Jimmythree

I saved a few from about 20+ years ago, still nos and here is what they are: Mine are '5514 COMEX' watches with new (now 'nos' Ha!) ETA 2836 movements and fair dials. The case neck where the crystal fits on the case is oem spec and the case tube threads are oem spec too. The case tubes and crowns are not oem spec other than the threads in the case. The helium escape valve is identical to oem (I compared one with a nos genuine valve). Mine have oversized rotating bezels lightly pressed down over the crystal...not same as genuine at all and the bezels are easy to remove with a blade. An oem spec crystal and bezel kit will fit the case same as genuine. The lug holes are too small for submariner type spring bars but are centered in the lugs and can be drilled out. The case is a bit 'fat' so it may need slimming down a bit and maybe some attention to the crown guards. The case back gasket is mounted in a groove cut into the case...not in the case back like a regular genuine 5513. Some genuine 5514 COMEX watches I have seen in pics had the gasket in the case. ?? A mystery of a sort. They have hollow mid link bracelets with blind screws in the removable links. Blind = no hole in the links opposite the screw head where the slot is. They have 'sidewinder' clasp caps with the coronet stamped sideways on the cap. Another mystery. All in all they would be good for a project using a better dial, (maybe), oem crystal and bez assembly, drilled lugs etc. and a fresh 21600 beat ETA. Have a couple "COMEX' 1680 too but can not remember any details about them, have not seen them in years. They all came from 'Paul' at ABAY'. Possibly before he was using the ABAY website name...it was a looong time ago. 'Paul' was A-Ok! and he sent me quite a bit of free stuff too. Old Timers will remember his 'Crazy Sales!' from back then. Times (and prices!) sure have changed. J3 is automatico.

Bulova 14K gold automatic from 1953 (L3). Bought December 12, 1996 for $100, had the dial refinished about 20 years ago plus c/o, crystal, and crown around the same time. The autowind assembly was famous for not being very efficient so this movement was only made 1952-1954. Never wore it much at all but it still runs Ok...if you hand wind it. Back then...it cost $39 to have the dial refinished including return postage. Buckle is also 14K and the scrap gold to make the buckle was about $35 or $40 (pawn shop price) plus casting supplies = about $50. The dial company is gone now and gold watch prices have gone up since then. A little bit. Gold closed at $368 end of December 1996. April 25, 2025 it was $3348. Jimmythree is automatico.

Rlx '6426'... Not really. It is something I stuck together about 12 years ago and traded away. Got it back last week, the fellow I traded it to never wore it. It is same as new except for a few spring bar scratches on the lug backs. Case is from JMB and I do not know where he got it...34mm and takes Rlx oem spec crystals and bezels. Crystal is a GS 12 and the bez came with the watch. Aftmkt case tube with genuine 5.3mm crown. The dial and hands are from Yuki 12+ years back. The markers are yellow aged, the script is goldtone as are the hands. The movement is a low mileage swiss ETA 2789 with the autowind assembly removed. Why was the awa removed? Because the case has a 'flat back' and will not clear the a/w rotor...it's really a 'tooter' type case. Can't find a solid case back that will clear the rotor, have one with a crystal in it but that lets the 🐱 out of the bag. Besides that, it says 'Oyster Perpetual' on the dial. Sterling silver (.925) 16mm buckle on a ZRC strap. Check this out...eBay item number 203157031954 '100% guaranteed authentic!' A 6426 is manual wind with acrylic crystal and this one states: "Rolex self-winding movement" "Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal." J3 is automatico.

A pair of APs... Another pair of apes... J3 is automatico.

Lucien Piccard 'Four Barrel'... J3 is automatico.

Tri- Wiz Watches... L to R 855/1000, 404/1000, 25/1000. All NOS. J3 is automatico.

Regarding the iggi Omega above... I have often heard: "It's not the month or day I am unsure of anymore, it's the year" as time flies by. As I stagger through life, I am usually aware of the year, month, day, and sometimes the hour, but not the minutes past or until. The Omega answers this question with a quick glance. I like it. J3 is automatico.

Kienzle Atlantis Mechanique wristie with two in the background, all with Unitas (now ETA) 6497, all 'nos' from the early to mid 1990s. The two in the background are in original condition with MG crystals and leather straps. I put a 34.5mm sapphire crystal and 22mm Breitling type bracelet on the other one about 20 years ago. They are 44mm wide not counting the crown. Nos Arnex 'train watch' with Unitas 6497 from 1970s/1980s... The Arnex is 16 size same as modern RR pocket watches, but not RR Approved. They were often referred to as 'Transportation Watches'. https://www.txantiquemall.com/the-arnex-pocket-watch-history-values-and-vintage-models/ J3 is automatico.

I have been digging through what my wife calls 'the watch junkyard' trying to find a particular watch and have not found the lost watch yet, but have found a lot of 'watchjunk' I had forgotten about. I do not work on a genuine Rlx watch very much now, so much of this 'junk' had been forgotten. So...from time to time I will post a pic or two of forgotten 'watchjunk' etc. Q...Why? A1...Because RWC decided to stop selling parts to knaves like me and I am glad to find this 'junk'. A2...The forum has slowed down so I'll post something now and then. Found this yesterday... A few clasps and straps...now 'nos'. Ha! Note the 'Tooter' clasp and dive extension. Did not know I had them. The DJ clasp marked 'same as new 'came off of a new bracelet. The 14K gold filled bracelet from the empty box went out on a 1550 or 15505 OPD. One of the straps has a 'swimpruf' tag on it and it is not made the same as the other one so I assume it is water resistant. Who knows? Jimythree is automatico.

