freddy333

JoJo -- The best 5510 franken I have seen to date. (Or is it a 5508?) Absolutely awesome piece. My hat goes off to you (with the usual tilt to The Master).

Ok, with this pic, NOW I get what all the hullabaloo is about over this rep. Still not a big fan of the model, but the visual presence of this rep is outstanding & I just tried 1 of the gens on at my local AD this evening. Well done.

DuDro -- That is 1 of the most incredible-looking watches I have ever seen. Not my style for a daily wearer, but there is something about the total package that just works. Well done.

No new models to display here, but I am definitely enjoying your eye candy, By-Tor. I am working on something special, which will be making its debut in a future Wrist Check. But, for the time being, I am hanging with the usual beater

I am not really a fan of this model, but what I can see in your pics looks very good. Still, I would hold final judgment until someone can shoot them in person, side-by-side, under the same lighting conditions & with the same camera.

I just spoke with Borel & they expect to have the aftermarket DWs pictured on their site in stock within a few days......& the 3035 DW is supposed to have flat 3s!!!!!! So you can guess who will be placing an early order if they do.......

I hate to say this, but that thing looks like the same piece of crap I got from Mr. Slime Ball in Texas (Wholesaleoutlet), which had half the numbers printed off-center (relative to the teeth) so those dates appeared off-center in the date window. If you compare the location of the teeth to the top of each set of numbers you will see that some of the numbers are printed higher or lower relative to those teeth, which was the problem with the DWs (2 of them) I got from Mr. Slime Ball. All of the numbers on the gen DWs should be in the same locations relative to the teeth, otherwise, they do not appear correctly in the date window. Edit -- If you look closely, you can see that some of the teeth are properly 'U' shaped, while others have a flat side (just like the Slime Ball's DWs) that causes the DW to get stuck between dates (which usually happens on the few dates where the numbers were printed correctly). I would pass on that, especially since it is in Italy & is not in a sealed Rolex pack.

Borel refers the 3055 date disc to another part number, but I cannot locate the other part number anywhere on their site. Has anyone tracked this down? Clark's (a reliable ebay seller) has the closed font 3055 DW listed for $130 if anyone really needs 1. Hard to tell for sure since the pics are so small, but the font looks very similar to the fonts on my gen 16014 DW (at right) (Ignore the bending seconds hand - pic taken on flatbed scanner)

Looks great guys -- both watch & pictures (even if you consider them 'dirty', By-Tor). The best part is the bezel/crystal relationship. It does look pretty close to perfect from here. Once I complete a couple of projects, a GMT is definitely next on the list.

I like how you displayed both the watches & the pictures. Very nice, professional-looking presentation. I have often thought of doing something similar, but, for security reasons, I do not like to leave a number of watches sitting out in the open.

I was cleaning out my computer & found this old pic that some might find interesting (the word 'rep' is a bit misleading since the DW is a V72-powered franken)

Clean & lubricate the auto-wind module & it will work fine after that.

I do not believe Rolex made a case tube specifically for the Daytona. Most likely, it is a tube for the original 7mm Triplock crown (700), which is used in many Daytonas & other Rolex sport watches.

If the movement is knocking around inside the case, most likely 1 or both of the movement locking clips have come lose & are likely working their way into the movement (not a good thing). If the movement is not knocking around inside the case, then the movement just needs to be serviced (disassembled, cleaned, lubricated & reassembled) by a watchmaker. Assuming your MBW contains the usual ETA movement, any watchmaker (who is willing to work on a rep -- I would phone & ask before making the trip) can service it. Depending on the rates in your area, service can run anywhere from about $75 to about $250 (a hungry watchmaker sitting in Duluth, Montana is likely to be at the low end of the scale, while a busy watchmaker in New York City or L.A. is likely to be at the high end). But if you do hear something 'knocking' around inside, I would recommend not using the watch until you can locate & remove whatever is loose or dislodged in there.

I had originally planned to use a gold linen dial that had been sitting in my parts box for a few years. But that dial was in pretty poor condition, so I ended up selling it. Now that I will have 2 cases to choose from (the original 16013 that is pictured at the top of the thread & the just-purchased 16014), I guess I have a bit more latitude with dials. My main requirement for this gen dial is that it fits the specs for 1 of these cases & is relatively inexpensive (less than $100).

There are a number of aftermarket tubes used in reps & unless you can locate the same 1 that was originally installed in your rep, you may very well have to re-drill and/or retap the hole either way. This of course assumes that whoever assembled your particular watch did not cross-thread the original aftermarket tube's threads, which would cause you to have to retap the hole anyway. On the positive side, a tap is essentially just a long screw made out of hardened steel (so it will cut new threads into the adjoining metal) that you screw into the existing hole. You screw it in a turn & then back it out a bit, then screw it in a turn & back it out a bit.....until you make it all the way through. Voila'. Nice, new threads. Then just screw in the new tube & you are done.

Ok, I am convinced. Sold & thank you (all) for the input.

Thank you.

Thank you & I will.

Thanks & that is too bad. I guess the hunt continues for a 160xx caseback. If anyone comes across 1, please PM me.

By-Tor -- I hope this has not already been answered (too many times -- I did not find it via Search), but is there a single tutorial describing what mods are involved in transforming Andrew's stock GMT into the chs you have? At this point, I just want to understand the process. Oh, I almost forgot the wrist shot (Overlooking the area around Camp David)

It looks like they are finally beginning to produce semi-believable vintage lume.

Ditto what the other 2 said. There is no reason not to go with the better tube at this point. The difference in longevity (and feel) is worth the additional price/effort.

PM sent.