rionrlty

Anyone out there got an extra AP RO 20mm tang buckle?

It's hard to say. In the photo the numbers appear to be grey instead of platinum silver so I can't be sure if it would be an improvement. You can see in my photos above that mine looks more metallic silver like the gen. A great many of these came with white numbers and the platinum silver is a huge improvement on that.

Platinum paint mod on Rolex ceramic bezel SubC and GMTIIC. Hey Guys, My main purpose here is to gage demand, to see if enough folks need this sort of service to make it worthwhile. I am located in Southern California. So if you have an interest either respond here or PM me and let me know. I will check the thread daily to get the results. At first, when I saw the standard white paint in the inserts of these watches it seemed ok, but then I saw my first Platinum Paint mod and there was just no comparison. So I set out to have it done my watches. While I located a couple who could do this in Europe I had difficulty finding someone here at home in CONUS. As a result I decided to figure out how to do it myself. How hard could it be after all? I began by removing the bezel from one of my watches. I’m a car restorer so I began by testing various automotive finishes, but none of them seemed to work well. Either, the texture was wrong, they wouldn’t adhere properly or they wouldn’t hold up during normal use. Finally I’ve managed to find a coating that works quite well and I’m including a couple of pictures here of the final result. It is permanent, has not faded for several months and seems impervious to soap and water or simply wiping with a soft cotton cloth. Like the original white paint it can be scratched and will not stand up to lacquer thinner, enamel reducer, acetone or ammonia cleaners. The watch in the photos is an inexpensive MBK rep from Stan. I’ve heard criticism of the pearl, but I believe the engraving on the ceramic bezel is quite nice and shows off the mod to good advantage. The finish I'm using also comes in a gold metallic color that I think would work well on the gold watches, but I haven't tried one yet. If someone wants to be a test subject I will do it for free except for cost of shipping. The reason I write this is because I’m considering trying to offer this mod as a service to members. I’ve never done this before, but I’ve been a member here for a fairly long time and believe I’ve built up a fair amount of good will amongst the other members. I’m not going to state a price at this point as I believe I will need to get approval from the administrators. I will only state that it will be very reasonable compared to prices others have charged. There will be two prices, one based on receiving bezel only and a slightly higher price if it is installed on the watch. Rionrlty.

Yes we are. Here is a link to the listing. If you have any trouble with it just go to the site, scroll down and select Breitling then scroll down to the second page and you will see it. http://www.intime.co/breitling/2475-bentley-gt-bp-1-1-best-edition-ss-green-dial-on-ss-bracelet-on-a7750.html

Yeah, I don't think anyone has made that rep yet.

Trusted Deaper Intime has these available currently in all colors for $338. Here is a link to the blue dial one, but there are other dials available. I have a black one and it is a great watch. I love it. http://www.intime.co/breitling/2217-navitimer-gmt-ss-blue-jf-1-1-best-edition-a7750.html

