freddy333

Yes, I think you are right about the 3055 on the caseback in these pics. But unless you are the original purchaser, I do not know of a reliable way to determine the age of a vintage rep. However, based on its overall condition, I would say it is more than likely of recent vintage. For reference, the gen 3055 was a small chronograph, with a case that measured something like 29 or 30mm in diameter (without the crown) & the watch in the pictures looks considerably larger than that, probably closer to the 40mm mark than to 30.

All vintage Rolex watches, especially chronographs, are rare. The 3055 is 1 of their bi-compax chronograph models from the 1950s & was available in either steel or yellow gold Rolex, like many watch makers over the years, made a number of variations on this theme & your rep could be modeled after any of them (or it may be a combination or fantasy design, which is quite common). But, like I said, without good, clear pics, the 3055 is just a guess.

If it has been 48 hours since you were promised a tracking number, I would PM the seller via RG or whatever site you made the transaction through. Give it another 24 hours &, then, if you still do not receive a response, I would find 1 of his recent public posts & post a reply to his post saying ONLY 'PM sent. Please check your mail.'. Give him another 24 hours to reply & then contact 1 of the Mods on that site to get their opinion if you do not receive an appropriate response from the seller. Most likely, everything will work out. But I am less willing to forgive slow sellers when I am quick in sending payment.

1665 DRSD - 5790210 5514 - 2950417 I believe both dials (which are made to fit the proper gen calibre) are approximately 27mm & they fit the MBW cases properly. However, I do not have any loose extras to verify measurements.

It looks a little like a steel version of the bi-compax 3055, but your pics are too small & dark to see enough detail to know what it is. The movement looks kind of like a Mystery Movement (search out 'mystery movement' for details), but, again, hard to tell from your pics. It may also be a generic Valjoux 23, for which parts like stems are available on the bay. If it is a MM, then you may have trouble finding a stem that fits. If you can provide a good, clear macro picture of the movement, especially the area below the balance, its identity might be revealed & then a stem might be located.

I have never done a 1680, but both my MBW 5514 (left) & MBW DRSD (right) are powered by 15xx calibres The gen 1680 & 5513/4 all share the same case (only the engravings are different) &, as far as I know, the MBW versions of these Subs similarly share the same case (in addition to the 5514, I also have an MBW 5513 case). Assuming your 1570 comes with the 2 case screws (you screw them in to install & screw them out to lock the movement into the case), you will need to grind out a 1/2" hump from the inner wall of the case (at approximately 9) to fit 1 of the case screws down into the case As long as you are using a gen dial (or a 27mm aftermarket dial that is made to fit a gen case), you should not have too many problems. 1 caveat is that I recently read a post by another member (I cannot recall who) suggesting that MBW has redesigned their cases & this member ran into problems with 1 of them. The poster also mentioned that Eurotimez told him that he was still able to get MBWs based on the older case. I do not recall the exact post, so I would recommend you search it out or contact Eurotimez for details since most of my MBW cases are more than 2 years old.

Ending the work week on a genuine red letter day

The dial should not say 'Swiss Made' at 6 & the bezel insert & date font are incorrect. Those are the most salient issues I can see.

Cats - I hate to be the sole black cloud, especially considering all of the time & effort you have put into this (which is obvious since the case looks tremendous). But that dial does not match the case. It is too large (the minute & Swiss markings at 6 are almost completely hidden beneath the rehaut) & the fonts & crown are just wrong. I think you need another dial that is more up to the level of the case. A stock MBW would be an improvement & an NDTrading would be a big improvement. And, while I love the daylight color of the lume, I think the bright glow in the dark just exaggerates the problems with the dial. I do not mean to hurt your feelings, but I am just being honest.

To fit properly, the hands & dial must be made for that particular movement. However, with the right tools, you can often resize hand tubes.....a bit. And you can always use dial dots or some other type of semi-permanent adhesive material to attach a dial to a movement (with the caveat that this may require some trial-&-error to get the correct fit &, eventually, the dial is likely to require re-fitting when the adhesive loosens). Cases, while offering a bit more latitude when trying to fit a movement, still may require movement spacers and/or modifications to get everything aligned correctly. These are definitely not tasks for the weak-kneed.

