RWG Technical

Well as much as I would like to take some credit for the work, other than a lumed seconds hand, and a bit of orange paint on the tip of it, and of course the serviced movement (which you can't see anyway), all I did was assemble a bunch of genuine parts. Now; the Cousteau sitting on my bench; that needs a lume; that I will take credit for doing... This is a nice PO I must say, and the ETA 2824 is a work horse and won't let you down. Congrats on such a nice piece. RG

I have seen this as well, not nice. RG

Yes and No. It's an ETA datewheel, but NOT ETA printing on it...ETA uses thinner printing. So it must be a modified datewheel. RG

Well I guess I am late to the party...you leave for a few minutes, and everything gets answered Yes, the bezel pearl is attached to the bezel, and shown in picture 1. RG

ETA 2824 in this model, but that was what was in the other one I installed the gen dial onto last week...not sure what if any difference there is, datewheel itself maybe? Paint is custom mixed from my artists oil paints, combo of Cad yellow med, and Cad red light, mixed until it matches the dial. RG

Parts were all supplied, I don't source parts except for movement stuff during repair. Otherwise I would be spending all my time searching for stuff... RG

Well here it is after a few mods. Movement serviced. Genuine bezel insert installed into the rep bezel. Back of the gen insert had a lip on the back that had to be ground off for it to fit the rep bezel assembly. Insert installed using my crystal press to get it seated flush. Genuine tube and crown Genuine dial and hour and minute hands installed. I used the seconds hand from the rep, and relumed it with C3 (Note the colour of the tip of the seconds hand, it's a lighter orange than the dial, were going to fix it...). And then the seconds hand tip was painted to match the orange of the dial markings, that looks much better. Overall view with a genuine crystal added in for good measure. I remember someone asking if the gen dial matched up with the ETA datewheel, it looks good to me in this view, it's centered, has nice even spacing around the top and side edges. I think the owner will be pleased. RG

I doubt you can buy these on the open market, just because they are a copy of a production movement. I have never seen any price quoted, but given the quality of the movement, that is my guestimate for what I think it's worth. RG

The A7750 is a good movement, once serviced it's a great movement. I think $50 is a fair price for this model unserviced. RG

Sounds like you popped the keyless works out of place. The fix requires hands and dial removal, and disassembly of part of the dial side. If your not experienced in this, it's best to have someone take care of it for you. RG

This is the answer... RG

You can send me a pm and I'll forward you my email address (after Dec 01). RG

Yes a genuine insert, and the genuine bezel assembly as well... RG

Yes the bezel insert will fit the rep bezel, just measured them both. Pearl on the rep is attached separatly to the bezel, easy to remove once the insert is removed. RG

Thank you, printed it off for my files.RG Glad you like the results, I think you already have my email address...RG

I agree with your analysis, small flaws only add to the character of the watch. Anything done by hand has much more personality than something made by a machine. Glad you like the results. RG

Great reference photo's, thanks for posting the links. I think I came close with the casework etc. I thought the term triplock was referring to 3 o'rings, but there are only two on these models, one in the tube, and a flat one in the crown, what does triple refer to? and why no 3 dots on the crown? RG

What I was trying to say, was that some modders will tell you that they installed a "more like genuine crown and tube". My point was that if your going to pay for an upgrade, make sure you do get an actual genuine tube and crown, not another rep one. You are correct on the other points, the case does need a tap run through it, on some it also needs to be drilled out first and then the tap ran through. As well, the gen tube only accepts the gen crown. The owner jojo35 supplied the parts and I installed them. I only stock the 7mm triplelock crowns and tubes. @jojo35 Glad you like the pictures, and my pleasure as always. RG

There is no O'ring on the outside of the case tube, that's why I guessed twinlock. RG

MBW 5512 with some upgrades. 1. ETA 2846 installed. 2. Lug holes and bracelet drilled and Genuine 2mm bars installed. 3. Genuine Crown and tube installed. I have not come across a rolex model that did not accept genuine crowns and tubes. Anyone offering to install a “…more like genuine crown and tube…” is taking you for a ride. Why pay to replace a rep crown and tube with another… rep crown and tube (most likely from the rep sitting next to yours on the workbench), when a genuine crown and tube fits just fine, on all models…(you need to run a tap through the case to get the gen tube to fit, not a bit deal). This is a “Twinlock” I think, but I am not an expert, the parts were supplied by the watch owner. 4. Crown Guards outer and inner surfaces ground down with a Dremel and Swiss files and polished (they are not “milled” unless your using a milling machine). If you want to see the before, just look at any standard unmodified picture of this watch, they were about twice as wide at the tips. 5. Genuine T-19 crystal installed. As with the crown and tube, MBW models readily accept genuine crystals, don’t believe the “…I was told these are genuine crystal’s by my supplier…” it’s either genuine, or it isn’t. As with any genuine crystal installation on a MBW, you have to grind down the inner edge of the retaining ring, or it can’t be pushed down flush with the case. I don’t have the bezel for the watch, so this is why it’s missing. 6. The dial and hands were also re-lumed with a vintage tritium looking super luminova custom mixed. I think the owner is going to be pleased with the results, I know I am… RG

Yes, I agree, but if your going to make a statement that by applying lume by hand, your "ruining" the watch, I am going to show you otherwise, especially if your quoting my caution in my capabilities list. Yes, I did the strip, as well as the small numerals around the bezel, more shots. Time consuming and not easy to do, but not bad results, if you consider that the pictures below at at 4X which your eye can't see (unless your superman...) @ its_urabus PM me on Dec 1, so you can get my email addy... RG

Great informative well researched post, thanks for taking the time to do this comparison up. RG

Here are the imperfections I am referring to in my statement. I don't consider my work "ruining" a watch...and my customers think the results are quite acceptable. (NOTE: this is all my work done by my hand...no trickery, no photoshop, just direct pictures of the results.) RG

Amazing post, thanks for taking the time to do this up. My only suggestion is to try and crop the pictures that are beyond 800 in width, as they push the whole page over and make it hard to read the post. Thanks again, wonderful job. RG

Understood, thanks... Yes, I have been and will continue to use Super Luminova. Sure it's probably 2-3 times more expensive than alternatives, but as you point out, SL never wears out, or gets old. It's permanent once applied, it lasts a lifetime. I would never consider myself an expert, I think I can hold my own with watch repairs and movement servicing, as well as with lume, but since it's like art and can vary, only a machine can do what I consider expert application of lume. With a background as an artist, I can say that your correct, you won't pick up luming skills over the weekend. Actually, watchsmithing anything takes time and practice, even for a seemingly simple job like removing a movement from the case, you need the tooling, the dexterity of using screwdrivers and tweezers, the hand eye coordination of working under a loupe, knowledge of how to handle the movement, cleanliness, etc.... It doesnt' happen overnight, but can be learned. Luming is something all together different, and takes a lot of practice to be proficent and not ruin stuff. If your going to try it out, I would suggest a Super Lume kit not the Noctilumia one. You may as well start with something on your side, low price = low quality. Give yourself the best chance of success by using the best product out there. I'll never do a DIY on luming, I have gotten enough hate mail from members who try to remove their handwind or auto movement by following my posts, and get mad at me for them screwing up the keyless works...imagine the chaos from a lume post...no thanks RG