Dizzy

There arnt very many truely "wrapped" rep bracelets out there, and if there are they only come on WM9's and watches of that caliber... Buyer beware. If you are concerned about the gold wearing off, look on ebay and get a gold filled bracelet for a couple hundred bucks and swap on your replica clasp and end links.

I'd love to take the links after you remove the springs. I want to figure out how to convert them to non-spring.

"Big" is relative...how big/small are your wrists?

That's not really what we are talking about here...

You should read the entire thread. Its interesting that someone noticed this because its quite true.

dizz

Yep they are pressed together. You just need to pull the links apart sideways. Then you can hammer them back together or carefully use a vice.

Thats what I like about the MBW16610. The watch 'appears' larger than a Noobmariner for some reason. The dial looks bigger but its not. Out of all the 16610's I have owned, the MBW is the only one that actually looked right when compared to a gen.

I also agree with the orig poster.. the DSSD is a top heavy, awkward watch. Probably the most unbalanced watch I have ever worn. I had mine for about a year and wore it twice.

dizz

Never made any... how about cannabilizing a 7206 from Yuki to get some springs?

I've got one here I'll send you if you want to pursue that.

How about taking a Yuki 7206 and taking the springs out completely! Anyone tried that? I dont like the arm hair catcher links.

@nanuq - you have a broken Yuki you want to sell? I want to try a spring removal conversion on one....

I will take a pic later of the dial. Its just the Josh 6205 or whatever it is. Baked and modded the dial and swapped in gold color, aged ETA hands. The dial looked like shiney plastic before with shiney yellow markers. Looks good now.

Sure you can. Just pull the bracelet apart at the end links. Get the parts you need and put it back together. Easiest way is to get two bracelets and swap parts around. I used to take the noobmariner bracelets and convert them to non-SEL all the time. Its not easy to pull them apart without marking up the steel. You need to be really careful.

Welcome to the forum.

No need to bump a topic after 40 minutes please. If someone wants to answer then they will

Even thought I should just tell you to use the search function (you will find all the info you can read), I will tell you this. The thickness difference could simply be due to the caseback being tight or loose when they measureed it, so dont even worry about that. . If you are getting one from josh or andrew just get the one they call the "beginmariner". Thats the noobfactory model. The etched crystal is completely WRONG (cant see it on the gen), and thats one of the FIRST ways an expert will call out your watch, because of the big etched crown. Thats probably the biggest fault on the noobmariner and most every other modern rep. But for the money its a very good replica. i would just get the Asian 21j movement. Its probably more reliable that the ETA copy movements. When the movement dies in a year, you just buy a new movement for $16

My link

How about this one I've been working on...

HAHA Awesome!

That should be the new RWG theme song!!

Even the gen guidelocks are breaking on that one weld where the pivot is. Im sure the clasp will last longer than 4 months though. Depends how much you feel the need to play with the guidelock adjustment I guess.

Dizz

best thing would be to get a t-19 dome or a t-39 and sand it down to fit. The T21 is a little on the flat side.

I believe that is prob a mil spec with the silver bezel and fixed lugs. Not many of those still exist...

Yeah mine is keeping good enough time. About +7sec/day. Not bad for a franken movement. At least its slow beat for my 6538. I guess I wont replace it unless it dies. Ive just never seen a "2836" running at 21,600.

dizz

Aftermarket dials wont fit these watches from Josh/Andrew. The rep dial is way larger than a gen dial. Gen dial will fall right through the rehaut. You can usee any crystal you want. I used a T-21 on mine.

So I get this Bond sub... comes with Asian copy 2836 movement... ok fine I say...

Until I inspect the movement.... The little reversing wheels or whatever they are have the correct number of holes as per the ETA, and the big gear is brushed like the ETA. YAY i got a cheap ETA by mistake... uuhhhmmm NO.

So how to we tell the difference now? Well my movement is poorly built. The rotor is loose and the finish is rough and BRIGHT gold unlike any ETA i have ever seen. The little swing out clips that hold the dial in place are VERY tight and almost impossible to move. The winding and time setting is loose and overall cheap feeling like any other copy movement that hasn't been serviced. This is definitely NOT an ETA movement judging by the quality alone.

