freddy333

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

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.

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.

Good question.

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

All of the lugs in my project cases were done with a hand drill & I still have all 10 fingers (w/o holes).

Ditto.

There was at least 1 thread on this topic, which was inspired by an ad campaign several years ago -

The crown on the 1st dial is slightly off, but, overall, I think it is better than the 2nd dial, which looks like a standard aftermarket dial. But, as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Wrong. Any watch is only water-resistant when tested & proven to be so, & it is only water-resistant until it is not (ask Nanuq). Assuming any watch, especially reps (which are assembled with little or no QC), is water-resistant is an accident waiting to happen.

Overall great work, but you are far from complete. Mint is 1 thing, but, as many of us learned along the way, modification & assembly are the easy parts, relatively speaking. Making a new 60-ish year old watch look 'real' is the hard part.

Keep in mind that these are old watches that have likely been serviced (& polished) multiple times over the years. So there is likely to be wide variations of wear & finish. I think it is more important that all of the parts appear to have the same patina rather than worrying about getting a curve or individual detail 'correct'. Most long-term Rolex collectors will tell you that a gen 'just feels right', which is another way of saying that everything appears to be the same vintage & nothing sticks out as being wrong.

Maybe you need a breath mint?

Nanuq has a gen DRSD, which is 1 that I have used as a model before. I am sure if you ask nicely, he might provide an image or 2 (or you could just use the RWG search).

Looks good so far, but, as always, you should find & use a single gen as a guide & simply replicate the 'patina' on that gen. Otherwise, you are effectively somewhat blindly throwing darts at a dartboard.

For the same reason that an original Warhol print costs multiple millions of dollars or a new Ferrari costs hundreds of thousands - brand recognition, supply & demand.

Here is a gen for reference & remember there are also minor variations -

If you want opinions on a component, post good, clear pics of the component. Otherwise, it is difficult to offer anything useful. What I can say is that all of my 62xx Daytonas have MQ dials.