freddy333

I received so many compliments on the 6239 on Tuesday that I think I may break with tradition & wear it again on Wednesday

What do you expect.......It says 'Rolex' on the dial. 1 of the interesting (& unexpected) side effects of Rolex's recent move away from their traditionally conservative watch designs & towards larger, gaudier watches is that more & more buyers are starting to re-discover the beauty of their traditional models (37mm-40mm). Of course, this is occurring at the same time when new collectors are entering the marketplace from China, India & Russia & the pool of existing vintage watches is getting smaller, which drives the prices ever-higher. A simple case of an expanding demand outstripping a shrinking supply.

We do not call it a Super Rep for nothing. And if I did not already have 1, this pic would have sold me.

Thanks. The crystal is a gen, so I really do not want to modify it in any way since this is exactly what Rolex would fit during a service. When I build these vintage watches, I prefer to make them look like they would after being serviced by Rolex. I know that some people prefer to make vintage watches look 'beat up' or naturally worn, but I prefer the idea of starting out with a 'freshly serviced' look & then letting the watch age with me. I would love to find a black & red (roulette) datewheel, but the movement is an ETA, so the gen calibre 103x or 106x datewheels will not work. But I am looking & if you know of a source for a roulette wheel that will work on an ETA 2836-2, please let me know.

Sorry, but I have never seen anything but professional quality pictures of your duo. But, then, I think those beauties would look good even if the pics were taken by a blindman who did not see that the lens cap was still on. I do have a question about your lighting -- are you shooting in natural light (next to an open window) or what are you using for a light source? Your lighting always looks just right (even with the new camera).

I could not agree more with Avitt - you should NEVER force any watch parts. If it does not screw in easily, something is wrong. If you tap the case with the smaller Rolex tap (make sure to run the tap all the way through the hole), the threads should then be correct for (& match) the Cousins/Ofrei pusher's threads. You should also use a pusher wrench to screw the base into the case, but it should not require more than moderate finger pressure. In fact, you should only snug the pushers down & not tighten them (they break easily). And not to give you too much of a hard time, but I would also not have used thread locker, especially if you forced the bases part of the way into the case. A better option (to seal the pusher base) would be to use GC Crystal cement or silicone sealant, either of which provides a good seal without permanently cementing the parts into the case. Still, the final result looks good. Good luck with the rest of your project. Just remember -- if you have to force it, you are probably doing something wrong.

Yes, same pics & the site is hosted in China. My guess is that it is either another of Josh/Andrew's sites or someone has copied their site, even some of the basic layout & functions. Neither case would surprise me or be anything new in the world of reps though.

I prefer smaller denominations (easier to launder)

A meeting today with high profile clients (1 of whom has a serious watch collection) required a high profile watch (which was spotted by said collector & received universal approval from all in attendance) Thank you, DW.

Thank you for the compliment, Stilty. I would love to add a gen roulette disc into the mix. Do you remember what it sold for & what the date disc part number is? I am assuming the gen disc would need to be trimmed/modified to fit onto the ETA? I could go that route, but the hands are not terribly expensive (& I can get more if I foul them) & once I receive the right broaches, I think it will be alot easier to enlarge the hands than to search out the proper sized ETA pinions/wheels & rebuild the movement. The ETA parts costs would likely equal or exceed the cost of the handset (and I always try to follow the path of least resistance). As it is, I still have not decided whether to try to retro-fit the GMT parts from the 2836-2 onto a 'slow beat' 2846 (I have never done that before), or if it would make more sense to try to source a gen 106x calibre.

The crystal on my watch is a genuine Rolex T116, but I have seen 2 gen 6542s on TZ without a cyclops (Rolex used to give the buyer a choice of cyclops or non-cyclops crystals on some watch models). I have never tried to remove the cyclops on a Plexiglas crystal & I do not know the Tropic part number for the non-cyclops crystal. I think Offshore has a Rolex crystal guide, if you need the part number.

Congratulations on your 1st 'super' rep watch. The LV is not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it for what it is. You might consider having someone replace the crown & crown tube on your watch with gen parts. This is a very simple mod for anyone skilled with a set of watchmaker tools & it will improve the overall look & feel of your watch.

Is that check is any good?

I would certainly change the even numbers to red if I could source a roulette date wheel (with the correct fonts) made for an ETA. If you know of a source, I am all ears.

If you have to ask the price........... Great post, Narikaa.

I would not go that far, but thank you for the compliment.

Thank you, Laz. I agree & especially since this was just my backup project watch (to tide me over until the DW project gets done), the (nearly) final result (as well as everyone's reaction to it) surprised me too. A funny thing happened this morning - I emailed MY with a couple of questions & included a pic of the watch, telling him this is the watch I needed his insert for. And he wrote back saying the insert will fit an original watch too.

I have a 6542 dial en route & the correct handset already in my possession (I am just awaiting a larger broaching set, which is due this week). You may have missed my comments to that effect earlier on in this thread.

Definitely kismet, but I am surprised I never saw it. Did you keep a copy of that poster's watch picture? I have seen a couple of these watches with Tropic lenses, but I think alot of the magic of the 6542 comes from that big, magnified date cyclops. But I would love to see what it looks like with a Superdome.

I know that some of the early GMTs left the factory with tropic lenses, but I have never seen 1 with a Superdome. Still, it might be interesting, especially, if you already have the crystal.

And they say you will never get your money's worth out of a rep.

Instead of waiting for DW, maybe I should buy a dozen each of the Silix Sub, Josh's GMT & a pile of gen Rolex parts & start manufacturing 6542s? From the excitement this watch has generated in the short time since its birth (Saturday), it sounds like there might be a market.

Yes, I am expecting a (slightly small) 6542 gilt dial (the current dial is an early 1675) within the week.

ETA-powered Rolex rep purchased in 1987, state-of-the-art at the time & still running