freddy333

TeeJay - I only question the credulity of the clasp. The watch, as it is, looks ok. That said, often, where there is smoke......

This is the reason most often cited when something Rolex-related pops up with questionable provenance. Of course, anything is possible, but, based on what I have seen so far, I remain unconvinced. Though, for what it is worth, I hope I am wrong & the clasp is gen, because it is a beauty.

Still wearing 1 of my works in progress

Alli - A similar watch popped up on VRF early last year & the clasp (not the watch) was concluded to be a knockoff. While I am firmly in the 'never say never with Rolex' camp, eventually, just about every oddity like this gets found in a Rolex publication of some kind. To date, I have yet to see a clasp like this listed in any Rolex product catalog, parts list or service manual, which, while not conclusive proof of fakery, leaves me much less than convinced as to the clasp's authenticity.

My watch-wearing goes in phases. For the past several years, I have rarely left home without a watch. But, at the same time, I have gone for as long as a week without 1 when my mind was on other things. As soon as I realized I was watchless (or looked down & realized I was not wearing a watch), I put 1 on.

Wearing a re-work in progress (yes, it is missing a subdial hand)

Nail polish, painted by hand.

I assume you mean you bought & repainted a non-PN gen dial? Pics please. I saw a PN with a red chrono seconds hand many years ago in a Southeby's auction & decided to go that route when I did the original construction on this 1. (There is also 1 in the Rolex special edition that Watchtime magazine put out a couple of years ago. Though, believe it or not, I seem to recall thinking that it may have been a rep. ) However, now that I have the new dial in there, I may end up repainting it back to stock. Still not sure? Thanks, All. As I said, I have to replace a hand, which is en route. And, now that I see the potential with the new dial mods, I will probably send the watch off to the Zigmeister for the full monty (V72s are 1 of the movements that I am not comfortable working on). But, in the meantime, here are a couple of quick-&-dirty pics (minus 1 hand) to give you an idea of things to come. With the missing hand in place, this watch would definitely fool me if I saw it in the wild (even with a loupe)

I suffered a setback in re-assembling the watch. The minute totalizer subdial hand collapsed & must be replaced. So I ordered a new handset & will update final pics of the assembled watch once I have them. In the meantime, here is an interim pic of the partially assembled watch

A shame to be keeping it idle in your parts bin, Ubi. Why not put it to use.

Lani - Slow & steady wins the race.

A number of us have them (a 157x with a brushed silver datewheel) in our watches Eurotimez was selling (non-brushed) silver datewheels for ETA movements awhile ago that had very good fonts. I believe he was removed from the RWG seller listings due to shipping issues, but he might be worth a try.

Me too. Update - As of this morning, the coronet seems to be stuck on the dial good & tight (& in exactly the correct position) . It stood up to a dial brush and a moderate stream of compressed air from a can. I am going to give it until this evening to be sure the epoxy is fully cured before casing, but it looks good.

Yes. It looks alot like a Texas dial, except for the Swiss signature & other issues I mentioned previously. (For those who are unfamiliar with the Texas dials, these were produced, as best as anyone can tell, in the 90s somewhere in Texas by an obviously knowledgeable Rolex collector. To date, the Texas dials continue to confound collectors & Rolex themselves due to their accuracy. Although my dial was not made in Texas, it is the closest Asian-made Daytona dial I have ever seen & likely would have fooled me (except for the Swiss marking) had it been seen in the wild.) And to answer the $64,000 question, I found it here.

Yes, which is why it is now red (I will post an updated pic tomorrow after reassembly). Still a problem, but less so since it will be partially covered by the case & no longer draws as much attention to itself The T SWISS T is still a bit large (these aftermarket dials always have at least 1 wart), but it looks smaller in red since it is no longer contrasting with the minute markers. And partially hidden below the flange of the case, I think it will be even less noticeable. But I will know better after I recase it tomorrow evening.

Glad to hear things are improving for you, my friend. You have been missed.

