freddy333

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.

No, old gen.

I have (been experimenting). So far, with no success. I have been trying to expand the tube by running slightly larger phillips head screwdrivers into it. But I keep hearing metal tearing sounds. Trouble is, as you may know, that the tube is formed by a sheet of steel that feeds in through the bottom of the end link, which is looped to form the tube & then fed back out the same way it went in. The same piece of metal that forms the tube is also what connects (& secures) the end link onto the hinge of the 1st standard link in the bracelet As the bracelet arrived, the loops were pulling the end links fairly tight against the 1st links & my dabbling has caused them to tighten even more. So much so that the end links are difficult to rotate around the 1st link & I still cannot fit the springbar. Once again, I just cannot understand how anyone could spend the time required to copy the details of something so intricately only to screw up something so important as how you attach the finished product onto its intended mate. By the way, the 7206/80 bracelet is also correct for 1016s, 1019s, 1675s, 1680s, 5512s, 5513s, 5514s & 6541s (Subs & some other models require 2mm springbars).

Congratulations. Dials can be an iffy proposition since the dimensions of aftermarket dials tend to vary. However, I have 2 of their 6536 cases & 1030s are perfect fits (which does not surprise me since the cases are made for 1030s) In the case of the gens, both the 6536 & 6538 used the same (1030) movement, so you should have the same experience fitting a 1030 into that case. In my experience, Yuki has been very honest (& honorable) in all of my dealings with them. But, as always, with aftermarket parts (especially in view of my recent 7206 experience), ask the seller specific questions before you buy. You cannot assume anything.

ebay security was alerted by a number of people. Hopefully, they took action before the auction ended. It is 1 thing to build frankens for yourself & tout them as gens to your friends, but it is another kettle of (stinking) fish when you try to pawn (sell) them off as gens to unsuspecting buyers.

Ditto Alli (as usual). Definitely a 1570. It will probably go for between $1,200-$1,500, which is current market value for a clean, but unserviced movement from a reliable seller.

Not easily. The end links on the 7206 (& a number of other riveted & folded link bracelets) are semi-permanently attached to the bracelet. And even if you are able to get the existing end links off, you then have to locate a gen pair to re-install & I do not recall ever having seen a set of fixed end links for sale separately. Further, you end up with hinges looking like this Under nearly all circumstances, there is never any reason for this area of a bracelet to be damaged like this. Unless, of course, the entire bracelet looks the same. So, when searching for 7835s, always look carefully at this hinge (& ask for good, clear pics if they are not provided, which is itself a good reason to suspect monkey business). It is a tell-tale sign of a franken-bracelet & a considerable number of the rivets & folded links I have been seeing for sale on ebay (even from generally trustworthy sellers) are frankens. Buyer Beware.

I agree. But only if/after they fix the springbar issue on the 7206, so they understand the importance of a little detail like that. I can see little to be gained in producing another nearly perfect bracelet that is functionally unusable on the watches it is intended for.

For a standard rep watch (most of which come with thin springbars), this bracelet should work great. But, for a franken or gen, or if you have drilled out your lugs to fit gen (2mm) springbars (as alot of MBW/MBK owners do), I would recommend that you see how these thin springbars fit in your case before you order anything.

I am glad to hear the thin springbars work for you. But if these 7206s have been around for a year & a half, why has no one ever mentioned it? There have been numerous threads discussing how crummy the 'rivet' bracelets are that come with vintage Rolex reps & asking if a source of something better exists. The answer, until last week when I discovered the pics of the 7206 on Yuki's site, had always been that no one is making any good rivet bracelets. Anyway, the thin 'bars do not fit an accurately made early Sub or GMT (I have tried the thin 'bars in both my gen & Silix-modded 6542 cases). The lug holes in these watches are made to fit 2mm 'bars. The thinner 'bars look wrong (their pins do not fully fill the lug holes) & the end links are too loose. Unfortunately, I just received a reply from Yuki & it does not sound like they can (or will) correct the end links. They offered me a free pair of thin springbars, which do not properly fit my watches.

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