freddy333

Late Saturday night

This much I know for sure - rep watches are not designed or manufactured by WIS types (serious watch aficionados/collectors). Most are either not aware of the mistakes (think of how long it took most of us to learn the differences between a Rolex 703 & 702 Triplock & that is just 1 out of thousands of details) or do not think that most buyers will notice them (which, for the majority of rep buyers, is true). In addition, while I have absolutely no proof of this, I continue to suspect some degree of collusion between the gen makers & major rep factories. The agreement stipulates that the gens will leave the rep makers (mostly) alone as long as they agree never to produce exact copies.

I think the pearl on the 653x Subs was smaller than on later Subs, but, otherwise, I would agree. The very scarce (& expensive) Tropic 18 for a 6536 Ditto.

Congrads on the acquisition. I mostly agree with the above, but the 6538's main claim to fame (aside from the Bond connection) is its oversized (8mm) 'Brevet' crown, which is rarer than hen's teeth (unless you are willing to spend upwards of $1,200 for a barely functional part or $1,500+ for a good 1 & you would still need to track down a 24-8000 tube). The good news is that a 6536, which is 1 of the projects I am working on below, is essentially the same as the '38 except that it is fitted with a standard 6mm Twinlock (or Brevet) crown. All of that aside, I would swap out the lens & insert/pearl. Personally, I am not a big fan of those Nato straps, so you might also consider a gen 7206 rivet bracelet with 65 end links. But, of course, that is a judgment call Having said all that, you also need to be aware that your case is larger (thicker) than a gen 653x Sub. That is probably the biggest difference between the NDtrading & rep case. So it may not pay to spend alot on gen upgrades.

Saturday

Spending Friday night tidying up around Emerald City

If you have not already done so, manually wind it (slowly) 40 turns. Then set the watch down on a table & leave it there, untouched, for 35-40 hours. If the watch continues to run, then you just needed to fully charge (wind) the mainspring. If it stops again, you will need to make peace with your little friend & ship him off to a knowledgeable watchsmith.

No idea about the Deepsea, but 62xx Daytona dials are matte. If your dial is gloss, varnishing it is probably a good idea. But, then again, if the dial is gloss, I would expect it to have other problems as well that might make the type of finish the least of them. It may be best just to get a better dial (or rep).

In contrast to the image you have of the Zigmeister's smoke-filled, paneled den, the reality (for those, unlike our Nanuq, who really may not know) is that most watchmakers' benches tend to look more like this

There are some really great pics (& watches) here, gentlemen.

Watchmakers have a tool that will put a slight bend in a springbar for such instances. Thin watch straps have not been in fashion for many years (at least since the fad of the Big Watch began in the late 90s), but some can still be found. Check some watchmakers or some of the stores in shopping malls that sell cheap watches & watch batteries as they often have a good selection.

Sorry, no Explorers.

The usual beater on this anonymous Wednesday

Ditto.

That is a steal. The last 3 (gen) Perspex inserts that sold on ebay each went for at least $2,200.

Very definitely & now I understand Ziggy's hesitancy to 'out' the shop. It seems that some things never change. I had a watchmaker relative who was Rolex trained & he used to fix alot of 'repairs' performed by ADs & other shops. You should definitely gather the evidence & send it off to the RSC in New York. They used to compensate the customer for the inconvenience of having to have his watch repaired again. But, then, they also used to sell parts over-the-counter through ADs, so that may have changed.

The dial contains mistakes (most salient are the too narrow index markers), the insert/bezel are wrong (incorrect font, pearl should be metal-free for this model), the caseback contains mistakes (incorrect font & spacing), the crown guards need some work (too wide, covering too much of the crown) & typical rep crown. Certainly, better than Canal Street (so you did alright), but not as good as MBW/MBK (there is a wealth of info on 'MBW' that search out it if you are unfamiliar with the term) or higher. As always, I recommend that you seek out pictures & info of gens on the web so you know what to look for. Try doubleredseadweller, timezone & google.

The rehaut varies slightly in each of the DW Daytona cases I have worked on (though always within a reasonable range for a vintage Daytona) & it, like the dimensional aspects of the rest of the case, does not appear to be movement specific. That is, the differences are most likely due more to sample-to-sample manufacturing variations than to any designed-in specifications. In most cases, the middle case will accept either movement. The casebacks for the Valjoux are slightly shallower (similar to the gen), but it can be used with a rotorless 7750 as well since the middle case is otherwise the same. On the other hand, I had to do a great deal of grinding/reshaping to 1 of my V72 cases before the V72 would fit properly into it & that included the rehaut area. So alot of this comes down to luck of the draw (how well your particular case was machined at the factory) & how much time/effort you or your watchmaker are prepared to put in to get the job done (if required).

I have to disagree with both of you. Unless you (Ziggy) are happy to receive the benefits of previously bad work (which I doubt is the case with you), I think it would be a good idea to 'out' repeat offenders of bad work. After all, this is the best way to help the next guy avoid ending up with the same issues. It looks like brake grease to me. Specifically, Castrol brake grease.

Great post. Thank you.

Exactly. Not to mention all of the currently pricey, hard-to-get gen parts (new, NOS & used) that may flood the market in search of a diminishing pool of buyers. But, on the negative side, I think we may also see alot of newly certified watchmakers in need of new careers as history repeats itself.

Not being a lawyer in your country, I am the last person to tell you what you should do. However, I am sure that ignoring the letter (since it was registered) is a BAD idea. I would recommend that you consult with a local lawyer. Again, I am pretty sure he will simply draft a letter describing your innocence, but I would let him make that call instead of anyone (including me) here.

I originally made this prediction while back, but as the global economy continues to teeter between doom & gloom, I am becoming more & more certain that 2009 will prove to be the worst year, profit-wise, for the mechanical watch industry since the Quartz crisis days of the 70s. As more & more owners of recently (within the past 5-7 years) purchased mechanical watches come to the realization that the engines that drive them require (regular) servicing (which is rarely mentioned at purchase time), especially when they are having to tighten the purse strings, I fear that many (non-collector) gen owners will decide to get out of the game & return to the sensible world of quartz/digital accuracy & (relatively) trouble-free ownership.

Great pictures.

You did, but only because I began work on this over the weekend