droptopman

On NOS Swiss Tropic strap[emoji1303]

This is a really nice build. I love this reference. One of my all time favorite models. Great parts selection. Good luck on the new dial. Congratulations on a super project.

^^^+1 get the 2836 version.

I was wondering when you would post up some pics. What a beautiful example. Flawless execution [emoji1303] Congrats on another perfectly built masterpiece [emoji322].

Just finished a golf tournament. Wearing this today.

April 1, 1984..... Just kidding, wearing this instead. [emoji1303]

@automatico, I agree. The main problem is that too many people try and pass off builds as something they are not. You see frankens show up at high end auction houses and on Ebay all the time. Seen plenty of frankens on reputable gen sites, but they are frankens comprised of all genuine parts. So the scammers that try and make a profit by misrepresenting what they are selling influence the view of franken watches. Generally this view is negative--at least by the genuine collectors. Talking about the general watch collecting public outside of the rep forums. That view tends to paint anyone who does franken builds as doing something wrong or that they/we are up to no good. Had a long discussion with a collector the other day about this. He could not understand why I would invest so much time and money into something that was not all original. I could not explain it to him effectively. The funny thing is that most of the people I have met on the rep boards and especially those that are doing franken builds are some of the nicest and most honest people I have met. In general most of us lose money on these builds and it is really for the enjoyment of the process and clearly not for profit or to try and fool anyone. But you try explaining that to a regular collector and they generally do not get it. I know I lost money on every build I did. A couple of them I lost a lot of money.... However, I did learn a lot from the experience and education costs. Over the last several months I sold all my builds and have started a pretty nice vintage genuine collection. I find much of the same satisfaction finding a genuine vintage reference that I did doing builds. It is not like I can go down to the AD and purchase a mid 60's gilt Sub. It takes much time and effort to find a specific example in the specific condition you are looking for. At this point, I do not have any builds going, but I will again in the future. I have a couple of old crappy watches that I am working on to learn. I have been acquiring more tools and setting up my workbench so that I in the future, I can do a build from start to finish on my own. At some point as these vintage watches become harder and harder to find parts for, you may see a shift in the view of using aftermarket parts. Much like we have seen with muscle cars.

Congrats Jack[emoji322]. You are one of the really great people on this forum. You do some really amazing builds [emoji1303].

Geez, how did I miss this??? Congratulations and strike up the band Could not have chosen a better group of guys. Be well my brothers!

Gilt for me as well!

Tony, check with Adam "aphillipe" on here. He has had the gen for a while.

Listen to Matt regarding the technical aspects. The last gen 116610 AR crystal I bought was $275 and that was a deal....some would argue whether it's worth it. To me it was as the date was super clean and clear. You can find them over on TRF.

Beautiful sunny day!

New strap. This is from jankoxx on TRF. This is the nicest Horween Shell Cordovan strap I have ever had. Beautiful strap.

Very true on the "grail" meaning. I have been collecting for 30 years. My first "grail" was a 16613, by definition not really a grail, but the Rolex that when I saw it I said I will have one of those one day. That was a 16803 and I was a teenager, which we all know they changed to the 16613. When I 18 and I was working as a teamster doing labor. I made good money but not enough for a Rolex. So I started a side business and worked many hours to save up for that 16613. So while it was a goal to acquire one, it was not really a grail, because even though I had to work hard to get the funds, in the end I just went to the AD and bought one. I wore that watch pretty much everyday for many years. Then in the late 90's through 2010 or so came the mass flips. Lots of new models that I would swear was the grail only to be traded rather quickly. I did get to try a lot of different 5 digit models during that time. Nice thing about Rolex, you rarely lose much even on quick flips. I still really appreciate the 16613 as a special watch to me since it was my first, but I really did not identify my true grail watch until I spent some time on the rep boards. For whatever reason through all those years of collecting, I never really got into vintage Rolex. A good friend and fellow collector was always trying to get me to try a vintage and I would always pass for a new model.....I just did not know the references enough back then and I guess my lack of knowledge inspired some fear of vintage pieces. I always thought they were fragile...LOL After spending some time here and trying out a bunch of different modern and vintage examples, I knew the watch I really wanted. 5513 Gilt with Bart variation dial. It just so happens that my grail watch was also produced in my birth year. For the better part of the last two years, I searched multiple websites/multiple times everyday. A couple of decent examples came along, but there was always something that was just not quite right. There is a lot of time, effort and work that goes into these searches. Every once in awhile a decent example would appear, and I would consult with my friends who are knowledgeable about vintage pieces. Our own Dbane was very helpful throughout this process as well as other members here. Thank you gents. I do not care what anyone says, this process of finding a "grail" was harder and more time consuming that any high end franken build I have done. Finally, the perfect example for me showed up and I knew it was the one. Only took a few minutes to put a deal together. I have only had it for a week, but seems like it is part of me already. I love it more each time I put it on. Kind of a weird paradox as I am grateful I found it and very grateful I was in a position to acquire it. The watch gods have smiled upon me. But now that the chase is over, I am in this "watch harmony" and not sure what to do with the extra time...... As others have stated, you will "know" and there will be no doubt about which example it is. Now as an "investment", whether it is a grail or not, a good vintage example bought right will almost always be like money in the bank that you can enjoy while it appreciates. When we get together this spring, spend some time with my GMT and Sub and see if either really sing to you:)