freddy333

Saturday evening

Yes, it did. I completely forgot that I had swapped it out for 1 of DW's steel bezels.

Great pic.

I guess I should give others a shot before I comment.

White Christmas

Ask any woman how to remove nail polish with nail polish remover. The procedure is the same. Pure ammonia (from your local supermarket) removes AR on eyeglass lenses similarly. - easy & fast.

Whatever they sell in the supermarket & I also use it to clean (unassembled) watch parts (including cases).

I have removed AR very simply with ammonia, which is why eyeglass vendors always warn against cleaning AR-coated eyeglass lenses with Windex or other ammoniated glass cleaners.

Besides the lack of auto-wind module, I believe the 7760 has only 17 jewels (to the 7750's 24) & uses a slightly different pillar plate (same dimensions, but excludes the fittings for an auto-wind module), but is otherwise the same. Watchtime did an in-depth exposé on the Valjoux 7750 in 2008 (I do not remember the specific issue) that is worth having if you can locate copy. It is very easy if you have the tools & competence to remove the movement from the case & then remove & disassemble the auto-wind module (3 screws). Otherwise, I would definitely leave this to a competent watchsmith, who should be able to complete the work in a matter of minutes.

Everything in/on my 3-year old MBW 1665 (the only remaining MBW part is the middle case) is now gen except for the dial (which is an aftermarket replacement that I purchased on ebay), caseback (Phong) & crystal (Clarks)

The primary purpose in removing the auto-wind gears is to produce a faux manual-wind movement as was used in vintage 62xx Daytonas. The only damage (from frequent manual winding) occurs to the auto-wind components themselves & this is eliminated once the auto-wind function is disabled. Read this.

Sadly, your experience is the norm with rep watches, which are constructed with little or no QC. Your options are to contact the seller for repair/exchange options or have them serviced locally (a good idea since the movements in rep watches are neither new nor serviced & are likely to fail sooner rather than later - all mechanical movements should be serviced every 5-7 years).

Steps for all franken projects Research the details of the gen watch. Like any diy project, the end result is only as good as the prep work. There are numerous books available detailing the 6538 (& other vintage Rolex models). Dowling's 'Rolex: The Best of Time' is a good place to start. Gather the required parts. ebay is your best source for gen & aftermarket parts (remember buyer beware - always buy the seller before you buy the watch/part). Search RWG for previous members' experiences & tutorials (there are many). Have the movement serviced by a professional watchmaker (Ziggy is your best bet, but most locales have numerous Rolex-trained watchmakers who can service a Rolex movement). There are countless reports from members who suffered a movement breakdown shortly after the completion of their project watch. Best to bite the inevitable bullet & have the movement overhauled properly before you begin. Believe me, this step is likely to save you alot of aggravation later on. Construct the watch. Few professional watchmakers will agree to execute 1 of these projects because of the many hours & huge amounts of effort often required. However, Ziggy often will. Good luck

I only buy vintage gens & only those vintage pieces that can be purchased for a reasonable sum that are likely to steadily increase in value over time. In the case of the GMTIIC, I was fortunate to have gotten in on the initial run of CHS watches, which look & function similar to the gen, so I have little impetus to splurge for the gen

There are a number of posts describing various methods that you can search out. For starters, try this or this or this.

Ditto Ubi.

Wearing the middle 1 today

Looks like 7750 & I agree with most of the responses above. There is no aftermarket equivalent (if you are anal) for a gen T21. Clarks are very good, but lack the clarity/sparkle of the gen lens. If you have read any of my DW journals/tutorials, you know that these projects rarely, if ever, go smoothly. Like all rep parts, the components vary in design/quality &, sometimes, your only option is to replace them. And when you have to rely on someone else to handle the construction for you, you have an additional set of delays. But keep your eye on the prize & go with the flow.