Dizzy

dont lose hope my friend! There are still options out there... I still have my good old modded MBW 16610. Its pretty darn accurate out of the box, but when modded properly it can rival any WM9 out there. MBW 16610 gen insert Lumed Noobmariner dial Clarks ETA hands ETA 2836-2 serviced Rolex 24-703 crown and tube Noobmariner Bracelet Refinished and polished a little to look like a late 90's model. Modded crown guards and all that of course. Next to that, you can get a Noobmariner and mod it a little. The only issue with that one if the shallow rehaut but not that big of a deal. Although it is noticable on the wrist to anyone who knows what to look for.. Not sure what else is around right now. Ive been wearing vintages all the time for the last year. Another option is to get them new Ceramic sub from BK. Thats probably what I would do if i wanted one. I think he still offers the classic Noobmariner also, but I dont think they come with ETA movements anymore. You would have to Pm him and find out or have a look in his section here.

Those are pretty cheap prices. If you need an insert then you should grab one. At $100 for a gen insert? You cant lose.

It will take a gen insert... worst case you may have to sand it a bit on the back or outside edge but thats no big deal. We do it all the time, but you are going to pay a LOT of $$$ for a gen insert for that watch... hundreds of $ at minimum. The PT insert is actually quite good and has a nice pearl. I just scuffed mine LIGHTLY with a green 3M pad and put it in a 50/50 bleach water solution for 1 min to take the shine off it, and it looks pretty darn good. Its by far the best aftermarket insert I have seen for these vintage subs, and since it comes from the watch then there is no need to replace it IMHO. dizz

Im sure you'll be fine.. hopefully you get one of the watches in the pictures. If its from a dealer here then you are ok. dizz

Good eyes Pete! I was wondering if anyone else would notice the date on the two watches. That was what lead me to believe they were not the same watch. dizz

I wonder why the two pics are of two different watches? Both are set to almost the same time so they look similar as though the pictures where taken a few minutes apart... I could be wrong but it seems odd.

what watch is that from? An old pre-Airking or something from the 60's? That dial in the pic looks like a poorly repainted dial.

+1

You could try ebay... I would probably keep the original dial and hands on the watch. Refinishing that dial would destroy and value it might have now or in the future. dizz

HA HA I forgot about the "time machine"... Nanuq hid it from me after the last time I borrowed it.... lol

You can fit a t-39 but you might have to put the case on a lathe and take some metal off the outside of the rehaut to get the crystal to press on. I put a t-39 superdome on mine and it was hard to fit it onto the case. I thought it was going to break the plexi but it snapped on pretty hard. There is no way i can get it off now without breaking it with a hammer or something.. I agree with star69, just put on a gen crown. I dont think you can do much with that PT crown. Gen crowns are cheap anyways and you dont need to replace the tube. Whats wrong with the datewheel??? I guess its a little too dark but its the best one ive ever seem come with a vintage Rolex rep. I agree that the MBW is a better starting platform but for a "low budget" project, the PT submariners cant be beat. dizz

I dont know if I've ever seen an oyster bracelet with a hidden clasp before.. just president and jubilee styles. Maybe one of the dealers here can get you one...

hhmmm I wonder how many factories these watches are coming out of. I've already seen 3 different clasps on the submariners and some of you guys have datewheel alignment issues and some dont. Mine lined up perfect with gen and MBW dials. My link - read this

I keep about 4 or 5 going at any given time.. then i sell the ones I lose interest in to fund another project. This of course is a slow process though. I ususally keep my watches for a while before i sell them. When i do sell a watch, its because i have lost interest in it, or i am upgrading to a better one. For example selling a modded sub to build/buy a franken, then selling that franken to fund a gen. My collection is just Rolex and Panerai right now. I have a Pam127 that i never wear, yet its a really nice modded watch that i wont sell because im not getting something better. The only thing i would trade if for would be a better Pam vintage with maybe a gen movement or something. I would hate to have to sell a watch to pay bills, and i wouldnt want 50 watches laying around either. Im all about "quality over quantity". If you have a gen in mind, then sell off the ones you can replace later on if you want to. But knowing your caliber of watches Jojo, It would be a tough to let any of them go. dizz

Thats good info 68.... Well if we take the old thin case and mod it a little, and install this new closer subdial A7750... then all we need is a proper dial or a used gen dial and we have all the ingredients more or less??

You can get them (703) on ebay for about $25 used. You dont need to replace the tube.

WOW look at that crown!!! Its HUGE!!! hahhaa. Your datewindow is MUCH better than mine was on my 1680... but I can assure you that the crown that came on mine was not this big!! lol Just buggin ya bro. It looks like a good one. I cant wait to see what you do with it. dizz

Prob $4000 for an older one and $6500 for something new say from 2007 or 2008.

The standard datewheel as far as i know (on the 15xx cal) was the silver flat top 3 datewheel. During RSC service, the datewheels would be replaced with a newer white open 6 and 9 but round 3 font wheel. As far as collector status goes, the flat top 3 silver wheel is what you want. The PT vintage wheel is the best Ive seen so far on a replica watch even though the silver color is a bit too dark. dizz

Tell him we need a good 9315 and a good 93150 also!

have we ever got an answer as to if WM9 is still in business or not?? Someone must know whats going on.... would be nice to have some sort of an update about where my deposit went.. His watches are 10/10, but his customer service is a solid ZERO.

I always cement them in anyways just to be sure its not going to pop out. Just a little added insurance.

The biggest issue is finding the proper case set, and when you do find one, they are rediculously expensive. Im sure if DW can make a 6263 case to fit a v72 then why cant they make a reasonably priced 16520 case set to fit an El Primero? The movements are pretty easy to find. I would like to get hold of the MBW daytona case but they are as rare as Unicorns and for some reason they cost thousands of dollars. @Freddy - You should speak to DW about a 16520 case set. Maybe he can figure out a solution for us. I'd buy a 16520 case right now if they were the same price as the Yuki and DW cases. There has to be a way to build a 16520 for the same price as a V72 powered 6263. dizz

Heres a nice gen bracelet for someone in 19mm.. 13 hours left if anyone is looking for a nice gen rivet. This one has 57 endlinks. This is the seller I got mine from. Not sure if Im allowed to post ebay links but this is NOT my auction, and it will probably turn out to be a good deal for someone who needs a gen bracelet for their daytona project. ebay edit: they also have a 7835 ending about the same time.

is it actually 18kt? If not then it just looks like an old cheap rep... There are italian made 18kt replacement cases that used to be around for the day-date. Im sure the lug stamping would be better on them though hahaha Dizz