freddy333

Contact seller & explain what happened. Include a good, clear pic of the package, showing where it had been opened/resealed. Give the seller a week to respond. In most cases, the seller must initiate a complaint with the shipper. If the seller fails to respond or accept responsibility, register a complaint through ebay & follow their instructions.

The 1680, 5513 & 5512 all share the same bezel components & Rolex still has them. So the easiest option is to take the watch to your nearest Rolex service center or Authorized Dealer & have them replace them (they will probably recommend an overhaul if it has been several years since the last 1). Search the for sale section or post a WantToBuy on VRF or TZ. Alternatively, search ebay. Although you can probably find some to fit, unless your father is financially destitute, I would not install aftermarket bezel parts on a gen watch.

Beautiful, but we need before & after pics.

Ditto Rolexman.

TT88 - This 1's for you & a few more

Any of Ubi's. Of mine, these are the most recent, so also favs

I am not sure which details would change by having a larger sample? Since I got into watch collecting (mid-80s), the gene pool has predominantly been upscale white males, who tend to target vintage gentlemen's watches. Vintage, being defined as 25 or more years old, precludes most watches beyond the 36-40mm size range. Back when I began, the IT watch was the Rolex Prince, but any Patek from the 30s would do.

Try this 1st, but note that a slight change makes a big difference. Too much bend will make the clasp difficult to open If bending the leaf fails to tighten the clasp, try bending these tabs with a pair of smooth-jawed needlenose plyers (cover the metal with tape before bending so you do not scratch the finish)

Did you leave something turned on (that should not have been on) or do you know what caused the initial problem?

Check with the seller, but, generally, 1 month before Christmas should be sufficient.

I took part via a Robb Report survey & the results, while interesting, are pretty much what any long-time collector would have expected.

I have seen at least 3 different bezel assemblies on Sub reps, but if your rep bezel is made like the gen, there should be a slightly bent, flat metal spring that fits between the bottom of the bezel & top of the case. The slight bend of the spring puts upward tension on the bezel to keep it locked onto the crystal retaining ring. If the spring is too flat, there is insufficient tension & the bezel will be loose (the opposite can also be true, so be careful not too bend it too much).

panerai153 - You have defined a typical Rolex owner. The average Rolex owner will often sell his watch before paying the high prices for genuine parts/service, while the collector will often sell his 1st born child to pay for a vintage crown or insert. This joke was originally aimed at BMW owners, but I think it is more apropos to vintage Rolex owners - A lawyer opened the door of his BMW, when suddenly a car came along and hit the door, ripping it off completely. When the police arrived at the scene, the lawyer was complaining bitterly about the damage to his precious BMW. "Officer, look what they've done to my Beeeemer!!!", he whined. "You lawyers are so materialistic, you make me sick!!!" retorted the officer, "You're so worried about your stupid BMW that you didn't even notice your left arm was ripped off!!!" "Oh my gaaad....", replied the lawyer, finally noticing the bloody left shoulder where his arm once was, "Where's my Rolex???!!!!!"

I ended up having to source all of the GMT parts & converted a standard 1036 to 1036gmt. It took more than 2 years to locate all the parts, but I ended up with a mostly NOS movement. So there was a positive side to the whole episode. That definitely tops mine in outrageousness, but, unlike the movement, I am not sure anyone would pay that much for an old caseback, NOS or not. But - altogether now kids - when it comes to vintage Rolex, never say never.

You may remember that the 1036gmt I purchased from ofrei 5 years ago that Bob Fry sold to someone else ended up being sold on ebay for $2,600. 2 years later, another 1036gmt sold for $3,800. I have not seen a bare movement sell since then, so I will keep my eye on this 1. But it would not surprise me if it sold at or above its asking price.

click this (& it does not even have the correct date wheel)

Getting ready for Halloween

For safety sake, I would exchange malleting for patiently working the razor in & around the circumference of the bezel by hand (wearing a glove would not hurt, just in case). Sometimes, it will take 30 minutes of gentle prodding to get the razor to slip in between the bezel & case, but, eventually, it always works. Much safer than having a razor blade explode on you.

Not too sure about what appear to be swirl marks on the sides, but, otherwise, well done.

Having spent a bit of time working on Capitol Hill &, separately, publishing a medical journal, I would not trust Washington to build a paper airplane, let alone operate a health care system. & I say that having been a life-long Democrat. If a system like Britain's National Health could be perfected to: eliminate the long wait times (often resulting in pain, suffering &, yes, premature death); bureaucratic ineptitude getting in between doctors/patients; advance medical research; & be fully funded by way of a VAT-like tax (to replace the current federal/state/local income tax system), I would be all for having someone like Visa run it (with government oversight).

Regardless of the hyperbole of sellers, no rep is ever a 100% accurate copy of a genuine watch. Although gens are somewhat overpriced, it is virtually impossible to make an exact copy of a $10k watch for $300, especially when the rep copy is assembled under less than laboratory grade conditions & without rigorous QC. Each rep has its own set of sins (inaccuracies). The rep made from factory A may get 3 details wrong on the dial & 2 on the bracelet. The same model watch made in factory B may get 2 different details wrong on the dial & a different 1 on the bracelet with an additional mistake on the crown. The point is that each rep has its own set of sins & different people rank different sins differently. That is why I can tell you which rep of 3 samples is the best for me, but it may not necessarily be the best for you. What you need to do is spend some time researching pics & details of the specific gen watch model you are interested in. If it is a current model, make a few trips to dealers & try them on (it does not cost anything to try on watches). Note how the watch feels on your wrist. Note how the metal feels & reflects light. Note how the crown feels when you wind the watch & set the time. Note how the bracelet or strap feels & reacts to your wrist movements. Once you have a good feel for how the real thing looks & feels, then you are in a good position to select the rep that you can be happy with.

Enhanced patination (artificial aging & patina) is definitely more art than science, which is why there is no single book or guide (what works on 1 piece may not work on the next). Also, as others have suggested, correctly in my experience, most artificial aging goes way overboard, ending up with a franken that looks (suspiciously) like a caricature of a old watch. Spend some time reviewing alot of genuinely old watches & compare those to artificially aged reps & I think you will see what I mean.