curiousbunny

I have a previous generation balance bridge and a free-sprung balance wheel for a Sub/GMT, there's a 3D printing company near by, where I can produce 1:1 replica.. Forget that too.

Never claimed that's the goal.. Watchmakers would charge GEN repair prices if they thought it was gen.. $100 for full service at local mall, $300 if they believe it's gen..... Occam's razor.. People buy close to gen as possible cause it makes them happy, OTHER WISE YOU'LL GET SOMETHING FROM DHGATE for $7....! By the logic by some on RWG/RWI are same as youtube and facebook comments.. I already sensed people accusing me of trying to sell fake as gen. I highly doubt genuine Rolex made in 2021 are nano-powdered steel after cryogenic treatment, otherwise they wouldn't scratch easily. High nitrogen content replace carbon percentage improve hardness and further reduce corrosion I've been suggested techniques to make it BETTER than GEN from many post such as metallurgy and modern superluminova lume on vintage watches, sapphire crystal replacement on vintage watches with double AR cyclops.. That might displease one crowd, fine. When suggestion techniques to make close to gen as possible, I get accused of trying to sell as genuine.. I certainly rather pay $100 for service than $300 after watchmaker suspect it's real.. I'M OUT!

A question for everyone, are rep cases made casted or forged? Many say they're made from solid block but what does that mean? Forged is always prefered as metals are uniformly in one direction, unseen by the naked eye. Bracelet are probably casted. There are cryogenic treatment services locally, i could probably strengthen my watch stronger than gen... Now if chinese rep follow japanese Kizen, they would consistently improve to outcompete the genuine, as Honda did with 1990s NSX beating the Ferrari it meant to imitate. As you know, steel is alloy of many metal and gas elements. On periodic table, higher atomic number is a larger piece of element.. Over 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms exist in 100 grams of element Fe (iron). In alloys, getting large and small elements together to mix evenly isn't easy. Scientists are still struggling to fully understand the mechanics in metallurgy. Chrome, iron, silicon, nickel, copper, nitrogen - all varies in size. Current high end method is, nano powered metal > forged > cut into final product > cryogenic treatment. In comparison of standard industry forged, the new method cost more, almost never done except for race car engines, military armor and spaceships... It is vastly superior in hardness without being brittle, scratch resistance, corrosion resistance and rust resistance.

Freddy? How much is your 6542? Does it accept gen movement?

Phong is 5k and thats diificult to concieve. Over at RWI, someone installed gen bridge and free sprung wheel ($400) on VSF Sub, a few were livid considering it insane expense... This probably the closest 1:1 submariner in history. 1. ROLEXROLEXROLEX written surrounding the dial needs gentle hand polishing, machine polishing is quick but often remove too much metal. 2. A gen crystal. 3. A few proper size screws inside movement. 4. Balance bridge and free sprung system. You'll fool a professional watchmaker. To be honest, I wouldnt mind a solid gold two-tone root beer GMT by VSF.

Is genuine 6538 same case as 6542? How much did you pay MQ? Welding metal on is doable for most machinists, but machining it to look flush and one piece, magic is needed. I'm almost sure it'll look worse after machining.

How would Minh Quy reply? Based on your experience. He sell 18k gold cases, i think he might be few or the only vertically integrated factory. MQ is likely manufactured in vietnam from 0% to 100%. Some vietnam cases look refinished from a unfinished chinese rep.

I'm considering a vietnam 6542, waiting for mainstream rep is unlikely. Which watch case is most accurate? Ruby, Phong or vintagewatchesMQ?

I'm not saying the best mathematicians in China should work for a replica company. At least give us an average engineer.

I dont understand these guys.. All the manufacturing tools in the world and they couldn't make the bracelets similar, differential equations/derivatives for machine's movement, integral for product shape. Putnam is university level math competition. Look at top winners from M.I.T, Harvard, Stanford.. Chinese surnames plentiful, yet they couldn't replica these watches.. List of Previous Putnam Winners.pdf (maa.org) MIT students dominate annual Putnam Mathematical Competition | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

I meant to delete one of the pictures.

I lost 2 screw pins. Does anyone know where to buy replacements that fits?

No word on long term reliability.

Look what I bought today, Constant Horological Oil OY 32K type 1-3 30 ml (Replacement for KOCH oil) | eBay 30 ml of synthetic oil for less than $20! Few guys at NAWCC said KOCH oil are just as good as Moebius. The linked oil is KOCH replacements since they're no longer in business. Appearently Moebius oil cost over about $40 for 2 ml, enough oil for 12 watches. Some NAWCC guys are saying that's great value. I guess $20 for 180 watches is decent value. I don't buy Burgeon Tool either. Watchmakers only purchase Burgeon when specialty specific tools are needed. Esslinger does the same job at $70 a kit... $70 vs $400 I've seen a few Burgeon tools for $300 a single piece. This is like Craftsman vs Snap-On mechanic tools. They both last equally as long. One is $20 a piece, Snap On is $300 a piece.

