Jump to content
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

freddy333

Diamond Member
  • Posts

    15,744
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    178

Everything posted by freddy333

  1. Use the Search feature to locate the scores of threads discussing the Asian 7750 chronographs -- both standard form & the modified secs at 6 versions. If you upgrade your membership to Supporter, then you will be able to access Ziggy's area which contains the last word, technically speaking, on them. The standard Asian 7750 is a pretty reliable movement after it has been properly serviced (they rarely come from the rep factory properly serviced), but, because of their complex nature & their relatively higher cost of repairs, I would consider something else to use for your daily beater.
  2. The crystal lift is for watches that have non-removable backs, so you remove the movement through the front of the watch case.
  3. Try this ebay item 310026366945
  4. Unless you remove your watch & hand it to a stranger for close inspection, most viewing is done from this angle I think it is highly unlikely that anyone will be able to ID your watch under normal operating conditions
  5. The dies that came with the levered press are actually quite good, so I use those (with a screw-down press) most of the time. I also got a separate set of Bergeon dies that come in handy on occasions. Pugwash's dies look pretty good, too. By the way, if you want to save some money & have a good bench or hobby vice laying around, you can use that, too. These caseback/crystal presses are really just vertical vices. If you fit the vice jaws with rubber sleeves (available at Sears & most hardware stores) & are careful, you can fit a pair of dies between them & do a very credible job of fitting casebacks & crystals. I have had to resort to this approach with a couple of thick watch cases. Works like a charm. Just be aware of the amount of pressure you are applying so you do not crush your watch.
  6. The rehaut on the low profile rep case is nearly indistinguishable from the rehaut depth on the gen 116520. This is the other benefit to having the low profile case While the rep bezels are slightly taller, only a very select few of the most knowledgeable Daytona WIS's are likely to notice it if the more usual telltale aspects of the watch pass the gen look-alike test (no one outside of RWG has ever noticed the bezel height on any of my Daytonas).
  7. Even the SSD is a hit-and-miss affair unless the watch has been properly pressure tested. One SSD may make it down 100ft while the next 1 may take in moisture during a humid day. And any watch with a caseback that can be removed using a balled-up wad of masking tape or 1 of those popular caseback 'balls' is an accident waiting to happen -- the temperature changes of daily life cause the metals to expand & contract enough to crack whatever seal the caseback may have had when it left the factory or seller's 'QC' lab. Even though I perform all of the maintenance on my watches & I know they are properly sealed, I always remove any rep or franken that is fitted with anything less than a recent vintage (that is, newly manufactured) gen (or Clarks, which are made very well) crystal when my wrist is going to be exposed to anything more than a mild drizzle of rain. And, even then, I do my best to keep my watch wrist dry.
  8. Very clever & all for a good cause. Wear it well.
  9. I agree with your 1st statement, but not your 2nd -- at least not in the case of a mechanical watch (quartz movements contain relatively few actual moving parts). Once water has gotten into the movement, it is usually too late. After it dries, it may or may not run for a bit, but, eventually, it will die unless the movement is disassembled, cleaned, lubricated & reassembled before it rusts. If you want to take your watch for a swim, shower or bath, it must be pressure-tested regularly (at least once/year) by a professional watchmaker. Just because it survived the last shower is no guarantee that it will make it through the next 1.
  10. I agree with sssurfer. I have a few crystal presses -- both levered & screw types -- and the other problem with levered types of presses is that while they are very easy to use, the 'jaws' often do not open wide enough to fit everything you need in between them. This is a common problem when working on Daytona or Seadweller cases. These are pretty good & reasonably priced 180.606
  11. I could not agree more with the previous 2 responses. I have taken both TZ courses & have been dabbling with mechanical watches for over 20 years. Although I have rebuilt components of the 7750, I still do not feel sufficiently skilled to perform a complete teardown & rebuild (and I know some professional watchmakers who refuse to work on them because of their complexity). I have not seen the video & there are certainly people out there with more inherent mechanical skills than I will ever have, but I think you are far more likely to end up with alot of missing, left over or broken parts than you are to end up with a working (or even nearly working) 7750. On the other hand, if you can find a cheap door stop (not working) movement and/or you are willing to risk damaging a working 1, I guess it might make for an interesting learning experience.
