freddy333

Mineral (glass) always has a green tint when viewed from the side, while sapphire is always clear or white. Glass (mineral) tends to feel cool to the touch, while sapphire tends to match the room temperature.

Still wearing my GMT

Well done, Ubi.

If it helps, while I have not handled the final products, I assisted DW with these (they are designed to gen specs), so they should be similar to Yuki's or NDtrading's. They were designed to accept/fit only gen parts (not ETA or standard rep dials).

The only case where uneven dial shaving should affect the location of the dial is on press-fit dials. Watches powered by Rolex 103xs come to mind here (the dials for the 103x have an outer (right-angle) flange that fits (snugly) around the main plate of the movement). Other dials, those affixed to the movement either by dial feet or held on with dial dots (or similar adhesives) will not be off-center if you shave too much or too little from 1 side. The cannon pinion (the shaft that holds the hands & runs through the center of the dial) centers the dial's position in the case. The problem you can run into if you remove too much material is leaving gaps between the edge of the dial & the inner flange (rehaut) of the case.

Some of them are outstanding - nearly 1:1 copies, so differences may be difficult to spot, especially for those who are not intimately familiar with the gen. Typically, incorrect/duplicated serial numbers (you will need to research gen serial number vs date of manufacture online) or the lack of a (natural) patina are give-aways.

I concur with Tribal. I have handled a few older inserts that had a dab of varnish across the backside (though it may have been added at some point after the watch left the factory), but I have never seen glue/cement used to affix a gen pearl. On the other hand, remember the Rolex vintage rule - anything is possible.

Maybe I am missing something here, but I do not see what all the fuss is about over the Puretime watch. To my eye, the MBW's sins (of which there are many) remain more palatable. And the MBW's presentation, on the whole, is more believable.

Exactly.

To paraphrase Henry Higgins - I've grown accustomed to her face My Bond Sub, that is

Ditto all of the above.

As long as you are freezing subdial hands, why not just find a standard 3-hand movement (with separate running seconds at 6 that matches the location of the Daytona running seconds) & install (cement) the 2 additional subdial hands in the appropriate locations on the dial? Seems like that would achieve the same effect with alot less work.

Perish the thought.

Nanuq is correct. To make the bezel turn easier (it is designed NOT to easily turn), pry the bezel off & flatten the curve of the flat spring washer that sits between the bezel & the case. The flatter the spring washer is, the less tension it places on the underside of the bezel & the freer (easier) it turns. Ideally, the bezel should require a firm press (down) in order to move it.

Great work, except for 1 thing - the terms vintage & super luminova are at cross-purposes with each other. Super luminova is a modern luminous material & was neither available nor used when the 1665 was produced. But it looks good in the daylight.

Nanuq - I think those spider cracks were in the lens prior to the UV exposure. 1 of the reasons it is not a good idea to take vintage watches (with vintage crystals) in the water is because the plastic material breaks down & becomes brittle over time (with or without UV exposure). The UV exposure then tints the recesses within the cracks (along with the rest of the lens), which makes them more visible. This explanation came from an old Rolex-trained watchmaker.

Subdial pinions on axis with 3 & 9 indexes = fake 1165xx (modern) Daytona. Box, like reality tv, is fake too.

I see the price has risen to $370 (my apologies, I thought it was still $300-ish), but, still, out of the box, I would still take the MBW's inaccuracies over Puretime's.

You will need to research current locations of some of the sites listed, but You Can Build a Nearly Perfect 116520 Daytona

I do not mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but I think the additional $100 entrance fee for an MBW would be money well spent. At least, out of the box, the MBW's flaws strike me as less conspicuous. And to Nanuq's insightful comment - I agree - the round hour indexes look too big (while the rectangular indexes look too thin). The colors are a bit garish.

Interesting. But this may be a franken. I have had mixed experiences with that seller. A couple items I got from them had obviously received some enhanced patination, which they swore ignorance about. ebay, at 1 point, even closed their account due to complaints. But they told me the issues were resolved (in their favor). They are probably legit, but I would still tread carefully when buying from them. The engravings on this 7928 caseback look a bit suspicious. I could be wrong though.

I think you are right - both are off - angle & depth. Either way, that flange is inaccurate enough to have caught my eye even with marginal pics. Yuki must be sourcing cases from different factories, because his 6536 case (at least the test piece I got from them) has a nearly perfect, right-angled & low profile inner flange.

To the OP - Yes, it is quite true that the average sales person (& even some store managers) knows little or nothing about the watches he/she sells. Accordingly, it should come as no big surprise to anyone that the counter staff know little or nothing about the quality of modern reps. However, & this is the salient point, with watch dealers closing right & left due to slow sales, you can bet that stories about your gen-like rep will make their way back to Rolex. And Rolex, also feeling the economic pinch of their bottom line (much due to the proliferation of gen-like reps), is (quite understandably) not likely to be as pleased as the sales staff appeared to be.