QueTip

SpringBars

Amazing! Can't wait to see the finished project!

Amazing man! Loving it.

Yeah, that has happened to me a lot too. I've had parcels containing builds of a few thousand bucks and also gens that needed my signature and were insured sit in front of my door or the garden and the post man faking my signature.

LOL

I don't think so.

There are no reps of that model. You either have to build one (4.5k upwards) or buy the gen.

I don't see any pics mate..

+1. The gen is a masterpiece. Only the Z comes any close to that. I personally wouldn't go for a CW since it's too off. It has a few nice touches but nothing that could impress me too much in comparison to the Z or let alone the gen.

+1

A little advice of me. When using anything regarding Italy with shipping, use UPS. A little more costly but it's worth it and your shit will deliver. Even faster than regular mail. In comparison with losing $1700, the 30€ extra for shipping don't hurt, do they?

Why's that mate?

I'd go for the gen 3135. With the Yuki, you might still run into problems with time. Whereas the 3135 will run as it should for a long time and will be an easy service IF something happens. Also comparing the gen at $1750 (with date disc added) and a serviced Yuki at $1200, I think the extra $500 make sense.

Congrats mate!

Great watch man! Loving it!!

What makes you think this is a fake?

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

Wow, I'm loving this. Congrats, you got a magnificent piece there!

Yup, he's a top bloke. I can vouch for him too.

Considering, I've already done the 16800 history thread, I thought why not do one for the 16610 as well. I'm super bored anyway so I have a lot of time on my hands hehe. Let's get this started.. The 16610, what is there to say about another iconic submariner. What has changed in comparison to the 16800? (Transitional 168000 excluded) - new movement -> caliber 3135 introduced - 904L Steel (316L on 16800, 904L on 168000) Starting of in 1989 the 16610 of course has a few different dials as well. Here's that: The Mark1 dial: This is the first dial that was used on the 16610's and also the only one that was used during the time Tritium was used as luminous material. So if you're looking to build a Tritium 16610, this is the dial to look for. Mark1 also comes with the flat 4 bezel insert. The Mark2 dial: The luminous material has been changed from Tritium to Luminova. Main differences between the dials are: Swiss Made writing underneath the 6' marker. The difference on the depth rating is more than obvious to see I think. Also the insert has changed on watches this age, the insert has the pointy 4. The Mark2.1 dial: This is basically the same dial as the Mk2 explained above just in a different case. This one was also used in the engraved rehaut cases. This dial was the first one to be featured in the engraved rehaut cases. There is another one to follow. The Mark3 dial: In this mark, the wording 'OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE' became wider with a bigger gap between each word. Also the oval at the base of the coronet has become flatter than on previous dials. The font on the depth rating and below have changed again too, more like they were on the Mk1 yet still a little different. What else is there to say about the LN? Lugholes were there until 2003. After that the no lug hole cases appeared (16610T) (Y serial) SwissMade dials were introduced in the late 90s. Bracelet changed from 93150 to 93250 in the early 2000s. Rehaut engraving started around 2007 (Z serial) Let's get to the LV then, shall we? The LV is the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Submariner. It was introduced at Baselworld 2003. It is also referred to as the 'Kermit' Submariner due to its green bezel insert and black dial. ALL LV's feature the new 16610T case, there are no lug hole cases. Only the prototype that was presented at Baselworld had lug holes. None of these were sold though. Let's get to the dial variations.. The Mark1 dial: Mark 1 went from 2003 up until the middle of 2004. The main features of the dials are: the swiss made writing is stretched beyond the 28 and 32 minute markers. They have been shortened on the dial to make room for the writing. Also you should notice the oval shape of the 'O' in ROLEX. The Mark2 dial: The wording 'Swiss Made' changes from a wide appearance to a rather narrow look. Although it doesn't exceed the 28 and 32 markers, they are still shortened. However the writing remains within these markers. The 'O' in 'ROLEX' is still oval and the 'R' in 'Oyster' is perfectly aligned with the right foot of the 'R' in 'ROLEX'. Also the coronet is less sharp than in other marks and more fan shaped. The Mark3 dial: The 'Swiss Made' appears to be the same as on the Mk2. The 'O' in 'ROLEX' has changed from an oval shape to a round shape. The 'R' in 'OYSTER' is almost aligned with the 'R' in 'ROLEX'. Also the wording 'OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE' has become wider and with bigger gaps between each word. The Mark4 dial: The wording 'Swiss Made' remains to be narrow but now the 28 and 32 marker have stopped being shorter and are on the same level as all the other minute tracks. The 'Swiss Made' wording is almost closed by the two markers. Also the oval at the base of the coronet has become wider. The Mark5 dial: The word 'OFFICIALLY' is placed more to the right and the space between the 'Y' in 'OFFICIALLY' and the 'C' in 'CERTIFIED' has been reduced compared to other marks. Same as the LN, the LV has two different bezel insert prints. However there are different shades of green ranging from an olive green to a bright one. The two prints are the flat 4 printed version and the pointy 4 one. Flat 4 bezels were to be found on LV's up until some of the first Mk2 serials. All of the LVs came with the 93250 bracelet (SEL bracelet) Now to build these things. Of course, the easiest way to have one of these things is to buy a TC. However if you still want to build you can use my above post for reference of periodical correctness. Best parts to use are: Case: TC, WM9, Gen, Phong Dial: Gen, TC KH Hands: Gen, TC v3 Insert: Gen, TC v2 (although not as good) Crown: Gen (24-703-0), Tube: Gen or TC (Gen: 24-7030-0) Crystal: Gen (25-295-C2) Bracelet: TC or Gen (93250 / 93150) Bezel Assembly: Gen, Clarks, Phong Movement: Gen, Yuki or ETA (Gen: 3135)

