freddy333

If you really like the Datejust, then the movement is not too expensive (if you are patient, you can occasionally pick them up for as little as $900). The first 'Swiss' rep I ever bought (in the early 80's) was a two tone Datejust with a gold linen dial powered by an ETA I always loved the Datejust design (especially the linen dial), but I was never really comfortable wearing yellow gold. And it sure is nice not to have to worry about fitting datewheel overlays or drilling lugs or modifying clickstops or matching crystals, etc. So this one is alot more comfortable (since the only gold on it is the bezel and it is white gold) and it should last for a few years

Thank you Manuel. It is a very comfortable watch and it has been getting alot of wrist time since I completed it. Surprisingly, for such a simple & classic model, I have gotten more compliments on this watch than any other watch I own (except for the Flytimer). Not sure why, but definitely a keeper.

Getting an overlay to fit below the dial has nothing to do with luck. You must first remove all of the paint on the original datewheel before you apply the overlay to it. Some people sand the paint off, I just used my trusty can of paint remover -- it took all of 15 minutes for the stripper to remove all of the paint down to bare metal. Then I applied the overlay and reinstalled the datewheel. It fit below the dial without any problem. However, keeping the overlay stuck to the datewheel & getting all of the dates on the overlay into the correct position (and keeping them there!!!!!) so all of the dates appear correctly placed in the center of the dial window is another story. In the end, I removed my overlay and reinstalled the original MBW datewheel. I got tired of spending so much time opening the watch and re-tweaking the overlay and decided to just wait until someone comes up with a proper metal datewheel that replaces the original metal datewheel instead of gluing an overlay on top of it.

Pug -- Why would you want one of these old things when you could have one of these new things

Laz & Stilty -- Thank you. I appreciate the positive comments.

A 'Wow' from the Master is all I need to hear. I guess I done did it right then..

Thank you, Alligoat. I probably should have taken some photos of the bracelet refinishing process, but I had to do most of it outside due to the mess from the rouge (which is like floating permanent ink when the stuff gets airborne) and it was too much work to set up the camera. But, as anyone who has ever done any trick painting knows, the quality of the final result is in direct proportion to the quality & amount of prep-work you do. As long as you are careful & diligent in placing the masking tape (and re-taping as the tape wears away during the polishing process), you should be able to produce clear, distinct lines of separation between the brushed & polished sections. And I think that is why it turned out so well.

Thank you and I agree with you about the Datejust. It can be sporty or it can be formal. The perfect everything watch.

Thanks All. The process is not very complicated, but it took a bit of time & alot of elbow grease. First, I spent a few hours tightening & realigning all of the links with jeweler's pliers (no teeth in the jaws), a rubber-lined hobby vise and a small screwdriver. Then I masked off the polished sections of the bracelet & end links with masking tape and went at the brushed sections with a Bergeon 5444 polishing pad (I also tried steel wool, Scotchbrite & a fine sanding pad, but the Bergeon was the only thing that produced the original brushed appearance) (The Bergeon is available from ofrei.com) Once the brushed sections were done, I removed the tape and masked the newly brushed sections and went at the polished sections, first, with my dremel (lowest speed) and green rouge, and, then, by hand, with Mother's Mag & Aluminum wheel polish (The Mother's is available online or from many auto parts stores) Finally, the bracelet, end links and case were run through 3 long ultrasonic cleanings. This was needed to remove all of the Mothers and rouge. If you look real close, you can see a few tiny scratches because I stupidly wore the watch last night before I snapped the pics today. What you cannot see in the photos is how that WG bezel glistens when light (even low light) hits it. This is one of the things that a rep with a steel or gold plated bezel cannot replicate. Polished steel just does not glow like WG.

100% Genuine Rolex Stainess Steel Datejust 16014 NOS Hands NOS Crystal Silver Linen Dial NOS 600 Twinlock Case Tube NOS 600 6mm Twinlock Crown 555 End Links & 20mm Springbars 62510H Jubilee Bracelet (dated to 1993) NOS 3035 Movement with NOS Datewheel 16014 Datejust Case with WG bezel (dated to 1986) Here are some before & after shots (I did my best to maintain the same perspective in both pictures) And some wallpaper I will need to replace the case tube as I stripped it during the final installation & the crown will not screw down completely (this is one of the early Twinlock tubes that does not have any splines inside the tube that mate with the Rolex case tube wrench).