Hi All, I just received this beauty from Ryan at Intime and thought I might give a revue. Sometime back I had one of the first generation of these and it was a beautiful watch, but I was a little bothered by the inaccuracies on it. Unlike that one, this version does have the ratchet assembly that turns the inner bezel without affecting the crystal, which remains stationary. I’ve never felt a gen. bezel before, for comparison, but it seems to work fine in both directions. It is a little harder to turn in a clockwise direction than in counter clockwise, but I’m pleased that it works as the gen. unlike the old one. It’s a little spooky, almost like magic, when the outer and inner bezel moves without moving the crystal. The older version had pointy ends on the lugs, but on the gen they are squared off slightly. The beveled ends on this version may be squared off ever so slightly more than the gen., but it is hard to be sure from pictures. From the QC pictures I had doubts about the red printing above the lower sub-dial. Although they tried several times for a clear photo it still looked blurry and hard to read. I’m pleased to report that it looks great to the naked eye, but you can see from the attached photos that I had trouble photographing it too. It must be a problem with the camera’s ability to sort out the red on green color contrast. The texture of the dial seems a close match to photos of gens I found on the net. At first I was afraid the color of the green was too light, but since then I have found pictures on the net of two different colors of green, and this one closely matches the lighter one. I believe Breitling might have altered the green color somewhere along the line during production, but I guess it could be the photography that makes it look different too. It certainly is a nice color and I like it better than the darker versions I’ve seen photos of. Many years back I had a gen. two-tone 39mm Chronomat, which had nearly the same color dial. The bracelet is the best one I’ve seen yet on a Breitling rep. I’ve done nothing to it and it feels supple and fluid just like a gen. When the screws are tightened down it does not bind up, so I may not even Loctite the screws as I have on all my other Breitlings. The only flaw involves the speed adjustment on the clasp, which is a product of the last link not being rounded off properly. I would probably not use this feature anyway, but I will reshape it a little later on to get it working right. On my older version the end links on the bracelet did not fit properly and stuck out at an angle different to the angle of the lugs. I worked on it and made it fit better, but could never get it exactly right. On this watch it fit perfectly right from the start as you can see in the pictures I’ve attached. On this model the hands and markers are not bright steel color, but instead have a gunmetal tint. This seems to match pictures of gens I’ve seen on the net. Strangely, the maroon dial has bright silver as well as on the dark blue dial, but the lighter blue with the dial texture like this one, seems to have the gunmetal hands and markers as well. I’m not sure why they alter it from one color to the next, but it looks fine and is easy to read, especially against the lighter colored sub-dials. When the light hits them right, they reflect just like bright polished steel. The AR seems typical of most recent Breitling reps and is very gen like IMHO. The lume is bright and stays readable for hours, although like my Navitimer there are only small dots next to the markers. In my opinion the only obvious tell is the incorrect hand on the subdial at 12. Although it’s only a minor flaw if I can find one I intend to change it later to the correct shape, which has an arrow shaped tip. I am consistently amazed by how each generation of these reps keeps improving. I’ve owned many gens over the years and IMHO they are getting remarkably near the quality of the gens, at least in appearance. The back cover engraving on this model is especially nice. It reminds me of Japanese products back in the 1950’s. At that time to say something was made in Japan was synonymous to labeling it cheap or poorly made. Now they make some of the best quality products in the world. Admittedly the Chinese are infringing on trademarks and manipulating the value of their currency, but so did Japan during the 1960’s and 1970’s, and still are to some extent.

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion and just approved the QC pics. They did send a better picture, but it still looked blurry. I think it must be some weird color shift thing with the camera. I can't wait to try it on mine and see if I get the same effect. It might be worthy of a write up on the Breitling Forum. It's good to hear from you.

Thanks for the heads up genTLe. That's a great buy, but they are the 49mm version and just to large for my puny wrist. The one I'm interested in is the 45mm version with day/date. Again, thanks for taking the trouble.

You got it R. Trouble is if I can't find out for sure I may switch to the blue sunburst dial, which apparently doesn't have the red script. It seems that the green and a blue color come with the pebbly surface on the dial like this, white sub-dials and have the red script. There is another color of blue with sunburst texture, white sub-dials and without the red script. Then there are the ones with the cross-hatch design that have sub-dials matched to the dial color. Intime has them for $328 right now, but they don't have all the colors the other TDs do.

This watch has been a favorite of mine since the first time I laid eyes on it. When the latest 1/1 generation was released I was very excited. To be hones I buy most of my watches on resale and rarely buy from TDs, but I've made an exception in this case and recently ordered one. I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but my favorite dial color is the green one. The QC pic I just received has served to emphasize a possible problem with the red "Certified Chronometer" script on the dial, located above the lower sub-dial. I suspect these are all made in the same factory because on every TD site I've visited the red script looks blurry and indistinct as in the picture below, which is a special close up QC picture of the watch I ordered after I registered my concerns. My gut instinct tells me this may be a product of the photo or lighting, but I'm afraid to commit based on what I've seen in pics so far. If anyone out there has taken delivery on one of these can you please respond and let me know if my concerns are justified.

Hey guys a lot of you know me. Welcome kkc777 with open arms. He's a stand up guy and really has a sincere interest. Should be a credit to forum.

Does anyone know what the lug width is on the new 1957 case Speedmaster with two subdials?

I agree. But it would have to be the full size 47mm version. The re-introduction included a smaller size (38mm) and it's just too small. They are all over Ebay at bargain prices. I don't usually wear bigger than 45mm but I would make an exception for this. The center section of the dial rotates, similar to the mechanism on the Cousteau diver where the outer part rotates. Maybe that movement could be adapted.

Longines Lindberg hour angle/ captured seconds.

