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Hand stack looks fine to me. And the sub looks gen to me as well. I tend to look at the details of the hands. Gen hands are slightly domed, where reps are flat or bevelled. I'd request the serial numbers and do a check with Rolex. I've done it a few times and it saved my ass. Even if the seller claims they have papers, get it checked out. I checked out the serial on papers and on watch, and Rolex told me the serial did not match the case, nor the dial, so I walked away. That is always an easy start. Rolex can tell you if the serial is legit, or reported stolen, etc. It usually takes a day for them to get back to you.

and not just the CG's, Triplock crown?

I posted something a while back, but for some reason, I don't think it is up anymore? You have to modify the hour wheel and cannon pinion to fit the hands. The ETA hour wheel is 1.50mm and the Genuine rolex hour hand is 1.40mm. Best to find a watchmaker with a lathe who can reduce the diameter of the hour wheel. Or you can do it yourself. For the cannon pinion, the tip diamaeter is .90mm and the tube is .97mm. Genuine Minute hand is .95mm. You can either try to reduce the gen hand hole size to fit eta cannon pinion. Or, you can order a longer cannon pinion, cut off the tip, and reduce tube diameter to .95 on a lathe. For the sweep second hand, so far the only way I've found to fit, is to broach the genuine hole from .22 to .25mm to fit eta 4th wheel. it all depends on what you feel comfortable doing, but it can be done.

If you are looking for an open 6 & 9 date disc, here is one on ebay. just search this auction number: 230159967686 This will be slightly thicker than the cubic-works disc. (.10mm thicker) I assume you are looking for open fonts as you are building a franken based on 3035 calibre? If that is the case, you can use the slightly thinner 2824-2, and use the genuine as an overlay. For $20, I don't think you can beat that price! The date progression is the same as ETA for the 3055, so this is probably your best bet.

Hey Nico, Thanks for the kind words... I'm no expert, I just spend way too much time, and way too much money on 'research and developement'! haha. Yes, the 2824-2 is good for the 3135 cases, and 2836-2 are good for the 3035 cases. I've used a 2834-2 in a 3135 case, but that was for an air-king and had no day/date function. So far, the best movement I've found for 3135 case is the 12892. But I've tried to get more from the seller, but I think they are all gone. I wish I had bought more when I had the chance. I had one set aside for a 16220 datejust, and one set aside to rebuild my EX-1. I've also got a vintage Explorer dial and 2846 movement for future project.

Nice job. any issues fitting the 2836-2 in the modern case? I've always encountered stem alignment problems with that movement. Regardless, it looks great!

If you really want to go Rolex, get the new Rolex Milgauss with the green sapphire.

If you don't want to be bothered with repainting every few days, maybe pay a visit to your local sign shop. Ask them for a scrap of sign vinyl. they will have many colours to choose from. If it is just the clasp, then stick a piece of vinyl on the back, and trim it. The stuff is sticky, waterproof and will last a very long time. just make sure the surface is clean before applying.

yes, you can use overlay with no problem as the spacer allows enough clearance for genuine date disc. The tolerance is very tight though. spacer ring is .25mm. Genuine date disc is .19mm thick. Only a difference of .06mm! just enough room for it to fit! Or if you are worried about space, the luenfat date overlay is only .09mm so you have a little more room to work with.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I ended up giving the watch to my wife this morning and she loves it! The 34mm case fits her nicely and is perfect for the woman who doesn't want a small watch, nor be bogged down by a big beast either. Here are a couple of nicer shots taken in natural light. I just love the movement. high quality and finely finished. genuine swiss made. Here is a wrist shot: My wife likes to wear the watch a little loose. and here is my daughter after she grabbed the watch from my wife. She is developing good taste in fine watches! She loves the taste of genuine 904L Stainless Steel I will have to swap out the hands for genuine as the aftermarket do not match the White Gold dial markers. Definately can notice in the sunlight. @ doc, I used a genuine 3135 date disc and mounted it on top of the 12892 date disc as an overlay. They both advance in the same direction. The 3035 and previous calibers, (with the exception of the 3055) advanced the date opposite to ETA. Also, no spacer ring needed to fit movement in the case. it is 12.5''', same diameter as 3135. Only spacer ring is between dial and movement to align the stem.

