freddy333

Other than the sheer fun of working on a movement, unless you are replacing the pillar & rotor, I cannot see any real benefit to be gained. The result will still look like a non-gen movement & its function will be a mystery, at best. If you want to upgrade a rep movement, just swap it for a gen movement.

Great light!

The dials in every gold-cased Daytona I have seen were combinations of champagne, black & gilt. To the best of my knowledge, there is never any red or white printing on them. In the unlikely event that you are able to find a gen Newman dial for sale, unless damaged beyond recognition, it is likely to cost you $20k, at a minimum. Over the years, I have had some luck in sourcing rare parts, but I would not even attempt a Newman dial.

I hate to say it, but your dial has a number of issues. The most salient of these are that you have an Oyster dial in a non-Oyster case (non-Oyster cases have pump pushers & have non-Oyster dials), gold dials have gilt printing & the front face of the hour markers on black Newman dials are painted black. Were it me, considering what you paid for the 726 I would consider another dial.

The COMEX lettering on the gen is painted gloss black. It is not the background dial color showing through.

Very pretty watches. I am glad you found it.

Sorry to hear about the missing watch & welcome. Have you contacted the hotel to ask them to search for your watch? In any case, considering the disruption travel typically causes, you may have just misplaced it in your luggage. Hopefully, it will turn up. If not, are you going to replace it?

I am fairly certain Yuki's folded link bracelets were not unique to him. They are likely available from many other sources& a good google search, followed by contacts with found sources, would likely yield positive results.

Except for the too small springbar holes, I can highly recommend Yuki's, if he still has them (check with Yuki). I posted a (very favorable) review of them a few years back that you can search out.

I would not change anything on that case.

If the final dial is accurate & MY is able to replicate the original dial's patina, it will be a beauty. But matching that patina without it looking manufactured will be the key.

That is what it looks like. You can check out details here.

If the stem does not lock in, either you did not insert it all the way in before locking it or you bent/misaligned a component in the keyless works. If you are comfortable decasing the movement and removing the hands/dial, you should easily be able to see what the problem is. If not, post a good, clear macro of the area & someone should be able to guide you. If in doubt, you should wait until you find a good watchmaker to handle this.

According to Rolex, any Rolex with a single non-gen part is a franken (ie., not a genuine Rolex). That is the definition most use.

Best non-gen 62xx Daytona dials I know of come from MQ (see cc33's post above for link). Very pricey, but the best usually is. All MQ dials

There are various levels of frankens, too. From a rep with a single gen part to a gen with a single aftermarket part - both are frankens, & there may be myriad reasons why frankens are made, sought after & collected. But, in the end, I think it simply boils down to an envious pursuit of perfection.