panerai153

How about a perfect gen spec 1675 and 1680 case? there are lots of us vintage guys here, and there are no good GMT or old sub cases around unless you go to the aftermarkets ones like phong, ming quy, etc. and those are 1-1.5k for just the case set!

A different sort of GMT

There are lots and lots of folks who have the old MBW "polex design" 1680 cases that are really a 5513 case. genuine 1680 dials won't work without a lot of either dial shaving or case reaming. And then you still have the problem of the dial feet in the wrong place for an ETA movement. Build a good quality white letter 1680 dial, and a silver or white (Prefer silver) date wheel that fits the ETA and aligns properly, and I bet you could sell all you can produce. This is a build that every vintage Rolex guy wants , but thus far most of us have been stymied by very poor DW alignment. As Freddy said, lots of the aftermarket folks are getting the dials for 1675.1665's 5513's etc. right. I really believe that a lot of these dials are going into genuine Rolex watches, if not why are they producing all of them with dial feet to fit a Rolex movement? There are millions out there, and lots of folks inherit or buy an old Rolex, but cannot afford the price of a NOS genuine Rolex dial. If you don't believe it, go over to the Vintage Rolex market and look at what those guys are asking for old dials. Heck, common ones in average condition are a grand, and if you want something special like a really good 1665 or 1675 dial, 2-3k and that's not for a DRSD or a gilt, chapter ring, underline,etc dial.

Beautiful watch!! I'm glad you got it cause now maybe your "Big crown" itch will be scratchd and you'll quit bugging me about my 7924. Seriously though, this one is really,really nice.try to stay on the trails and out of trouble,BIg Mon, and please. please wait until it thaws to try to take it swimming!!

Better yet, send it to me.I'll send him a nice GMTIIC replica with a sapphire crystal that he can't scratch. I'll trade you even. Keeps great time, and looks real!!

He neesd to send it to you. You can polish it up for 50 bucksand save him 50!!! Really though, you are right, Polywatch works great. I saved a 300 USD T-39 superdome that was so scratches you could hardly tell the time. took an hour or so, but it looked like new when I finished.

You are right, they aren't compatible. Size wise and pearls are totally different.

What MD2020 said is true, it works great. Your fathers watch is worth a lot of money!! I just went over to the Rolex Forum and Chrono24 and looked at prices of Rolex 1675 PCG's. I saw one in terrible shape for 7k and one on chrono24 in really nice shape, much like your fathers for (Hold your hat!!) 14K!! i don't know what he paid for his, but these are pretty rare birds, and getting more desirable all the time, especially one in really nice condition. His has had some parts replaced, this model originally came with the much more desirable small arrow GMT hand, but it's not the end of the world if it's been replaced Try the polywatch first, then take it to a good watchmaker if the polywatch doesn't work to your satisfaction.Replace it witha genuine Rolex crystal, Don't use this watch as a LAB RAT!! It's too nice and valuable.

Don't go buy some cheap crystal off Ebay, that;s a very nice watch, probably worth upwards to 5-6 K. If you don't know what you're doing. take it to a watchmaker that knows his way around Rolex and let him change the crystal. Before you do that, you can get a tube of polywatch, and try to polish out the scratches. It works well, and with a little "elbow grease" you can make it like new. Don't try any of that chisel, heat, stuff, that works on a sapphire crystal, but not an acrylic. You are correct, the Clarks will decrease the value of the watch. If your watchmaker can't find a crystal, there are always 25-116 crystals for sale over on the Vintage Rolex forum (Vintage Rolex Market). Any watchmaker who is Rolex Certified and has a Rolex parts account can get the correct genuine crystal for the watch.

Marty, I believe that you need to specify the case you are using, as the old MBW cases are a little smaller, (actually were 5513 cases) and they use a smaller diameter dial. If your case will accept a genuine or genuine spec dial, it would probably need a different datewheel than the old MBW. The most desirable would be the silver datewheel, there were a few floating around here years ago, a dealer,Eurotimez was selling them, but they are no longer available new, and Eurotimez is long gone.Don't know where you can find one. A few members have made open 9 and 6 and flat top 3's overlays, just have to search the sales forum and put a Want to buy in the tools and parts section.

Never heard of that site, but for the most part, there is a faction of each and every genuine forum that hates reps like the devil hates holy water!! No matter what, where or how the subject comes up, the thread is flamed. the worst of course are the genuine rolex forums. Interesting story, several years ago, a very well respected and notable person on the Doxa forum on WUS (This fellow is the guru of Vintage Doxa watches, in fact has written the difinitive history of the Doxa Subs as well as a couple of other books on Doxa and the notable owners of Doxa over the years), started a thread on replica watches, mainly with the point that he had owned a few, found that they were very well constructed and great value for the money. He basically said that Rolex was ripping customers off because they were for all intents and purposes selling a 500-1000 USD watch for 5-10 thousand dollars. A ten fold increase in what they were really "Worth". Well, he was flamed, probably not as roundly as he would have been had he not been such a notable authority, but he was flamed just the same. I actually wrote a response, taking his side, and sent him a PM that I also owned replicas, saw no big problem with them, and aslo agreed that Rolex was taking advantage of their "Name recognition" to charge inflated prices for what was essentially a mass produced watch. Point is if you bring up replicas on a genuine forum, be prepared for the negative response. also, you probably won't get much support, even from those on the forum who may own reps or have no problems with reps. Most will remain silent, lest they be branded as "Replica Lovers"

