ww12345

Huh - I got an email saying they would be getting a shipment in 4-6 weeks - are they sending it on the slow boat from China??

Ofrei seems to be out of the GMT DG3804b; anyone know of a CONUS site that carries them?

I didn't think so - isn't Everest US based? I thought it was Classic Watch Parts, out of like Malaysia...

That dial looks really good - I have a gen gloss dial that aged that way...

Trust me, you won't be disappointed. I made the same move of dumping the Josh case for the MBW and haven't looked back since. It is a far superior case.

Definitely +1!

Wow, how cool! Eager to hear the rest. What watch(es) did you take?

Here's the URL, for anyone interested. I assume this is what you bought, right woof*? http://www.perfect-c...836-p-6684.html - Just to make absolutely clear for people who just got here: This is NOT the standard Josh site. This is the fake site. Included in this thread for the sole purpose of discovering the source of 7206 bracelets.

How much did you pay for the 6541? I wonder if the fake site would be willing to sell just the bracelet. I know it would be a gamble dealing with someone other than the trusted dealer but if it were only for a few dollars, it might be worth the risk. For that matter, could one of our dealers source it?

Ah, so you're the one that bought those pieces! I was watching those, too, but he seemed kind of sketchy in the communication I had with him. Then, when I went back to buy them, they were gone! Out of curiosity, what are their dimensions? I understood from him that they were really, really tiny. Are they normal-ish size? Would love to see pics of your 6694. How cool! I was wondering where you got that bracelet. It is really cool, because it emulates (as you may already know) the USA-type rivet. What does the clasp logo look like? It would be really cool if we tracked down the maker of that bracelet, as well. AFAIK, Yuki is the only one that we know of with gen construction. All others have the symptoms like you describe.

OK, here are the pictures of my "stretch" 7206 rivet bracelet, and then some disassembled pics. It takes a while to do (maybe an hour) but when you get all through, you have a bracelet that behaves in the exact same way as when it arrived. First off, the pics of the completed bracelet (bracelet resized to 4 links on 6 o'clock side): This was a pretty quick and dirty job, as I was doing it on the road, and didn't have access to my rubber-jawed pliers, so there is a bit of scratching near the endlink, but it isn't as visible in real life as it is on the pictures. Now some pics of the deconstruction. The inside of the endlink is much different from the standard endlink, in that it is completely smooth. Here's a pic to describe it: Now here's a couple of pieces of the endlink. I stated before that the shape resembled an S, which is now incorrect. The new endlink connectors from Yuki resemble a 3. Ignore the relatively mauled look of this endlink - it came off a used bracelet which had been incorrectly modified. Note the material and design: And a pic of the side: Sorry for the blurred picture, but my camera wouldn't take a photo of the link, it kept focusing on the tablecloth. :S The ideal way to modify these is to use a soldering iron to heat up the portion which connects to the final link of the bracelet, and when it is hot, slowly bend the link open just a hair. You should be able to slide the tiny pin through the gap you have made, and then slide the part above out from between the hole in the endlink, like so: With that piece out, the next step is to heat the inside of the piece above where the springbar sits with the soldering iron. By heating this piece with the soldering iron tip which should be the same size as the springbar, you can just push straight through, opening the link to precisely the width of a 2mm springbar. After you have completed this, the next step is to put the springbar in place, and then push the piece back through the endlink, "gap" side down (ie: towards the bottom of the clasp.) Then, heat up the "gap" with your soldering iron and the piece should wrap back around the metal pin with some rubber-toothed pliers. This will leave no marks, if you did it right, and with the bracelet in the same place, just the inner tube widened to accept the 2mm springbar. I've thought this over recently, and I don't think that there would be any structural problems with this, as you are heating the steel up enough to encourage the bending but not to melting point. To woof*: I'd be glad to look at your bracelet, if you want, and see if I can get it back to "ideal." I think this is a decent fix for the Yuki bracelet, and should tide people over until (hopefully) he fixes the problem. Sorry for the XXL pics!

Would these work for other Rolex Subs/SDs? If so, I would be in for some...

OK, I've got one on order. When it gets here, I'll try to do a walk through of how I fix them by widening the springbar holder. The other method, used by JMB, drills out material to fit the springbar in. I've used both, and both bracelets are holding up remarkably well.

Those are really good pics! I especially like the third one. Makes you wish Rolex had those kind of ads today...

Not to disagree, but that is not the case. If you think of the end link part as the springbar holder, it is shaped roughly like a figure 8, with the opening at the middle point of the eight. Stretching one side of that eight, making one loop (that which holds the springbar) larger, you are actually making the end link fit looser. It still may weaken it, but it does not tighten the end link fit. I'll see if I can take some pics to illustrate it.

I suppose you could, if you could find them. Really is just easier to either drill out the endlinks or widen them. It is pretty easy to do if you have a drill bit that is just the same size (1.8mm) as the springbar - just stick it in and wiggle it around a bit until you've widened the hole to 2mm.

The problem isn't the bar itself, it is the endpins. IIRC, the endpins are much smaller than gen lugholes, and don't fit at all. That's why you need the bigger springbar. If you aren't faint of heart, you can bend the inner portion of the springbar holder to fit gen springbars, like I did. It is definitely scary, but it can be done. Another option is drilling out, like I had JMB do with my first bracelet. From the gens I have been looking at, I think the V1 is more correct to the rivet bracelets on gens. I don't know why they developed a V2. :?

I know. I didn't even know there was a difference in clasp logos. Which would be the most accurate for early '60s? I agree with LHOQQ - the problem with the Yuki bracelet was not the clasp logo...

Wow, that is a great list of parts! However, a Gen 1680 dial is going to be very expensive... I would recommend an Ingod or a Yuki dial - cheaper and pretty much there as far as looks. I just saw that you said you liked the new look, rather than vintage; you may be able to get a service lumi 1680 and 1665 dial for relatively cheap (compared to tritium vintage). VRF may have those service dials. They definitely have FF inserts.

Just heard back from Yuki - the difference is "the logo on the clasp." I looked, but they look the same to me; does anybody else see differences between the two clasp logos?

Anybody know why there are two different versions of the Yuki 7206 bracelet available on the website? Here's version one: http://www.yukiwatch.com/catalog/item/6784664/7752471.htm Here's version two: http://www.yukiwatch.com/catalog/item/6784664/9161248.htm Ready to buy (another) but don't know which is better. I bought back when there was only spring vs. non-spring. I wonder if version two has better endlink fit and can take gen springbars...

I've got an A7750 Daytona and it is fine. It is manual wind - the auto parts have been removed. Keeps pretty decent time!

Yes, I thought you were looking for the 1665. The 1655 (Freccione) that I have has this between the lugs: 12 o'clock side: ORIG ROLEX DESIGN 3868448 6 o'clock side: STAINLESS STEEL 1655 Hope that helps!

Puretime should send QC pics; ask for them if they don't volunteer them. As I said, I have never had any problems (cross my fingers and knock on wood!).

Incorrect hand stack. On a gen GMT II, the hand stack order would be hour hand, GMT hand, minute hand, followed by second hand. On an ICHS movement, the stack is similar to vintage Rolex, which is as follows: GMT hand, hour hand, minute hand, and second hand. Kind of a minor thing, really, but it would really bug some people.