freddy333

Some people like to countersink lug holes (which is what I think you mean by 'chamfer'), but I do not think this is correct & have never done that on any of my watches. Just drill & buff, that is all

Actually, he is not really breaking any ebay rules & has covered himself pretty well, legally speaking. In his description, everything (except the movement) is stated as being a 'replacement', so that lets him off the hook for being accused of trying to mislead or rip bidders off. Certainly, many bidders will assume (out of ignorance or greed) that replacement means genuine Rolex replacement, which is obviously what he is banking on. But the only real problem he could run into is if the watch is found to contain something other than a Rolex 1575 calibre. But I doubt that ebay will check. And because of all the recent media publicity about the collectability & exclusivity of vintage Rolexes, there are alot of nouveau riche entering the market with more money than sense and such a bidder may toss his new trophy onto his wrist before getting it appraised.

If it is an MBW case, it is not the correct one for that model. The profile is too narrow & too pointy for a 'dweller. It looks more like a generic rep Sub case than an MBW. That along with the NDtrading dial, off-center date & the ubiquitous rep Triplock crown should be immediate, dead give-aways.

Another problem with gold reps is that when you scratch the gold, the underlying (non-gold) substrate is revealed and the jig, as they say, is up. And polished gold is a scratch magnet, so the watch's lifespan is limited from the get-go.

They used to use the old 'shipping guy found it in a drawer' story on me every time they failed to ship my order or lost the item I returned to them (because it was either damaged or did not match their description). Some things never change. Of the 3 items I purchased from Ali, 1 was defective and replaced with an even more defective replacement (at my cost for shipping) and neither of the other 2 matched the descriptions he provided. I looked up 'crook' in the dictionary, and the entry said 'See Ali'.

Alli, you ain't kidding!! It is up to $13,6k now and climbing. Not only is this clown ripping bidders off, but he is doing it with a very mediocre franken. Most of our stuff at least looks like the real thing... _________ UPDATE: I misread the dollar amount (the conversion rate comes to $13.6k in Australian dollars). Still, I can see why people have bid on this thing. He has an extensive sales history. Only trouble is that the previous sales are not watch-related (mostly batteries). Caveat Emptor!!

The springbars & springbar holes (in the side of the lugs) of rep watches are usually smaller than their gen counterparts. The difference in springbar holes makes it relatively easy to spot a rep Sub or Seadweller from several feet away. If you enlarge the holes and replace the narrow rep springbars with gens (or properly sized aftermarket springbars), your rep will be one step closer to looking like a gen.

In many cases, hands can be made to fit by enlarging the opening (using a set of broaches) or reducing the opening (gently squeezing the hand's opening together with jewelers pliers).

The original post referenced the (true) story about a man who was fined a large amount because he was caught bringing a bag of "obviously cheap and fake looking" counterfeit Rolexes into the US (he was fined for the total retail value of the gen counterparts of the 'fakes' he was smuggling), supposedly for his kids or relatives. I have never heard of anyone being stopped or questioned because they were wearing a reasonable-looking rep watch. As far as carrying a couple 'extras' in your baggage, I think that depends on how they are carried and whether you look like a person of means on a business trip or a tourist who looks like he/she is trying to smuggle a bag of "obviously cheap and fake looking" counterfeit watches into the country. Use your head and you should not have a problem.

If you buy a watch to keep, it is generally best to avoid gold reps since the 'plating' is thin (no matter what marketing hype the seller uses to try to convince you otherwise) and usually wears off before the watch requires normal servicing. Sometimes it lasts for a couple years and sometimes it lasts a couple of weeks. It depends on the quality of gold, how well the plating was applied & how often you wear the watch (the oil in your skin slowly deteriorates the plating).

I agree with Hyster. If you are dumb enough to carry a bag of illegal contraband (reps) through an airport, you deserve to suffer the consequences. And, for the record, that story about the fellow who got caught with the bag of reps is not an urban legend.

I would ditto doc.

Actually, I have always thought that Watch Repair & Mods were 2 very different things, at least in intent. And, as such, I think they ought to be given their own separate forums.

