Dizzy

That looks great!!! I was considering a gen faded when i do my 1675 but after seeing this, I like the NOS service bezel look with the pepsi.

+1 I have a gen t-39 on my 1665 and its absolutely awesome. Words cant describe the difference. The gen just sparkles! Its a major improvement for any modded vintage trust me. dizz

ok... stupid question.. Whats wrong with the MBW bezel?? What about it is incorrect? Im comparing my MBW to gen and i cant see anything obvious.. unless the lower bevel angles are off? Or the overall height? lol Dizz

That looks pretty darn good to me. Just compared it to a gen and its pretty much correct. Too bad WM9 is MIA. I would love to order a few clasps from him... dizz

No... there isnt one... but why not? Isnt there a movement (even a hand wind like a v23) that has the same subdial spacing as the El Primero??? There has to be something? What about that Lemania handwind? Is the subdial spacing correct? I REALLY want to build a sec@9 daytona... its all out there.. just need to build it, but the movement and case are crazy expensive! I dont want to spend $4000 building one. The other option is buying a gen two-tone, swapping the pushers and bezel for aftermarket... put on a gen 24-703 and a gen dial, and a 93150 bracelet. Then you can sell off the gold bezel, dial and bracelet for enough for most of the parts needed and all you would need would be a nice gen dial and hand set. You could prob do it this way for about the same price you paid for the two-tone originally, provided you do the work yourself.... I figure you can build one that way for about $6500... OR buy a gen stainless as they are down to $8500-9000 on ebay now, but laying out $9000 on a daytona isnt going to happen anytime soon. hhhmmmm Any thoughts? Dizz

Nice Chiman is going a build of a 1675 from a 1655 watch. I am planning the same thing after i finsh my gen Datejust build and my 'triple six' sea-dweller. I'll get the one from the Cartel (unless someone else offers the same model?) and swap in a gen 1675 dial and bezel assembly. It should be pretty darn close after some mods. The only thing is the difference in crown size, but im not to worried about it. Im not a fan of the explorer II, BUT the case does hold potential for a nice 1675 since there is really nothing good available without going the big money route on a case from Phong and a gen cal. movmt. I see the prices of the 1655's are coming down lately. You can get them for around $11k on ebay now. dizz

No idea.. might be endlinks for an Airking or something. No big deal Im sure you can make them fit with a little bending if needed. No matter what end links you get, they will fit better than the DW endlinks.. even a 20mm endlink for a 1665 sea-dweller is a closer fit than the DW 571 endlinks in 19mm... haha. I threw my DW endlinks in the trash after trying to dremel them into submission.

The rep crown is just way tooooo wide Puretime crown is 4.3mm wide Gen 24-703 is 3.86mm wide Thats a big difference. The rep crown is not even close. I used the PT tube on my 1680 and the gen crown threaded on nicely. The only thing that might be an issue is a pressure test for water resistance but I havent done that yet. My 1680 case does in fact leak but im not sure from where. I replaced the caseback gasket with a service gasket from Ofrei. The PT gasket was too thin and allowed the caseback to bottom out metal on metal with the case with very little torque. The service gasket is the same diameter but a bit thicker. My crystal is snapped on VERY solid so I cant see that leaking... so it must be my PT tube/gen crown combination. I did put all the gaskets in and lubed them but it might be leaking through the threads into the case. I'll have to pull the tube and replace it next time I take it apart. dizz

Nice!!! You sure dont waste time! You wont regret it trust me. Theres nothing like a gen bracelet, especially a vintage one.

etched crown + I HATE HATE HATE the fact that you can see the stupid etching on my 16600 SSD crystal. I like the one on my MBW16610, you can barely see it. Basicly if you can see it easily with your naked eye then its obvious your crystal (and / or entire watch) is a replica. Replacing the crystal on the SSD isnt as easy as the WM9 because the SSD isnt constructed the same as a gen. BK tried it and it was a no go. Too bad. dizz

Like everyone has said.. keep the DW pushers, but if you need to replace them then use the ones from Ofrei. I took mine out and put a little locktight on them and screwed them back in so secure them. I have a 703 triplock on mine (DW6263) and a gen 7205 rivet bracelet... end links arnt stamped but that was normal back then because the end links arnt removeable. And like gpl said, be sure to get the slim caseback to complete the package. dizz

Tell the guy you will trade him straight across for anice "new" style submariner with "scratch proof" crystal!! A definate "upgrade" for him

Thats a good detailed comparison. Do you have a pic of the old Rep watch? I wonder how it compares to the gen. A lot of the case lugs on older watches have been polished over and over again and have gotten thinner over the years.

