Mendota Explorer

Oh man. Sorry to read this. Yes, we've all been there at some point, but if you know things are tight then you shouldn't buy a watch during that time. Sort things out, get yourself caught up, and then buy a watch once your head is above water again.

You went above and beyond to help a brother out, and I raise my glass to you. For that person to take advantage of your generosity is not ok. He should have been in constant contact with you. Hell, maybe he could have worked out additional regular installments if he had just asked and been in communication with you the whole time. That's the problem. People are embarrassed and they wait until the end, after it is too late, instead of opening a dialog at the beginning or even during the decline. I hope this gets resolved amicably and that everyone can save face and remain cordial.

DRSD today

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This is a gorgeous piece. I would love to learn what the build specs are for this one. A double red is definitely on my wish list.

Idk my man. You should ask misiekped or vac. They'll know for sure.

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So I did and he reminded me of something important. My rehaut engravings are misaligned. Way back in the day, Noob git a lot of things right, but they couldn't get the rehaut engravings to line up properly at 9:00. They are perfect almost all the way around the watch but go out of alignment for 5 ticks leading up to the 9:00 marker.

There's no way I'm spending that kind of money with an issue like that. I completely forgot about it.

The GMT has the half link adjustment clasp, not the glide lock. Two different clasps. I'd go down the list of TDs and ask every one of them, but start with the ones that you already have relationships with. Someone will be able to help you. Also try looking on Ebay or Ali Express.

Very nice and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more pics!

Guys, I have one of the original Noob GMTIICs from late 2008. It is the real V2. Would this case be a good contender for this franken transformation, or is the current case better? I have no idea if there is any difference.

I've been wearing this watch all of this time as is, but now that this super franken is a possibility I'm very intrigued. It would be very convenient since I already own the watch.

He also has a dealer section on Homage Forum.  That's how I have communicated with him - through PM over there or with email.

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I don't really see the difference with the bezel ring, but I definitely see the difference with the caseback. The new one is much thicker. Where can we source a better one? On the wrist it might not be a big deal, other than making the watch head ride higher like a sea dweller.

Wow.  You did such a nice job!  Very impressive work. I love the little crack in the seconds hand! I am going to experiment with reluming a couple of dials and hands this winter to get my 1680 right and also to start another project.  Can you share your lume recipe via PM?

Usually we don't use the words "fatty, sexy, and gorgeous" all together in the same sentence, but in this case they all are appropriate!  

Bravo!  Very nice work with this one.  I absolutely love the texture and the aging effects on the dial and hands.  Did Big Dazza also do those hands for you?  If he did not, how did you produce that aged effect on them?

The case looks fantastic.  In your post, you mention that the case work was more than you could handle. Who ended up doing the work for you?  They did a fantastic job.

This is a beautiful piece.  Enjoy it.

I mentioned this over on RG but I'll say it here, too. I think the first step is to get a gen Rolex in the watchbox. For not much more than this build, you can get a used Exp II 16570 which has a 3185 under the hood. Or even a vintage date or Datejust. It provides longevity and it can be an heirloom.

Then, I think this build is a fantastic addition. This is literally a genken or genstein. The only 3 aftermarket parts are the case, bracelet, and movement. If you put it on a custom leather strap or even use the rep Oyster, you can keep the cost down to a fraction of a used gen price. You can even sell the unused rep parts to reduce the overall cost further. Also, if you ever want to sell you can sell off the gen parts for what you paid. The modded movement has value, too. No brainer at that point!

I think I would totally do this once I already have a gen in the box.

Great work, guys!

the case back and bezel ring are better on the version with the stumpy CGs. 1 step forward, 2 steps back

What is wrong with the caseback and the bezel? Is there a better caseback we should use? How about the bezel? Which source (or sources) would you recommend for those?

Do you have any pics to show what you have?  I recently learned that I am missing a bezel component for my Puretime red 1680. Thanks MD2020.  He's the only one who worked on it since I originally bought it.

There are complete bezel assemblies for sale with WSO and Clark.  I think they are set up very similar to the sub bezel assembly.  If you check out the pics on their Ebay stores, they show a complete breakdown of the components.  This might help you figure out which part is missing from yours.

Jelliotz did a nice 1675 over on Homage Forum this past spring and it was a quick and easy budget build.  He took a base watch and then swapped out some of the parts to make it an overall nice budget build. I don't remember which base watch it was but I can look for the thread and post it.

Looking great. What are the specs on this so far? Which parts are still rep?

I think it's the photo angle and light. CG end disappeared on bright light.

Good. I was thinking that might be the case.

Am I seeing things wrong, or are the crown guards different on the one you received than the ones on the first watch? Maybe it is the angle the watch was positioned in for the first batch of QC pics.

awhile back, I saw a post where chicago customs were nabbing lots of packages

Yes. There was an ongoing thread over on another board about Chicago. They were using it as a training center or something. Damned near everything was getting nabbed there earlier this summer.

A set of WSO 580 endlinks would solve the notch issue.

Someone on another forum pointed out something important, though. If you look at the pics of the watch on Josh's site and then compare these to the watch the OP actually received, they are not the same case. The website still shows the old style short and stubby crown guards.

You will have to make sure you really check your QC pics carefully.

At this point it sounds like we don't know if the $128 5512 with the 2813 movement is the same version or not. We almost need someone to order one to find out.

I've read that Brasso works great.

Nope it's not what I thought it was, it looks like a nice base without spending a lot of money to modify, great!

thanks for the pics

Thanks DLF. That helps build a lot of confidence!