Right now, I am walking the streets with my beater But today is Friday--the day people get paid...the day people get what rhymes with paid.......so, tonight, I will be beating the streets with this t-o-s-s-e-r

Outstanding idea, but I agree with docblackroc--probably best discussed in private.

I wish to add my kudos to the growing list of admirers of that brilliant photo comparison. More than the crystal (which is fine), the weaknesses, to my eye, are the wider/thicker crown, thicker crown guard profiles (viewed from the lug ends), narrower bezel insert font and MBW dial. And even with those, I doubt that most people would be able to ID the MBW on its own--a testament to the quality of both MBW and the artist(s) who improved on its original design. It is that good. On the other hand, it just goes to show you that no matter how much effort & care goes into accurately remanufacturing the case, the MBW dial remains a watch's Achilles' heel. Though, to be fair, I think the dial's inaccuracies are somewhat mitigated when the rest of the watch is so convincing. I realize it sounds a bit contradictory, but, as we all know, with so many variations in the gens themselves, identifying a rep at this level of refinement becomes more art than science and the rules become somewhat fluid, if you know what I mean.

Well, like I said, what I can see (not alot) looks nice. But I cannot make out any details beyond the basic shape. If you want comments, you will need to post some clearer and larger photos. And your movement pic never materialized. Did you post it?

What I can make out of your watch looks nice. But I think either the original photo size was too small and it got distorted when you enlarged it, or it was too large and got distorted when you reduced it. I would try to resnap the picture (save as .jpg) at 800 pixels (wide) x600 pixels (high) and then do not resize. That is the optimal size for Web viewing and posting here (it should fit comfortably on most people's monitor screens).

Sounds interesting, but where are the pics??? Here is one of mine to fill the space (100% gen Frankenjust 16014) Click here to read the story

Good post, Offshore, and a great book. But I think for most people (exceptions being pro watchmakers & serious modders), Edge's review is all you need. I have used 3 different crystal presses and quickly came to the conclusion (after buying 2 higher-end models before giving Edge's recommendation a try) that the model Edge recommended really is best for most jobs (I kept 1 of my other presses, which has been used only a few times in the past 2 years (mostly to close quartz watch cases (the lever-style presses are better for snap-back cases)) and sold the other).

Nice piece. I love the simple, understated look of that watch.

Actually, no. The case clamp issues involved the other (6239) Daytona and remain to be sorted out (though I am working on it) That watch was a nightmare compared to the 6241. I spent weeks on the 6239 and it was like pulling teeth every step of the way. Nothing fit right, nothing went together as it should & I had to do an extraordinary amount of filing/grinding/sanding/polishing just to get the V72 to properly fit into the case. A nightmare (but it will be worth the effort since the project's outcome has far exceeded my expectations)..... (I modeled my 6239 after the 6239 in WatchTime's 'Special Rolex Edition', including its early '300 UNITS' bezel & unique (and very sporty) red chrono seconds hand) By contrast, my 2nd Newman project, the 6241, went together in about a day and without much ado. After grinding off the small locater tab on the edge of the pillar plate (this locates the movement into the spacer ring used in the Enicar's & some other cases), the movement slid right into the DW 6241 case like a woman's hand sliding into a (faux) fur-lined custom leather glove. And a good amount of the time I spent working on this one was wasted crawling around on the floor searching for dropped parts (all eventually found, so my record of 0 lost parts remains intact!) and correcting mistakes caused by my own carelessness & imprecision. There are definitely variations in the cut, dimensions and precision of DW's Daytona cases. In any case, thanks Alli.

This link is pinned at the top of the Watch Repair & Upgrade forum. Always remember - Search & ye shall find.

Yes, I remember that Discovery Channel show as well. But the Timex commercials were real.

Ouch!! Do you remember those Timex ads from the 60's and early 70's featuring John Cameron Swayze demonstrating watches being dropped, sat-on or taken for a swim in a dolphin's mouth? Well, I think you just topped them.