freddy333

Overall, it looks pretty good. The only things that would really bother me are the location of the 3 lines of text (slightly too high) & the fonts used for ROLEX & DAYTONA. The lines that make up each letter of ROLEX should have varying widths (the ''O' in ROLEX should be thicker on the sides than at the top & bottom). And the 'A' in DAYTONA should be either flatter (for the original version) or the font size should be smaller and the length of the word shorter (for the later san-serifed versions). The only thing that really sticks out marking the watch as questionable is the incorrect font on 'ROLEX'. I think the other things would be hard to detect unless you knew what to look for and inspected the dial closeup with a loupe.

No problem. It is confusing when you are starting out. Just read and read and re-read the guides until you understand and are comfortable with the procedures. None of this is really that difficult or complicated. It is very much like learning to ride a bike. It takes more practice than knowledge.

Cableguy -- There are a number of 'pinned' guides in the Watch Repair & Upgrade section. You should be able to find good used gen Triplock crowns on ebay for about $25-$45 each. Then either Cousins or ofrei sell new Swiss made aftermarket crown tubes for about the same amount. I would recommend that you read and familiarize yourself with the guides and gather the tools you need before beginning.

The photo above contains pictures (from doubleredseadweller.com) of 2 genuine DRSDs (I resized & converted the original images to black and white to reduce the photographic differences between them). As you can see, the datewheel font used during the DRSD's production changed. The initial DRSD, version 1, has a rounded & serifed '3'. This was later changed to the flat, non-serifed '3' as shown in version 5. Shortly after installing the wonderful Watchmeister datewheel (which has the flat 3) in my DRSD, I decided to switch it back to the original MBW datewheel (which has the rounded 3). I did this mainly because I was never able to properly center the Watchmeister datewheel in the date window. And an off-center date is one of the things I always look for when I am trying to tell a gen watch from a rep (gen Rolexes rarely have off-center dates). But each '3' font has its merits and I continue to go back and forth as to which one looks better in my DRSD. Since both are accurate for the DRSD, it is really just a matter of taste and preference. I plan to be taking my watch apart again to complete the next stage of mods and I would like to get input from members as to which style you prefer and why.

Try thewatchprince.com for Milano (Italian made) Oyster style bracelets. The stainless steel ones cost about $250 if I remember correctly and are quite high quality. The clasp is generic, so you will need to swap the clasp from your rep watch over to the Milano if you want to see the Rolex crown. Just pop out one springbar and remove one screw, then reverse to reinstall. If you want a gen bracelet, you can sometimes find these on ebay for between about $650 - $950. And Alligoat is correct about the end links. The solid (SEL) end links are for the modern watches. Vintage Subs & Sea Dwellers had hollow links. The gen end links would be marked 580, 585 or possibly 280, but I have also seen 380s and others fitted to DRSDs.

I was speaking, generally, that the bezel can be removed safely if you have one of these tools (I was thinking of the cheaper model ($175)). But your point is well taken that it would be overkill for most people who need it only for a single job.

Unless the bezel is permanently attached to the case, why would it get bent if removed using one of these Rolex bezel removers?

After messing around with suction handles, rubber balls and wads of tape with variable results, I finally broke down and got a proper LG Openall Case Opener. If you plan on working on watches, it is one of the best investments you can make.

KKS - Beautiful watch and great work. Have you tried an all-black Nato? They are quite nice with a Sub or Sea-Dweller. I think it makes the watch even more striking because it drives your eye right to the bezel insert and the color coordination makes the strap look like it came with the watch.

Would one of these bezel removers work on this watch?

While the Lemania/Venus movement (with seconds at 9 and a 'dummy' subdial at 6) is well made and reliable, it is the wrong movement for a modern 1165xx series Daytona (which has the seconds at 6). If you want to go with that movement, I would consider the previous 1652x Daytona or one of the vintage models, all of which had the seconds running at 9. Otherwise, this is one of the least accurate Daytona reps I have seen in quite a while. I would recommend that you familiarize yourself with the current Daytona at rolex.com and then search out some reviews of the recent Daytona 116520 and 116509 reps elsewhere on this site.