Comparison of DW vs new dial (with DW coronet) Here is a gen

Same here. There is a problem at photobucket's end. They should have it cleared up soon & then the pic will display. In the meantime, I can tell you that as long as the epoxy holds, it will look good. I was able to position the coronet exactly where I wanted it. The only telltale signs of the coronectomy are the tiny, slightly shiny spots left on the dial, above the current coronet, where the original coronet was pressed onto the face. But they are only apparent, close-up & under direct light. Once I get everything cased, you will never see it. Me too. I have been waiting for this moment (when I can install a believable Newman dial into my 6239) for a long time. My 6239 was great before, but this dial takes it into a new zone. In fact, JoJo's comment about the dial looking like 1 of the infamous Texas dials (excepting the odd coronet, exactly what I thought when I saw it) was high praise indeed.

Another Update - After testing/tinkering around with various cements & application techniques (including TeeJay's), I was comfortable enough to try placing the coronet with #5 tweezers, which, once I had a dab of cement in place, worked out fine. I ended up using slow-drying epoxy since it would give me an hour to position the coronet (amazingly, I got it spot-on on my 1st try ) & should keep the coronet in place better than whatever the factory used originally (the coronet just about fell off the dial when I slid a piece of paper between it & the dial face). Anyway, here is the DW coronet in its final resting place on the new dial In 24 hours, I will reassemble & post new pics.

Yes, that is 1 of the 1st things that caught my eye. Update - I removed the coronets from both dials. The DW coronet is (properly) affixed with 2 small positioning pins that go through the dial, but the new dial's coronet is simply cemented into place. Because I lack the tools to drill such minute holes in the new dial to fit the DW coronet's pins, I opted for Plan B - removing the pins on the coronet & cementing the coronet onto the new dial in the same manner as the original. Unfortunately, the sticking point (no pun intended) will be to find a way to apply the cement & position the coronet (very difficult since it does not slide, it just flicks around when you nudge it!!!!!!!!) without getting cement all over the dial/coronet. My thinking is to use GC crystal cement to affix the coronet since it dries mostly clear & will give me a few seconds to reposition the coronet before it starts to set. Trouble is that I am already picturing the dial covered with (shiny) strands of GC cement all over it & the coronet. So I am definitely open to recommendations for cement/affixing methods & procedures. In the meantime, here is the DW coronet sitting (loosely) in position on the new dial. If I can figure out how to cement it here, I may have something

Not bad at all for the money. Strangely, as much as I generally recoil from Rolex's new/current model lineup (& the previous YM), the white gold YMII appeals to me Not sure if I could ever wear 1 in mixed company, but I would have no problem making space for a gen (or accurate rep) in 1 of my cases. Granted, the yellow gold version is garish & suffers from all of the issues that most of the current (larger/blingy) Rolex models are weighted with. But, if I found myself heavily tanned (think George Hamilton on stage in Vegas) & on a yacht (again, think George Hamilton in Vegas), I could even, dare I say it, sport the yellow gold YMII That likely sounds strange to anyone who knows me, but this watch definitely works for me. The trick with watches this complex & blingy is that they ooze money. So they absolutely must not contain any obvious warts or questionable details. Because, if they do, you end up looking like George Hamilton's tan (fake & silly).

Ditto. Pure gut speculation here, but I think the inconsistency stems more from inattentiveness or ignorance rather than a conscious effort to scam anyone.

Thanks, Ubi & All. That is pretty much what I thought, too. Also, the subdial-to-minute-track spacing is a bit off & the subdials are not deep enough below the surface of the dial, but that is very difficult to see, especially without a loupe or when the dial is installed. Definitely not perfect, but I think this is the 1st aftermarket Newman dial that makes it into the comfort zone. I am going to try to transplant the DW coronet onto this dial tonight. If everything lines up.........

In this case, I think the notch is relevant. However, shortly after I thought the notch debate had been settled (at least over at VRF), someone I know very well, whose knowledge & experience in vintage Rolex is nearly unquestionable, showed me irrefutable proof (in the form of original Rolex paperwork) that leaves the question very much open.