Kid: Mom? How come his watch doesn't change screens?!! Mom: He's a big oil executive, he needs 5 different time zones Kid: Dad checks many time zones too! Mom: Dad checks social-media for younger women... For research purposes. Kid: He doesn't check for oil? Mom: I'm sure there's oil on her. Kid's mind: Future business plan, there's oil on girls, must find girls. 🤑 🤑

Freddy... Do you always walk in public with a full wrist? You're scaring the Apple Watch kids.

Okay, how about this? Rolex 1575 movement 19800 vibration per hour: 904L Foundation base. Glucydur gears, seconds, minutes, hours. Nobium hairspring. Rolex use 85% nobium alloy. Zirconium and glucydur added in mystery percentage. Anodized 904L reversing gear and stem lever gears. Teflon spray coat bottom of gears. Each gold color in Rolex movement is glucydur. Since it's regulator on hairspring and not a freesprung hairspring modern Rolex, it's much easier to 1:1. 6542 Case: Bakelite plastic easily break... Sapphire bezel dipped in acrylic coating looks like genuine, but stronger than genuine. Fit genuine 1030 movement and proper crown and stem position, but uses 1575. Proper lug holes. 1575 GMT is 28,5mm x 6,47mm 1036 GMT is 28,5mm x 6,30mm Rolex Movements & Calibers Table | Rolex Comparison (watchdoctor.biz)

Maybe those vintages are made in vietnam. I was doubting a few because Yuki sourced 3135 from Hong Kong, now it's literally in every submariner rep. The regulator is same position as Yuki's. SH3135 and VR3135 has many Yuki quality to them, 3235 look very similar. They're modifying the Yuki case. There were a vintage cases I seen looked modified/machined from a common case from years gone by. This isn't to say every vietnamese seller, i'm sure many are made in vietnam.

You'll make other more established members jealous and unappreciated with your comment. 😉 I'm sure Vietnam have plenty of CNC specialists in vietnam that could make rep watches, but China constantly change old machines for newer ones every few years depending on market demands being the world's factory, by sheer volume alone, it's an easier time finding a specialist with the tools and software suitable to your design. The number of custom tool and die makers in U.S are few and expensive. Tools and dies can make all the difference in accuracy.

Using the 2 links, the 3 cases of gen vs vietnam vs ts-station are slim sides. RWI 6542 case study - TS Station rep and the vietnam high end case - Replica Watch Info (replica-watch.info) Chrono24 Rolex Vintage GMT-Master Ref-6542 Tropic Steel Bj-1957 for Price on request for sale from a Trusted Seller on Chrono24 MQ and NDTrading has the same case for 6542. The sides look like cartel's $278, but with proper lug hole positions. MQ has better bezel, caseback and crown holes. I'm strictly comparing the sides. MQ Rolex Set Case GMT Ref 6542 Stock #CASE-REP (vintagewatchesmq.com) NDTrading ND Trading Enterprises ndtradingcorp.com, Vintage Rolex Dials and Watches

MQ sides are fatter, less sharp than RWI's 2 comparison and example on chrono24. I honestly believed NDTrading had the best case. View end of lugs, from side angle. But I also seen a few fat lugs on genuine listings. Rolex Vintage GMT-Master Ref-6542 Tropic Steel Bj-1957 for Price on request for sale from a Trusted Seller on Chrono24

I notice the case are bit different. Did rolex have 2 versions? Rolex GMT-Master for Price on request for sale from a Trusted Seller on Chrono24 Chrono24 Rolex Set Case GMT Ref 6542 Stock #CASE-REP (vintagewatchesmq.com) MQ 6542 case study - TS Station rep and the vietnam high end case - Replica Watch Info (replica-watch.info) TS Station - Vietnam case comparison

I'm not quite happy with my trustytime's.. Dial is fine to me but the case sides are very off. No amount of machining and polishing can fix it. On MQ website, they claim to service all types of genuine swiss watches. Lol.. I can imagine them taking a customer's genuine watch and replicating it. "It will be 2 weeks for full service". "uh.. parts are still drying from cleaning.." "parts haven't arrived yet"

Does anyone know if NDtrading is still active? I emailed them without response for 6542 case.

Yes, SOMEBODY PLEEASE, tell VSF to start copying 15xx series at 19800 beats! Vintage has exploded in past few years.. TS-Station is now selling their vintages for $680, apparently it was $360 in early 2019 for same model. WTF you don't increase the price for no reason.... So they're telling us 360 was already profitable????