This question comes up frequently, but, last I heard, the Mods are looking for ways to consolidate the number of forums, as opposed to adding new 1s. Housekeeping, with so many forums, must be a major pain as it is.

Or I could just wear long sleeves.

Back to the usual

The Lemania (copy) movement generally used in Daytonas is a bi-compax (2 working subdials). That & the fact that the watch in the picture shows the hour totalizer hand pointing to the 12 (while the hour hand is pointing to the 2), so I think it is safe to say that the hour totalizer is frozen. Also, when responding, try to avoid reposting an entire previous post if you are only adding a couple of lines at the end.

It would if the watch is running fast due to a hairspring that is tangled on an adjacent part, which can occur if the watch was subjected to a severe impacts (like being slapped) during shipment. Of course, it is still repairable. But replacement of a hairspring is alot more expensive than simply untangling it. However, everything is mere conjecture until you take the watch to a watchmaker.

Hologram is gone (from all models - replaced by a clear sticker), but crystal etching remains.

I am not familiar with that model number, but, generally speaking, Tudor Sub cases share the same dimensions as their Rolex Sub cousins. So, most likely, the dial (on the gen) is 27mm (Sub rep dials tend to be 28mm-29mm).

A watch like this only screams when the person listening knows what to listen for. The thing is that so few people actually know what the real thing looks like, it is highly unlikely that any of the general population will ever hear anything. However, the converse can also be a problem - why spend any more time, effort or money to mod the basic rep if no one (that you generally come into contact with) is going to appreciate (or know) the difference? Therefore, I would say that if you often find yourself in environments where this level of gen watch is routinely sighted, then I would hold off until you can afford a more accurate rep or franken. On the other hand, if you spend most of your time among Blackberries & Iron Mans, then I would grab Eurotimez' rep in a heartbeat & just enjoy wearing a beautiful watch.

Click here.

Ziggy is probably right, although it is also possible that the hairspring is either tangled in an adjacent wheel or magnetized (the effects of each, running fast, are very similar). In either case, I would recommend that you NOT slap or strike it. That is likely to compound the problem if the hairspring is tangled. I would have a watchmaker look at it. He may be able to de-magnetize it (which is a good idea even before you open the case) while you wait. If de-magnetizing does not help, then he will need to clean or detangle the spring. But if the spring is stuck together due to dirt/oil, you will probably need to have the movement serviced, which I would do anyway since rep watches generally come with used or unserviced movements in them.

Overall, for a standard rep, the watch is not bad. But it probably will not fool anyone who knows anything about vintage Rolex watches (which are about the only people who will appreciate a vintage Daytona). And like Indy already said, the rep rivet bracelet is crap. Best to keep the rep solid link bracelet (I do not think this watch is accurate enough to merit the cost of a gen bracelet).

If you have a blank tape (cassette, VHS, etc) or tape deck head demagnetizer, that will work as well. Otherwise, I would second OS's recommendation for an inexpensive alternative.

You have a couple of issues there, neither of which is easy to address without the proper tools & skills. 1st, you need to locate the jewel bearing & 2 missing jewels (1 has a hole in the middle) With a small pair of tweezers, you need to squeeze together the ends of that tiny, gold-plated spring & then fit them into the jewel holder near your red arrow. The spring should pivot up & down on that side. Then, with the spring in the up (open) position, you slide the jewel bearing assembly (the 3 items marked with red arrows above) into the setting & lower the spring over it. Then, while holding the jewels in place with a soft toothpick (so they do not fly out, which is quite a skill in itself), you squeeze the sides of the spring together with the tweezers until you are able to slide the 2 humps (on each side of the spring) down below the lip in the setting, which locks the jewel assembly in place. 2nd, before you assemble/install the jewel assembly, you need to oil it, which requires a specific type/amount of oil be applied in the center of the end-stone (the jewel without the hole in it). Once oiled, you can place the jewel holder (with the jewel that has the hole in it) on top of the end-stone & then place the entire jewel assembly into the setting (as described above), closing the spring over it.

Good luck.