freddy333

I have only fit V72s & A7750s into DW cases, but, depending on how well your particular case was machined, it will likely require some degree of grinding (many DW cases do, regardless of what movement they were made for or what movement you are trying to fit). But, dimensionally, the V23 is just a thinner V72, so it should fit.

I think alot depends on whether you want people to recognize your watch as being a luxury watch or whether you just want something visibly accurate for your own benefit. In the former case, I would stick with a plain, steel Rolex without a date or other complication. No gold, no jewels & no complications. Less is more when it comes to (accuracy in) rep watches. In the latter case, you have alot more latitude since fewer people know other brands or what they actually look like.

My trusty (as in reliable) beater on Tuesday

Yes & thanks.

I have to agree with JoJo here. I think what you have done with the transparency is brilliant & easily good enough for any non-gen-powered projects I might consider. The only way anyone would be able to detect the absence of brushing of the metal is to view the watch close-up with a loupe. But I think that anyone getting that close with a loupe will certainly have a wealth of other things to call you out on before they cite you because of the granular texture of your datewheel.

No TWA, but I own some Pan Am

I would want to see more of Yuki's case, especially the Hev side & caseback (he only displays the front). But if it, as I suspect it may, turns out to be the same case that NDtrading sells for 4-5 times as much, then I would ditto ShawnBeever. Otherwise, with the caveats SB indicated, you can do alot with an MBW, a dremel, a handful of gen parts & alot of time & patience

Ditto Avitt & Stilty. Depending on which end links they have (the end links are 'permanently' attached), 1 end of the bracelet will have 7835/19 pressed into the last link before the end link

$800-$1,200, depending on condition.

If the bezel does not turn, the 'flat' tensioning spring below the bezel (which places a small amount of upward pressure on the bottom of the bezel) is either damaged or just bent too much (most likely the latter). However, the bezel on Subs & SDs is designed to stay in position when not being moved. Normally, to move the bezel, you press down on it (this compresses the tensioning spring) & then it should turn freely. If that does not work, I would carefully pry off the bezel using a dull knife (you might want to tape the case wherever you place the knife to protect it from scratches) & try flattening out the tensioning spring. You will probably need to do a few test-fittings to get the spring tension correct, but it is pretty easy to what is happening once you remove the bezel.

That is my impression as well.

Based on the pics, it looks like Watcheden is just Idolreplicas with yet another new name (the 4th or 5th that I am aware of) & these guys are typical rep sellers (liars & cheats). So buyer beware.

I would expect a custom made bracelet to fit alot better , but happy birthday anyway.

Like they say, timing is everything. I rarely venture into this forum (I come to RWG for watches), but I had some free time & found Chicken Manny's post. While I have no personal experience with the current crop of Jaguar cars, I was trained (35 years ago) to fix them & I spent several years after that restoring them (mostly E-types). I still have a couple of friends who specialize in modern Jaguar repairs & while they are some of the most beautiful & comfortable cars on the road, my impression is that they remain at or near the bottom of the reliability list. For a 2nd car that you just want to be seen around town in, I would say, unequivocally, go for it. But if this is your daily beater, I would think twice & consider something else (Lexus comes to mind).

Spent the late afternoon car shopping with this (hidden below my cuff)

Yes, it looks like your dial's date window was cut to fit an ETA, which would account for the date being off-center. A dial made to fit a Rolex 1570 should fix the problem. To post a larger image (I would go no larger than 1024x768), click the 'Insert Image' icon in the RWG editor & copy the link from your imageshack page into it. Do not use the 'Insert Link' icon (that is for posting URLs). This is what it should look like

The day before

Either you have an aftermarket date disc &/or the date window in your dial was cut off-center. If your date disc is gen, I would point the finger at the dial, which, if MBW, was made to fit an ETA date (which resides about 1mm west of where Rolex places it). Gens or gen movements with dials made to fit gen movements should be close to dead center on all dates

Without seeing good, clear macro pics of the entire watch, I can only recommend that you remove the caseback to be sure that it at least contains a gen Rolex 3135 movement. If you are unfamiliar with what they look like, check google.

Outstanding. The only question I have is how well the transparent overlay will handle temperature extremes over time?

I use a staking set bit, but anything with a similar shape that fits around the pinion's shaft will do Press fairly hard until you hear the pinion bottom onto the plate. It is impossible to explain how hard is too hard, but somewhere between not hard enough & just right the pinion will slide down the arbor & lock into place. Be careful to have the teeth on the adjacent wheel lined up with the cannon pinion's teeth as you press it down or you may damage them.

I have not seen brass-plated parts for many years (except on very low end rep parts). What type of watch do you have with brass-plated hands? And I would agree with Avitt's recommendation of a Cape Cod cloth. I have also used semichrome polish with good results, but it will definitely change the color of lume (I usually relume any hands that need refinishing anyway).

Ending the work week wearing my beater (right) today

I cannot imagine how you could have bent the bezel (or do you mean the insert) while removing it, but you can try setting it upside-down on a table & then lifting whichever area is bent with the same knife that bent it originally. Failing that, I think you are going to have to contact the seller to see about getting a replacement. You might also be able to buy an aftermarket bezel on ebay (I do not know who sells them, but I have seen them for sale there over the years).