So after a good 8-9 months of waiting and sourcing, I think I've (almost) built the perfect franken! Almost I say as there is one weak link on the quest for perfection. First off, please excuse the horrible photos! I don't have much time. I was lucky to find a few hours to get this built, let alone set up a photo shoot. So I shot this in my office in low light with flash and over exposed. The wife is in the other room and doesn't know what I am up to. You see, we are new parents, and I swore I would lay off the watch hobby for a while. But I couldn't resist. Here's what I got. Genuine 15200 case. near 95% mint! still has caseback sticker. the original owner placed a protective sticker over original 15200 sticker and it is mint. Genuine silver dial, but in the photos, it has a crazy irradecent (sp?) glow! Can't explain it, but only a gen dial can do it. Genuine date disc! Yes, GENUINE! The printing is unbelievable compared to aftermarket or rep. I installed a new crown. Didn't replace the tube as the case is near new. Genuine 78350 bracelet that is near 95 and super tight% Movement is ETA 12892. New Old Stock from a Mido watch. Movement is 20 years old, but never used. I just had it completely overhauled and is running at +2 seconds. This is the 12.5''' version! Fits a genuine Rolex case perfectly. This movement is awesome! If you can find one, get one for your project. The sweep is so smooth, you can really feel the rotor move when you move the watch, and the best thing is, it manually winds so smooth and effortless, just like a gen. The hands: Clark's aftermarker Tudor and the absolute weakest link! When you compare these hands to the whole project, they do not stand up. I'm going to have to install genuine hands. (yes, it can be done). I have a set of genuine hands and the finish is stunning! Side by side, the aftermarket look like [censored]. I just have to wait for some parts for the lathe. Anyway, on to the photos (again sorry for the overexposed pics) Here is a shot of the dial. yes over exposed! I set the date to the 7th, as my wife's birthday is Sept. 7 and I was planning on giving this to her then. notice the nice serif on the date disc. Here is another shot of the dial. I now set it to the 24th as I realize that I won't be able to wait until her birthday and will give it to her in the morning! Damn, those photos SUCK! It really is stunning to see in person! Anyway, here is a shot of the caseback. The sticker is mint! Here is a shot of the lovely movement! Notice how it sits so nicely in the case! And another: Here is a nice profile shot! I love a gen crystal! And here is another! The crystal really pops in the sunlight! So beautiful! It really captures the light! (sorry you can't see it in my crappy photos) Anyway, I probably should have waited to post this until I had the chance to take some decent photos, but I am to excited and if I give this to my wife tomorrow, I'll never have a chance to photograph it as I'm sure I will never get it off her writst. And for reference, here is a pic of the genuine 15200 with silver dial... I really can't explain this dial, but it is very beautiful and it jumps out like crazy! Hopefully I will have a chance to get some decent photos to try and capture the beauty of this watch. I must say this is a quality timepiece and I feel proud to give this to my wife. Without an extremely thorough inspection, she will never get called out as a franken or rep.

fun project! My only question is, What is a 16214? I've never seen that model? Is it marked between the lugs with that? Usually, the smooth bezel 'modern' DJ is 16200. but that sounds intriguing. According to Rolex case designation, 162 = Datejust 1 = Finely Engine Turned 4 = Stainless with 18K WG So with that number, it should be a SS Datejust case with Finely Engine Turned Bezel in 18K WG. That looks like a polished SS bezel. Best of luck and I look forward to seeing the results.

I found this dial in some parts that I have. I forgot that I had it. I picked it up about 3-4 years ago, maybe longer. I remember my original intention was to put it in a zeno explorer... don't ask me why? the world of frankens and modding was all new to me then. Anyway, to me, the dial looks good, but figured I would ask some other opinions. Dial is definately aftermarket, no marking on the back side, but the feet are set for 1570 movement, diameter and thickness are gen specs, markers do not glow, flat finish.. I'm thinking of using this in a franken project, but would like some feedback before I begin. Any major flaws you see? distorition is from my crappy photo skills.

oh yes, I recommend cutting the dial dots in half, otherwise, they can stick to the movement or spacer ring, etc. Then the disc won't rotate. Here is how I usually install the overlay. Clean the original, or even remove the paint. cut your dial dots in half and set aside for use. only put one piece of dial dot on eta date disc. I put the first one on stem side. Then beginning with 11, gently place on overlay, do not press down, just gently set it. Then, install dial to see if the 11 is centered in date window of dial. once centered, pull stem to quickset function and advance to 26. does this line up? If so, bingo! but it probably doesn't. carefully move the overlay and adjust until 26 is centered. Once 26 is centered, advance date to 11 and check to see if it is centered. Unless very lucky, you will have to repeat adjustments a few times. but making adjustments is easy since you only have one small piece of dial dot holding in place. Once you get both the 11 and 26 centered, everything else will line up. Then proceed to place another dial dot, usually directly across, and most likely under the 26. Double check to ensure nothing has shifted, and once you are happy, you can press down for a firm grip. Then you can place a few more. you will need a steady hand and set of tweezers. You can also use the same procedure using epoxy, but you will have a limited amount of time before it sets. it just takes practice, but anyone can do it.

