lumbee

Does anyone make a white vintage OP dial. Yours looks good but I prefer the vintage style dials.

Never mind. I discovered that I had a JMB Explorer case that I had forgotten I had ordered. I'll just build one from that.

Thanks!

I am looking for an Explorer 1016 with lug holes in the case. Hoping to spend around $120 to $160. Anyone known of a good place to find such?

Being American Indian I have always gone barefoot except in places where you have to wear shoes. At those times I will either wear sneakers, cowboy boots or moccasins.

Most mechanical was fans would not wear a quartz as a daily watch. WIll mechanicals fade away again? Mabye so. Most people are only interested in seeing the time and have the mistaken idea that they need quartz accuracy. I believe if anything kills mechanicals again it will be the loack of repair people. There are too few watch schools and too few watch repairmen. 

As for the updated sweep hand quatz watches with decorated movements and such...well...you can dress up a cow flop, but it is still a cow flop. For me it's mechanical watches or nothing.

Let's be totally honest here. If it tells time, even badly, it's a watch. To be a FAKE watch it would have to NOT tell time.The purpose of a watch, any watch is to measure the passing of time and if it does that it is a watch. I despise the term "fake watch". I'm wearing a Rolex replica right now, but though it isn't a real Rolex it isn't a fake watch. It might be a fake Rolex but it is a real watch.

This is just me rambling in the early morning.

Dave

1 hour ago, lumbee said:

Hi Alli, yes i have but they won't sell me one because I'm not a watchmaker etc. I have tried to set up an account but no go.

Its perfect for my build as well

I'm not sure what's going on, but I didn't post this. I have never been interested in anything related to a 3235.

3 hours ago, alligoat said:

Have you checked out the ST3135 case- it has lugholes?

http://www.startimesupply.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=1&Category_Code=1_07_1D_Rolex_Case&Product_Code=

Hi Alli, yes i have but they won't sell me one because I'm not a watchmaker etc. I have tried to set up an account but no go.

Its perfect for my build as well

Thanks alligoat and automatico. I have a couple of Yuki dials I can try and also have 3 on two of my gen 5500s. I really like the look of the Yuki gilt in a SS 5500 case. I'll go with the dial feet removal for my 2824s.

Dave

Does anyone know of a good source for Rolex Explorer dials to fit an eta 2824 movement and a gen 5500 case? I would prefer glossy gilt, but any will do.

Dave

Yuki has good bracelets, in my opinion. I'm not sure about the 20mm ones, but the 19mm for my AirKings are darn near perfect.

The insert is replica, the dial may be also. If I were a betting man, I'd bet the whole watch is rep.

You really don't need to sand the cyclops off of a 1500 to make a 5500. All you need to do to fit a 5500 crystal is use a 5500 bezel. The mid-cases are the same. so the 5500 bezel snaps right on. The difference, other than the cyclops, is the 1500 crystal has slightly thicker walls due to the higher WRA rating of the 1500.

I just finished 2 5500 Explorers. Both are genuine 5500 AKs with Yuki dials and eBay hands (Yuki hands WON'T fit a 1520 movement!). One is a gild dial with gilt hands and the other is a matte black dial with silver hands. 

I am also working on finishing a gen 1958 Air-King with 1530 movement.

Just a word of caution. DOn't expect to become a qualified watchmaker from an online course. When I studied in the late 70s it was a two year full timne school. The labs are intensive and the tools/equipment needed are very expensive. You can learn a great deal from the online courses, but expect to spend a lot to get quality equipment and tools.

Aside from the above caveat, have fun and enjoy the course. Whatever admiration you might have for mechanical watch movements (the miniature machines they are) expect that admiration to grow as you progress in the courses.

To me, a fake watch is one that isn't a functioning timepiece. It it keeps time, its a realwatch. If it says Panerai, Rolex, Omega, etc. but is not made by that factory, it isn't a fake, its a replica. It is meant to look like the real thing and work like the real thing, so it can't be fake. It may not be genuine, but it isn't fake...just a replica. 

There are NO true 1:1 reps of Rolex. All have some tell or other. There are some very good ones out there though.

Zodiac Sea Wolfs didn't have screw down crowns and were wr to 100 meters. I have 3 Gruen Swiss watched wr to 100 meters. I have several other watches without screw down crowns wr to 165 ft. Many 60s era divers watches didn't have screw down crowns and had 100 to 300 meter wr.

Screw down crowns were started, I believe, by Rolex and were copied by other brands later. Were they needed? With the number of decent depth rated watches without them I would think not. It is as much a marketing gimmick as anything else.

On a side note...many here have talked about the need for a rubber O-ring gasket. One of the most waterproof (not merely water resistant) watches ever made was the Mido. Mido used a lead caseback gasket which is much better than rubber. It won't tear and seals perfectly. The stem gasket was cork. The neat thing about a cork gasket is that oce moisture touches it it begins to swell creating an even tighter seal. Mide was listed as "waterproof" when other watches had to say :water Resistant" All Mido watches, even dress watches, held the waterproof seal.

I just received a nice 1655 from Josh yesterday. 

Dave

21 hours ago, woof* said:

Nice job! What is a flea market 6694?

Yes...inquiring minds want to know!

looks dubious to me. Especially since he managed to hide any view of the date wheel.

You can open the hole a bit with a jewelers broach.

I own gen Rolexes (4 of them) but I also have a number of reps. Why? Because I like the looks of those wqatches and don't have the funds to buy gen. WHy do I buy reps and not unbranded homages? Because the dialo is a large part of the looks of the watch and if I like the looks, I like the dial. If I don't like the dial I don't buy/wear it. I have a couple of gen Rolexes with aftermarket (rep) dials because I don't like the gen dial they came with.

People buy reps for many reasons and you can't lump all of them in the "fake people" category.

Miyota movements are built by Citizen Watch Company and are rock solid, very reliable movements. I have never had a Miyota fail, nor have I ever known of one to fail barring mistreatment. The cost is low, but the quality is equal to anything Seiko makes and better than most Chinese movements.

Yep. Nothing like vintage Rolexes! I have 3 5500 Air Kings, the 5500 Explorer and a 1500 Date. I have a love for the 34mm cases. I hear people always say they are too small for thier wrists, but my wrist is 8 1/2 inches and I think the 34mm cases look just fine!

Looks good! Here is my gen 5500 with Yuki dial nad eBay hands: