bruce79

I have always liked Oris.

I've got one that I'd sell, it's for acrylic crystal though. PM me if interested.

There are a ton of good franken 1655s out there. As others have said, it was certainly a risk...and believe me, scammers know what they are doing. With that said, I bought my gen 1680 from the original owner who was an older gentleman, really didn't know how to use a camera. You should have seen the crappy pictures he sent. But something seemed right about it and I took a chance and got an amazing piece.

The bezels are indeed slightly different for the sapphire and acrylic crystal datejusts. They can be interchanged, but the crystal won't look right as the height of the bezels are different. I've got a gen engine turned bezel for acrylic crystal if you're interested.

$775 for a modified 93150 bracelet is a bit steep in my opinion. As mentioned, that's probably why it's still for sale. Should be more in the $500ish range.

+1...since this isn't a sales thread. Nice offering but IMO the parts are worth a fair amount sold separately. Gen 1680s can be had for $5k give or take a few hundred.

Sounds like it will be something quite obvious to a watchmaker. Take it to someone rather than doing it yourself...sounds like that's what you're going to do anyhow. Good luck and try to source some gen hands to complete your beautiful watch.

Those were the ones that started it for me. I went back and forth between the CN & TW so many times. Spent so much money on mods. And the classic epic rants between The Zigmeister and RBJ that used to go on for pages and pages and pages. I think RBJ still lurks around RWI, I know he has an account open. These are certainly much simpler times.

Nothing beats the gen....but be careful. Gens can be as addicting as reps...and more expensive.

I'd say if you're building a franken piece, the 702 reproduction from J&W would suffice. Hell, I might even pick one up. My only concern would be the pitch on the tube fitting the case. You obviously would never want to mod a gen case to fit a repro tube. But a rep case might afford more options. As far as a list of where to get 702s, that would be quite challenging I suspect.

Once your eyes get used to a 702, you can pick one out from the profile quite easily. For a vintage 5513, 1680...anything other than a 702 just doesn't look right. That said, the 703 is a way better crown in terms of design, protection from the elements and function. The 702 on my gen 1680 is quite beat up but still does the trick. Looking for a replacement though as my crown doesn't thread as much as I'd like anymore. sigh...

RBJ is still around and posting on RWI. Quite surprised actually.

I thought the LV hands were fatter than the standard sub hands. Great find tho.

I dunno, that looks a lot like a 702 in the VRF ad. The 702 fetches far more than the 703 so I suppose it could be considered a bonus. I'm no crown expert tho.

There were some 93150 from the late 90s that had round 3s on the last bracelet link. Not sure about the clasp though. I certainly wouldn't say Rolex never put a rounded 3 on the clasp...it's just a matter of when it was done. I would scour VRF...tons of info on there.

Great story. It's funny, the value of vintage Rolex watches has really shot up only in the last decade or so...with the advent of the internet and online watch forums like VRF, TZ, etc. Before, subs like that gentleman's were bought and sold for a few hundred bucks all day long, listed in the Sunday classifieds, etc. I bought my 1680 from the original owner, some old timer who was an iron worker all his life. Wore it every day since he bought it new in the late 70s. It was just a watch to him. Not saying it wasn't special for him but it wasn't an investment or anything. I think it's great that Home Depot guy wears his now. So it gets a few nics and dings and scratches. Trust me, it won't affect the value too much. It's value is appreciated so much more on his wrist than in some collector's safe. Makes for solid provenance.

It must be mentioned that the dial is a service dial. Albeit an early tritium service dial. Great job matching the hands to the dial though. Tritium hands for the 1570 aren't easy to find...especially matching. The silver date disc is definitely a plus. Wonderful addition with the tritium pearl to the nicely faded fat font bezel insert. The case on the piece is in great shape, not too overly polished...in fact, fatter than my 1680. As far as a price is concerned, I'd say mid $4k range...maybe $5k. It's tough to say...1680s can be all over the place. Just start high and lower if you need to.

The fact that it seems pieced together is a little worrisome. For the heck of me I never understood why people include a chronometer certificate that's for an entirely different watch. What is the point. Like the dude who is selling the Pam 27 and is including a warranty card from an 88!? WTF??

$15k is too much. That is like high retail. When you say non original bracelet, do you mean aftermarket or just genuine but from a different time period? Considering your circumstances and the fact that you should be looking to pay wholesale, I'd say $7k-$9k is in order...and that's if everything checks out as genuine. If you're looking to flip for profit, $15k would leave you about $2k in the red.

Just buy the gen while it's still somewhat affordable. The price is only going up.

When the gen bezel is polished, it most certainly does pop. My gen 1680 was serviced in 2010 and received a nice polish. The bezel on the 1680 still looks amazing and really glows. However my gen K series 16600 has never been polished. Case is in great shape but the bezel is definitely dull. Not worn, just doesn't pop like it would if it were brand new or had a polish. So I think it has more to do with the condition of the bezel.

The bastard went ahead and sold after we had agreed on a price and I was prepared to send payment. Bummed. We had agreed $3300 shipped. Which consider the condition of the bezel was a decent deal. That bezel had been butchered by somebody attempting to re-establish the coin edge. But these 16803's routinely go for under $4k...at least the ones I've seen.

Considering picking this up. Seller says dial, hands and bezel insert all replaced at service. Also says all are luminova (although dial is marked Swiss - T<25). I have hear of these before. But does anything jump out? I'm not too familiar with these models. Bezel has been polished and perhaps re-grooved. But check out the 493 end piece in the wrist shot. Gold looks funky. The seller seems honest and legit though...he's only had the piece a couple of years but says all is 100% genuine.

Looks gen to me. I'd spend $300 on it, not $500 though. They can be had in near mint condition for $500-$600.

One of THE best builds I've seen in my 6 years on the boards. And you make it seem so easy. Something to be proud of for sure.