When I first started collecting reps, back in the late 90’s, most replicas only bore a passing resemblance to their gen counterparts, and sometimes not even that. Rolex was a possible exception, but they were very expensive by comparison. Over the years I’ve watched replicas get better and better, until now many are almost indistinguishable from their gen counterparts. Recently I’ve managed to pick up two replicas, which only came to my attention by chance. One I found by it being posted for sale on a forum, and the other by happenstance, through correspondence with a fellow member. They are both Breitlings, and are technically both “fantasy reps”, but in my opinion both could have, and should have, been put into production. The first here is a replica of a Breitling Transocean “Unitime”, with black dial. The Unitime was only produced as a limited edition of the Transocean and, as you can see, has an attractive multi-color image of the world depicted on the dial. It was a world time type of watch with a full chronograph movement to boot. Only 2,000 pieces were produced in two different dial colors and the number of each watch is deeply engraved on the left side of the watch. They were only produced in the larger 46mm version of the Transocean case (too large for me regrettably). The back cover was closed and displayed the old twin delta insignia spotted on older generation Navitimers. A special feature was a narrow, circular strip of the dial, which turned via the crown and lined up different world cities with the proper time zone. The replica, pictured here, differs from the gen in three major ways. First of all, it uses the case of the smaller 44mm Transocean, which predate’s the 46mm. Secondly, probably to keep costs down, the circular strip on the dial does not rotate, although the dial has grooves, which give the impression that it could. Thirdly, it has a display case back, which was not available on the gen. Otherwise the watch is of high quality, especially the dial graphics, which in my opinion are even better than on the gen version of the watch (I’ve have had the opportunity to compare). Since the 44mm Transocean case was already available I believe Breitling could easily have produced it in this size. Also, since I, along with many others, cannot carry off a 46mm watch, I believe they should have. The second watch is a rarely seen version of the Navitimer Fighters, Serie Speciale. This has long been a favorite of mine, and twice in the past I have owned gen examples of this watch. The gen was only ever made in the 41.5mm “Old Navitimer” case size, which I believe was carried over to the later tri-compax version of the watch. I currently own a franken replica of this watch, pictured here, in the 41.5mm size. It’s a nice watch, but as we all know this replica is flawed in several ways. Firstly the lugs are shaped wrong. They are too narrow, and the beveled outer corners are not beveled enough. Additionally, the back cover is shaped incorrectly. It is mostly flat, while the gen has the slightly conical shape of other gen Navitimers. The fighters graphics engraved there are actually pretty good except for the misspelling of the name of a certain German fighter aircraft, which mostly goes unnoticed anyway. The subject replica pictured below is the only one of its kind I’ve ever seen. A fellow forum member purchased it and when I saw pictures of it I wanted one. Upon inquiry with the TD I was told this was the last one available. A search of other TDs turned up similar results. Luckily—depending on how you might look at it—I was able to persuade the other member to sell it to me. My first impulse, upon receiving it, was extreme disappointment and I planned to sell it on, but then I got to thinking. By today’s standards the old Navitimer’s size of 41.5mm is a little on the small side. These days I prefer the 43mm size of the Navi 01. Now suppose—just suppose—that, when the Navitimer 01 was released, it was also decided to produce a more up-to-date re-issue of the iconic Fighters Serie Speciale, complete with red dial label special engraving on the back. The Navi 01 size and case would have been the logical choice, along with conical back cover shape of the original fighters. Perhaps even the old style sub-dials would have been used to differentiate it from the Navi 01. The last touch would have been to brush everything just like on the original Fighters, case, bezel, pushers and crown, everything except the back cover, which was left polished, just like the old one. Just like the example you see here in the photos. Breitling certainly could have made it, and after the modifications I’ve made, I believe they should have. I’m actually quite pleased with the way it came out, fantasy rep or not. If only they had increased the diameter of the engraving on the back cover, to better fit the larger watch. Still, its not bad.

thanks mymanmatt, that helps. We've already done those things and no sign of number can be seen, just the wierd texture that can be seen in the picture. Perhasp a couple of incomplete lines, but nothing that can put together for a number. I was considering using a fine sandpaper to try and make it out, but I don't want to make things worse. I know there are exotic methods that can be used (xray I believe) to show up numbers that have been removed, but I have no idea where to go to get it done, or how much it costs. Do you have any idea how much not having the serial will effect the price?

Sure, here they are. The macro pictures show a lot of flaws, but under the naked eye the watch really looks pretty good.

Rolex 6694 Oysterdate Precision Hey guys, I really need some advice from some of you Rolex experts. In a trade situation I've come by a vintage Rolex model 6694. Through much research I've determined that the watch is probably from 1971-1985. The problem is that there is no serial number between the lugs with which to get a more specific date. At first glance it appears that it never had one, but under magnification the metal there has a strange grainy look (no grinding marks as such), almost as if it had been sandblasted. The only conclusion I can come up with is that it has been removed for some reason, perhaps a nefarious one, in the distant past. Just the same it is a nice stainless steel watch with oyster bracelet. It has a gold dial and markers and gold background date wheel. It has just been serviced. The bracelet is the later 78350 with 557 B endlinks which probably dates it to the later part of that period. My question is can I legally sell the watch with no serial number and if so how much is the value and desireability effected by this? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Yeah, I've been a Breitling fan for a long time. I think it started with my Uncle who was an Airforce jet pilot in the Korean conflict and later flew private jets for big companies. He wore Breitlings from back in the 50's and settled on Navitimers later on. I've owned countless gens over the years and now have 8 Breitling reps, including 5 Navitimer, a Chrono Abyss orange, a blue Steelfish and a blackTtransocean Unitime. 3 of the Navis are frankens.

Thanks journeyman, you can't ever have too much information like this. I've owned several O & W watches, the first back in 2008. They're great quality watches at a bargain price. Back then this watch was not in there catalogue so maybe it was out of production by then. Even by that time you could only get the watches by ordering direct on the internet or by phone and they would only quote price on request. They claimed they were able to keep prices down that way.

I don't believe Ollechs and wajs ever owned the Brietling trademark. They simply bought the tooling for the Navitimer out of receivership, but never acquired either "Navitimer" or "Breitling" trademarks. Thats why the "Aviation" name instead of Navitimer. I also wasn't aware they ever produced a chronomat style watch. I believe it was Sicura who bought the tooling for the early Chronomat watches. About 9 years ago there was an ad in "guide to watches" for brand new early 70s Breitling watches and timing pieces. Seems the factory building where Breitling was made wasn't sold until up in the late nineties. When they were cleaning out the building they found several trays of finished stop watches and watch heads still still sitting where they'd been left when the factory closed. I purchased a brand new gold plated Navitimer cosmonaute for $2,200. It had a dial similar to the 806 and a plastic crystal, with a stainless steel snap-on back cover. I was always afraid to wear it for fear I'd scratch it up. I bought a gen strap and deployant for $150 and sold it in 2008 for a 100% profit. Piece of his history that. Here's a copy of the ad which dates to 2006.

Yeah, I had heard they eventually put in the fast beat movement. I was so impatient that I ordered the slow beat version when they first came out. I don't know how many factories made this, but I have personally seen two different case shapes on the Navitimer 01 (the one with the gold wings at 12). The one I got is very accurate to the gen, but on the other one I saw the lugs were wrong. The bevel on the outside of the lugs was not pronounce enough. This was also a mistake on the old Navitimer rep (date at 3)., but they've just come out with new one (date at 4:30) which seems very accurate in case shape. I wonder why this is so hard to get right.

Thanks guys, it sounds like the balance and spring need to be replaced or cleaned. I have a spare A7750 movement that I kept for parts, but it has the old subdial spacing. It is also a high beat so I wonder if the balance and spring will work in this movement. Thanks for the response guys I value your advice. I've written to Angus at Puretime where I bought the watch, but it is Chinese New Year there, so I won't hear back for while yet. I really want to get this one working right. Which parts are actually different between the 28,000bph and 21,600bph movements? I'm just curious. Has anyone determined exactly why they used this movement or if they changed to a high beat movement later in production? It would be worth it if I could source a new movement. Rolexman, you don't have a spare ETA 7753 laying around do you?

He guys, I need some advice on a problem I'm having. About 6 months ago I bought a new Navitimer 01 from puretime. The purchase was a pleasant experience and I love the watch. It was advertised as having an A7750, which for some reason needed to be a slow beat version at 21,600 bph, instead of the normal 28,800 bph. This didn't concern me at the time as I have had many watches with slower beats that performed great. The watch performs great most of the time, keeping accurate time with good reserve, sometimes for as long as 2 or 3 days at a stretch. But then without warning and over a very brief period, sometimes less than an hour, it will gain up to 6 or 7 minutes. Once reset it may keep accurate time for only a few hours or as much as 2 days or more. This happens whether I wear it or put it on a winder. My watch repair guy cannot determine why, but he has captured the anomaly on a timegrapher First of all does anyone know exactly why this watch had to be produced with the slow beat movement? Secondly, has anyone else had this problem or know what is causing it? Can a slow beat movement be upgraded to fast beat by changing the balance and escapement?