Mendota Explorer

There is a thread on RWI in which Rolex Addict says this is the best 1680 case he's worked on. He says when putting in a gen spec crystal it's a perfect fit and you throw away the plastic retainer ring/gasket that this model comes with. It is not gen-like, obviously. After replacing the crystal you pitch the plastic ring and the bezel pressure fits down over the crystal. Another option is to have JMB custom machine a new retainer ring for the watch. This is what a lot of people have done and it makes a huge difference. I own this watch. The insert is actually awesome. It's a service replacement style insert, so the numbers are thin but it has a nice vintage pearl. Many 1680s in the wild have had inserts replaced, so this is correct to gen. The bezel shape and teeth are also spot on to gen, so you don't need to replace it, but some folks do. 6 of one, I say. When I look at mine compared to the gen reds on TRF and VRF my bezel is identical. I'm replacing my crystal with a T19 and if I have plans to pressure fit my bezel back down onto the crystal, but if I have trouble then I'll go the JMB route.

I think that guy over on RG said it was 200 pounds, so that's a lot more than 200 bucks. $350ish maybe?

Wow! Nice job with this so far.

^ The stock crown is huge and out of proportion. It is very noticeable.

I'm not VIP and I don't see it. How can I get it to appear? Apparently, I'm missing out on the good theme.

LOL, you just can't make this stuff up.

What do you consider to be a lot of work and what would you recommend doing to this? What are your absolute "must do" items for this specific piece?

Good catch. He's all good, though. The PT case is already drilled out for gen bars. Whew! Here's the tough part, though. Even though the lug holes are opened for gen bars, the bracelet endlinks won't line up properly with 2mm bars inside. I can't get mine to line up properly and it's a common problem with the PT. Two solutions have come to mind. One is to find shoulderless 1.8mm bars. These will have the same bar OD as the rep bars, but now will have the ends protruding into the holes so you get that same look. On a bracelet it won't matter because all you see are the tips of the ends in the holes. The other option is to get WSO endlinks. Someone said these will allow a tad more wiggle room and the gen 2mm bars will align properly and go into the lug holes. Any other ideas, besides going NATO or leather and using gen bars?

Fantastic build. Truly an inspiration for the rest of us who admire these pieces.

That might be just the angle of the photo. Mine and everyone else's have been perfectly oriented. No need for a Yuki or Athaya pearl for the PT 1680. It already has a nice vintage pearl. Guys, you need to read Adrian's notice. Like I already wrote, he's out of town for the next month or so without email and he's not checking any PMs. If you are just asking questions you will not receive a reply. His wife is processing orders for him for crowns and other ready made parts until he gets home. If you are ready to order, you'll get a response. If not, then you have to wait until he gets home. Read his notice at Homage.

Yeah, if you owned this one for a while I bet you had a Noob. Did it have a Z serial number? Until the BP came out the Noob was the best available, but I'm pretty sure the gen crystal and Noob case don't like each other. Looks fantastic after the mods. Are you using your original hands? Did you get a relume on the hands to match the hue and strength of the gen dial?

Here's the thread for the 702 crown from his store on Homage Forum. He has a sales section there. Just FYI - he's traveling for a long time on business, so his wife is going to be handling orders for these crowns while he is away.

Sign up over there. It's free, of course, and Adrian is super easy to work with. For $35 (free shipping) you literally will have a good as gen 702. You can't beat that. It will screw right onto the Puretime tube, so no swapping of tubes is needed. Athay's watch parts are made to be interchangeable with gen parts, so they are that good. In the side by side pics with the gen 702 there isn't any visual difference to speak of. Same with his 8mm brevet crowns for big crown builds. Side by side with the gen brevet, there is virtually no difference. I paid $45 for my vintage gen crown, shipped from Switzerland, and even though I have a gen crown on mine already, I am still tempted to put on Athaya's 702 since that is the correct crown for this watch.

Looks like this is from Angus/ Puretime, right? I have the PT red 1680 with the meters first, closed 6 dial variation. I love it. Here's a tip. Immediately find a better crown. The one that comes with it is junk. I bought a vintage gen crown for mine, but now there is an even better option. Athaya over on Homage Forum has a 702 crown for $35 which is identical to the gen 702. Buy it. This watch will accept a gen crown without having to replace the tube, so you are totally set. The gen reds would have come come with a 702 originally, so I think you should put that on there for sure. It will change the look of the watch. Other than that, you really don't have to do much else with it. It's a great watch. Enjoy it!

It's almost safer to buy modern gens and build franken vintages...

Very nice. This looks awesome. Sneed is a wealth of knowledge and very helpful. What version was your base watch? I have the Noob V2 and I'm not sure if a gen spec crystal will fit mine.

Love the Datejust hour and minute hands paired with a sub seconds hand, not to mention the crooked text printing on the dial. James Bond would have loved being able to count down his dives in hours by using that GMT bezel insert, rather than minutes using a sub insert. Lovely piece! LOL What a POS. Sad thing is I bet someone, somewhere will fall for it.

Great to know. Thanks so much!

Alligoat and Lions, where do you guys suggest looking for good vintage pieces? I like to look on watchrecon and elitedealseeker since these aggregate the sales listings from all the gen boards, but are there any specific places or dealers that you would recommend? Does DavidSW or any of the trusted sellers over on TRF deal with vintages? I still owe myself a birth year watch for my 40th and I'm in absolutely no rush at all. Buy the dealer, then the watch, as we always say in our world...

Do you have to buy the entire hand set or can you just buy the hour hand from him? My first attempt at a big crown is going to be a 6538 but I might try a 6200 later on, which would then require the long hour hand. Although, I just saw some great pics from Hodinkee and VRF of several 6200s all lined up next to each other and there were some with long hour hands and some with short hour hands like the other variations of the sub. Would the short hour hands be service replacement hands or did they put out some with long and some with short at the tail end of production for this model as they got ready to retire it and release the 6536 and 6538?

There are two long threads discussing this new edition over on both RWI and RG at the moment. This new edition has a flaw on the dial where the GMT Master II text is a rectangle instead of having tails on the numbers to make true Roman Numerals. Someone posted up a pic of a gen dial for sale that apparently also has this misprint, to show that such a flaw indeed could exist out in the wild for a gen.

The OP listed the new web address in his opening post.

Let's talk about those hands for a minute. Is Michael Young on this board? How much would a long hour hand cost?

Nice! Looks good. We need to see more of that gorgeous big crown, though.

He must mean the movements because those Bell & Ross all come on straps. OP, are you hearing the rotor spin inside the case?