freddy333

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Although I have 580s on my double red, Tribal is absolutely correct.

Eeeeeek!!!!!! I have never seen that before & what a travesty (& the mineral glass lens just ices an already crummy cake). Yuki, who are also good & reliable people to deal with, is definitely the way to go for a big crown Sub. This merits repeating - Eeeeeek!!!!!!

That is an option for standard rep cases, but not for gens, Yuki/NDtrading or already drilled-out frankens. The thin 'bars just rattle around inside the lug hole, plus they do not look right.

As far as I know, the stretch bracelets were only available until the mid-60s (due to spring problems & the likelihood of the bracelet being easily yanked off the owner's wrist - a problem I have experienced myself more than once), so most Daytonas sold with rivet bracelets would have been non-stretch. At least, the combination of Daytona & stretch rivet is rare enough that I have never seen 1. But, then, that may be due more to the small number of stretch bracelets that remained serviceable over the years rather than to any conscious marketing efforts by Rolex to avoid that particular combination. If you happen to remember or locate the source of the 19mm Oyster, please let me know. In the meantime, can you post some good, clear pics of your Daytona with the bracelet? If possible, shots of all sides, includes macros of the clasp markings. I want to check around to see if someone can source them for us. Thanks Indy.

UPDATE - I just heard from DW & he says these 7206 bracelets have been available for at least 2 years. I am not sure why no one ever made an official announcement here, but better late than never. I have also been discussing the springbar issue with Yuki & they agree that the factory made a mistake, which they have agreed to correct in the next production run. The only problem is that they need to sell out of the current stock before they can make more. But, hopefully, this will eventually get resolved & we will then have an accurate 7206 available in our vintage bracelet arsenal. And maybe they will do some 19mm 7205s as well (think 62xx Daytona).

Ubi - did some of the bezel paint wear away around 110/120 on your white? Or is that just an image artifact?

Well, now you have a reason to relive your childhood. Ditto. Looking good, Carl.

Wow, someone got a deal (when no one was looking) or the bottom just fell out of the vintage Rolex market.

No special equipment is required. A 3D pic is basically just 2 separate pics of the same image, each taken an inch or 2 to the left or right of the other, & then combined into a single pic. It is a bit more complicated, but not much. Anyone with access to a digital camera, an image editor (PS, PSP, etc) & the patience to experiment (until you get the images right) can do it.

I have no idea which Tudor movement you have or its specs. Also, you need to match the movement's height & the location of the stem as it fits through the case. The Rolex 1530 used in the 5512/5513, which is what the Yuki case is made to fit, is 28.2mm x 5.75mm high.

Most of the serious bidders will snipe it. The final selling price will be considerably higher.

Kudos to Tribal.

Well, if you want to use the Yuki bracelet, as it is currently, you have no choice but to leave the lug holes small. While small lug holes are an indicator of a rep, the riveted bracelet that most reps come with is a far more obvious indicator. So if I were choosing between the 2 poisons, I would definitely opt for the Yuki bracelet with small lug holes. Later, if we figure out a reliable way to enlarge the end link tubes, you can always drill out your lugs & fit the proper 2mm springbars. When I ordered the 1st ROLS176, it was the only Sub with the proper low profile case. However, some time afterwards, a number of their other Subs were relisted with similar dimensions (& pics). Both of the ROLS176s I got (the 2nd purchased several months after the 1st) had the same 2 model numbers between the lugs. So you may have gotten 1 of the other Subs.

Are we all talking about a Yuki case or an MBW? And, in the case of MBWs, are we talking about the 6538 or more recent MBWs (1680/5513 & 1665)? If MBW makes a 6538 case, I have never seen it so I cannot really help either way. As for the 1680/5513 & 1665 MBWs, things get a bit murky because I believe there are at least 3 versions of each model, depending on the time period. I have what I believe is the most current version of the MBW 5513 (the 1680 uses the same case) & its tube is a bit low As for the 1665, I believe the earliest version came from the factory with a working Hev (I believe this is the 1 that Nanuq has). The 1665 I have is about 3 years old & had only an engraved Hev (which I later replaced with a working valve) & I believe mine is the 2nd version. The tube is installed just about dead-center

You will need 3D Glasses to properly view my Sub

Great collection you have there. The pics are not too bad either (though I wish we could see embedded pics without having to use that slow & cludgy css/dhtml/javascript or whatever-it-is nonsense to view them that we have been stuck with since the recent site upgrade ).

I just enlarged the exiting hole. The original hole is only off-center when the wrong end links are fitted (as was the case for the Silix). End links are made to fit a specific case (or set of cases) & lug hole position. As I recall, the ROLS176 case I used for my initial 6542 project had '6542' etched between 1 set of lugs & '6538' etched between the opposite set of lugs. So, while the case was designed for 1 set of end links (when it was being used as a GMT), it ended up getting another set forced onto it when the case was assembled as a Cartier Sub

Just save me some cookies.

If yours is still sparkly, then you need to sand it some more (medium grade sandpaper will do). The brassy color comes from baking the bezel (with insert & watch removed of course ) in your home over at 550 degrees until it reaches the desired golden color (30-90 minutes). Just keep an eye on the part & remove it as soon as it 'browns'. (I posted more detailed instructions in a mini tutorial a couple of years ago, but I cannot find it now.) Or, if you would rather not risk damage or deal with the high temps, I have also achieved similar results at lower temps (375 to be exact) by tossing a bezel in with a few trays full of chocolate chip cookies. By the time the last pan of cookies comes out of the oven, the bezel should be very tasty indeed

The metal is very thin & I think I would have to remove all of the metal (completely destroying the tube) before the springbars would fit. Just not enough metal to work with. Yes, mine arrived the same way. The Silix watch is a POS & I knew that when I ordered it. But since I only needed the case, which was going to be seriously modified anyway, the bent springbars that came fitted (which were to be replaced with the correct 2mm gens) were not a problem. The reason for the bent springbars is that the end links they use were not made to fit this watch. This is fairly common with reps, because they use the cheapest off-the-shelf parts they have handy at the factory to reduce costs to Walmart levels & just make them fit. Of course, this also reduces quality to a similar level. Actually, as it is, the Yuki bracelet should fit your Silix case perfectly (assuming there is not too much variation in the manufacturing process - always a potential issue with aftermarket parts), because it comes with small lug holes to fit the thin aftermarket springbars. As long as you are aware that the small lug holes are a dead give-away, I would definitely order 1 of these bracelets right away.

All it takes is a little sanding & baking

A 1030 IS a great movement, but I would think twice before buying 1 from this seller. At least if you expect it to be complete & work as advertised. His buyer rating is only 96.6% & the 1st line in his description is wrong - 6608 Bond Sub? I think he meant the 5508, which used the 1530 caliber.

No, the 1030 comes from Rolex only. But, with the clever Chinese, I would guess it is only a matter of time until an Asian-made copy will appear.

Thanks for the input, Ubi. Yes, I suppose you could do that. But, the way I see it, anyone who can ID the bracelet based on its engravings (which, while not perfect, are not bad at all - at least they are engravings, as opposed to etchings) will also be able to ID the watch as a franken. And since the exterior of the bracelet is just about perfect (it has fooled me more than once already while I was putting the pics together for this thread), I could not justify the time & effort required to replace the end links with custom pieces or gens (if that is even possible). If (when) the end link tube issue is solved so these bracelets can actually be used with the watches they are intended for, I would have absolutely no qualms about wearing it anywhere. Under normal circumstances (when seen on your wrist), no one could possibly ID this bracelet as anything but a gen. And the added credibility a gen bracelet adds to a good franken goes for this bracelet as well. It is that good.