TeeJay

:tu:

What else is there to say? :pardon :good :

That's a fantastic piece, my friend I had thought I'd gotten over my urge to get a 1665 in favor of my 16800 plans, but seeing those photos, well, there goes my resolve Wear it well

Damn, that really does look stunning Looks like it's been to Hell and back and still going strong

Yep, freddy knows his stuff.

He does indeed We may not see eye to eye when it comes to the etiquette of project aesthetics, but I can't think of another member with such indepth knowledge of the vintage Rolexes

To the best of my knowledge, 6542s were only produced with small GMT hands (none red, at least I have never seen a verified gen with a red GMT hand). If you find a '42 with a large or red hand, the original hand was either replaced with a later 1675 hand or an aftermarket part. And I have never heard of a case where an RSC fit a '42 with a large GMT hand.

The hand sized for the ETA 2893-2 is the same as the size for the gen movement, 1.8mm. The hand sized for the Asian DG3804B and the GMT modified Asian 2836/2846 and GMT modified Swiss ETA 2836/2846 are the same, 2.0mm.

I would recommend that you measure the GMT pinion on your watch because I have seen 'variations' from our Asian factories.

I'd agree with freddy on the big GMT hand. Rolex used this small GMT hand on all the 6542, and on the 1675 through the 1960s.Sometime in the late `60s, I read 1969, they went to the big GMT hand. The factory might have changed them when sent in for service in the `70s and later, but only Rolex knows that for certain.

Many thanks, guys The more I research into the GMT's it seems there's much more 'overlap' of parts/models compared to the Submariners, so thought best to clarify as to what was what

The arrow base or bottom line width is 1.3mm, the length from the base to the point/tip is 1.5mm. Not equilateral. I looked at many, most were this measurement, but most could have been aftermarket.

It is copied off of Classic Watch Parts $65 hand.

I found the very tip to be over or past the chapter ring, which I've seen on many genuine 6542s, and took 1500 sandpaper and a few gentle swipes to correct it. I didn't know if it was my dial or the hand. I wanted to get Ken's factory to make them to fit the gen Rolex and ETA 2893-2, 1.8mm, and capable of being broached to 2mm. They couldn't do that. Like most aftermarket parts a little tweak can be expected. And as always, perfection costs more.

Would that mean that one of the hands sized for an ETA could be made to fit on an Asian GMT movement?

In my own research the 6542, I've seen a couple featuring larger GMT hands. Would that have been an indication of an 'end of run' watch, or one which had had the GMT hand replaced by the RSC? I haven't yet found reference of one featuring an all red GMT hand, so I'm figuring they were solely a 1675 fitting

Teejay yes its sits well, as far as damage internal so still looks good have it lined up on the 12. It is on a Bond blk/red/grey nato really comfortable , still debating in my head . I may get the bug to do in a day or two.

If it sits well, you definitely have nothing to lose by going ahead with the swap When you get the insert out of the bezel, you may see a fine wire spring which is what holds the bezel on place. If you're able to find the end of the wire, then with a fine pair of tweezers, you might be able to remove the wire, which would in turn allow you to remove the bezel and possibly fix the issue of why it's not turning properly

Yes woof I did, it should have worked followed Video to the tee. Going to leave well enough alone I think if I pull the blk & green does't go in well watch useless. Thanks again gentlemen .

Does the green insert sit cleanly on top of the black? I figure if you've gone this far, you might as well try to perform the swap, or the damage to the bezel will be for nothing...

Not sure what to suggest about the rotation aspect, other than trying to keep rotating it and seeing if it 'settles back'... But pulling the insert out is an easy process

"Asian converted" refers to any 2836/2846, Swiss ETA or Asian, that is converted to GMT function.

Thanks for the clarification, I might consider one for my 6532-inspired project in the future

Yeah.....unless he has a TC/Wm9/Bk and a gen insert.

It's not, it's the same budget Sub as I have

No need to remove the outer bezel... Use your thumbnail to lift out the luminous pearl, then use something like a small screw driver/hairclip/etc to use the hole as a lever to start lifting the insert away from the bezel. Depending if you want to keep said insert, you can either be careful or forceful

When you say Asian Converted, would that mean swapping the stock pinion/cog for another? The hand looks fantastic

I will check out tropic style straps! Thanks for the responces

I forgot to give the link, this is the most comfortable rubber strap I've owned

http://www.modenawatch.com/product.sc?categoryId=32&productId=36

Not all of the UAE 1675s had the blue bezel but some did. Also, the blue bezel was given away during service in the late 70s by Rolex. These went to the general public.