NOS Mido, probably from the 1970s, not sure, I've had it 20 or 25 years. Have a later model nos stainless Mido and the crown is missing, can't find one. It has a cork gasket in it. A watch trader gave it to me, box and all, because he could not find a crown. Cork! Don't know what this one has for a gasket on the 'hidden crown'. Kryptonite probably. NOS Universal Geneve Polerouter, vintage Omega wind-up, '100 jewel' Waltham (with 17 jewel auto movement). They sorta fibbed about 100 jewels...but it has enough jewels mounted all over the winding rotor, movement spacer etc. to make 100. Have not found the MIA Bulova Beau Brummel yet. It is slow going... Box with the TAG Heuer has all NOS watches, box to the right is all pocket watches, bottom box is misc. watches. Someday I'll take a 'watch family' picture. J3 is automatico.

Digging through this pile looking for something... Found these... L to R...Benrus Citation, Seth Thomas Stingray (the crown at 3 turns the countdown track), and an Aquadive. All from the 1970s, all original. Watch at the bottom is a Favre - Leuba 'Harpoon 88'. Also found two Caravelle '666' divers, one in 90% condition and one same as new. Wristie... Zodiac Sea Wolf from the 1960s. Looking for what? Bulova Beau Brummel in 14K YG, have a pair, one YG and one WG, the YG one is MIA. No luck, still MIA... J3 is automatico

Rhapsody Royale in 14K gold... Low mileage manual wind 'water resistant' 34mm front loader, all original . Bought in May 2003 for $100USD without a strap. Looked on eBay for Rhapsody watches, all are lady models. Here is one on 'Timekeepers' with sub seconds: https://www.timekeepersclayton.com/product/14k-rhapsody-royale-wrist-watch-with-swiss-movement/ J3 is automatico

So does it still make sense to sell those old models, or is everything much better now? That's one good question with dozens of answers. I always liked the understated vintage models...5512/13/1680, 1016, 1655, 1675, 5500 AK etc. The newer Rlx watches, especially the latest 'flash jewelry' models do not interest me much at all. 'Flash Jewelry' = the 41mm DJ, oversized explorer, glitzy ceramic bezel submariners, GMTs etc. along with other latest models. I like the new Daytonas though. That being said, it looks like there is a huge rush to the latest, greatest flashy models, both genuine and replica (mostly the replicas with 'phoney cloney' movements). Maybe it is the newer generation of buyers with $$ to blow and not much (if any) appreciation for older models. Who knows? Not me. I saved a few 'classic replicas'. (Ha!)...unworn swiss ETA 16610 noobmariners, GMTs, 36mm Exps, AKs etc. all with new (now nos) swiss ETAs. Are they worth much $$ now? Yeah, more or less. Being nos helps a lot and since they have swiss ETA movements, they can be repaired unlike many of the phoney cloney movements in the newest models with no parts supply. Besides that, the nos swiss ETA movements are worth some $$ now. I figure a nos swiss ETA 2836-2 powered F520117 'noobmariner' is worth $475 to $500 USD (or more) today and all the 'replica noobmariners' similar to the swiss ETA powered F520117 models are worth nearly as much. The details make the difference, a few mush haves... Hollow mid link bracelets. Screws in removable links that pass all the way through the links. The bezel insert lays even or barely below the bezel top and not glued in and/or sticking up above the bez. Bezel with 120 clicks or close to it with very little lost motion. Good crowns and case tubes. Brass or aluminum movement spacers with screws/clamps...no plastic. The reflector ring aka 'rehaut' fairly close to genuine, not too wide. I have turned a few down to make them look better and they turned out Ok. Date magnifier with the correct offset from center. Some non noobs have approx. 10mm offset (compared to 9mm+/- on oem), but in my experience no one ever noticed. Etc, etc. Otoh...what do I know? I've been wearing a quartz TAG Heuer for quite a while. Typos are free, unlike noobmariners. Jimmythree is automatico.

I absolutely love the full gold look... I always liked yellow gold watches on leather straps. A group of watch traders met for many years close to where I live and over the years, many of today's 'classic watches' passed across the trading table. I got my share of them but most have been traded away or sold by now...they were not 'classics' when I had them. Gold was $200 to $300 per Troy ounce then and a nice vintage 14K Hamilton, Gruen etc. would go for $150 or $200. 'Waterproof' type common brand gold watches went for a little bit more but not much. I mentioned 'gold cap' 34mm Rlx 1505 models earlier and I still have two runners and two not running from back then...one I bought in January 1996 for $150 with the gold bezel missing and I just happened to have a bezel. Ha! Got another one from a friendly Rlx AD about the same time when the fellow who owned it decided to let the AD sell it rather than pay for service he had done on it. The other two are in parts. I guess I could put one of the 1505 cases, an ETA 2846, a no date 34mm OP dial with gold markers, a no mag crystal, croc strap etc. together and have a 'gold Rlx'. What is hard for me to believe now is not the prices back then so much as the fact that there used to be 'friendly' Rlx ADs. Now it is like walking into a den of sharks while wearing a bloody T shirt. jimmythee is automatico

Wow man this is descriptive! Thanks! Wish I could get my hands on a case the same price as you paid years ago! Me too. One that will accept a 27.9mm DJ dial. The only good Rlx deal I heard about lately was a friend got a 16233 in very good condition for $1500. He was bragging about it until he found out the jewelry store/pawn shop where he bought it paid $600 for it. Then it was my turn to laugh.