freddy333

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.

What do you mean by too high? They look correct for a vintage tritium dial.

BINGO. And not just a 3035, but a NOS 3035. It is a long story, but the movement crossed my path completely unexpectedly & by total chance. Had the timing not been exactly right, I would have missed it. And I got it for a song..........ok, a little more than a song, but not much more. I am not quite sure what to call it since it will consist of 100% gen parts, but collected from different watches, sources & over the space of 20 years. I think it probably falls into a narrow category between gen & franken..

If it helps, before I found the dots at Ofrei, I spent $49 on the first one I bought on ebay. That is why RWG is such a great resource.

Sometimes, best laid plans go astray ... What began as a simple idea to fit a gen dial into a standard rep has turned into something considerably more involved & rather quite magical (not to mention educational). For years, I have been tossing all of my old/worn out gen parts into a 'junk' box, never actually intending to do anything with them (I just did not have the heart to throw them away). But while I was working on my Datejust project I realized I had alot of parts rusting away in that junk box. So, in the midst of 2 other projects (in case you missed it, here is an update on the 6239 project), I set about gathering & sorting all the parts into small piles on my work table to see exactly what I had collected over the course of 20 or so years. I was surprised to find that I had almost enough to put together a watch. A badly scratched, dented & dinged watch, but a watch none the less. In fact, I had the makings for one of my remaining grail watches -- a mid-80s stainless Datejust, and most of it was sitting there on the table in front of me. So, in between my Daytona projects, I started sanding, buffing & polishing and then did some more sanding, buffing & polishing to see what I could come up with. And what I came up with amazed even me. I still have a bit more to do before this project is ready for public display, but here is a 'before' shot of the work in progress to give you an idea Can you tell what I have ticking away inside this case?

Alli -- Those dots are excellent (I fit them into my DRSD), but they are the same ones that Ofrei sells for $10/each (picture made on slow flatbed scanner, which is why second hand appears bent)

My project list is getting a little long, but I guess I will have to add this to it.

The one at the top with the lizard strap is a Venus.

Yeah, I know. But none of these are Valjoux cases. So they should fit?

Hmmm..if that is the case & they do match, then I may have to play musical dials with the lizard strapped Venus 6241 and the 3 pre-Daytonas

jdavis - The red numbering is not for me, but I love the rest of that watch.