Yeah, it will be rather hard to find the open 6 3135 dw though and it'll have incorrect crown operations for the era. Later isn't the biggie but the dw is. No brainer investing in a yuki and still using a DWO if you ask me..

First off- The 16613 / Bluesey was first introduced in '88/'89 after it's predecessor the 16803 which came with a cal 3035. The 16613 came with the new cal 3135 off factory! It's a very special piece of the SUBMARINER line. To build a good Bluesey you're - 1. looking at quite a high investment 2. into a piece with a lot of history and many things that can go VERY south 3. having to be real lucky to find the exact parts you want / need Basically the only good OTB 16613 is the WM9 version. Forget about all the others.. They ALL suck. Even the WM9 needs some more modding to be completely correct and bang on. It would need the following: - gen insert - gen crown - gen crystal - shave down the CG's a bit as they're a tad bit on the fat side - some day the bracelet will need to be upgraded same as the bezel as the gold is just plated and it WILL tarnish and chip off Either way if you are not looking into a WM9 but building a Bluesey for yourself from scratch , there are several things you need to know.. - there's very big variations of the specs basics (varies from serials) - $$$$ Best parts to use: Case: TC, WM9, ST (old 3135 case, hard to find, (lug holes build only)) Bezel: Gen, ST, WSO (all solid 18k) Insert: Gen Crystal: Gen (295-2) Crown: Gen or WM9 (703 / 704) Dial: Gen or WM9 Movement: cal 3135, y3135, ETA Hands: Gen, TC Bracelet: Gen (93153 (TP), 93253 (SEL)), ST, WSO, WM9 *EndLinks*: Gen (401b), ST, WSO Clasp: Gen (different clasp codes for dating), WM9 Serial specials: Early 16613: Basically the only thing REAL early 16613's can have in comparison to other, newer ones is that the dial CAN ONLY be blurple in EARLY R/L series ('88, '89). Only a FEW of the blurple dials have made it into 16613's so that's a real rare bird. Other than that the Bluesey hasn't changed much until A series ('98, '99), from then on the Luminova dials have launched. Meaning that the lume on the dial was no longer applied with Tritium but Luminova. In A series you can have both Tritium and Swiss Made dials. Then in P series (2000) some more has changed! The SEL's (SolidEndLinks) have been introduced, taking away the two piece bracelets and an apparently better sit and feel of the bracelet and the gold through clasp was added to the new bracelets. In 2003 - Y series (sep '02 - jan '04) started having LEC's (LaserEngravedCrown) in the crystal at 6 and no lug holes cases. So Y series can also have both new and old style. F/D series (~2004) the Rehaut was engraved with the 'famous' ROLEXROLEXROLEX. I hope this was helpful to you as it's taken me quite a while writing and formatting all of this. If I did miss anything, please let me know and I'll update it but I think I got all of the info covered.

Tbh, that depends.. If you're looking at it from the value and investing side, it sure as hell is a great time to buy a gen. On the other hand, if you want to save a few bucks on the way getting it, you're totally good with building one too. It's just all about what you're ready to load off for the watch. In rough calculation you can end up with a pretty decent build at these costs.. Case - 1450 Dial - 1200 Movement - 350-400 Hands - 50 Insert - 100 Bracelet - 200 Crown - 100 Crystal - 100 All in on the parts side now is about 3600 excluding the cost to have it built. That still is about half of a gen so yeah.. Personally I appreciate a decent build a lot more than any gen of that model. I just can't get the same connection to a gen than to a watch that I built and handpicked the parts for to have it all match up correctly. That alone is worth more than a gen in my opinion.

They already did. Slightly in a full watch but in parts it's horrid! I paid about 1200 for mine when I built my 16800 and that was about 1/2 year ago. They are becoming super rare to score in great condition. I may have to add, the one I bought was MINT, perfectly patina'd and spotless.