freddy333

I have been sitting on that same fencepost for awhile now. But, ultimately, I decided that the OEM version, even with all of its warts, makes the watch look more gen than the service version, even though MY's insert is a more accurate copy of that later service version. For reference, here are a few of the gens I have been modeling my projects after. Most 6542 inserts, at least the originals that came with the watch, look like this I think you can see the similarity between these inserts & the new 1 on my watch. If they had only gotten the dots placed lower, I think it would just about pass. But, even as it is, I think the watch presents better with the new insert. Here is the previous insert And the new

It is just plastic, not Perspex. But, unless you have seen & handled the gen, they are difficult to tell apart. I got it from Eric Chow's ebay page, but the picture is NOT the insert you will receive. As you can see, the dots on the pictured insert are closer to the inside of the insert (like the gen, which is why I ordered them), while the dots on mine (I bought 2 & both are the same) are almost, vertically, dead center. When I pointed this out to Eric, he said 'The pictures in the auction was old one & I did not notice about the position in the dots. Sorry for my mistakes & if you don't like the one you brought, you can send it back to me & I'll refund to you.' As you can see, I kept them (1 for the phase 1 watch & the other for phase 2). While I thought his refund offer was reasonable, the fact that he never corrected his auction pictures demonstrates that he is knowingly selling parts that do NOT match his descriptions. So keep this in mind if what you get looks like something else.

Absolutely well done. A beauty.

Not perfect, but I think this insert's pluses outweigh its minuses a bit more than MY's insert The pluses Numbers are more correctly 3-Dimensional (the BIGGEST plus in my book) Non-serifed font & color are more accurate Overall presentation of watch is more gen-like The minuses Dots are located in the center of the insert (they are aligned closer to the inside circumference on the gen) Font color is too white/bright for a 50+ year old plastic insert (but very close to the original color when these watches were new) The tops of the triangles inside the 4s should be flattened The 12 on the insert is off-center (too far left) Insert is a bit too tall (plastic slightly too thick) As usual, 1 major step forward, a few minor steps backward. Comments?

When viewed from the side, the spacer should have a hump that rises nearly 3/8" in the center. If it is flat, the bezel will spin freely, which it should not do.

Nice looking watch. Well done.

Some of these cases have a thin metal spacer below the bezel. You can tighten the bezel by arching the thin metal spacer. The spacer is designed to put a slight amount of upward pressure on the underside of the bezel, which keeps it in position (press down on the bezel to turn it). Of course, if your case is fitted with the spring that runs around the inner circumference of the bezel, this is not an option.

Been wearing this most of the day (Saturday) But I am going out & be switching over to this

Thanks for the link. They must have read this.

Looks like a great base to work from, but I concur with PP & others who felt that the case looks too new. Especially, around the CGs, I think there is too much definition in the edges.

Google & Timezone

Yes.

I do not live in Germany, but I would avoid going to the customs office. You might phone them & use the story you mentioned (a friend sent the watch as a gift) or contact the seller & seek his advice. Be prepared to email the seller a scan of the letter.

Most better quality Rolex reps (at least those sold by our collectors) usually come with better quality rep bracelets. If the bracelet does not meet your standards, your options are to modify it (sand, polish, oil, fit gen clasps/end links) or buy a gen bracelet on ebay.

Well, if the movement is freshly serviced (by a professional Rolex-trained watchmaker), then it might be a reasonable deal (for the movement & case).

This is the 3rd of 4th time in the past several years I have seen someone fit 'red' wheels onto a horsecart & try to call it a Mercedes...........or, in this case, a Rolex. As was already mentioned, Rolex does not use see-through casebacks & it seems to me that if you want a movement that looks like a gen, then you ought to go all the way & clone the gen movement - plates, bridges, wheels & all. Engraving a few Rolex-style words (using the wrong font) on ETA bridges does not strike me as progress of any kind.

Yes, that weird something is called a frankenwatch, which are very popular around here. However, the goal of a franken is to end up with a watch that looks indistinguishable from its genuine counterpart. In this case, your watch (the watch you posted here) has the wrong dial/handset for its case. But you have the makings for a very nice Oyster Perpetual, if you can find a dial & proper handset.

All in all, a not very convincing contraption, but 1 that is not too dissimilar to what my 6536 may end up looking like if I fail to come up with the last remaining part on my conversion checklist. 1st, your purposely smallish, de-focused pics make it difficult to make out details. However, I have reprized them into more useful form Based on the updated pics, you have an aftermarket and/or relumed mid-50s 'Sub' dial stuck onto a gen 1030 movement planted into a non-date version of 1 of these OPs

Well, you probably ought to get holsters for those hands as they are likely to be spending alot of time on those hips.

Diesel, any idea how the moisture got into her? Have you opened the case to see the extent of the damage?

You make some good points (which cover some of the reasons I limit the amount of new work I take in). However, even with the best gen watches, you never know what you will find until you open the case or disassemble the movement. This is why watchsmithing is 90% experience & 10% knowledge. It is knowing how to handle the unexpected flying jewel or stripped screw or broken tooth that separates an amateur (like me) from a journeyman professional. Would you want to trust a student doctor, who may have committed the entire medical school's library to memory, to operate on your beautiful child? That is essentially what you are doing when you entrust the repair of your favorite watch to an inexperienced watchmaker. Sometimes, the best of intentions can result in botched jobs.

So far, so good. You can find most of the remaining gold or 2-tone parts on ebay (including the correct font champagne datewheel).

The answer is - probably. Does the rotor spin when you manually wind the watch? If so, then, most likely, the auto-wind module (of which the reverser wheels are a part) needs to be disassembled, cleaned & lubricated. This is also a good indicator that the entire movement is in need of a proper overhaul.

My usual beater today, but an old pic of her posing with something green for St. Paddy's Day