TeeJay

Interesting Teejay, could you tell us more? Will a gen bezel insert, crystal and dial fit this watch?

I wish I could tell you, but I have absolutely no idea as I've never measured the watch's dimensions. All I can tell you, is that I've fitted a 28mm dial with no issue, and the watch doesn't flood if I go swimming or have a shower

Do you have pictures of your result?

Indeed I do Nothing spectacular, but I like it

I used one of these 5513s for a Tudor build and am very happy with the result

2. If youre a noob, dont go with vintage replicas. You can buy some, but they have some major flaws. A high beat movement for example. With a high beat movement the seconds move smoother then with a low beat. And that is a big giveaway. If u want go into modificate youre watch, then u can start a vintage project. But if u just want to buy a watch that looks like the real one without mods, I would say stay away from vintages.

If any other expert has to add something, just do it. I`m just capable to help some beginners, not really an expert :-)

+1

No replica vintage model available from a dealer will look real upon arrival (ie looking 20+ years old) they will all require modification work to artificially age the watch which will involve taking the watch to pieces. Of course, more modern watches, like the DateJust, 16610 Submariner, etc, would all be fine upon arrival, and only require a little scouring to take away that pristine newness and make the watch appear a bit worn, rather than 'out of the shop brand new'. Seeing such a brand new Rolex, will be more likely to get noticed than something older, which 'flys under the radar'

Great answer man, thanks!

But two question remain:

1. does Rolex have any visible serial numbers? How does replicas "handle" this?

I believe that the modern Rolex watches with ROLEXROLEXROLEX engraved round the dial have a serial number at the 6 o clock position. How does replica handle this? They all have the same serial number. The chances of a casual observer actually knowing a Rolex serial number is probably less than being struck by lightning

2. Some guy wrote that he would prefer a vintage replica because of that the wear would make it look more genuine. So the question is can you buy a vintage replica somewhere?

Yes, many dealers sell replicas of the vintage watches. But. They do not look old, ie covered in scuffs and scratches. The details are mostly correct, but the watch looks as new as the original would have looked when first purchased in the 60s/70s, rather than looking like something purchased in the 60s/70s and then worn daily till the present day. Of course, it is possible to artificially age a watch using various methods such as staining or cooking the dial and hands, and scuffing up the case and bracelet with a scouring pad to achieve an aged look For me, it's not so much a case of preferring the vintage to make it look more like the genuine watch, just to make the watch draw less attention than a shiny new one

There's only one way to find out...

My Christmas wristie:

The fat-strap was a christmas present from my mother in law, and will be worn on a Newman project in the future, but for now, and so as not to offend MIL, it's hosting the 1655, Orlando Bloom-style.

I'm thinking he might be onto something, a fat-strap almost makes the watch likeable The H3 Tactical, was from the ever generous FXRAndy Happy Christmas, amigos :drinks:

Fairly typical answer here, in that PAMs took a while to grow on me. The first time I wore one, I wasn't really impressed, but for some reason, I was tempted to order another, and really liked it. I'd have to agree with the comment about collections coming full circle, as I'm now back wearing Rolex and Tudor (albeit vintage, rather than modern) and my first rep was indeed a 16610, which after the initial buyer's buzz wore off, started to bore me pretty quickly, which opened the way for Omegas, and the rest is history

Thanks for the comparison shots, and indeed, the 1680 certainly looks like a suitable base to work from Really looking forward to seeing another snowflake on the forum

Thanks for the compliments, Teejay. Not enough wrist time yet to say it's comfy, but will let you know.

You're very welcome It may take a little getting used to the curved back, but they really are a treat to wear (especially with the more modern-style bracelet )

JJ, that is an informative post. I do appreciate VRF and ourselves for helping point out the differences between OE Rolex and Aftermarket.

< begin rant >

However,the use of "Fake" in the post is rather disconcerting. Seriously, they are 'replacement' hands, or 'aftermarket' hands. I mean really. I would venture a guess there are quite a few "Gens" out there that were serviced by independents that could have these hands.

I am getting rather bored of judging an entire watch (Gen), based on some part that, god forbid, did not come from the holy land of Rolex. Parts that are either 'user serviceable', or 'indie watchmaker cost savers' should be embraced by the Rolex community for keeping their watches alive. (Disclaimer: I totally understand wanting a Safe/Winder Queen that is unmolested, but for the average person that wears their watches, come on).

Calling a (Gen) watch a fake or a rep, illegitimate, or sub-standard because it has things like: aftermarket crystal, inserts, pearls, bracelets or even hands is just dumb. That's like saying your car is no longer legit because you put aftermarket wheels on it.

Forgive the rant. I have been watching the prices of "Gen" Rolex Bracelets on eBay, and if I had a (Gen) daily watch that took a 9315, I would sooner and proudly wear it on an MBW/Rep/Aftermarket bracelet before dropping $800+ on a 40+yr old used POS Rolex bracelet. (Gen Vintage Rolex bracelets look cool, but in reality they are crap this late in their life). If some VRF/TRF guy called me on it....F-them.

< end rant about nit picking, thanks for humoring me >

+1 I agree entirely.

Ronin,

I completely agree with you, as long as the aftermarket parts are identified, or the seller has a disclaimer that parts were replaced with aftermarket.

