freddy333

Here is the link

Did you sell the black 16520?

Typically, the difference between a gen & the best reps comes down to a simple phrase - fit & finish. Go to your local AD & handle some of the gen counterparts of your reps & you will see & feel the difference. The white or yellow gold bezel of a gen Datejust or Daydate sparkles in a way that steel, no matter how well polished it is, cannot. Edges are more defined where they are supposed to be, less so where not. Metals & joints are finished to a satiny smoothness & crystals gleam & sparkle in ways that aftermarket parts do not.

Red, I think your idea is brilliant, but I have to agree with Offshore regarding nixing the sand & the issues relating to the 60s materials/methods of manufacture vs those used today. The base material of vintage Rolex inserts just does not equate with what is used today, especially with cheap rep parts. After trying various aging methods myself (including extended UV exposure within a salt bath using a UV lamp made for setting UV cement), I came to the conclusion that the only way to get a realistically aged Rolex insert is to get a Rolex insert that has naturally aged. Hands, dials & cases can be made to look old with enhanced patination, but I have yet to see a single Rolex insert that looks naturally aged by unnatural methods. That said, I will be following your work with great interest.

Not sure how/why I missed this when originally posted & I rarely re-post entire posts, but this 1 deserves it. This has to be 1 of the best posts I have ever read on RWG (& that is saying alot since there are MANY classics worth re-reading here). Well done, Demsey. :good:

Not much I can add to Andy's response except to say that as you gain more knowledge about gens, you will also become more acutely aware of (& bothered by) the inaccuracies of your rep, as minor as they may be on the best reps.

With that gorgeous pair of 16520s, I was not aware you were out. I should probably mention that everything in that pic is gen except the dials, mid-cases (excepting the bezel/inserts, which are gen) & 2 crystals (in the DRSD & Rose).

I disagree about wear being a good thing on a dress watch, especially a gold 1. While wear does add character to a sport watch, I think it just makes a dress/formal watch look tired & worn (as in worn out). With such a fine timepiece, I would either have a professional watchmaker overhaul it (including polishing the case & replacing the crystal, which will make that watch look like new) or learn how to polish the case (with rouge) & crystal (with Poly-Watch or similar) properly.

Not to mention the serifs & correct 'e'. Thanks, Ubi. In case you missed the full story, the dial was a custom design that Natalie agreed to do for me a couple of years ago (back when NDT was willing to do that). Recently, Kent Parks repainted the lettering with black gloss, which brought the logo into gen territory. Finally, the dial received my usual Krylon matte varnish treatment. As predicted, still wearing my Sub on Monday The Matte Triumvirate

Read this or this.

Still Sunday night, but I will probably continue to wear this Sub for the next day or 2

Nice work.

Exactly. A broach is a small file in the shape of a pin with abrasive material along most of its length. There are different sizes for varying size holes. You hold the hand in a tool (or, carefully, by hand, which is the method I prefer to use) & ream the hole out with the broach. Very useful tool, broaches. Broach set on Ofrei (the Bergeon 2676-B Hand Broaching Holder is listed further down the page)

Last year, 1 or 2 members did just that (install gen 116520 dial into 1 of Josh's Daytona reps). Were it not for the fact that the rep dial is so accurate, I would have done the same thing. But you would end up spending alot of cash for little in return. You might search out By-Tor's excellent review of the 116520 for more or my You can build a nearly perfect Daytona (or something like that) mini-tutorial (note that some of the links listed in the article may have changed, so you may need to do a bit of additional research to locate their current locations).

Or the iodine application, heat distribution, lume thickness/composition, yada yada yada............

I got 1 from Borel or Ofrei, I forget which? But very useful for broaching.

No, that is actually the way they came out of the oven. And I am still wearing the Sub this morning (Sunday)

Take a number or search out the original 'powdered graphite' thread.

Switched over to my Sub Saturday evening

For reference, both of my original secs @ 6 Daytonas (nearly 5 & 4 years old now) are still running fine. Though neither sees alot of wrist time.

You can say that again.

I guess you could do that, too. But I was referring mostly to the surface texture of the bezel, which does not look gen. After sanding/re-polishing, it ought to look about right. Yes, I wish they would fix those springbar holders already.

Yes. As long as both watches were powered by an Asian 7750, the hands are interchangeable since the movements are the same.

GMT today (Saturday)

Beautiful, Lani. The Yuki bracelet makes it pop. 1 thing you might consider - I think the bezel needs to be sanded & then polished to make it look vintage/restored. As it is, that is the only part that catches my mind's eye (in a bad way) when I look at your watch. But this is a very minor quibble on an otherwise nearly faultless work of art.