alfa1

Speaking of Crowns....is there a certain go to guy for 7mm Sub Crowns ?

@SSTEEL Considering the nature of this hobby, I would highly suspect that name to be an alias.

@Pombok Well said. My own experience, the V6 was purchased for $565.00+$8.50 priority mail. A genuine bezel and genuine LV insert both In Rolex bubble paks $135.00 + $13.85 post. A close friend of mine was at that time a Maintenance Supervisor for United Airlines in Jedda Saudi Arabia. He purchased them at a AD in one of the Luxurious malls. As you are probably aware the Saudis replace most Rolex bezels with Diamond, Ruby or Emerald encrusted bezels and dials, my friend also a WIS was in awe of the panoply of spare dials and bezels. i have an ‘F’ series Submariner LN and side by side, even with an anal x20 forensic inspection they look identical, with the exception of the maxi dial and hands of course. The clasp is very passable as genuine. Cheers.

@Pombok, upon all you’ve mentioned there is one item that moves the TC to a much higher level, the Kensington High Dial, I’ve recently seen both side by side the difference is striking, in overhead light the Kensington High is alive and sparkling, even the dial printing sparkles at you, case up a “Top or Chronograph ETA 2824” and you have a piece that will fool all but the anal savants...oh and you can find all the parts for an ETA or Sellita to keep it in good order, I highly doubt that is the case with a 3135 copy. @APguy1 Its worth what you paid for it or more, depending on the buyer. From what I gather from the many forums, the V7 inner mid case machining is different than the V6, you cannot case a genuine 3135 movement in the V7.

RWG Crew, thanks for your response, as usual, always a helpful group on this board. Mike noticed my post and reached out to me, discussed my needs and now I have to send him my TC V6 LV all appears well, Mike certainly reaps high praise from the many posts I’ve read here and elsewhere. maybe he’s the next coming of the Ziggmeister.....Ha....Ha ?

Mike, how best to contact you, in need of some service work. thanks

Funny you mention....Houston i there a Watchsmith in Houston who will work on quality Replicas ? I’ve seen his comments and various reply’s to several on the boards. It appears he does very nice work and has access to OEM parts. Does anyone know if Mike is a Professional watchmaker or a WIS hobbyist ? (Nothing derogative in this comparison, but, it does make a difference) im in need of work on several pieces.

I doubt you will find a qualified watchmaker to do a complete disassembly clean and lubricate properly any Eta movement any cheaper than the price quoted. There are some who will do it cheaper, but I doubt they are schooled and certified on ETA movements, just my experience in L.A. having had 2824's and 2836's serviced and both having the Top grade Glycudur balance and Anachron main spring installed and calibrated in 4 positions, your quote is quite reasonable.

I noticed Rolesyshop on eBay has one, not used one, so can't say

Take a look at this, your question should be answered. http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?135901-Physical-compatibility-of-2824-2-and-2893-2 Unless you have experience modding watches, it's an iffy swap

Looks very close...maybe exact. When you start taking watches in for you service, what condition should they be ie: disassembled case only, a complete watch head?? How does one contact you for service, PM or email? What should the turn around time be? Should your customer research numbers ie: model and serial numbers? Is your pricing uniform or specific to each request? All parties should benefit from your efforts, Thank You

But of course there is never any variance of dimension in gen. SELs, new or used...?

Counter sinking the step is no longer necessary. Initially the first of the 24-7030 tube designed, utilized a cupronickel gasket that fit a boss under the tube housing and into the counter sink recess, the newer 24-7030 tube design incorporated the new spline grooves at the nose of the tube and also changed and created a step on the bottom, it was designed to be a thread stop. The gap when threaded into a case without the rubber "O" ring measures approx. .014" - .019" the "O" ring that fits the threaded tube that inserts against the casing measures .035" - .037" nominal It has a greater durometer rating (harder) than the other "O" rings, therefore you have approx. .015" - .020" crush, more than adequate to 600 - 800 ft, now keep in mind, the deeper you go the more pressure applied to all foreign mass, that includes the "O" ring it actually seals better at depth than at sea level. Been away awhile, other priorities....Yes, the replica collector forum and the board before that. Recently pulled the trigger on a TC LV Sub Waiting like everyone else

TC's is so good, that if Rollie were still making this model it would cause them nightmares, it's that close. I, like you, have been gone from the scene for many years, happened on TCs blog by accident', out of curiosity AND doubt started to compare his pieces with photos of the gen's, very hi res photos I might ad. I was totally amazed and pleasantly pleased to the point that I pulled the trigger on his latest version of the LV and look forward to its arrival. In the States it's $620.00 + $5.35 shipping he states 30-40 days after he puts you in the que. I understand from much reading he is a busy man who travels frequently in his business endeavors, but none the less takes care of his buyers. From what I have determined, he is extremely obsessed with the 16610 pre etched rehaut model, it's 99% !!!! No etched crown on the sapphire or engraveings in between the lugs @ 6 or 12. Hope this helps...like prodigal sons, we have returned.