I guess back in the 70s, Rolex were happier to give the customer options, rather than their new policy of swapping any inconsistent/old parts for new stock

I'm finding myself forced into modifying my opinion I was in my local supermarket, where I recently saw a management type wearing a TT Submariner. I thought about it for a moment, and figured on a manager's salary and a credit card: gen = plausible. My latest sighting though. Was a guy in his late teens/early twenties stacking the cooler while wearing a white dialled modern Daytona!!! OMG I know, I've been saying 'wear what you like', but wearing a Daytona while stacking shelves ?!? That's not even trying to be subtle If I was to find myself in employment again, depending on the job, I'd either be wearing my plastic Submariner or my DateJust, just to stay 'below the radar'... This hasn't changed my mind enough to say I would only buy what I could theoretically afford, but it has certainly reinforced my view on 'right watch for the right activity/wardrobe

The rarest combination is the all-red with the UAE all-blue insert.

I'm sure I've seen pics of the UAE Airforce 1675, but I didn't realize that it had the all red hand, I guess I must have been so focussed on the dial logo to notice the hand Thinking about it, the 1655 had the all red/orange hand, maybe the 1675 all red hands were produced at the same time, but phased out when the next version of the Explorer II (should really be considered the Explorer III) was released with the Submariner-style dial and silver-tipped GMT hand, Rolex did have a habit of messing with production parts back in the day

Looking good My only suggestion would be to swap the NATO for a Tropic-style strap, as they're much more comfortable if they get wet and dry out much quicker

Red hands were seen from the late 60s to about 1973 or 1974. They ARE oem parts but it's unclear if they were all-red from the factory or if they were repainted. Some people believe they are from the factory like that and that is my camp. It's a fact Rolex RSCs all over the world have serviced all-reds without even a hint of an issue. If it wasn't Rolex oem I bet someone, somewhere, would have had an issue. Waaaay too many of them out there to be faked I think.

It's like fairies, you have to believe.

Might they have been some kind of alternate, or even limited run part, which was simply discontinued? I just hit up google and saw an interesting Oman military edition, which almost looks like it has an all black Perspex bezel insert (although the fact that the numerals are only 2D points more toward a very curved metal insert ) I'm definitely liking the aesthetic

It looks fantastic What is the history of the red hand 1675?

Yep I think that's the way to go. Okay I'll put the original dial back in and hands, then see if I still want to mod it. If not it can go back in storage for another 10 years and I'll wear the Franken

If you like custom, I think you will still want to mod it, afterall, no point in building from scratch when you can just mod an existing piece As before, I think it's an excellent illustration of what it would have looked like if Tudor had built the 79190 as a MilSub instead of a civilian release Thinking about it, there have been a few military issue GMTs with all blue bezel inserts, so I think fitting a blue insert when I 'enlist' mine will really be in keeping with that overall potential Infact, I might even put that all in my 5517 case and put the Snowflake dial in the 5513 case instead (both projects have to take a backseat to my plans to convert my 16610 to a 16800 )

Looks great! That may have just convinced me to build my new Milsub from parts

Thanks, I've got better pics somewhere, but photobucket's not really cooperating at the moment... Building from parts really does deliver that sense of 'I built that...' whenever you look at the time

Doesn't bother me that I have the wrong dial in the 79190 either. The 79190 should say "Prince Date". Subtle change or what?

I just double checked, and it does infact read Prince Date (I hadn't noticed earlier as the hour hand was obscuring the word Prince, and I just focussed on Date This isn't the best pic, but it gives an idea of what it looks like

Does it say "Prince Oysterdate"? It shouldn't if it is a 79190.

Here's my lumed dial at night. The compound I used is far brighter than Luminova and lasts longer in my experience. Perhaps to bright

It does read Oyster Date, so I'm not too sure which model variant that would be, but as mentioned, it is really a decal which was done by a forum

member (I'll try and find a pic of it in my photobucket to post) It's never been a 1:1 replication, just always been a firm favorite, not only due to the sentimental value, but also because of the dial layout

Excellent lume results

I'm contemplating a U-Turn TeeJay in which case I will go the same route as you. Parts come up often enough. I'd just use a 2824. The strong feelings here have definitely given me second thoughts. There are less and less full sets available.

Oh one last thing ... I forgot I'd swapped the dials about a year ago when I did the lume. Those who know their Tudors will know mine has the WRONG dial for a 79190 So, I must have wanted to conserve the original because my spare dial is the original, not this one. Must be a sign Now we can all sleep at night

My dial has the T SWISS MADE T markings at the six position, but it is actually a water decal over a blank dial, and the 5513 case was just one I had spare at one point, but it's always looked good I've just found a blue Mil-Spec bezel insert on eBay, so that will definitely allow me to go with that color variation I wouldn't let public opinion sway your opinion, if you want to do the mods, do the mods, as previously discussed, that's the pleasure of custom, especially when you have the spare parts