This is from NDtrading, but I decided not to use it It is for sale if anyone is interested.

Yes, in theory, it should fit. The V23 is just a V72 without the hour subdial, and both are supposed to fit the DW case. However, I had ALOT of trouble getting a v72 movement to fit into 1 of the 3 DW cases I have. It took several hours of dremeling, filing & sanding to get it to fit. I have not heard of anyone else having as much trouble as I did with this 1 case, so it may have been a defective case. The circled areas had metal that needed to be removed before I could fit the v72 movement into the case I finally got it in, but it took ALOT of work The others took a bit of work, but not alot.

2 reasons -- First, to make it worth the modders while, he would have to sell the watch for $2,000 or more (as an example, click here to purchase a fully modded vintage Daytona for $4,500, plus the cost of a working Valjoux movement which you need to purchase separately). Would you be willing to pay that for a modded rep watch? The most accurate watches got that way because someone with the acquired knowledge & necessary tools, spent many hours working on them. Second, modding rep watches is a hobby, but selling rep watches is an illegal activity.

I am not a big GMT fan, but I can recognize & appreciate a great find when I see one. And that looks like one. Enjoy.

I cannot tell which movement it is from your pictures. You might try removing the hands and dial and checking both sides of the movement for a name and model number. Once you have that, you can check some of the watch movement vendors to see if that one is still in production and if you can get an off the shelf replacement. Possibly, someone else might be able to provide more info than I have (I do not work on those low end movements).

The 'golden' wheel is the balance, which regulates the watch's beat (its timing accuracy). There are several things that can cause the balance to stop, but, most likely, considering the movement is a low-end Asian component, either the movement was never properly lubricated before it left the factory or the mainspring is defective/broken or requires cleaning/lubrication. I cannot teach you how to overhaul a movement and I do not know where you can find a service manual for it. I would recommend that you either junk the watch (it is not a high quality watch) and buy another one (the cost of repairing the movement will likely exceed the cost to replace the watch) or buy some watchmakers tools and a book on watchmaking & have a go. But if you have never overhauled a watch movement before, I can tell you that it can be an expensive endeavor (factoring in the cost of tools) and you will probably end up having to replace the watch in the end anyway.

Should be quite a beauty when complete. But do the numbers on the 3135 datewheel turn in the same direction as the 12892?

Plexi is correct for these vintage (80s) Datejusts (sapphire is for newer models) and is one of the things I like about it. I prefer vintage models over modern. The dial is silver linen, my favorite. A completely monochrome watch, no color (other than variations of black & white) at all.

Outstanding work, Manuel. Beautiful franken & a very informative read. Those vintage (pre-2000) all steel Datejusts with silvery dials are pure class -- the BEST all around watches in the world.

The lug spacing on most reps is standard, so you should not have any trouble fitting any 20mm bracelet to that sub. You will need to check with Silix to see what bracelets he can offer you. As for the bezel insert, you may be able to fit a gen insert (as long as you can remove the existing one), but it will probably require some filing and sanding to get it to fit well into this model. I have never modded this version, so I cannot tell you how much work it will require.

I will post before and after photos when the watch is complete. Just waiting for 1 key component that I am expecting any day now, then it will be done. It is quite a handsome compliment to the 2 Newmans. While the differences (in fit & finish) between the gen & a good rep are minimal, they are quite apparent, even when viewed from the distance of across a room. Like Ubi found with his gen 16520 dials, white gold shimmers and reflects light in a way that polished steel just cannot match. I think that if I had the original Rolex box & packaging, it would look like one of those rare NOS finds that collectors come across on rare occasions when older watchmakers close their shop and sell off their stock. This is definitely the best salvage work I have done to date (tapping self on shoulder)

I do not think watchco's crowns are new. They look pretty worn down.

I hate to burst your bubble, but nowhere does he say these are 'new'. In fact, the crown in the picture looks pretty worn. $15 is a good price for a single Triplock in good condition.

The one on the left looks interesting, but I do not see the point in spending the time or effort to decorate a rep movement since anyone who knows enough about watches to be able to appreciate the decoration will probably know the difference between an ETA and a gen. I would either put the additional cost & energy into upgrading the rest of the watch (the parts that are visible from the outside) or buy a gen.

In factory sealed Rolex packs, I have paid $35-$50 for stainless steel. $150-$200 for gold.