Nice sunny day here in the southland

I recently "retired" my franken DRSD 1665 from everyday wear, especially outside working in conditions that are not conducive to a watches health!! I had the same sort of problem, mine was tested to 6 atmos about 2 years ago. i was wearing it one day and I hit it on the side of a metal door frame (Superdomes are magnets for contact) I checked it, but didn't see anything wrong. This past summer, I was working out in the yard and was attaching a hose to a sprinkler, I didn't have a shutoff close by, so I shut off the water by doubling up and crimping the hose. attached the end to the sprinkler with it's quick connect coupling. When I released the hose pressure, the end of the hose blew off the coupling, and my 1665 got a full blast of water. About one second, but that's all it took. I noticed condensation under the crystal in a few minutes. I immediately took the watch off, went inside, removed the caseback and checked. No water inside, but apparently enough under the crystal to cause a fog. I put the watch inside a jar of rice with the crown unscrewed and left it fr a day or two. I called my watchmaker who told me to send it to him. On closer inspection, there was a crack running under the bezel to the base of the crown. He replaced the crystal, but from now on, I'm not taking any chances!! One big problem with these old vintage builds, we are using vintage crystals as well. Acrylic degrades with age, it becomes less elastic and more brittle, more prone to cracking. If you go over to the Vintage Rolex Forum, there are good discussions about the dangers of wearing old watches with old parts in situations that put them at risk. It's just too easy to change watches and put on something newer, cheaper and much more "replaceable" rather than run the risk of damage to your old favorites.

lots of cases have been boogered up by the modder who gets a little too vigerous while trying to countersink the case to allow the tube to sit flush with the case. before you start drilling tapping, etc, i would find a couple of old throwaway cases to practice on. Another thing, when you retap the threads, you need to be very careful that you are tapping straight into the case, as you can retap it to where the new tube screws in at a slight angle, and it may look OK, but it will bind the stem when you put the movement in and attach the stem. One of the keys to all types of precision work, is the need to secure your work (Case) in some sort of vise or holder so that it does not move. If it's loose, and you can't line everything up correctly, you are going to have a mess on your hands.

Genuine 258 end links, yes siree! Fit on a 78360 bracelet and were somertimes used on early 1675's. AFA fake ones, i have never seen them, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

i would definitely take a 1680. I need a good 1680 case desperately!!

great project. looks like that will be a real competitor for wrist time with your 5510!!

Most watch companies (genuine) will have a prominent disclaimer that they are NOT responsible for customs and Duty fees in the country of delivery. Here in the USA, it's really hit or miss. I have had several genuine watches sent from Switzerland, and I believe that only twice did FedEx charge a customs charge. Both times it was around 50.00USD for watches that were valued at 1200-1800 USD. So all in all the customs duty here in the USA is not nearly as onerous as it is in some other countries. Selling watches, again genuine, is problematic when shipping to the EU countries as well as lots of other countries across the various ponds. I realize that the duty is high, but the USPS UPS and FedEx will not allow you to insure the package for more than the stated value on the customs declaration. So as automatico said,declare and insure for what it's worth. It would be great if you could value the package at 100.00 USD, but then you can only insure for 100 USD. If the package is lost or stolen, or somehow gets run over by a forklift, all you are going to be able to claim is 100 USD. in the meantime the buyer rightfully so, wants his watch, or his money back. Guess what, you have to refund his money, and you get to collect 100 dollars! If it's a 2K watch, you just lost 1900 USD, and you don't have a watch either.

Here's it's mate! maybe it'll be and Orange Friday

6538? No!! MKII's version

i would ask them before you chose which one if they have a pressure tester that can test to at least 5 atmos. if they can, I would let them pressure test after assembly.

Here is a joeyB lume job

What in the world are you building?

Are you going to assemble the watch yourself or have someone else do it for you? Most of the modders here on the forum can put one together and get it water resistant for showering and washing hands, etc. I believe that one of the resaons the case sellers put the disclaimer in the ad is they have no control over the assembly of the watch. If it's not asssembled correctly, and water gets inside, there could be claims that the case was at fault, when it very well could have been the way it was put together. Another thing, the old brevet crown, do not have the triplock or even the twinlock crowns like later Rolex submariners. I may be incorrect but that design relies on one o-ring inside the crown for water resistance.

you are absolutely correct. the problem here is the buyer wants to buy a watch for wear and investment, which in themselves are not compatible, but the amount is not even close to the ball park for "investment"grade watches. I would consider those to be vintage or perhaps some contemporary Pateks, Breguet and others in the hand made very small production number catagory. unfortunately, you aren't going to get into those for 5-6k. Despite what a lot of folks think, Rolex is a mass produced mid range watch. With production of around one million watches per year. Great watches, value for your buck, maybe, investment, never. My advice would be if you like the brand and some models in particular, buy the watch wear the heck out of it and enjoy it, that's what they were meant for.