Crwilsn

If the tiger case you have is the same as mine, it takes a 28mm dial and shows 27mm. This can be checked with calipers if you have them. There is a reason tiger calls the case 5508. I think a 5508/5510 dial at gen size will fit perfect. yuki has the size of the 55xx series dial as 27.6 I think. Good news is if you will accept a 4 line dial, yuki has an ETA 6538 dial right now that measures 28mm should be perfect for your case. Get a ETA or selitta movement 2836, and you should be in business. Toughest thing is going to be the crown. You will need to drill and retap the case for an athaya, live with a sterile, or put a smaller gen 602 crown in place, like on a 5508. See the trend.

Also if you are good with a sub, 16800s are a bargain. You can still find matte dial ones under 6k for a nice one, unlike 666 mattes which are over 10k.

+1 on the 666. I was just in the same dilemma and picked up a matte dial 666 with a later service dial. I am looking for an original dial but the are scarce and expensive. Currently have a yuki dial in it as an interim step and am quite happy with the result. In fact I may just keep this dial in anyway.

I guess it depends on your definition of fake vs refinished. Not sure I agree a repainted gen dial is a fake or rep. The yuki one is definitely bad and not an original plate. That one would be poor to put on a gen and I think it was just my impatience talking above. The Minh one in particular is a gen plate and his dials are at least marginally accepted as legitimate refinished dials. No matter which way I go, I will be searching for a gen matte dial but they are nigh impossible to find.

Definitely looking for a gen dial but these are few and far between. Watch came in today and it is exactly as expected. Passed all the gen 16660 tests and looks like a well worn example. Plan is a sympathetic restoration and wear as a tool watch like it was designed as. I may reconsider the yuki dial though as if I ever find a gen dial, it would be a shame to have dropped $500 on an interim dial with very little market. Yuki dial is not terrible though it can immediately be identified as aftermarket. Only $105 including hands. Either way I am going to polish it up a bit and wear it for while to decide whether the new dial is necessary to enjoying the watch.

I am leaning more toward the Minh dial again as the crown on the NDT looks off and while the Ls in SEA-DWELLER look like they are slightly high in the macro shots, it will be impossible to tell without a loop on the watch. As for service dial vs refinished, I am not a big fan of service dial, particularly when they completely change the character of the watch. If Rolex had made these with Luminova maxi plots like they do for 1665 and 1680 dials, it would be fine. Instead people in the late 90's changed these dials to make them look like newer watches. I think that is worse than putting a high quality redial on a watch to make it look like it did when it was sold. This will never be a collectors watch as it does not have the original dial, so I would prefer it to look like it did originally rather than like a later SD. I do plan on keeping the service dial and hands though in case I ever decide to sell the watch. Plus I am thinking I will write "refinished" on the back of the dial and "refinished dial" on the inside of the case back to help prevent misrepresentation if it ever leaves my hands with the new dial on it.

Just found a early gen 16660 Sea-Dweller that at some point in its history had its original matte dial replaced with a gloss service dial. This was factored into the price so I was fine with it. Original dials have gone into crazy territory (3k+) so I am planning on replacing the dial with a good quality refinished dial. To be honest, I would rather go the refinished route anyway. With the crazy prices being asked I would rather be certain I am getting what I paid for. Plus my intent for this watch is to wear it as designed, including for diving. Rather not take a chance on an expensive original dial. So I have narrowed it down to two dials. I looked a yuki but it is too far off to put on a gen watch. The options available are Minhq And NDT Here is a gen for comparison Originally I thought the Minh was going to be the easy choice but something looks off in the text on that dial. Serifs look too big and the letters do not appear to line up great. It is more likely to be the one with the real plate and his dials are somewhat legitimate for non collectors. The NDT on the other hand looks good and I prefer the darker lume but not sure this was ever a gen plate. Any opinions or reviews from other dial purchases? Thanks, Clay

Also, fly out without a watch or a cheap digital (ironman or g-shock for swimming). Wear the rep back. They will not look closely at a watch you are wearing. You may get away with 1 more in a travel case in your bag but any more could lead to questions.

I think once it's out in WG, it will never appear in stainless. If you just bought a 40k watch would you want to see an identical looking model the next year for 10k? I will put money on there being a stainless coke bezel (black and red) next year in stainless, maybe even replacing the blnr. This would appeal to the traditionalist base while not pissing of those dropping lots on a pepsi model.

Just reinforces my belief I will never buy a gen ceramic insert rolex. Too fragile and too expensive to replace the part of the watch most prone to damage. $50 to swap out a gen bezel for a new one is reasonable. $500 is not.

I took my watches for their annual pressure test. The tiger passed with flying colors to 10 bar or 100 meters. I think this is THE best bang for the buck case available. Crystal was glued on with gs cement and stock gasket,retaining ring and sterile crown. If I could get someone to engrave the case and fit a gen like bezel and crown, I don't see needing a yuki case. Problem is by the time I add a good bezel and crown, I'm almost in to the cost of a yuki case.

I damaged the gasket on my GMT II ceramic when replacing the crystal. Does anyone know of a replacement? I am guessing that a press in I gasket size 29.5mm outer by 0.8mm tall by 0.45 wide. Just wondering if anyone has tried it successfully or has a better size suggestion. Thanks, Clay

I would be interested in knowing if the 5508 dial fits in the tiger case. Also if a 1530 movement fits without spacers or modification. I have a theory that the tiger case is based off an actual 5508 rather than the typical big crown replica cases available elsewhere that take a larger dial or the high dollar 6538 cases available from phong or yuki. If so I may try a gen movement rep 5510 dial in my tiger case.

That's not a rep, that's a gen with a replacement crystal. I bet you could send that to rolex for a service. Very cool watch.