, if you have a Dremel & you are careful, you may be able to reapply the beveling around the edges. That is, unless you removed it purposely.

That Cartier is a beauty. Your wife will love it & congratulations on the happy milestone, my friend.

Ending the work week wearing the 'Graph

That is the idea. DW cases are made to gen dimensions. Contact seller (DW) for details.

Thanks. The consensus of respondents in my pseudo-poll tilted towards a strap & I came to agree. So strap it is.

Now it looks like my 16014 gen

You can never go wrong with nice a linen dial.

And they say the best things in life are free.

Great pic.

Wussies. So, you use a tongue cleaner to 'rough' up watch glass?

Retailers receive a number of display materials when they become an official Rolex authorized dealer. Typically, these include wall & counter displays as well as a number of watch display stands. Back in the 40s & 50s, the stands were mostly metal, but they added softer (looking) materials in later years. Here is an older pic of the stand I posted above (on its side without its watch holder), which is from the 80s

While I cannot totally disagree with that statement, to be fair, I think 1 also needs to take into account the development work Rolex does on materials & technologies, all of which costs alot & which must go into the price of each watch. I can only imagine how much it cost to develop the materials/processes that went into creating the ceramic bezel or the parachrom hairspring or the 4130 calibre, etc. Just saying.