I keep going back to the same subject, and I hate to keep "beating a dead horse", but what most of the younger guys on these forums don't realize is the whole concept of wristwatches has changed over the past 40+ years. Most of these changes have come about because of computers and the internet. Back when I started buying watches, your sources were limited to jewelry stores, pawn shops and ads run in the newspaper. If there were any watch "collectors" back then, they were few and far between. There wasn’t a “watch community”. Per se, although I’m sure in the bigger cities around the globe there were folks interested in watches to the point that they were collecting. People bought watches for their utility, not to collect. I would suspect that most folks owned at the most two watches, one they wore for everyday work, another for dress. If you were fortunate enough to be able to buy a Rolex back then, you bought it because it was a good dependable rugged watch. When it broke, you took it to the nearest watchmaker who worked on Rolex. Unless they were affiliated with an AD, many would offer to replace parts with aftermarket. Yes, even back then, you could buy aftermarket crystals, hands, bracelets and dials could be redone if they were damaged. Using aftermarket parts was far cheaper than sending your watch to Rolex. Also, you could usually have your watch back on your wrist in a matter of days rather than weeks or months if you sent it to Rolex. So aftermarket parts have always been a part of the Rolex story.

Looking forward, there may come a day when those same folks who are screaming “FAKE!!!! “ the loudest will be forced to replace parts on their beloved Rolex watches with aftermarket parts, or else put the non working watch in their sock drawer until they can scrounge up a nonexistent or hyper expensive part. I believe that some of these folks are overreacting to the extreme. My definition of a fake is something that has nothing genuine , nothing produced by the branded company, and is primarily produced to deceive others. A genuine is and always will be a genuine, even if it contains some aftermarket parts. Again, I will say my feelings are, if the watch contains aftermarket parts, they should be honestly disclosed.

Again, I agree entirely. I would also like to say that when those folks who are screaming fake have to make the decision between a: sullying their precious watch with 'fake' parts or b: admiring their non-working paperweight, they're going to deserve a big:

for their snooty attitudes

Hi!

Im a big n00b on replicas as I only own a genuine Omega. But I've been looking in to replicas as they seem to be good enough for me and SO much cheaper. So: I want to buy a replica submariner. But as I said I've no clue on how to know whats good and whats not when it comes to replicas. I dont even know any sites or ebay sellers... So I will rely on you guys!

From what I can see this $128 watch i fine but not great. Im willing to pay $200-300 in order to get a Submariner that no one could spot as a fake if they werent a watchmaker or something like that... Or am I asking for too much? In that case, I just want a damn good rep for that kind of money, with saphire crystal and a decent movement. Where can i find that ? Please help me, every answer is appriciated!!

First off, welcome to the party

Secondly, any Submariner has the potential of getting spotted as a fake, simply because it says 'Rolex' on the dial. Even if the watch is visually perfect, or even genuine original, having the R Word on the dial, is always risking the question "Is that a Real Rolex?"

However, in day to day life, I've found watches really don't get commented on very much, so the risk of actually getting called out is very slim, if not non-existent. The above listed watch does look really nice, and I bet if any non-watch enthusiast was to handle it in person, the weight and feel would most likely make them think that it was real. Personally, I prefer the more vintage Submariners, for aesthetic reasons, but, in terms of being called out, someone is much less likely to notice (and then question) an apparently aged and beaten up watch, than they are a modern and shiny watch which looks brand new... Of course, there's something for everyone in this hobby, and I'm sure you'll receive many more answers which will help you to find precisely the watch for you

The very first Rolex watch which is now known as a Submariner, the 6200, only had Rolex Oyster Perpetual on the dial, it wasn't branded the Submariner for a little while... The bubblebacks, again, were only branded Rolex Oyster Perpetual. WIth the above listed watch, my gut says -D-...

Case is Explorer-esque, hands from a DateJust, and the dial, again, Explorer-esque, but I wouldn't like to say. Possibly a pre-Explorer dial, possibly a faux-vintage project built by someone (like me ) who just wanted to have their own custom Rolex, and built it to look period specific to avoid the recognition of a shiny new watch (the end of the bracelet, the endlinks, and condition of the bezel and lugs makes me suspect a modern build) Either way, very tasty

If only it were that simple. The inner diameter is too big, enough so that there's a big gap between the retaining ring and bezel. If I bent some extreme bumps into my retaining spring it might catch and hold the ring. But I'd be afraid to wear the watch and risk losing the bezel by bumping it.

Wonder if JMB could machine a new retaining ring that's 1mm bigger in outside diameter? Hmmmmmm. But then would the crystal outside diameter be too much smaller than the insert's inside diameter?

Ahh, I see the problem... Might manufacturing a new retaining spring from higher gauge wire be a possibility? JMB can do wonders with stainless, I'm sure he could work out something to fix things

How much too big is the bezel? If you were to wrap dental floss between the bezel and mid-case, might that 'take up the slack' enough for it to fit securely?

I'm wondering if it might be a modified pocket watch?

Still not taking things too seriously here, just a quick His n Hers shot. Emily's watch has been modded to include lume on the hands and markers (stock was just white paint ) and a submariner dial marker replacing the stock pearl which had the same luminous qualities as the original 'lume' job

Happy birthday, bro, you've always bought energy and excitement to the forum, and the party's never dull when you're around

Good to see you posting, I hope life's been treating you well

Not taking things too seriously today...

Interesting, as it reduces the accuracy of the display, yet I really like it

where can I buy this? I have only ever purchased through perfect-clones and I dont see it on their site

I believe that the watch is a standard 16610 Submariner with a Corvus Bond strap fitted (aftermarket purchase rather than bought 'as is')

[Edit to add]

Following Dizzy's comment, I'd just like to clarify that I was referring to the overall model of the watch, not the factory of origin of this specific watch

Absolutely beautiful watch, and those hands make so much difference to the impact of the watch, it's incredible

This thread caught my eye as my Tudor sub is a 7909 dial in a 5513 case

Here's a fresh pic of the usual