freddy333

2 hours ago, slopez4 said:

If all goes well can this be a watch that lasts for years and years? Also I know the most important thing in the "vintage" rolex world is the vintage look. Having said that the older the watch looks the more appealing the watch? Or not neccessarily? I know that mint conditions Paul Newman watches can be 160,000 USD!!!! I guess its all personal preference at the end of the day.

Like all mechanical watches, to maintain function & long-life, the Valjoux chrono movement should be overhauled every 5-7 years. If done & properly treated, the watch should last for generations.

The most important thing in the vintage Rolex world is the dial & movement. The 'vintage look', as you call it, is simply the result of natural age & wear. In other words, patina, which goes for all things of a certain age (eg, cars, furniture, clothes, etc). All else being equal (& appropriate), a natural looking patina is what sets a collection of newly made parts (ie a modern franken) apart from (what looks like) 'the real thing'. The former may be cool to its owner, but knowledgeable collectors know a vintage watch that looks new is almost always an Asian-made franken. & manufacturing a natural patina is, by far, the most difficult detail to get right in a vintage watch. In the case of vintage Rolex watches, patina varies in appearance from nearly new to badly damaged & all points in between. Choose your poison.

$160,000? I believe a mint Newman exceeded the $2,000,000 mark last year, with the average running between $80-$200,000.

There are 3 roads to non-genuine Newmans -

1. the cheapest/easiest option, buy a rep ($300+)

2. the moderately expensive/difficult option, build an ETA 7750-powered franken ($1,000+)

3. the expensive/difficult option, build a Valjoux 72-powered franken (genuine 62xx Daytonas are powered by [Rolex] modified V72 movements) ($3,000-$6,000+)
3a. buy a pre-assembled V72-powered franken from 1 of the aftermarket parts sellers & have it professionally overhauled (these things often look like they were assembled by monkeys & arrive in dirty/dodgy condition) ($3,000-$4,000+)

 

For option 1, do your research before you begin! Spend time looking at genuine Newmans on gen watch sites & ebay. Learn the differences between versions & Oyster/non & collect pics of gens for comparison. Then, browse the dealer listings in the Watches section. For option 2, beginning with the same rep, swap out as many of the rep components with better aftermarket or genuine Rolex components as you can afford. For option 3, get a 2nd (or 3rd) job, start saving & pulling your hair out. At the same time, start searching online for a used V72 movement & have it properly overhauled. Then, buy an aftermarket case, dial/handset & bracelet. Optionally, if you have sufficiently deep pockets, you can replace the aftermarket crown/tube, crystal, pushers, dial coronet & bracelet with genuine Rolex components.

Whichever way you go, there are many threads on RWG that detail members' previous project watches & be aware that as the price rises, so too does the complexity & likelihood of problems. Rarely, do the high end franken projects go according to plan. So be prepared to deal with the inevitable problems, cost overruns & detours along the way.

6 hours ago, mymanmatt said:

The bracelets back then were made by spiedel. You may not remember, spiedel twistoflex. But they made the bracelets for the stainless rolex's.

???

As they say, anything is possible with vintage Rolex & I know that some of their more uncommon pre-70s bracelets were made for them by 3rd parties, but I have never heard of Rolex getting anything from Spiedel. I do know that Rolex created their (painfully) expanding Oyster bracelets as an alternative to the Twist-O-Flex, which became popular in the late 50s & 60s (I also have 1 on my Accutron).

As for ill-fitting Rolex rivet (or folded link) bracelets, the most common problem is end links that do not match (or are incorrect for) the case. Because many vintage Rolex bracelets are in short supply & have permanently attached end links, unless delicate & often damaging end link transplant surgery is performed, due to their rarity & cost, often, new owners must make due with the right bracelet fitted with the wrong end links. It seems that far more of most of the common vintage bracelets left the Rolex factory fitted with end links made for models that are less popular today than they were 50+ years ago. So, often, unless you are willing to spend a great deal of time & money on the hunt for the correct match for your case/model, you often have to accept a bracelet with end links that are a close (but imperfect) match for your case. End links that appear similar may vary in length, width or curve by only a fraction of a millimeter, but that fraction can be the difference between a good fit & an unsightly gap or loose/noisy parts. Try to locate a folded link Oyster bracelet for a 6239 with the correct links & you will see what I mean.

