freddy333

I will definitely take you up on that as long as the T116 fits whatever case I end up with (I usually go with Clark's crystals if the gen is not an option). Thank you!

Exactly. I am assuming I will have to dig deep for that dial since I have not found anything better (yet), but I think I can probably do much better on the case.

That was my initial plan & I still might go that route. But since the ultimate goal is to switch over to a gen movement, I can 'suffer' with a 28.8 bph movement just to get the basic watch put together. Along those lines, I am also considering using whatever dial comes in the rep case, until I locate a gen movement, assuming it is a vintage GMT dial.

Is this the same G-S that supplies (no pun intended) the numerous watchmakers & jewelers cements? Good info to know, but I will not be able to make use of it until I hone in onto a final case. No dial yet. I am considering a couple, but the NDTrading seems to be the best so far. Just a bit pricey. But, again, the key is finding a case to match the bezel. Once I have that hurdle behind me, the rest will just take time (& a bit of money). I really do not want to have to spend $1,000 (or thereabouts) on a case (& I like the bezel I found much better than the bezel that comes with the NDT case), so the NDT 5508 case is probably out. And, anyway, for NDT prices, having the correct case engraving ('6542') would be a must, which would eliminate the 5508 anyway. But I appreciate the suggestions. Please keep them coming.

Thanks Hike. I am quite surprised no one has done 1 of these recently since pretty much all the needed parts can be had except for the case (again, excluding the Vietnamese cases). And I find it hard to believe that none of our collectors sells (or cannot source) a GMT with a serviceable case. And I think that once the hands & dial are relumed to match the gen model, it should be a nice piece.

I am doing some preliminary research for a 6542 project & could use some input. This is 1 of the gens I am using as a guide Some info about the gen 6542 that I have found so far (please offer corrections if you have factual evidence to the contrary)...... Bezel originally made of brass, but Rolex later began fitting steel replacement bezels because the brass often cracked or broke Bezel insert is Perspex (bakelite, an early plastic-resin material) with 24-hour markers painted (with tritium) on its underside Crystal is T116 (Plexiglas) Case dimensions are 39mm x 13mm Calibres are either 1036GMT (1954-1959), 1065GMT (1957-1959) or 1066GMT (1957-1959) Originally fitted with a 'roulette' (dates alternating in red (even numbers) & black (odd numbers)) datewheel (though Rolex often changed this to the standard black datewheel during servicing) Correct handstack order for this model is (from bottom to top) - GMT/hour/minute/seconds My plan is to power the initial project watch with an ETA 2836-x, but this will likely be swapped out for a gen movement eventually, so the case would need to fit either movement. I am also trying to keep the total parts cost (excluding a gen movement) to below $600 (+/-), which leaves out any of the Vietnamese (NDTrading) cases. So 1 of the things I would like to know is whether any of the CG-less vintage GMT or Sub reps sold by our collectors will accept a bezel that measures 38mm across (OD) (the insert is 4mm across, so I would estimate the required case opening to be 28-30mm (OD)) Ideally, I would like the case to be engraved with the correct '6542' model number between the lugs (the number inside the caseback is irrelevant). All of the rep cases I have seen measure either 38mm x 12mm (Silix Sub) or 40mm x 12.5mm (Josh/Andrew GMT with CGs that would need to be ground off), but I am willing to live with a case dimension inaccuracy of .5mm - 1mm if it will fit the bezel. Any ideas?

1 of these were recently posted on TZ. Nice. Here is a little something from my archives that might also be of interest

I do not care what anyone says about you, Lani. You are alright in my book. Or you will be once you shut down that meth lab of a watchmaker's shop.

I believe a winder can totally wind a movement (assuming it delivers a sufficient number of turns/day), but modern mainsprings are designed to 'slip' when the spring is fully wound. This keeps the spring from overwinding. The only potential issue I know of is the possibility of accelerating wear of the auto-wind gears if the watch is wound constantly (some cheap winders simply spin the watch 24/7 without pauses) or the auto-wind components are not in proper condition to begin with.

Ending the week with my trusty (not to be confused with Trusty....) beater

Cool.

The cyclops is 7mm? So it is larger than the existing cyclops on either the gen or rep? If I read that wrong & the cyclops is the same size as the current 1 on our GMTIIC reps.......... For $21 & a SASE, count me in. PM reply sent. Lani - Any chance of getting a picture of your GMTIIC with 1 of the new crystals next to it so we can compare the size of the cyclopses?

Stephane - I am glad everything turned out well in the end. The Couple look beautiful.

Many people here own gens as well as reps & post on gen websites as well as rep sites. And as long as you respect the dividing line between the 2 worlds, everyone can go about their business without causing the other side alot of grief. But there are 2 things that especially trouble me about this case. For 1 thing, the person involved definitely knew the rules against posting reps on gen sites. Secondly, he did it essentially to say 'Look at what these bad rep people are up to!!!!!', when in fact he is 1 of the more prominent individuals involved. It is the holier than thou attitude of people like this (& they are legion on TZ) that really bothers me & which makes this particular indiscretion all the more troubling. He really ought to be banned from the gen site where he posted the rep pictures as well. Banning him here simply curtails his repping activities, but it allows him to carry on mostly undeterred & without limits. However, I doubt his crusade would carry much weight in the gen forums if the gen world became aware of how actively involved he was in the rep world.

You make a very good point. We each have our own set of qualifications, but my general rule of thumb for reps (& frankens) is that I will not spend more than 1/20th the cost of the gen watch for a rep. That is, while I will consider spending $2,000 buying the components to construct a franken copy of an $80,000+ vintage Paul Newman Daytona or $50,000 DRSD, I would not spend $2,000 on a rep or franken copy of a $5,000 or $10,000 gen watch. To me, that just does not make economic sense. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule & each of us comes to the table with a different set of emotions that often get the best of our rules. But I would seriously re-consider spending $1,500 on a non-gen watch when you can have the gen for $5,000-$7,000 (unless you REALLY have to have it & no off-the-shelf rep makes your grade).

Silvio - I had 2 of the Watchmeister DWs & was never able to get either of them to remain centered in the date window for very long In the end, I switched back to the original MBW datewheel overlay & never had a problem again. But once you swap out the ETA for the 1570, you will not have to deal with overlays anymore.

Unless your winder is 1 of the cheap types that spin the watch constantly 24/7 (or you keep your winder set for 1,000+ turns/day), the answers are no & no. But I would follow your winder's recommended settings for your watch model (different movements require different numbers of turns/day to keep the mainspring charged).

I agree with Chief that you should accept the deal he is offering. My experience has always been that unless you purchase your luxury watch brand redial directly from a professional restorer like Universal Watch Repair, you are almost definitely buying a new (trademark infringing) aftermarket dial.

No problem. I knew which 1 you were talking about. Thank you.

I agree. Your 1st move should have been to contact the collector & send him the picture of the opened (empty) box. Our collectors are usually pretty good about replacing lost/damaged orders.

My usual beater today (Wednesday)

I had a similar experience with Honpo. We exchanged a few emails, but when I asked a question, all communications (from Honpo's end) stopped. I would have loved to purchase the 3 Daytonas I posted above, but I do not think he is very reliable. Buyer beware.

For picture taking, that black bezel is hot! But for daily wear, Pepsi is the

Just get 1 of these Rolex tube tap tools (it is made to fit Triplock tubes) (click the pic)