freddy333

All of the above & estate sales (check your local newspaper) as well as online/offline auction/sales sites.

I like the idea & admire your woodworking skills, but I would have used a different type of wood & left off all but the coronet marker (a la some of Rolex's wood dials of the 50s & early 60s & the 'Mystery' dial). But I know that accuracy is not generally your primary goal.

While it is unlikely that any non-WIS types will identify a problem with your watch by the stacking order of its hands, having a chs makes wristies & macro shots look alot more authentic

Pho - Buying an expensive piece of jewelry, for whatever reason, is always a very personal decision. I buy watches -- rep or gen -- only with nonessential funds. If you have the surplus cash & want/need a gen Rolex, then I would take advantage of the deal. If not, then just let it go & do not look back. Or buy a plain-jane, steel white/silver dial rep with bar index markers, which will provide maximum effect with minimal cost & risk

Thanks for this. Did they give you any idea of the ETA for the next release?

Sorry, let me clarify what I meant by 'aftermarket' with respect to Triplock tubes & tube tool splines - I was referring to the tubes that come in rep watches or those sold by rep watch sellers. The aftermarket tubes sold by the likes of cousins (which sells the longer tube version) & ofrei (which sells the shorter version) are Swiss-made (not Asian) & are similar in quality to the gens. My point was that I have never seen a rep watch that came with a tube that has splines for the tool at either end (splines at the inner end are the old style tube). So if you have a tube with splines, it is most likely either a gen or a Swiss-made aftermarket, which looks, functions & feels the same as the gen tube. At least, that has been my experience.

It all looks gen to me. To date, the only Triplock tubes I have seen with those splines running around the inside circumference (for the Rolex tube tool) are gen tubes Your crown looks like a current Triplock, which has a bit of space between the bottom of the coronet & the 3 dots (earlier Triplocks had the dots right below the coronet)

Nice. Please post pics with the bracelet when you get it together.

As Star already said, that is Yuki, a good aftermarket parts seller. His bezel assy is good, but it is not made to gen specs, so the bezel may or may fit a gen insert or case & vice-versa.

Ditto. Excellent review, Geo. Really well done. As for the Smurf itself, I remain torn. Since the gen 1st appeared at Basel, I was 1 of the few who were attracted by its shade of blue (good match with a pair of faded jeans & a t), but all that bling. :shock: Still, I had intended to pick this model up as soon as someone released a version that matched the overall quality of the GMTIIC, which this 1 certainly does. But my experience with the GMTIIC, with its similarly blingy surfaces (& more understated black insert/dial), has dulled me to the idea of buying another blingy watch that will spend most of its time in a case.

A Rolex crystal should not look white from the side, but, otherwise, nice job.

None of the gold parts look right. But it could be the picture.

I partially agree with Nanuq. I like the insert & case shape, but the minute hand is a bit too short (nice touch with the white seconds hand though ). Also, the crystal is wrong for that model & the bracelet is 1 of those hideous monstrosities that should never be fitted to a watch intended to appear authentic (search for the 'Yuki 7206 rivet bracelet' - it has issues with the springbars, but it looks & functions like the real thing). Hard to tell with these pics, but is the case a bit too thick/tall & does the dial lume (numbers & index markers) have a gloss shine ?

It looks good enough to fool anyone but a knowledgeable Rolex collector.

No firm answer to that question, because of the variability in rep crystals & case dimensions/quality. Sometimes, after the ring is removed, the crystal will fall off if you turn the case upside-down, but other times it has to be pried off. Unfortunately, like so many things with rep watches, it varies rep to rep. But you should be able to press it out, from inside the case, with your thumbs. Just make sure to point the crystal at something soft as they can take off when released.

I cannot answer your question (I am not that familiar with all the details on modern Sub models), but if jewelryoutlet555 is who I think he is, I would, by default, go with the other choice. (If jewelryoutlet555 is in Texas, search RWG for 'Mr. Slimeball'.)

I think RWG members are better fotogs than the guys on TZ. Wearing the old GMT while doing paperwork at home today But I will probably end up wearing the white Newman out to dinner tonight

Yes, but, even with its very minor warts, considering how truly accurate that bracelet is (hell, it even stretches like the gen ) it is 1 of the best buys in aftermarket Rolex parts that I have seen in my 2.5 decades of collecting. And it looks like it came with LHOOQ's watch. What a deal.

I am not well versed on Breitling, but, based on the in-between position of the date & slightly imprecise corners of the case, it cannot imagine it is gen.

The 160x series of DJs were powered by the 19.8k bph 1575, but these watches had 'pie pan' (concave) dials. Beginning around 1977, the new 160xx series were fitted with 28.8k bph 3035s, which beat at the same rate as the 2836. 1982 16014 on left, 1970 1601 (with hard-to-see pie pan 'Mystery' dial) on right

Great work, especially for your 1st time (I assume since this is your 1st post, it is also your 1st franken project). The springbars can be jammed into the end links of Yuki's bracelet, but that is not the proper way to do it. You also risk damaging the end links &/or 1st links in the bracelet since the metal that forms the 'hoop' in the end links is the same metal that connects the end link to the 1st link. But if it works......... Your fast-running movement may just be magnetized (it may also have a crimped hairspring, but that will likely require the services of a watchmaker to diagnose & sort out). Alot of jewelry stores that have watchmakers on the premises will demagnetize a watch while you wait for just a pittance (since it does not require any disassembly of the watch & takes less than 1 minute to perform the work). You might also gently shake the watch to see if you can hear anything loose banging around inside the case. Frequently, 1 of the movement locking screws will come loose & lodge itself in the hairspring, which is a very bad thing (it does cause the watch to run (fast) as you have described). But if you can remove the caseback & locate the balance wheel (the round wheel with the concentric spring below it), you should be able to see the screw if that is the problem. Either way, make sure there are at least 2 screws with small rectangular metal tabs below them that are securing the movement edges to the inside of the case. If not, you may have a ticking

Some movements have small arms or latches that pivot out from the side of the pillar plate to lock the dial legs in place. These are in lieu of screws. But without pics or a movement ID, the best anyone can do is run through the possibilities, narrowing down the options until you get the job done. But you have to be patient & take things 1 step at a time.

Lani, of course, I know what you mean. But, judging from the posts & questions I frequently see that reference new models, I think alot of new (& some not-so-new) members DO believe what they read. Especially, when what they are reading comes from 1 of our 'respected' Collectors. I think many noobs assume (to some degree, understandably) that if they read something on 1 of our collectors' sites, that it must have been vetted & is therefore true. Or, at least, have a basis in truth.

Nice gaggle you got there &, like most of us, if you take alot of pics, 1 or 2 come out pretty well.

Nicely done. By the way, the 2836 is the appropriate engine for a late 70s (through 80s) DJ. These were 3035-powered, so the 2846 would have been too slow.