freddy333

If the stem fell out, the movement will probably need to be looked at. The last time I tried to return a defective watch back to China, the post office told me that US customs will no longer permit a 'watch' (or anything with the word 'watch' in it) to be exported to China. The person at the post office even showed me in the customs regulations book where it states that the export of 'watches' are prohibited. I then asked the person at the post office if I could declare the watch as 'cuckoo clock parts' and she looked at me funny (since we both knew it was a watch) and then sent the package without any complaint. But you should probably check with the seller first if possible.

Great read Pho. I never came across this during my early searches around the archives, so I am glad it was pinned.

Thanks again, Euno. I guess the search for a DW continues.

Thank you. The lizard strap is vintage (and correct for a late 60's or early 70's watch) with a Rolex buckle. I have seen these types of lizard straps used in old Rolex advertisements and it just looks right for this watch. I have been debating whether to replace the original rep Triplock crown on this watch with a gen Twinlock, but since it does not have the correct asymmetrical pusher layout and the dial is a bit off (the lower subdial is too low and bleeds into the outer surround of the dial), I was not sure it made sense to put too much more time and money into it since I am still looking for a DW non-Oyster Daytona.

Yes, I think that was it. I would love to know more details about the engraving bit and the tool you used to re-engrave the case back. Whatever you did, it was a work of art. I remember looking at it and comparing to gen DRSD case backs and it looked absolutely flawless.

Beautiful trio Euno. Here is my non-Oyster Daytona in all of its Oysterless glory

I have had dealers (including 1 that is a watchmaker himself) tell me the same thing about the Asian 7750s that Ziggy said. Unless you just want a Swiss movement in your watch, there is no reason to replace the Asian movement. After proper servicing, the Asian movement usually runs just like the Swiss movement.

TJ -- Did you remove the movement from the case at any point? If so, remove the movement again and see if it runs ok out of the case.

Well done Fred.

But now that you mention it, I sure would like to track down a DW 6239 (steel bezel, black dial, no 'Daytona') since I got this Twinlock crown & tube specifically for it.

I was a bit confused, but I meant the Twinlock info for Euno and his 5513.

I may have lost track of which crown & tube are at the center of discussion here (apologies up front), but 6mm Twinlocks and tubes are available Watcher -- I do not know if this makes any difference in fitting a Triplock to your Daytona case, but in case it does -- I think the original Triplock was the 701 (the 702 was second generation). And I think Avitt is right about filing down the top end of the tube. If you have a tap, you should be able to repair any damaged threads from filing. This sounds like the best and easiest way to get the crown to fit closer to the case.

hahahahaha Please let us know how it goes if you do. Should be worth a chuckle or two.

Archi -- Are the initials of that store L&B and they sell Rolex? Not too long ago, I was visiting a friend in town that worked near the big Tysons mall there.

I am very sorry to hear that it did not work out, but I really appreciate the warning. Too bad, I really thought we may be onto something there. Back to the drawing board and the search for another DW I guess.

Euno -- I have a Venus/Lemania version, which I thought was the same as the Seagull and it has symmetrical (evenly spaced) pushers. Do you know of a source for a Seagull-based non-Oyster 6239 Daytona with asymmetrical (non-evenly spaced) pushers? And for less than $300? For me at least, the big selling point for the vintage Daytonas on this Japanese site is the fact that these watches DO have an asymmetrical pusher arrangement. And if you compare the $300 price to the cost (and time involved to locate all the parts) for a DW or EE, I do not see how you can say these are overpriced. Of course, this assumes that the watches on the Japanese site are what we think they are. Hopefully someone can provide more info or I will finally receive more from the site operator.

Alligoat -- Here is one of my Swiss-made aftermarket 703 crown tubes (there are 2 seals hidden behind the label) The shank portion (that screws into the case) is a bit shorter than the OEM Rolex tubes, but otherwise they appear to be the same (thread pitch, inner spline that mates with the Rolex tube tool).

I agree. I would try Ziggy first. Otherwise, phone the watchmaker and be honest and tell him that you have a rep. If he deals with Rolex, he probably will not be willing to work on your watch because he would not want to jeopardize his association with Rolex. But many independent watchmakers are struggling to make ends meet and will be more than happy to take in whatever work they can get. Just be sure to note (in writing) any parts on your watch that you do not want changed (or request that they phone you with an estimate of needed repairs before doing any work). I once had a watchmaker replace my rep crown with a generic one that did not screw down onto the crown tube, which pretty much turned my watch into a very nice looking (except for the crown) paper weight.

The labeling looks to be correct for the second generation Triplock, which I think was introduced in 1977. I believe there were a total of three versions of Triplocks used on Daytonas -- 701, 702 and 703, which is the current one. The Triplock should include 3 rubber seals. One fits down around the crown's inner shaft and slides down into the base of the crown. Another fits into the groove on the outside of the tube and the last one fits into the small groove that runs around the inside lip of the crown side of the tube.

Nanuq -- I was wondering the same thing, why did you not ask your friend about his wonderful new watch? It seems like a normal question for a friend, especially since he was obviously not hiding it.

It is the creation or improvement of a thing with my own hands (often with the assistance of like-minded others) that makes rep collecting so enjoyable for me. And RWG, being such a wealth of useful information, makes this hobby that much better. But like someone else said, the rep genie is already out of the bottle and there are so many bottles on the map already that I think it is too late to put the cap back. I think RWG will ultimately recover and grow to even greater heights after all is said and done.

Good luck.

Tim, If you are able to get to the movement, the balance [censored] may contain adjustment marks. I am pretty sure that each mark represents 5 seconds on most movements. So if the watch is running 10 seconds slow, you can advance the setting 2 marks (2 x 5 seconds = 10 seconds) to adjust it. But this is only a fine tuning adjustment, and if the watch is running very slow, it will probably need servicing or replacement. As for tapping the watch, instead, try holding the watch horizontally in your hand like a pizza and then twist your wrist back and forth. This motion is more effective in getting the balance going and will not damage the movement like 'tapping' on it can. Ziggy can probably provide more (or better) info when he responds, but I think he is on vacation so it may be awhile.

When I first got into reps and had to take the occasional watch to a watchmaker, I was always clear from the start that the watch was a rep. That way, you are less likely to have your watch confiscated. Of the four watchmakers I had used, only 1 was willing to work on my rep. In this case, I had knocked the stem off my ETA Datejust and the watchmaker replaced the rep crown with a generic crown that wound and set the time, but did not screw down onto the rep tube. 1 of the other watchmakers agreed to work on the watches I dropped off, but later phoned to say they could not work on them (no reason given). The other 2 flat out refused to accept rep watches and 1 told me he routinely contacted Rolex whenever he received a rep. Definitely proceed with caution when dealing with watchmakers (that are not members here).

I got a few Swiss made aftermarket 7030 tubes on the 'bay that are shorter than the Cousin's tube and they work and feel the same as the OEM Rolex tubes. Does this type look like it might fit better (the 2 other seals are hidden behind the label)