  12. I think it is a bit overly optimistic to suggest that you can regulate every ETA to +/-0/day. I do not think the regulators on most of these movements are machined well enough to make the fine adjustments required to achieve that type of accuracy. And even if they were, the wearer's normal daily movements are usually enough to throw the regulation off a bit. But if the movement is functioning to spec, most ETAs should be able to be regulated to within COSC standards (+6/-4 secs/day).
  13. Ever since Watchtime did a feature story on the YMII, I have come to appreciate it for what it is. Here is the gen Here is Josh's rep (hopefully, the 2nd gen version will be better) I would never wear a YMII in public (especially this cheesy looking copy), but if they ever do produce a credible YMII I might consider buying 1 to keep on hand for its conversational value. Either way, I like it alot better than the original YM.
  14. Interesting, but I think a 32mm sport watch is too small.
  15. Idolreplica replaced the watch-ebay site, which is where sssurfer & another member purchased these watches. While sssurfer received the same (1st gen, low profile case) watch that I have (& he got it at a 'special' price of $199), the other member paid full price & received a different (thicker case) watch. Things may have improved since the site changed names & I cannot tell you whether $399 is a reasonable price to pay to get a Daytona with a more correct case dimension. But I can tell you that if this site IS selling the (1st gen, low profile case) watch pictured & your main goal is having the most accurate 116520 possible, then this is the way to go. If it makes any difference, I would buy another 1 if this is the correct watch & I am probably not alone. Maybe we can entice idolreplica into giving us all a 'special' price for a group buy? Oh & I am going gen today
  16. I get the idea that alot of watch brands have gotten hooked on new technology in the same way that early web page designers used to fill their web pages with every new flashing, bobbing, weaving & wowie-zowie techie gimmick they could get their hands on in an effort to steal eyes from the next guy's wowie-zowie carnival-ride-in-web-code, or just because they can (which is never a good reason to do anything). Some of these watches (like the Defy) look more like heart monitors or portable medical testing gear than high end watches, which is a pity because Zenith used to be 1 of my favorite brands. Yuck.
  17. Actually, uda man. I have some news for you......based on the dial & shape of the CGs, I believe you may be in possession of 1 of the rare & infamous 1st generation, low profile secs at 6 116520 Daytonas. Congratulations, you are a very lucky man. Welcome to the club. At the very least, do not let that watch out of your sight. And if you want to go for the gusto, you have the makings for 1 of these.
  18. I must be getting old or something, because, while I love the video, I hate the watch. In fact, the entire Defy line of watches. More & more, these high-tech carnival-rides-in-a-watchcase (I would include Big Bangs, Royal Oaks & similar blinkering-bling in this group) are beginning to look as temporary & disposable as cell phones -- techno-babble-encrusted-throw-away gadgeteria that looks more at home on Mr. Spoke's wrist than on the attractive male models Zenith uses to pose them on. In fact, these watches make the models look more like a sci-fi robots than human models, which, come to think of it, is where these watches look like they belong. Can anyone honestly imagine Sean Connery (in his prime) strapping 1 of these whiz-bang gizmos to his wrist before blowing old Auric Goldfinger into the stratosphere or taking a roll in the hay with a sultry Eurasian double-agent? Have we lost our collective sense of style & traded ticky for tacky?
  19. I have never understood why no one has produced an OQ since they would be easy & inexpensive to make & could not possibly retail for more than $100. They contain no difficult-to-rep complications & most off-the-shelf quartz movements retail at under $15 (I just replaced the movement in a $350 quartz Swiss Army watch & the identical ETA quartz movement cost me all of $, so most of the value (& cost) would be in the watch case instead of the movement -- the opposite of mechanical watches. And there would be few if any service issues since the only real maintenance required is a battery change once every year or 2, and just about anyone here can do that on their own. The only problem I can see with an OQ rep is that virtually everyone who sees it (outside our little group) will know it is a 'fake' because so few people are even aware that Rolex ever produced a quartz watch. In fact, the 1st thing the average person looks for to ID a 'fake' Rolex is a 'ticking' second hand. So the only people who would appreciate an OQ rep are the very people who would know it is bogus. A bit of a catch-22......... But if someone makes it & they can get the date window & font right (without goofing-up something else on the dial), I would buy 1 (or 2).
  20. I purposely preceded the post with the disclaimer 'If you have the tools & experience........', and ended with the alternative recommendation of having a watchmaker do the work. But your point is well taken.
  21. Yes, it has been discussed ad nauseum on TZ for the past 2 weeks.
  22. This post is long overdue & definitely should be a sticky here & in the wiki.
×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up