Mendota Explorer

LOL his 5th pic of the gen shows crown guards that look nothing like his. What a douche. If he's trying to sell this POS as a gen, why on Earth would he include a pic of a gen in the listing? At least make the unaware buyer do their homework. For a crook he sure is stupid. Reminds me of the burglar who made the news last year because while he was robbing the house, he made himself a snack and then fell asleep in the homeowner's bed. They came home and found him sleeping like a baby. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Beautiful build. It looks fantastic. Great work with this!

^ Riyi has always sold rivets. I haven't bought one, but other members have said they are pretty decent. Nothing like the older versions that Yuki used to sell, but better than the garbage that comes on the Silix. I've read that Riyi's jubilee is very good quality.

Skol!

I've come to the conclusion that I need to go gen for modern pieces - 90s and onwards, such as 16710 or 16570, 14270, or others. Also, something like a vintage 1500 or 6694 would be fun. There are lots of those for cheap prices. Anything else vintage I need to build franken. The gen prices are just too astronomical and the franken would mean a heck of a lot more to me since I Iocated the parts and built it with the help of the cool people here. It would have a story. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Wow. Just wow. Incredibly difficult to even comprehend what drives a person to spend millions on a watch that originally cost $100, possibly $200. It reminds me of the people who are clamoring to buy Screaming Eagle at several thousand a bottle now. At those prices I would be very pleased with a high end Phong build. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Try emailing him. He also has an Ebay store that might be updated more regularly. Like @tomhorn said, be sure to ask him for the branded version of anything you are interested in. He will email you pics of the dial you are purchasing with the logo. Emailing him works well because back when Silix and the cartel were unable to source 6538 cases, he still was able to get them from his supplier. He hadn't updated any of his sites but he had stock and was working directly with people to place orders.

They all load fine for me. Excellent work with this! I love it. Very nice build. Do you have any plans to replace the crown with a gen or Athaya?

Are you looking for a modern 14270 or 114270 dial or a vintage 1016? @tomhorn gave a great suggestion for dials that won't set you back the price of a Yuki or other equivalent. Ken at Raffles is very responsive, too.

Wow! The one on the far right with the cream dial, black sub dials, and black bezel is my favorite. If it only had the red text it would be even better! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Gorgeous build. Very nice work with this! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Beautiful! Amazing build! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Beautiful build. That is a classic genken build that you can feel proud to wear. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I'm so glad you share the same opinion, because your 6538 build is stunning! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Excellent. Thanks for the insights! [emoji2] Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

There's a for sale thread going on in the trade area with a bunch of MBW pieces for sale, including the 6538, 5513, 5512, 1680 red and white, and 1665. Sort of like a "hidden vault has just been discovered" type of thing. The widow in Thailand found a big cache of her husband's last inventory or something along those lines. The dealer selling them here has been working with the widow to offer them here on the board and it is authorized by the mods and leadership here. With that said, in my very humble and unskilled opinion, after looking at the pics he posted of it today, I think it looks terrible. The Silix or Tiger for 1/4th of the price look far better, plus you can use those bezels that come with the watch and the crown if you don't want to upgrade to the more accurate Athaya. The MBW 6538 bezel looks like a regular sub bezel that has been sanded down. Nothing about it looks right. You can't even salvage it into a 6538/a build because that watch was retrofitted by the MOD to use a 5513 style modern bezel and the MBW has some kind of bastard bezel. The MBW crown is horrible. Overall, it is a ton of money to spend for nothing of value. It isn't anything like the 5512, 5513 and 1680 that can make great foundations for builds. For the same price, the Helenarou is a much nicer piece. You can get the complete HR watch with branded Rolex dial for the same price as the MBW. Personally, I agree with alligoat and think the Silix and Tiger based builds look fantastic. The HR builds just look too chunky and modern, which was exactly what they were designed to be - a modern interpretation of the classic piece. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Nice work! I opened up my beloved red 1680 a while back and replaced the caseback gasket. It feels good to do this stuff. Like doing car repairs. The online forums with tutorials are amazing resources. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Cool! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I've reached the conclusion that it is best to buy gen modern Rolex references, and save the builds for vintage pieces which, out in the wild, are frequently sporting aftermarket parts in some way, anyway, if they are worn regularly. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Thanks@automatico. I'm not really interested in going crazy with a build that will still be a rep at the end of the day. I'd rather get a used and cheap gen 6694. I think a cartel build willl keep the price down and will be fun and satisfying enough. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Question for you guys - after reading the sales thread with the "lost but now discovered" vault of mbw offerings, which would serve as a better base for a 5513 - one of those mbw or the new cartel? Are the stock mbw crystal, dial and hands ok or do they need to be replaced like these Cartel ones do? The two would be neck and neck price wise if you could use all of the stock components. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I just read that thread. They sure look good. Which is a better base for a 5513 build - the new cartel or this mbw? Certainly there is a price difference, but if the stock mbw dial and hands can be used, as well as the stock crystal, then that brings the two right in line with each other. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Yes, very important component. I forgot the T19. That CWP one is amazing for clarity. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Beautiful. Outstanding work with this. I love it. It is great inspiration for the rest of us who want to tinker and learn to assemble these parts. This is yet another step in the evolution of this hobby. Thanks for the inspiration! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Beautiful piece. This build is awesome! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk