SportsterRider

Looking at various pictures of TC's crown compared to a gen, I can't see any real difference. Personally, I wouldn't waste the time or money on it. That's a good looking dial, and it looks like the version the rep factories must have copied when making the Noobmariner dial. "Rolex" is printed slightly bigger, and the "O" is slightly ovaled. Anyway, great looking watch!

Very nice! Congrats!

Sneed is correct here. A good many Rollie reps still use the older 'rep' style crystals without the gasket groove. On these examples, the crystal itself simply presses into the rehaut/gasket and doesn't have any gasket groove (and the gasket is about the size of a rubber O-Ring and nothing like a gen spec Rollie gasket). Now it IS possible that some of these models *may* be able to take a gen spec crystal, but it wouldn't be correct and I'm not sure I'd trust it in water. Heck, this is one of the reasons why the Noob Exp 2, and the WM9 (and later TC, BK, ETASwiss, etc) were such a big deal when they came out, because having gen spec construction opened up all kinds of possibilities relative to building frankens. Of course, for popular models that use the old rep style crystals, I'd bet a custom gasket could be made to allow them to take a gen spec crystal, assuming the diameters are similar/the same.

On mine the clasp is stamped 93250. Can't remember what's stamped there relative to the date code. Also, the sides of the links are polished. I'm still learning about the 1680, so I'm not sure if this is correct or not.

Cruddy iPhone shot of my WM9 V1, with Noob dial/hands, gen insert (flat 4), gen crystal, TC V1 bracelet, serviced/lumed by Zig this Jan. I've had this since 4/08 and it has gotten the VAST majority of my wrist time since I got it. It's held up very well!

Stunning. Simply stunning work, RA.

I don't know. On one hand all you hear from folks is how Rolex is too slow to change, never produces anything 'new', the Sub is an 'old mans watch', and can't compete with the likes of Omega, Breitling, etc. Their bracelets are cheap, they don't use AR, etc, etc, etc. Then they go and produce a new sub, with a much improved bracelet, fancy new ceramic bezel, AR on the cyclops, and give it a slightly beefier case ('cause, you know, the Sub is just too small) and people complain that they shouldn't have changed the 'classic' Sub. This isn't aimed at you, TJ as I've seen all of the above mentioned on many different watch boards. Personally I think they did a good job of updating the Sub, while still keeping the overall look intact. It's definitely more 'bling' than the previous model, but it's on par with it's contemporaries from Omega and others. That being said, I bet the new Sub would look sharp if they could give that insert a matte finish. At least they didn't polish the center links!

Very quick pic of my Andrew 1680 'project'. Gen crown, Yuki tube, some CG work and some polishing. Coming along though..

Eh, I've own both a DSSD and a GMT-II C for the last coupla years and neither of mine have cracked, despite being banged around as much as any of my other watches. They are both, however, scratch-free. Can it happen? Of course it can, just as it's possible to shatter a sapphire crystal. But it's such an unlikely occurrence that I wouldn't pass on one over that concern. Besides, if it does crack, just get a new insert. In any case, going with the TW is a good choice as it's definitely the superior rep.

Sound a lot like the stuff people were saying when they made the switch from plexi crystals to sapphire. By and large, the cerachrome will be more durable (well, certainly the genuine will.) than the aluminum/alloy insert in the 16610 in much the same way sapphire is over plexi. Just don't knock it off a wash basin!!

If there are any left, I'll take two.

I've generally sized my watches by how the lugs fit my wrist. As long as the lugs don't extend beyond the width of my wrist, the watch tends to look well sized. When they hang over to where the bracelet/strap becomes shaped like a 'V', as opposed to an oval, it tends to look ridiculous. I know that's subjective, but everything is, right? Kids like to wear jeans that hang so low as to render the act pointless. They think it looks great. Me? Not so much. That being said, from a comfort standpoint (I have a 7.5 inch wrist) the classic 40mm diver is my favorite. For a while I was heading towards 45mm with the UPO, and a couple 44mm PAM's, Skyland, etc. They fit my criteria above, but I've since gone back to the 16610 and find it sooo much more comfortable. My "big" watch is now my 42mm PO and I find myself wearing it less and less as it's simply not as comfortable as the 16610 and 1680 in my collection.

Looks great! Was the UPO He valve threaded, or press fit?

This is the one Freddy was selling on Repgeek, right? Nice one!