Now the freakin weird part is that its running at 21,600.

WTF?

Looks like a new breed of ETA copy movements... maybe they can change out parts to make them 21,600 to open up a whole new range of applications.

dizz

The T-21 is a bit flatter than the T-19 I think. The height worked on well on mine anyways. When I do my Yuki build, I will probably shave down a t-19 dome.

yes

lol

I know you can convert a 7206 rivet to a spring loaded model with a little trimming and installing some Z springs. You can get this done by most people that repair bracelets. BUT my question is, can you convert a spring bracelet back to a non-spring bracelet without replacing all the links?

dizz

The crystal pops out from the inside. There's no regular retention ring like on a real Rolex. You can pop the crystal out and shove it back in without removing the bezel. There is NO WAY this watch is water resistant the way it comes from the factory. I used UV crystal cement to reinstall mine. The only reason i took the bezel off was to modify it to a burnt golden brass color.

If anyone has one of these I would recommend not to remove the bezel as you run a high risk of bending it, and you may have trouble reinstalling it.

Biggest recent design mistakes by Rolex:

1. Super Sea Dweller - yes and Gas Escape Valve on the front of the watch? wtf?

They had to put something on that thick ring of steel to decorate it.

At least they didnt engrave ROLEXROLEXROLEX all the way around it!!

Here's a boring and controversial rant from a conservative and dull Rolex man. If you strongly disagree with my offensive views, feel free to post just as controversial replies.

Biggest recent design mistakes by Rolex:

1. Super Sea Dweller.

You read my mind... beautiful and sleek to ugly and uncomfortable. If they wanted to make a bigger watch for diving, they should have made a bigger dial also. Thats just stupid to make the case that big and have to have that stupid 1/4" thick rehaut. I had a DSSD and never even wore it out of the house. It was very uncomfortable for daily wear. Very top heavy and boring to look at.

2. GMT IIc

I dont mind the new GMT2c but I agree it needs a pepsi bezel.

3. ROLEXROLEX rehaut engraving.

But it was designed to stop the counterfeiters because there was NO way the chinese could replicate that. Are you saying it didnt work? lol

4. Fat lugs on the classic Submariner.

I agree. It looks stupid and unfinished. I really like the rest of the watch though. The guidelock, the new bezel... Those lugs just kill it for me though. It will be interesting to look ahead 10 years and see how the ceramic inserts are holding up...

5. Yacht-Master II.

"Maybe the ugliest watch Rolex has ever made"

Not much more I can add to that. I wasnt a fan of the original Yachtmaster anyways so it didnt bother me too much. <b><font color="#8b0000">

I'm afraid the current Daytona is next on the chopping block. Be afraid, be very afraid. </font></b>

Oh yes my friend, its doomed. We saw a teaser this month of things to come... Its evolving... We'll see a supercase with fat lugs and black ceramic or some sort of black gold bezels and probably some REDICULOUS looking dial options with flowers and diamonds..

But I think the best thing is that Buddy that was running Rolex has died, so now things might be getting back to normal again. We are seeing more references to vintage and more interest in things like the Edmund Hilary watch etc etc. I dont think rolex is going to open its parts department to everyone on the internet, but I think we will see a little more relaxed attitude when it come to their vintage and heritage pieces.

Dizz

L...I don't believe the 2836-2 day/date wheels are in the right place as the inside of the Tudor jumbo case is signficant larger than a typical DateJust case.

I ment that if you are building a rep, just use a 2836. If you want gen spec then yes you would have to use a 2892 as stated above. I didnt mean the 2836 was the same movement, i ment that it was an alternative. For Chimans project of putting this movement into a gen caseset, this is a good movement for sure!

Post up pics after you get it installed!

dizz

How did you get your bezel back on?? Its a stupid design. I think the only way you can do it is to install the bezel and spring before the insert is installed. Then glue the insert in. I think you will need to get at the spring from the top with a small screwdriver to put it into place. I just spent an hour trying to reinstall the spring and its not even close to fitting back on. Gotta love these old retention systems.