Mendota Explorer

^ You bet it is! It is something you enjoy and use. Hellz yeah it is. With that said, if a Land Rover convention were to come to Anchorage, and they were doing a big display, yours might not be allowed to be in the show because of all of the aftermarket parts used, but it wouldn't change the fact that other owners and enthusiasts would still give you high fives and head nods for owning and loving such a cool beast! Vintage watches, cars, and boats are all the same in my mind. If you are enjoying them yourself then who cares? Nobody. If you are showing them at special shows, then it matters.

That's good to hear that it really is an Asian ETA!

The next step is to replace the 2mm shouldered springbars with 2mm shoulderless bars so we can see springbar tips. Otherwise, there's no point in having lugholes if you are going to use shouldered bars. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

That's the high beat 2813 that he has been selling for years. My very first rep was a 14270 Exp 1 from Josh with the high beat 2813. It just died last November. Made it almost 8 years. FYI - The new Cartel vintage watches that are being reviewed right now on all of the forums come with this same movement unless you choose the ETA. A thread on RWI confirmed that the 2813 in the new Cartel vintages is the high beat 2813. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I have always said and felt this way - replicas of modern watches are just that - replicas, copies, knock offs, etc. They are fun but they have a stigma. I think Frankensteins and vintage pieces put together and aged using gen and aftermarket parts are works of art, similar to kit cars and auto restoration. They are a different animal entirely. When assembling something yourself, you have the choice to use factory OEM parts OR you can use aftermarket parts that were built to OEM specs. Nobody would fault you for replacing a hose or component of a car that you drive for fun with an aftermarket part. Only the really purist, show-worthy collector cars require all original parts. If you own the same car but don't show it in those purist shows, then you are free to use any parts you want during repairs and restoration. Not a single person on the planet would snub you or look down on you for that. Also, auto lovers think kit cars are really cool. It doesn't matter if it is a kit or not, it's a cool car. I think these vintage pieces are the same way. A client of mine is bringing back the Duesenberg automobile using modern technology, including the Corvette LS6 engine. It sounds like they are going to be doing the production down in TX. It would be fun to drive that while wearing a nice vintage build on the wrist!

How do you cut the date window to avoid this? I can see this working amazingly well for no date dials. I am sure it is really hard to cut that window. You'd need a very sharp Xacto blade and a steady hand!

I've read over on RWI that the new batches of WSO 580 endlinks haven't been up to the same level of quality that the previous ones were. I am not the only one who has had problems getting them to fit. Maybe it is a case by case issue? I am sure when they drill these lugholes they aren't using tolerances of tens of thousandths of an inch. Some people have had to sand them, or open/close the clam shell to make them work with their cases. For me, I ended up breaking off the little ring inside the clamshell. That happened with one and then I just snapped off the remaining ones from the set. They work now but they can be a little loose and rattly at times. WSO sent me a replacement set but those don't work any better. I have not monkeyed with those little rings out of fear of breaking them off.

Quick question about the endlinks and lugholes while using 2mm bars. Do the tips of the springbars still line up correctly and go into the holes when switching to the 2mm bars without doing any mods? I ask because when I switched to 2mm bars with my Puretime 1680, that slight difference in thickness caused the bar tips to not line up with the holes. I even tried using WSO 580 end links and they wouldn't line up, either. What a nightmare. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I love it! This seems to be a great way to go with vintage dials. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Nice work with this! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

You can get a new DG2813 - an actual clean, good quality 2813 movement for less than $30. The dirty, cheap versions that come in reps are not as good quality, from what I have read on the forums. After replacing the movement with a new one, it should actually run better and quieter than it did when you first received the watch!

I'm thinking when I really get into this I'd rather make my own dials like you guys are doing. Those look so much better, plus they are cheaper and they are hand made! I'd love to find out more about it sometime. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

You guys, these dials are looking amazing! This is so cool. What items do I need to buy in order to try this myself? Ink jet printer, the decals, blank dial plates, lume powder? When I get to stage where I want to try it myself, can I PM or email you guys and ask for help and for your dial image files? Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

How much are they? I don't have an Instagram account so I can't see any prices. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Are these genuine dials or reps? I am not looking for a genuine dial. I'd just like a nicer option than the stock Cartel dials. Yuki is nice.

Thanks for the info. Yes, I think the 21j might be the best starting point for a budget build, unless I drop in a low beat 2846. With some of those gens the vph was 19,800 so all around the 21j is a good compromise. Also good to know about the endlinks. That makes it so much easier. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk Thank you!! I'm going to check him out now! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

These really look great. I'm on the Perfect Clones mailing list and Josh recently sent out a big email announcement advertising all of the "new" vintage pieces. Are you guys buying the 2813 versions or the ETA versions? Is everything else the same with the two, just different hands and movements/dial feet? Who supplies those Vietnamese dials? Are they readily available? Rough budget? Those look fantastic!

Well, that's a plus and good to learn. I still prefer the original dial configuration. With the changes, I'm sure people (especially sellers on TRF) are going to try to pull the old "this is a special, discontinued/retired dial with rose and curved text so I'm increasing the price accordingly" sales trick. Those guys are the same ones who jump for joy when Rolex raises prices because they mistakenly think it somehow magically translates to the depreciated, used market. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

I say thumbs down on all of the above. They took a good design and, purely for the sake of being able to offer something at this glorified trade show, they ruined it. I really liked the Black Bay black, but the new dial configuration with shield plus even larger case size, on top of retiring the previous versions, is a complete fail IMHO. I was thinking I'd get a new BBB someday but apparently that's not in the cards. Now when that time comes I'll just save a little more and buy a used Rolex instead. That's what I really want, anyway. Tudor briefly had my attention as a potential customer and as quickly as they earned it, they lost it. Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

That's an awesome solution! Are those parts easily obtained? Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Cool! Can you share some pics and maybe a review after you receive it? Would love to hear your thoughts on it. [emoji2] Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Nice! It is fun to take a break sometimes. When you come back to that watch after a while, it feels like a new piece! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Wow! Just wow! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Yes!! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Wow. That dial and hands are amazing! Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk