panerai153

I believe that both count, but there have been some excellent well thought out posts by folks who haven't been around for long. If you bring knowledge to the table, it really doesn't make any difference whether it's your 25th post or you 3500th. Unfortunately, at times we tend to overlook posts by noobs, because we look at their post count. What we don't know is a noobs past history, just because they are new here doesn't mean that they are new to watches. Like watchmeister, I do look at post counts when I'm selling or buying, mainly because I find that veterans who know the ropes, know the ropes. They know how to pack a watch for shipping, how to use Paypal without sending up a big red flag, and usually are better at communicating, simply because they have done it numerous times before. If you want to see what happens when a bunch of noobs get tangled up, all you have to do is go to the watch sales section and read the 61 post thread related to the sale of a Tudor Snowflake. It's almost amusing, but it is serious as it shows how a couple of noobs and a seller who isn't clear about his sales rules turns a simple sale into a debacle.

I saw a very nice BK transformer for sale on Repgeek today. It comes with 3 complete bezels and all three inserts,Pepsi,Coke and black.It's not cheap, but the buyer could sell the two extra bezel/inserts and get part of his money back.

i have a gen "P" serial 16610 from 2000. It has a flat 4 lumi insert. this isn't a flat 4 insert, it's the pointed 4, later models. Not sure when Rolex changed to the more pointed 4 insert. I have to agree with alligoat, the older flat 4's look better, like the fat font inserts look better on 1680's

That' what I want to hear. why I posted the photos.If the case won't take a better dial and you can't use a gen crystal, then it's probably not worth it to spend a lot if money on it. Probably most of the folks here have not heard this expression, but it' pretty common here in the country. " you can put lipstick on a pig, but it' still a pig"!! This one may fall into that catagory.

Great collection,I'm in awe!

My bad,I was reading on line and "entry level" came fro wikipedia, probably not the most accurate reference source. My very first Rolex was an AirKing non date a wedding gift from my wife back in 1965. great watch, but I didn't like the non-date. She bought me a datejust a couple of years later. Unfortunately, the AK was "liberated" in a move following a fire at our house. We had a bunch of folks in and out and when we got re settled, the watch along with my Grandfathers Gold pocket watch, my dad's fraternity pin and some of my wife's jewelry was gone! We didn't discover the loss until weeks later when we unpacked everything and couldn't find the box with the stolen items. Not a great monetary loss, but irreplaceable sentimental value.

What case did you use? Any idea as to how much you have in the build? Seems like a lot of these end up costing almost as much as a good used gen. Very nice build, and one you can be proud of.

Right, the dial doesn't photograph quite as well as I would like. It's pretty darn nice especially out in the sun or under bright lights. To be honest, I was never a big fan of the TT subs, but a friend of mine has one, and the more I looked at his, the more i thought I would like to have one. I don't believe that they have been tremendously popular watches, because the used ones I have seen on the VRM, WUS,TZ and Rolex Forum market have not held their value as well as the s/s 16610's.

You would think that if he is genuinely interested in knowing what comprises a franken, he would have 1) Done some reading and research (Oh! I forgot no one researches anymore, just go on the forum and ask a bunch of questions that a little reading would answer)... 2) Reply to the folks who have posted in his thread witha little more information as to what he's trying to find out.

I just picked up and older TW best (Sold by the famous Eddie Lee) 16613. Not having mych experience with the TT subs, i would like opinions and of course ideas. Obviously this is and older mode,, as Eddie Lee has been gone from the forums for probably 8-10 years. If fact by the tiime RWG started up in 2006, I believe he was gone. I remember him from TRC back in the early 2000's. At any rate here is the watch, Swiss ETA movement (don't know as I haven't opened the caseback), but it's either a 2836 or a 2824. The case was reshaped by palpatine, and the insert may have been changed, the seller was a little vague about some of the mods. The bracelet is one of the "Wrapped" gold midlink bracelets and for it's age, not much wear at all. Looking at the dial It has dial plots that don't seem to conform to anything i've seen before. they look like they were a cross between a conventional gold surround and a nipple dial plot! At some angles they look too thich and too rounded like the nipple plots, but the lume portion is too big for a nipple dial, but the surrounds look to be too thick for a regular dial. What do the 16613 experts say? Is this dial OK, fair or is it too horrible to contend with ? I have a gen insert, crown and aftermarket tube incoming and a gen crystal as well. Can I get by with that or should I plan on changing out the dial as well? Problem is, I don't know anything about these old TW best subs. are they gen like construction, will a gen dial even fit the case. Right now, it's a pretty nice looking watch, but I want it to be believable? Of all lthe Rolex models this is a pretty popular watch around here, among Rolex wearers, although most I have seen were the Black dial version. Try to disregard the insert and crown, as they will definitely be replaced by gen parts. Here are a few photos including two comparison shots with my genuine "P" serial 16610.

