freddy333

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.

Interesting, but I think a 32mm sport watch is too small.

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

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.

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.

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?

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).

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.

I will start it off

Yes, it has been discussed ad nauseum on TZ for the past 2 weeks.

This post is long overdue & definitely should be a sticky here & in the wiki.

Other than trimming the CGs, a gen crown/tube is really all it needs (unless you are fortunate enough to locate 1 of the low profile cases). But that nearly perfect Daytona dial tends to mask alot of the watch's other sins. I never get tired of seeing these.

Always love to start the week off looking at a new 116520. Are you planning to trim those CGs? I am tidying up accounts today, which looks like this But if I find some problems in my books, it may look like this Though if all goes well, the afternoon may look more like this

Not exactly. The gen 116509 case is sort of a low profile case (like the 1 on the left) that is shaped like the 1 on the right (thicker below the lugs). Many ADs stock the 116509 & if you are interested in the rep I would do a bit of reconnoitering work before making a purchase so you know what to look for. I have seen 3 rep versions of the 116509, each with a different set of inaccuracies. It is alot easier to select the rep with the least objectionable sins (to you) when you are familiar with the gen & know what to look for when comparing reps.

If the watch has never been serviced by a qualified, professional watchmaker, it probably needs servicing (complete disassembly, cleaning, lubrication). That is all I can tell you without opening the case & inspecting the movement.

Modded 729 here & HEV tutorial here.

There is a user setting in photobucket that limits the max size of your uploaded pictures. You just need to adjust it higher, but I would limit it to 1024x768 or your downloading/page loading time will be slow & the image size will be too large for even larger screens.

Showing off my new Deep Sea this weekend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not really. But maybe soon............ Right now, I am wearing this But I may swap it out for this if I go out to dinner

That is a pretty impressive demonstration. I still find it hard to believe you can get solid 14k gold midlinks in a rep watch that costs, in total, considerably less than the gold itself is worth on the present market. But still an impressive demo.

Stephane - I have to disagree with you. The dial in that ebay watch looks absolutely correct (gen) to me. The only reservation I have is about the case & that is only because of the location of HEV valve. The HEV on most (not all) gen 1665s is slightly above the vertical equator on the side of the case. This, for me, is what makes the Vietnamese cases special - they got the HEV location exactly correct. The MBW cases place the HEV engraving pretty much dead in the vertical center of the side of the case, which, while not absolutely wrong, seems to be fairly rare in gen cases. Here is my MBW DRSD with a working HEV. I installed it just a hair above the centerline (because of the construction of the case, it was difficult to go any higher)

With the exception of a Vietnamese DRSD caseback (which was a work of art), I have never seen a complete Vietnamese case in person & I am based my comment only on the dozen or so pictures I have seen of them. But they all appear to have the same bright shine that I do not see in vintage (prior to 1990) gen Subs or Seadwellers, which used 316L steel as opposed to the current models' 904L. On the other hand, I see very little difference between the steel used in MBWs & vintage gen Subs & Seadwellers. I think one can make a reasonable argument for spending $2,000-$4,000 on a franken copy of a $20,000+ gen watch, but I am not so sure it makes as much sense to spend $1,000+ on a franken copy of an Explorer when you can pick them up for as little as $2,000 (& I have seen them go as low as $1,500 without the bracelet). Just my 2 cents.

(low profile) 116520 on left, 116509 on right

You may have run the release in too far (happens often), which dislodged or bent the plate on the opposite side If you have the tools & experience to r & r the keyless works, you can probably fix it (in most cases, you can replace or straighten out the bent plate). If not, Ziggy (or a local watchmaker who works on chronographs) can.

Try cousinsuk.com or use what I use -- ammonia & water.

The black Sub's insert is easily the largest seller overall (the Blue/red ('Pepsi') insert is probably the most popular GMT insert).