The 20mm versions are EXPENSIVE but the 19mm bracelets are cheap. The rivets looks awesome on a 6263 style Daytona. I absolutely love mine.

NICE!! I agree.. get the rivet Yuki bracelet.. that would look sweet. This is my plan also for a 1675. I do like the flat top 3 roulette wheel. I had the exact same problem trying to put a datewheel on my 2836 for a datejust. it rubbed on the dial so i flipped the ring over and got an extra 1/2mm of space and its perfect. You just have to watch to make sure your hands still fit without rubbing on the dial... I was thinking about using the eta 2893? I think it is... the GMT movement that actually a GMT movement and not a chinese/swiss conversion.

Big watches are cool if you are dressed up on a night out or something, but wearing something like a super avenger on a daily basis is much LESS comfortable that wearing a 20mm submariner. Ive worn both for many many years and I am 6 foor 265lbs. I just go with what feels right. I love my super avenger but its too big... I love my 6263 also but its too small. If that watch was a 40mm then i would buy a gen right now. Its the nicest Rolex ever... but, too small for me to wear. It just doesnt feel right. My 1680 Im wearing right now feels perfect. I think trends will go back to 40mm +- Watches like the super avenger and the Uboats that are 48mm+ will always exist, but will never be the standard. Like freddy says, a lot of the mens fashion magazines are praising vintage watches.. even Eminem wears a 38mm datejust now, and hes one of the biggest hip hop artists out there.

Do what Freddy did... put a gen Rolex crystal onto your GMTII. thats the ONLY way you are going to replicate the Rolex effect. The gen doesnt just have the cyclops AR coated, but also the crystal (but ONLY under the cyclops). I dont know why they just didnt AR coat the whole underside of the crystal but who knows.

Looks good... i also like the look of the polished rehaut. Next time i take my 16610 apart I am going to do the same thing to it. dizz

The gens are getting cheaper now.. especially the older 16610's. Ive seen older ones from the early 90's going for $3000. Why spend $1000-1500 on a WM9 franken when thats half the price of a gen? Im into the vintage models now so I might sell my two or three 16610's I have including my franken, put in a few bucks and get one gen 16610 in rough shape and fix it up a little. I'd much rather have one half decent gen than a bunch of franken reps. dizz

Get a gen bracelet on ebay. I got a 7205 for a really good deal. Its looks awesome on my 6265. You can buy them all day long for $200-$300

I have a bunch of SEL's laying around. I'll have a look and see if there is anything good in there. I know i took a WM9 bracelet and turned it into a 93150 so I might have the end links somewhere... maybe..

Welcome to the forum! You cant lose with BK. WM9 is good if you can find a used one. As everyone said, stay away from the Rolex look alike movement because they are junk, and get ETA if you can.. but be carefull, even if you pay for a gen ETA, you might get an ETA copy. So do lots of reading and lots of searching before you buy. dizz

I feel bad for anyone caught up in this WM9 drama... If I had a BK made WM9 then i wouldnt be selling it because who knows what another Submariner of that quality will be produced... And as for the sea-dweller... who knows. I had a DSSD and thought it was "awkward". I dont know how else to describe it. I love big watches, but i wear a 16610 sub 95% of the time... the DSSD seemed off balance and top heavy even more so than something like a Super Avenger. I like the feel of a bigger watch once in a while so I might try the new ceramic Sub from BK. If you can find a WM9 then you should snatch it up before they vanish. Dizz

Im sure we could weld up a vaccume chamber from steel plate and make a 141 ATM pressure testing tank. Might physically change the shape of your watch though.... lol Be sure to have an extra cacseback and crystal ready to install afterwards haha dizz

Sorry I just saw that its a gen dial!!!! very nice!!! I knew it looked too good for a rep dial awesome!