I've been away for quite sometime, though sorry to hear TTK (Neal) might no longer be with us, I dropped out about the time Neal got banned. One of you mentioned The Zigmeister, thought he stopped doing rep repairs. Ubiquitous and I met some years ago for sushi in Manhattan Beach, great fellow. So many great people on this forum, Star (Tim) TommyQ, George in Greece and the list goes on. I was recently reinvigorated by accidentally stumbling on to TC's blog...I'm agast, something ethereal happened, before I could gain self control I had ordered his rendition of the very stunning 16610 LV...anxiously awaiting, must have !!!!! As an aside to the banned FROG SCHMUCK as I type this my wrist time is occupied with a 116613 also have a gen. Sub R serial and. Brietling Avenger and many fine reps. Cheers to all, nice to be back. I wear them all with equal Pride

There are actually 3 gaskets C1= 2.3mm C2= 2.5mm Standard on genuine Rolex C3= 2.7mm Use of the C3 on reps. Lifts the cyclops and increases the magnification and gives the correct distance above the insert that's missing on reps.

Thank you for the declaration 'Boss', you've put my mind at ease

TRC, yes...........the mother of current replica boards. I have a eery feeling we are seeing it die. logic leads to this conclusion. an answer from the 'Boss' regarding TRC being down, "RWG is up again. It's been really unstable for the last couple of days" subliminal or a simple mistake?

Randy, of course you can use either depending on how much compliance in the bore you wish. I was just chuckling about the 10,000rpm and a drill bit, it melts them right down.

316- 440 Stainless Steel....1.2mm Drill bit, use a HSS bit @200rpm and use cutting fluid...not oil! compliments of the Machinist Handbook 28th Edition.

Edge, Kudos to you Sir, well done.

You noticed!! Yes, I suppose I have I hope it answers some of the questions many have had (or were unwilling to ask), regarding this change over. Here are some illustrations, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope these give a clearer understanding of how the crown and tube work together.

Andreas, According to my local AD, who had the same question for the Rolex rep. No! not for 2006, next year 2007 maybe, won't know till the next Basel.