Your links are not working. Please copy the entire link if you want folks to give you help. IF these are GMT II's and not GMT IIC's they will have the two color (Pepsi= Red Blue or Coke = Red Black) Bezel inserts. The GMT IIC's (C=Ceramic) has the ceramic bezel insert.

Rainy Sunday need something water resistant!!

I have to say, although mine was pretty messy it pales in comparison to yours!!

Richard, I believe that everyone who works with tools gets into that dilemma at some point, especially if you have tools for car repair, bikes, carpentry electrical, etc.!! I had a 10X 14 workshop in my garage, under the main part of our house and it was terrible, as well as being dangerous. Old paint stored under the workbench, a radial arm saw with the dust it accumulated and tools, parts and junk everywhere. Two summers ago, I bit the bullet and built a 20X 30 foot steel building witha roll up 10 foot wide door at one end and a passage door at the other . a couple of windows, lots of big flourescent fixtures for plenty of light, lots of shelving and a full 20 foot length workbench on one end. It's now organized, I can find stuff and it's a pleasure to work out there.You will never regret organizing your workspace.

The bracelets were not two tone on these, the only thing gold was the bezel and crown. the dial had a gold coronet. The Air King was considered the entry level watch by Rolex, and most were produced as SS non dates. they did make some with date function, mostly for the Canadian and UK markets. Model 5700 and 5701

I would say this is a pretty good price if the movement has been serviced. You said it had been sitting in a jewelry box for lots of years. Was the service done before or after it was put up? If it was serviced before, It will need another service, as the olis have probably all dried up and the seals more than likely are very brittle and are not in shape to insure water resistance. the crystal is acrylic and the scratches can be polished out.From looking at the case, crown and bracelet, it's seen plenty of wear. Could you possibly post a photo of the crown, looking at the coronet end of the crown? Somehow this crown looks odd, maybe it's the angle, but it looks like it's too rounded at the end. Ater doing a little research, it loks like the Air King Dates are pretty rare birds. If I were you, I would buy this one to restore, not cannabalize it or try to turn it into something else. You may be able to triple your money if it were brought back to very good condition.

I have never seen a genuine Rolex that looked anything like this, unless it got water inside.Personally, I am not a fan of over "vintigized" watches. I like mine to look well used, but not abused.

I have to agree with you about the speed. But, with speed comes a price and as several have mentioned, you may get hit with a pretty hefty customs bill, after the fact. FedEx operates it's own customs clearance within the confines of their distribution centers. They don't fool around with the US Customs Service or those from other countries as well, however they keep a good relationship with the government customs services by raising lots of money for each government. that's what politicians want, more money!! Very little gets by customs. i have gotten several new Doxa watches over the years, and they always ship FedEx from Switzerland. I believe that out of 3 i bought, one got through without me having to pay any duty, the other two came in and a week or two later, I got a letter from FedEx, billing me for the customs duty.

Old 16613 for today

And then 2 Pepsid AD for dessert!!!

The milgauss to me would be a feasible project. I even saw one of the Green tinted genuine crystals for sale here a few weeks ago. I believe aftermarket/gen parts are available for it and the rep can be made better by some modding. I think this would be a feasible project to get your feet wet.

snoopy is a snooping! Silly question that really doesn't deserve the dignity of and answer.

I believe that's a good trade off. The 1030's are getting so long in the tooth, I just don't think they will stand up to hard everyday use. And knowing you, you ain't gonna build no little sissy safe queen that's afraid to go out and play in the snow!! I believe that with a good service, the 2846's will work just fine. I have one in my 1680, my 6542 and had one in my DRSD until Ziggy replaced it with a 1575. I think they are pretty good movements.

my friend, you spelled it out in 5 letters GREED!!!

honestly, I looked at photos of the gen to compare, and I think this would be an exercise in futility. First off while these are magnificent watches, Hublot is not exactly a household word. Consequently, the parts would be impossible to source, as there aren't many parts floating around. It's not nearly popular enough to warrant an aftermarket trade like Rolex. My advice would be ,if you want to build something from parts, pick a brand or a model that has parts available,even if you have to search for them, it makes the project more interesting.