I got my first rep back in 1985, a Presidential with a quartz movement. Between then and now, I've probably had 20 different Rollies. For years Rolex was the only brand I was interested in, until about 2000-2001 when I started to take a shining to the Bond SMP. At that time I couldn't find a decent replica of any Omega I was interested in, so I ended up buying a gen. Matter of fact, it wasn't until I found RWG that I was finally able to find reps of the Omega's I was interested in. When I first started in this game, just finding a Rolex rep with an automatic movement was an accomplishment! If it was an auto, you could fool almost anyone!

From the sound/look of it, the date window on these dials is designed to work with a stock ETA movment - I.E. no DW overlay. So ya, the window will not only be smaller, it will also be positioned closer to the crown requiring a crystal with a cyclops closer to the crown.

I've seen plenty of older Bond subs, using Luminova, that have a good amount of patina. No need for tritium if the color of the lume is the main concern.

Gen crown requires removing the case tube and replacing with a gen, and since the rep tube has a larger diameter, you'll need to epoxy the new tube to the case. If it were me, I'd e-mail Andrew and see if he can source you a replacement crown. I've need replacement parts from time to time, and Andrew has always come through for me.

Looks good!

I assume you're talking about the 5th gen 42mm? I doubt that it's glued on. It's more likely that it's pressed into a hole that simply doesn't go all the way through the case. If the hole is smaller than the genuine He valve, you could drill it through using the proper size and tap it (I assume it's threaded?). Or you could just cut the gen He valve to length, size the hole appropriately and press it in the way the rep factory did.

What makes you say that? Omega has really been putting a lot of quality stuff out there the last 10 years. The Planet Ocean line (which has just been updated with ceramic bezels, new dials, upgraded bracelets, and the big one - an all new in house movement) is gorgeous, the Bond is still going strong, and the AT's have been updated and look fantastic. I do wish they'd bring back an updated 2254.50 though. I'd hardly call that downgrading? Rolex has been going crazy updating their line, addressing all the critics who claimed that they were stale. Everything from the Datejust through the GMT have all received updates. New cases, new/much improved braclets, etc. Downgrading? I was never a big Breitling fan, but they've also got a fair amount of newer, good looking stuff. A few of the Tag models are nice, but IMO they are a step below the big three as an overall brand.

I think the real reason gen 'snobs' get all worked up over reps is simple; they lose that 'exclusivity' more and more as replica's get better and better. A true WIS isn't offended by a replica. Look at The Zigmeister; if anyone can be qualified as a WIS, it's him. And yet he'll work on one with as much care and professionalism as he would any other timepiece. I just think for a large portion of gen buyers, the thought of their not-on-everyone's-wrist timepiece all of a sudden becoming more common (at least in appearance) because of the rep industry, just annoys them to no end. The proof is in the pudding as they say. There are FAR more knowledgeable folks here than on any gen forum I belong to. People here are into timepieces more than the image the timepiece projects.

Great post, Zig. That's great news about the new GMT's. Thanks for sharing!

I took a good bit of time off from the hobby for many of the reasons cited here. But for me, it's been cyclic since the beginning. I've been into watches since I was a kid and received my first watch when I was 5 or 6. It's been a part of my life for the better part of ~36 years. But it's not been a non-stop hobby as I've gone years without a new watch, or a strong interest in watches. It's nothing in particular, it's just that other interests take priority and my watch passion takes a back seat. I got my first rep in 1984; an all gold Rolex Presidential with a quartz movement. I absolutely loved that thing and it was the watch that started my interest in replica's. I've had every kind of rep under the sun and without a doubt, today's offerings are absolutely stunning in their accuracy and build quality (just received the latest 42 mm PO - excellent rep!). But as good as they are, they're still not gen's and there is still nothing like owning the real deal (I've owned two gen Omega's and one Rolex). So the seach will likely never end in that regard. I guess what I'm getting at is sometimes passion for a hobby can wane. It doesn't mean you no longer like whatever it is you've lost interest in, it usually just means that either something else has taken over as your primary interest, or as others have noted perhaps your collection really is 'complete' for the time being and there's nothing left to search for at the moment. In that case, you just move on to something else for a while. I miss the old days too. More specifically, I miss the old posters like By-Tor, Pug, Ubi, etc.. They're well spoken, articulate and community oriented. But as usually happens, a new generation of folks will fill in the void and, hopefully, the community will go on until their interest is reignited and they become active posters again.

If anyone could salvage it, it's Zig. Genuine parts (as in Omega) are available for the 1120, so I'd say it's most certainly salvageable. Of course it depends on what it's worth to you. I've seen some pretty healthy amounts of money spend on franken projects, so why not a genuine? If it were me, I'd at least have it looked at for a full restoration estimate and go from there. Unlike a franken, at least you'd end up with something with a known value that you could liquidate on any market. Good luck - and keep us posted!