Looks like a nice rep, but hard to make out details based on the fuzzy pic.

Why do you not remove the xtal while you are working on the case? I think you need a better fitting set of hands & some enhanced patination on the case (so it matches the faded insert), but, otherwise, nice work.

Wearing my vintage rep today

16 minutes ago, alligoat said:

Other than the crown emblem at 12 o'clock looking kind of flat and possibly lopsided, I'd say it's a pretty good dial- lettering and numbers look good. Once it's under a crystal, it ought to do fine. 

Alli, did you notice that the ROLEX COSMOGRAPH text is off-center (too far right) & the 90-degree 'step' between the dial face & subdials looks more like a ski slope? The dial has other issues that can be seen by comparing to gens.

On 9/7/2016 at 3:50 PM, Nanuq said:

I admired the Explorer a couple minutes and then another older guy walked past behind the counter.  He glanced, then stopped and did the world's biggest double take.  Like something from a Jim Carrey movie.  He literally grabbed my wrist and pulled it toward him to expose the watch, and breathed the words "My God, that's a Red..." 

The other salesman looked at him, then the watch, then my jeans and boots, then the watch, then back at him as it slowly dawned on him that it wasn't a rep after all.  And it made perfect sense, because I looked like I should be wearing a G-shock or a Casio.

I had a similar experience with my DRSD that actually escalated to a store manager asking if his watchmaker could verify my watch. He did & the watchmaker's reaction was similar to your Jim Carrey description above - double-take followed by red-faced submission. It pays to remember that God lies in the details.

On 9/7/2016 at 4:47 PM, gasebah said:

I know a couple of guys that have really made it, and they all dress very casual in their private lives. They have that self confidence that comes with a lot of money and don't need brands or expensive clothes to solidify their status. It is usually the guys in the middle of the food chain that are wearing the expensive brands to show off. 

Ditto. Alot of wealthy tech guys are often mistaken for homeless people, unless you happen to catch a glimpse of their watch (or car, which you would not see when they are not in it). Many years ago, when I was in sales, I made 1 of the largest sales to a guy who looked (& smelled) like he was homeless, but who turned out to be 1 of the principals of the world's largest ad agency. He later apologized for his messy appearance saying it was due to his having been working on (1 of) his Ferraris earlier in the day. Sometimes, as the saying goes, you really cannot judge a book by its cover.

Trusty has been around a long time & is 1 of the best. You will likely love your watch. Do not forget to post pics when it arrives.

8 minutes ago, imajedi said:

I also love when people keep staring at your wrist obsessively trying to get a good look.

That happens quite often. Last weekend, I was eating at a crowded bar in a local restaurant wearing 1 of my Newmans & the place was packed with people waiting for tables. I became aware that there were several people peering over my shoulders & whispering things like 'Look, that guy has 1 of those Rolex Daytonas!' & 'Yeah, that's a rare watch, I've never seen a real 1 before.'

14 minutes ago, dennio3 said:

Always compare to a gen (which can be found on any gen watch site or google) -

5 hours ago, gasebah said:

Now I wonder: How many times have I been silently called out with the other guy knowing and never saying anything about a watch being a rep.

This has been discussed many times over the years & the consensus has generally been that for every person who calls you out there are probably 20 times as many who identify your rep as a rep & remain silent. The next question being - 'How many people know the difference?' is a bit more tricky, because, these days, I think you would be surprised at how many people, especially young kids, are seriously into watches & know the difference. This was made clear to me several years ago when 2 teenagers (16 or 17-ish) walked up to me as I was getting into my Z & asked if it was for sale? During the conversation, 1 of them spotted my 6536-1 & stunned me by reciting the correct model number & caliber. They both said they were big Sub fans. I have also had experiences sitting in a restaurant wearing either a gen or franken & overheard people around me whispering (among themselves) about the 'rare Rolex' I was wearing. Pretty incredible.

On 8/25/2015 at 0:37 PM, hiker01 said:

...and all I've got to show is this.....

On 8/25/2015 at 6:59 PM, Fracture said:

Because most of us do. Someone has to be the little man that the "business man" can profit from.

On 8/26/2015 at 8:53 AM, Fracture said:

Haha. Don't be naïve, Mike. If that were true I'd be driving an Aston too after years of working 14 hours a day but all I have to show for it is a second hand hatchback. And yes, I excel what I do. Unfortunately it has nothing to do with "business" aka shaking some hands, knowing some people and taking some money left and right.

And yes, I have a very sour vision of the "business" world.

I know where you are coming from (I used to have that view as well), but it is truly very limited in scope. That is, you are focusing in on a tree while missing the rest of the much larger forest.
While there are certainly rogues in every field - if you do not believe there are criminals & crooks in the green movement, you are willfully blind - the profits that businessmen amass come from the sales of things like iPhones & iTunes & Priuses & sandals & tv sets & all the things you & I want/use every day. Businessmen also provide services like making clean drinking water & building homes & repairing bicycles & fixing teeth that make our lives more comfortable. The most successful of these businessmen then purchase yachts & private jets & mansions, all of which give people like you & me jobs to design, build & maintain those yachts, jets & mansions.

Capitalism is based on the simple concept of trade - I have a good or service that is worth more to you than a handful of cash, so you trade the cash for my good or service & vice-versa. If the good or service I am offering is useful to a large number of people & I am skilled enough to market my good or service to make you aware that I exist, then, with a bit of luck, I stand to make alot of cash. You just need to produce a good or service that will have widespread use & find a way to spread the word so your potential buyers know you exist. And there is nothing stopping you from doing the same thing. That is why I believe that people who criticize others' success/wealth are either unaware or fooling themselves.

10 hours ago, RickFlorida said:

Are the website photos of gen. Cases or does phongs son really make them that good?

Good question.

1 hour ago, horologist said:

When I reflect on those acrylic crystals that were once used on most divers watches, regardless of how well they were sealed, I often wondered how they could really do their job, when considering that plastic expands and contracts at a different rate to metal and worst still with how easy they were to break with little misalignment pressure.

The xtal is installed so that it is in a somewhat compressed state, which maintains a constant (expansive) pressure against the case & that provides the seal. However, if/when the plastic begins to harden due to age, UV exposure or minor defects - innate or due to damage - the seal may fail & the failure point will leak. 50 years ago, when genuine Rolex Plexiglass xtals were newly manufactured, they were much more pliable & resilient than the NOS parts are today. This is why it is often better to install a good aftermarket xtal rather than a NOS genuine Rolex xtal if you plan to use your watch near or in water. Still, even with a new xtal, in the case of an valuable watch, I would (& do) either avoid moisture altogether or have the watch (properly) pressure-tested (at least) yearly. Otherwise, your watch is only water-resistant until it isn't.

The dial is good, but not great, but the case & movement look very good. The question, as is always the case with these pre-assembled frankens, is whether the watch you receive will match the seller's description/pictures. I have never heard of this seller before, but, based on what I have seen & what I have heard from our own Ziggy, most of these frankens require a full overhaul upon receipt by the buyer. In some cases, the 'assembly' is so filthy & the work so dodgy that parts often need to be replaced to make the thing even function correctly. Maybe this seller is 100% honest & professional (that would be a 1st in my experience), but, as always when spending >$1,000 on a non-gen (from a non-gen seller), buyer beware.

If you do purchase the watch, please post some good, clear pics here when you receive it. I would love to see it.

JlC today