Avitt - Yes. The splines in the old style are located in the narrow (bottom) part of the tube. The splines are in the wider (upper) end of the newer tube.

Vintage 6mm Twinlocks (crown - 24-600, tube - 24-6020). Update -- I just figured it out. I have a mixture of 6mm Twinlock tubes that came from different sources and I forgot that Rolex made two versions - an older version (with splines around the inside of the narrow part of the tube) and a newer/current version (with splines around the inside of the wider part of the tube). I only have the Rolex tool for the newer version of 7mm Triplock and Twinlock tube, which is why I was confused when the tool would not fit into some of the 6mm Twinlock tubes (the older version requires a different tool with a narrower tip). Dumb me.

I have a similar question about gen Twinlock casetubes. These do not have the splines around the inside of the tube that interlock with the Rolex casetube tool like the Triplock tubes. I can remove the rep tube with a file, but what do people usually use to reinstall the new gen tube? Of course, you can reinstall with the same end of the file, but I really hate to scrape up the inside of a new gen tube if I can avoid it.

Looks a bit too shiny, but the texture of the dial looks about right. Thanks Nanuq.

Thanks Avitt. Varnish, huh? I will have to try that. By the way, is that your original MBW dial?

Ziggy, Have you ever (successfully) modified/repainted a dial like this To match the crown and hour index markers on a gen dial like this This aftermarket dial has generally better printing than my MBW dial, but suffers from having a too narrow crown (at least the lower half) and index markers at 6 & 9. Since the (more detailed) top of the crown could remain untouched and the lower part is mostly a solid block of white with just a sliver of black showing through, it seems like it might be doable. I have been trying my hand at widening the lower half of the crowns on some scrap pieces, but my hands are not steady enough and it is clear that I am no where near good enough to pull off this level of artistry. But I think that if the problems with the crown and index markers could be fixed (and matched to the gen dial), this dial would be a winner. Have you ever done anything like this? p.s. I tried to email you, but your email is disabled and I could not find a contact address in the Watch Repair Services PDF I downloaded from your website.

Thanks, Avitt. How close (to Nanuq's gen dial) does a few coats of varnish get you? Do you have any close-up photos of a varnished dial? Or, better yet, a comparison photo of a gen next to a varnished rep dial? I know that Ziggy varnishes some of his dials, but I do not think I have ever seen the same texture (as the gen) on any of his dials. The aftermarket dials that PolexPete and I got have a very gen-like texture. This is one of the reasons I bought one even though I knew it had some serious problems. This was the first aftermarket dial I have found that had that texture and (mostly) gen-like printing. If I can find a way to widen the bottom of the crown and 6 & 9 index markers, I would swap it out for my MBW dial in a heartbeat.

Is there a way to add that texture to an MBW dial?

Now that I can see the dial more closely, I see that the black paint has a slight texture, which is missing from most rep dials (including my WM/MBW).

Nanuq -- The poem went over my head too, but thank you for the background on the watch.

What is the difference between the 2846 & 2879? Number of jewels, beat speed?

I am speechless. Well, almost. I have enough wits left about me to pose one question -- Where did you get that dial?

You can buy a used gen stainless steel Sub bracelet on ebay for somewhere between $600-$900. I have a couple of Andrew's Subs and they all have stainless steel bracelets. So there are 2 possibilities that come to mind -- either something that you are allergic to got spilled onto the bracelet or you may have always been allergic to the metal but just never (before) reacted to it. Allergies are strange in the way they come and go. I know because I have alot of allergies and they are very unreliable. If something got spilled onto the bracelet, try this -- Remove the watch head from the bracelet and soak or wash the bracelet (without the watch head) in denatured or isopropyl alcohol. After that, wash it again with liquid hand or dish soap and water. If you cleaned it well, the alcohol and soap should have removed all (or most) of whatever agent was on the bracelet. But if you get the same thing on your wrist again, then you almost certainly have an allergy to the metal. If that is the case, the only thing you can do is to replace the metal bracelet with a material strap or ignore the allergy, if you can.

Congratulations on your beautiful new Sub.