freddy333

Yes. On many movements, the timing adjustment piece has 2 tiny dots on it, which are the ends of the pins that run down along each side of the hairspring (the other piece to its left is where the hairspring terminates & it sets the beat - do not move it!) & increase/decrease the 'spring's effective length - slowing/increasing the balance, which slows/increases the speed of the movement.

With the caseback removed, looking at the area of the balance wheel, you should see a piece that sticks out like this - To reduce the speed of the movement (slow the watch), use a toothpick (assuming you lack a proper tool) to gently & ever so slightly nudge the piece slightly closer to the other piece where the hairspring terminates. Again, just a wee bit as this adjustment can make a huge difference. It is very easy to go too far & end up with a watch running too slow or slip & damage the hairspring or another component. So be careful! Then, fully wind the watch, set it to a computer or other accurate time-keeper & wear it for 24 hours. After 24 hours, compare the difference in seconds with the computer clock & readjust that sliding piece until you are within about 5-10 secs/day. Good luck.

As alligoat said, the links have been removed (scammer/fake parts?), so you are mostly on your own. As to the cost of polishing & assembly (which is what a proper watchmaker does with every watch he overhauls), depending on the model & complications (& your location, if you have the work handled by a local watchmaker), this will cost anywhere from about $200-$1,500+. A standard, non-date 3-hand Oyster Perpetual, assuming all the correct parts are there & in spec, near the lower end. A chronograph or a watch needing parts will raise the bar to the high end. Remember, Rolex is the watch equivalent of a Mercedes-Benz, the cheap 1s tend to end up costing the most.

Sorry to hear about the bad luck, but happy to hear they did not harm you.

Still lugging 1 of these old things around

Ditto Alligoat's comments. The 6mm Twinlock crown users a smaller diameter tube, but the hole in the case should be the same diameter/thread pitch for either tube. That said, many rep & aftermarket cases have poorly or incorrectly tapped case holes (for both the crown & pushers). So be careful when fitting a new tube & be prepared to have to re-tap the hole to make a gen tube fit without cross-threading (most of the watchmaker supply houses sell tap sets for Rolex crowns & pushers). & nice watch!

I feel for you, but we have all been there. There are many threads on RWG describing exactly the same experience. It is the nature of the beast when you consider that, unlike genuine watches, most reps are 'manufactured' on someone's kitchen table or floor, amid the dust & crumbs of daily life. I am sometimes amazed that any of them work at all. In any case, because of the poor quality (& general lack of proper QC), it is generally recommended that you factor in the cost of a professional overhaul for any rep that you expect to keep for a long time, need to rely on or plan to use in or near water.

It is a good idea to always do a bit of research or ask for help BEFORE buying a rep. Nearly all reps contain either used or unserviced movements, which means they may arrive with problems. Worse, some reps have inherent problems that are either difficult/expensive to put right or must be returned to the seller for repairs (unless the seller recommends you use a local watchmaker). In the case of a new rep that just stops running, it may contain an unserviced (ie, dirty) movement that simply requires a standard overhaul (disassembly, cleaning, oiling & adjustment), or it may contain a used movement that either needs an overhaul or had problems when it was installed in the case. Things are even more complicated if your Daytona contains the infamous secs @ 6 7750 movement, which have a long history of inherent problems. The most common problem can be remedied by a full overhaul & application of graphite lubricant to the additional components that relocate the running seconds from the 7750's natural 9 o'clock position to the Rolex 1165xx's 6 o'clock position (see this thread - note that I am not providing this service - you will need to refer this to another watchmaker).

I am not seeing any 'spelling error', but I would replace the dial & reshape the CGs. Other than that, what is your goal (tool watch, safe queen, used/abused, etc) & how deep are your pockets?

After a frustrating morning, I felt the urge to push something, so I switched over to 1 of my Newmans

Just about every watch parts supplier sells them. google watchmaker supplies.

It depends entirely on the details of the particular bracelets in question. Some of the best replica bracelets are very difficult to tell apart from the genuine article. If you read some of the older threads about Yuki 720x rivet bracelets, you will see what I mean. That said, most people cannot tell the difference between average reps & gens, so the knowledge, experience & sensitivity of the viewer plays a large part.

Ditto.

I would love a source for any genuine Rolex parts today. About 10 years ago, Rolex SA clamped-down on their service network members & specifically forbid them from selling or transferring any Rolex parts to anyone outside the official Rolex service network. That virtually cut-off all of my sources for the past 25 years, all of whom told me Rolex made it clear that a single infringement would likely result in their losing their Rolex service &/or dealer status. So if anyone has a current source (other than ebay), please PM me. As to the general state of frankens for buyers, it has always been a minefield & a very expensive 1 at that. As many, including myself, have stated over the years, that 'outrageous' price being asked for a vintage Rolex part or watch today will be the bargain 1 year from now. &, most likely, within 10 years, the price will double, triple or quadruple. The point is that due to diminishing supply & ever-increasing demand, price, within reason (for vintage Rolex), should never be a precluding factor for serious vintage Rolex projects. As Nanuq & Auto said, building quality frankens is a risky & expensive endeavor & 1 that is not for the impatient, bargain hunter or emotional. But the rewards outweigh the struggles if your pockets are deep enough, your eye is sophisticated enough & your plan is clear enough.

If this is a new watch, it would be best to contact the seller & seek his advice. He may offer an exchange or give you a partial rebate or discount on your next purchase - recommending that you have it fixed locally. That way, you avoid the complexity & inherent pitfalls relating to shipping a replica around the world. It is a relatively easy fix to remove, realign & re-glue the lume bit into the metal surround. The difficult part, unless you have the tools & experience, is to de-case/reinstall the watch. If you lack these, just about any competent local watchmaker should be able to handle the task for you.

Still wearing the GMT today

I mostly agree with slay. I have tried Bergeon dial feet on multiple dials, with proper surface prep & various adhesives/epoxies/cements & they always fall off. No so with good dial dots. In some cases, you may have to stack 2 or 3 dots on top of each other for proper spacing, but the only real downside to dial dots is that they must be positioned so they do not interfere with components & the adhesive can be a bit of a pain to remove during overhauls.

Many serious collectors include ephemera like original watch boxes, advertisements, pens, display materials, product catalogs & registration paperwork in their collections, which make them more interesting. If paperwork is sought for that purpose, it is fine. However, criminals use genuine papers to fool buyers into thinking a fake Rolex is genuine. That type of activity is illegal & will definitely result in the criminal being banned.

Although I am not sure I agree with your description of MQ's source or case construction techniques, I am interested in hearing more myself. Nothing you have said so far is an annoyance. Please feel free to continue.

Just past midnight & wearing my Aryan 'Master

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.