ww12345

You want to make sure you have the right dial on it before you put on a date-wheel overlay. I would recommend the InGod dials, if he has the red Sub dial in stock. You will also probably need a new crystal. You should be able to get that from Clarks. As for the overlay, I would check with JMB.

Oh, I forgot about 6542s needing the C115 crystal. Is that available through Clarks? I know he carries the 116, but I've never looked for the 115.

@praetor: How much would one of those cases cost? You could probably count me in for one of them! @watchmeister: I agree. I think the factories may be (under)assuming demand for vintage products. Maybe it is because I am not a PAM guy, but it seems to me that vintage Rolex > PAM as far as numbers go.

@praetor: Really? I installed a Clarks ring no problem. However, it is not as tight as I would like. Does yours give the "press to turn" feel now?

Yup. That's the look. I take it the T39 is the closest T38 replacement, then. How many mm did you have to shave it down? Also, is that the Josh case? The cgs don't look nearly as stubby as mine.

Ideally. It's not so much that I don't want the cyclops, but like options.

Oh yes, I forgot about the Tropic 19 for the 1680. Darn on the lack of source for Tropic 38. What are the specs on it? I wonder if a different Tropic is close enough that it could be substituted (ala Tropics 21 and 22)?

I wouldn't wait - these are the last days of DW as we know it. From what I understand, he is nearly out of parts, so if you want them, you need to let him know as soon as possible! From the QC pictures I got, the Daytona turned out pretty awesome. I already have a 6262 two-coloured Newman DW, and wanted to add a less expensive representative to the lineup...

That might be interesting! Know of any factories willing to start soon? Maybe making 5513 cases?

Yes, the Cyclops 116 or the Tropic 38 are the two replacement crystals for the 1675. One is the standard, the other not so much... Similarly, the replacement crystal for the 1680 is usually the Cyclops 127, but a Tropic 39 can also fit.

@Nanuq: Do you know of a replacement source for the Tropic 38? I checked with Gary from Clarks and they don't have any and can't make any. Do G&S or Sternkreuz have some?

Yes, the key is "Never say Never with Vintage Rolex." If you wanted customization and that meant that they would sell a watch, you got it! Too bad that doesn't apply today. I finally took the plunge and ordered a Daytona like that from DW - mine is the standard 6239 steel bezel; though I ordered an extra black bezel, just in case. Thanks for the inspiration!

You are lucky you damaged the $25 crystal, instead of the $65 crystal! That lume looks pretty good. Did you do it yourself?

I don't know what that is supposed to mean... That appears to be old style rep vs. new style. One has the SEL bracelet and "Swiss Made", while the other has the old style bracelet with "Swiss T < 25". If that is an older gen, though, the tritium would not compare to a Super-luminova watch. Definitely an interesting development, though.

I wonder if it has anything to do with company size/likelihood of lawsuits. I remember hearing (possibly a joke) about the rep factories getting too close to perfection and being shut down from the all-mighty Rolex Copyright Protection Agency of Doom. In any case, it would probably be all modern Rollies that would be perfected, not the good old fashioned vintages!

I think the hands changed when they changed to the 3075 from the 1575. I believe when they upgraded the movement, they changed the handstack order.

Cool! Where'd you get the MBW case?

Correct. The PT retaining ring works OK out of box, but for some reason the rep factories decided to cut them a hair-and-a-half too large, and then just shove that plastic junk in to take up the additional slack. One note to the OP: If you are going to waterproof it, you need to install the crystal gasket (mounted underneath the retaining ring). Otherwise, the watch will fog up.

RAF (single strap) NATOs fit on SDs perfectly! Also, the British official issue NATO is much thinner than the US counterpart, so that is an option. Personally, I don't like straps on watches which will be worn in the water, because of the risk of the springbar failing. I suppose the same thing could be said for stock bracelets, though. I believe that the strap options for a GW SD were the 9315 folded link with a safety clasp, or the modern replacement 93150 solid link with safety clasp. The 93150 is available from PT, but requires some modding to get gen springbars to fit. He sells them for his SDs, so the endlinks should be OK as is. If you are ambitious, you can cobble together a 9315 (with wrong markings) from the Josh 7836 folded link bracelet and the PT 93150. It comes out OK, but as of now, I don't think there are any gen-accurate 9315 rep bracelets. Hope this helps!

IIRC, the outer diameter of the rehaut is slightly too big - anybody else remember if that is the case?

I think you need to have JMB mill you a new bezel. That's what he did on mine. That stupid plastic ring is pure junk, and not worth keeping.

Aargh! I didn't know about the tube gasket, as well as the crystal gasket! How would you cut for the tube gasket? Is it even possible to do? I don't mind reshaping the case; as I said, the only thing that really appears to be the deal-breaker is the rehaut dimensions. As far as the bezel, I can pull the bezel/retaining ring from the Josh 5513 I have now. I was hoping to upgrade to a less troublesome case... It is a shame that 1. DW is going out of rep business and 2. that his 5513/5512/1680 cases aren't super-reps like his Daytona cases. Hopefully I'll get this last case out, and it be right!

Not only that, but look at the funky springbar at the bottom. I puzzled over that same watch as I followed this whole episode. Edit: Not to mention the stark white date-wheel.

Hmmm... Thanks for the response automatico. I remember reading that the bezel was spring and not gen-spec, but could that and the inner bezel be fixed by machining parts (ala JMB)? He machined a couple of gen-spec bezel retaining rings for me, so if that could be solved that way, that would be OK. I can't really tell from the pictures he sent whether the sides are going to be rounded. I suppose that given enough metal, I could de-round and fix them, similar to the re-machining you have to do on Josh 1655 cases. I sort of assumed that smaller size spring bars would be stock. Drilling them out is no big deal. Neat on the gen tube screwing in out of box. By no groove for the tube gasket, you mean the crystal gasket that goes under the bezel retaining ring? I wonder if that could also be fixed. So far, to me, it sounds promising, except for the gen dial not fitting. That is the one problem, as I know of no way to add steel to a case. I asked for different dimensions on the inner rehaut, so we'll see if he can help in that regard. Like you said, automatico, it looks too good to leave alone. Darn my stubborn nature!

Frank, I'm curious; what about the case is not 1:1 (besides the inner rehaut)? So far, he has been pretty accommodating in changing various specs on it, as I am trying to get it right. What is the standard inner rehaut measurement for a 5513, anyway? Thanks for the responses!