freddy333

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.

Unless the watch is at the correct angle relative to both the lights & the viewer, you are not likely to see the AR (or lack of it). 90% of the time, the gen cyclops on my watch looks the same as the rep cyclops did. In fact, neither of the 2 watchmakers (both with active Rolex parts accounts & working within the Rolex service network) I contacted in my search for a gen crystal were even aware of the AR on the GMTIIC (or any other Rolex model). No. Mine came by way of a return favor from a watchmaker friend. To be clear for anyone else who PMs me - I cannot source additional GMTIIC crystals.

What snow?

Ditto Kent2. Seller is a scammer.

My GMTIIC is from the initial run & the insert colors are close enough that I would not be unable to ID my watch as a rep based on the insert without being able to make a direct side-by-side comparison with a gen. And, even then, I am not sure I would know which is which based on the insert colors. As to the cyclops AR, I continue to disagree with those who say this is a glaring or obvious tell. I replaced my crystal with a gen (which has AR below the cyclops) & unless the watch is viewed in just the right light & at just the right angle, you cannot tell whether the cyclops is ARd or not. GMTIIC reps are routinely posted on TZ & I do not believe that even 1 has been called out because it was missing AR below the cyclops. On the other hand, the easy way to ID these reps is by the misalignment (& laser etching as opposed to engraving) of the ROLEXROLEXROLEX around the inner vertical flange of the case around the dial. I have never seen a GMTIIC rep that gets this right.

Ditto Kruser & I would add that as long as parts are available, your movement can always be repaired.

Recently, I had the same problem. You need to clear your browser's cookies (at least all cookies related to RWG) & cache. Then, close & reopen your browser, log back into RWG & the problem should be solved.

Gold on white for Saturday

Welcome to the wonderful world of diy watch construction. At best, replica watch cases are not made to any specific standard of quality. Their dimensions & form are dictated solely by what the factory may have available at any given time. For this reason, it is folly to assume that a gen movement (or any other gen Rolex part) will automatically fit anything other than a gen case (exceptions being a few $650-$2,000 made-to-gen-specs aftermarket cases from the likes of NDtrading, Yuki, etc). And even some of the best made-to-gen-spec cases do not always mate properly with gen parts. Building frankens is much more of an art than a science, meaning that the theory (of what should fit) more often proves to be the exception rather than the rule.

Ending the work week wearing the old beater & here is an old pic of the old beater

The site has all the hallmarks of a scam.

The thread pitch seems to vary on DW cases & it also seems to be luck-of-the-draw as to what you get. Some cases accept Ofrei pushers, while a 2nd copy of the same case may not. There are 2 types of pushers generally used - the body of both types screw into the case, but 1 type secures the inner components with a small circlip inside the case & the other has a 2-part inner pusher assembly that screws together from opposite sides of the case. If your existing pusher is loose, 1st check to see if the pusher body fits the case. If the pusher body is loose in the case, I would contact Ziggy to see if he can install re-tapped spacers in the existing case holes? If the pusher body is secure, but the inner components are loose, then check for either a missing circlip inside the case or a loose inner pusher shaft (which you need to tighten with a pair of pliers or whatever you have that can turn/tighten the inner shaft). Pushers are pretty simple components.