This is in two parts, the first was originally posted by JimmyThree on TRC. It was this, which prompted me to do some further critical analysis, so the second part is mine. It covers what has been discussed before, however, these random discussions were to me, lacking the necessary absolutes needed to allow completion of the proceedure with any degree of success. Onward Part I A genuine or aftermarket submariner 7.0mm case tube can be installed in the case in order for a genuine crown to be used. The 7.0mm submariner case tube has the same thread size where it screws into the case as the standard 6.0mm case tube used in older DJ, Exp I etc...3.0mm X .35mm and a standard thread tap for the Rolex case can be used to tap it out to the correct size if necessary. The 3.0mm X .35mm taps are available from most watch parts supply houses. Many replicas have the case threaded for the smaller case tube thread size same as the 5.3mm crown and modern 6.0mm crowns...2.5mm X .25mm and if this is the size in your submariner watch case, the hole will have to be drilled out first with a number 36 (2.7mm) drill bit before threading the hole with the 3.0mm X .35mm tap. Be sure to drill the hole straight through the case and lubricate the bit with cutting oil or WD 40 etc. After the hole has been bored, line the tap up straight and very carefully start cutting the threads in the case. Turn the tap about 1/2 turn at a time and back it up to dislodge the metal chips and lubricate the tap with thread cutting oil or WD 40 etc to help prevent galling and to carry the chips away from the threads. After the hole has been tapped, clean the case in warm soapy water with an old toothbrush being sure to get all the metal chips out of the newly threaded hole (I hope you removed the movement before starting this project!!) and try the case tube for proper fit. Pipe cleaners are another way to clean the threads out. Be advised that the 7.0mm submariner case tube does not fit up against the case same as the standard 6.0mm case tube. The standard genuine 6.0 case tube uses a silver sealing washer between the slightly tapered case tube and case for a gasket (I have never seen one of these gaskets on a replica) and the 7.0mm case tube uses a rubber O ring gasket that fits against a flat machined surface on the case. Machining the case is a bit more involved so I will leave it out and simply recommend anyone to seal the case tube O ring to the case with waterproof silicone grease. I have a miniature milling machine and cutter for cutting a flat on cases but if the case has enough area for the O ring to seal, I let it go as is. Tips: On cases with the correct 3.0mm X .35mm hole size...be sure to run the tap through it first (if you have one) or very carefully try the case tube for proper fit because sometimes the threads are not very good and they can ruin the case tube. You can find good used genuine submariner crowns on eBay. Practice cutting threads on a junk case or bore a few holes in a piece of stainless steel sheet and tap them for practice. When cutting practice holes, it is easier to start out with a smaller bit first and work up to the # 36 bit. Stainless steel is not easy to work with so a few practice runs are in order. The #36 (.2.7mm) drill bit is a tiny bit larger that usual so the tap will not bind up when cutting threads in the hard steel case. It is better to have the threads a bit shallow than take a chance on breaking the tap off in the case. When you buy a 7.0mm case tube, be sure to get all the rubber O ring gaskets including the one inside the crown cap and on the outside of the case tube. You can use plastic based gasket sealer on the case tube threads to help seal the tube and hold the tube in place and keep it from backing out. Case tube spline wrenches are available to make the job of inserting the case tube easier but you can usually get the tube screwed in by using the crown for a tube driver if you are careful. Sometimes the crown will tighten down and unscrew the case tube after insertion so if you can get a case tube wrench it is money well spent. There are old type and new type case tubes and wrenches so ask for new type replacement case tubes and wrenches so everything will work together. Do not count on the tube to be water resistant without testing the empty case first. Part II Establishing dimensions and how minute they really are. 1 mm = .039370082" 2.60mm = .102362" 2.65mm = .104330" 2.70mm = .106299" The following directly relates to the Installation of a Genuine or Very Good replica 7mm Trip-Loc Crown. This is for edification and discussion only. Rolex Trip-Loc 7mm Crown - Part No.24-703 Rolex Case Tube 7mm - Part No.24-7030 Generic - are generally refered to as 7mm crown or tube. TAPS: Tap size for the 7mm case tubes(specifically 24-7030) is 3.0mm x .35mm proper drill size is 3.00mm (- .35mm) = '2.65mm' (a little formula my industrial tool supplier showed me) On minature threads such as these, it is imperative that major and minor diameters are correct for desired lock up. You will surely strip the case tube (or more catastrophically) the case, when applying proper setting torque to improperly cut threads. When working with 316, 440 or 904 stainless steel, either facing, cutting or tapping, it is imperative that you use a cutting fluid that is compatible with the parent metal, in this case I prefer 'Tool Cool' or 'Tapmatic-plus1' CASE TUBES: The 6mm case tube wrench works on both 6mm and 7mm case tubes, why they don't advertise them as such, really baffles me. Keep in mind, all new case tubes in current Rolex' have the new style case tubes (splines at the top) and, so will all of the new generic case tubes. If you see an advertisement for case tubes showing 'old and new' make sure you get the new tube and tool. That is of course, unless you have an endless supply of early genuine case tubes. Then the early tool with splines in the lower body of the tube would be correct. CASE TUBE 'O' RING OPENING: A stepped Spot face cutter is required to duplicate the cavity in the tube bore of the case to capture the outer 'o' ring that resides above the case tube threads. First stage cuts the proper diameter for the 'o' ring, (in some earlier Rolex' models a flat fabric seal was used) the second, cuts the stop shoulder, which in turn determines the desired amount of crush to the 'o' ring. This operation is one more of the critical operations that help achieve its resistance to water and pressure. Because this machining operation is done to the case while on a CNC machining center, You 'WILL NOT' be able to acquire this cutting tool, it will have to be made by an industrial tool supply house. Calculating its correct dimensions, is a story, all by itself. 2mm SPRINGS BARS: Geniune or very good aftermarket Spring Bars for the models we most covet, 1665,1680,1675,16800,16610 will measure: center section: 2mm x 19.7mm* depressable ends: 1.2mm in dia.* extended overall length: 25.25/25.57mm (.994/1.006")* You will, no doubt, see them advertised in all sizes and dimensions, claiming to be what they are not. Use good judgement before making your purchase and avoid dissapointment. There is plenty of good information to be gleaned on this board as to where to acquire them from the many capable and talented members. Please keep in mind, the advertised dimensions are meant to show relationship to an application. These dimensions may seem cut and dry. In reality the spring bars do not have a true 2mm diameter main body, nor do the ends measure 1.2mm. These measurements indicate the bore diameter in which they are to be inserted, therefore, the true diameter of the respective part of the spring bar will (should) measure: ENDS-Diameter: 1.187/1.190mm (.0467/.0468")* MAIN BODY-Diameter: 1.978/1.980mm (.0778/.0780")* NOTE: *These dimensions acquired from 20 sample spring bars* This differential allows for compliance in the bore, just .0005" will make the difference between go and no-go.