The crown tube I have from Jimmy fits the OEM crown perfectly. I haven't tried to fit it to my 029 case yet, but I am sure that is easier than trying to get a crown to fit a tube.

Epoxy works great, but remember that when it dries, it shrinks a bit, so apply drops across from each other. I've also used dial dots, (basically double sided tape) this way you can lift up the overlay and adjust as necessary.

Nice piece! Thanks for finally unveiling and sharing with us. Wear it well and in good health!

nice job on the dial resize! I have a rep dial and hand set that I bought on the bay. Seller said he 'thinks' it is genuine, so I bought it. It was too big for the case as well. It is actually a nice dial with good lume.

Yes, very nice. The 2836-2 will work in 162XX series case, as long as you remove the date disc, etc. I built a franken Air-King a few years back and used a 2834-2 movement and it worked fine. It is when you get into date overlays that stem alignment becomes a problem and then you need a 2824-2 or 2892-2 movement. Heywood, you can modify your 2836-2 to a two position stem, since you don't have a date window. This way when you pull out the stem, it automatically goes to hack/time setting and bypasses date setting. I posted a turturial on this a while back on the mod. I coverted a 2824-2 on my franken ex-1. I have a gen dial and matching gen hands with 16200 case and gen 78360 bracelet.

Good analysis, but the 1016 was also available with 20mm lugs as this watch was made into the 80's. I've seen gen's fitted with 78360 braclets which are 20mm. It just depends on how vintage you want to go. This beauty is from 1980 and is with 20mm lugs

yes, they turn in the same direction. It is the 3035 that is opposite.

If anyone is building a franken, check out this date disc! This should work for your project. This is the correct font for 160XX series datejusts with 3035 movements. And the good news is, the date progression is the right way, same as eta! And a great price as well for genuine part! It is thicker than rep overlay, but I'm sure you could use it, especially if using the 2824-2 movement as it is thinner than the 2836-2. The item number is: 230159967595

Nice looking Frankens. I look forward to seeing the finished product! I've got two projects waiting in the wings to be complete. Just don't have the time... being a new father and all. One is a 16220 Datejust fitted with new style silver dial. But the prize that I can't wait to finish is what I am building for my wife. I have a near mint 15200 case, no holes lugs still with sticker on the back in mint condition, silver dial, near mint 78350 oyster bracelet with proper 557B endlinks with no stretch. I also have a new crown, and genuine 3135 date disc. I'm powering both Frankens with NOS Eta 12892 movements. These are the 12.5''' (28.5mm) movements that fit nicely in gen Rolex cases. I am able to use the thicker gen date discs as overlay as the dial requires a spacer between the movement in order to line up the stem. I dropped off one of the movements to a local watchmaker for a full overhaul and to replace the fourth wheel, cannon pinion, and hour wheel. The movement runs great at only +2 sec/day, but it has been sitting for 20+ years and definately needs new oil and grease. I'm just waiting for a set of hands and a few hours of free time to finish it off. Here is a pic of a genuine 15200 for reference. The Franken should look exact when complete as it is comprised of all genuine parts, except movment. I'll post some pics when it is done.

If you want to go back in time! The date progression is opposite the ETA. Also, depending on what case and movement you are using, the disc may be too thick and not rotate freely below the dial as you would have to use this as an overlay over the ETA disc. I have a rep overlay and gen date disc. Rep overlay is .09mm, the gen date disc is .19mm, so difference of .10mm. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it will make a difference. Also, those date discs from that seller are garbage. don't waste your time or money. I've bought one and so far have had to return it not once, but twice. the printing brutal and pixelated, especially once it is installed and viewed through the cyclops. I've asked to send the latest one back, but now the seller is not responding. Money back guarantee my ass!

From my experience, the Nato strap that came with my 5517 was garbage. Cheaply glued together and it came apart when it got a little wet after I washed my hands... it is also very thin and flimsy. You should just order one from elsewhere.