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Are you talking about Daytona cases? Where are you located? Also I believe that the 16610 case can be copied legally. Its the engraving that makes it illegal. I know startime legally sells replacement cases. Rolex will never touch it but at this point I am so disappointed in Rolex USA that I dont care if they touch any of my watches. I just built a 116710 with all real parts from the case to the replacement 3186 movement and rolex inspected it and certified it and it is now registered too me under the serial number of the case. It is a long story. I make watches all the time with aftermarket cases. I use to love TC cases and probably till today the best case I owned was brought right here on RWG and it was a TC case that was worked. Spitting image of a rolex 16610 case.

Que and Sogeha you guys are 100% correct. Our hobby is small enough and last years hit made us smaller. A lot of people never came back. I am worried what will happen now because this was an attack on its members. We need too stick together and continue our friendships and brotherhood.

I missed this response sorry. Ok a few things. The comment about the Phong case not being GEN for the rear or the CG's is completely not true. This is another one of people being full of fake knowledge. Not trying to insult anyone. This is far from the truth as it can get. EVERY Rolex looks different when it comes to cases. Why? Because it all depends on how many times its been serviced or polished. That is just one thing. The other thing is that when you order a phong case you TELL him how you want your case. If you say give me a 1680 case he will send you what ever he has. If you order one and say I want pointy crown guards or chunky grown guards or what ever, he will make it. Get THE ROLEX SUBMARINER STORY, look at the watches. That will open your eyes. Especially the ones at the end when it comes from peoples private collection. They are all over the place with crown guards. Years ago I stopped even thinking about it. If I don't like my crown guard I shape it to how I want. But the best thing about a Phong is that you ask for what you want. I also think the picture with that phong case with the very large lugs are from when he use to use Vietnam cases. He has for the past 5 or so years, been getting cases from China. He and his son are working on a 16660 case as we speak that is fully Rolex spec. He is also possibly working on a 16710 case from my last conversation with Jensen. While I have tons of respect for all vintage guys and I guess I am one, lol because my favorite watch is the 16610, I think it is just crazy to start talking about the profile of the back of the crown guard as a selling point on a case when if it the only problem, it can be solved with a Dremel tool and a little polish.

It won’t be the date wheel if it is areal date wheel. I don’t think the date plate will work either. How is the dial? Who makes it? Try to borrow another dial.

Probably TheSociety. He is a genius at these builds. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not me. I am clueless to Daytona’s. I tried one. A zenith build. Loved it but never wore it. If it had a date I would have worn it more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is the date wheel jumper. Before replacing it see if you can fix it. Add or sand or bend. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I dont know which case from phong you are looking at. If you call him and just ask for a case you will get a case that looks like crap. That is the thing about phong and they it is so expensive. You call him and send him a picture of the case and the year you are looking for and he matches it perfectly. On 4 or 5 digit cases. Why spend $1000 on a case that looks like crap. On my 1680 I wanted a chunky flat crown guards to match the late 70's 1680 because that was the dial I had, a MKII whitey. The problem is in a statement like yours, is, and please do not take offense too it, is that you have no idea what a rolex submariner is. There is no such thing as crown guard profile an bottom. Each case is different and each year and depending on how many times it was serviced and polished changes it. There are chunky crown guards and skinny and pointy and flat and angled. Best thing too do is grab a picture of the watch you want and contact Jensen or his father Phong and send them the exact case you want. You are paying for it. I have done this about 10 times with them and only returned one case because the SEL didn't fit properly. It was corrected and a new case was sent to me in 3 days. This is how I would make a watch. Find the dial you are looking for. I actually made my dads 5513 and never get the right dial. I had the year of his watch and the serial number. When he died his watch disappeared. But his watch was the last of the meters first dial. It was a 1968. That year the case had very weird middle thickness crown guards. I took a picture of the case from The Rolex Submariner Story of a 1968 submariner. I gave them the serial number of the watch and I got back an amazing case. I got a 1520 and I couldn't find the right dial in good condition. I got a reprint but it was never right. So on my 1680 I found the dial first. It was a beautiful whitey dial. I got Mike to get me set of Rolex Tritium hands for the 1680. I got every part for the crystal and crystal ring and bezel original Rolex. I sent Jensen a picture of the late 70's 1680 sub with the chunky crown guards. He asked me if I wanted it to look in new condition, used, serviced, I picked used but never sent to service. (Just in case I want to change or polish the case at a later date). I got a perfect copy of the case I sent him. Crown guards and lugs. So to make a blanket statement that THEY CANT GET THE CROWN GUARD PROFILE CORRECT, just means you are referring to their stock case, and the year you have in mind. It is simple. So I dont know Cartel watches. To me they are nice $300 copies which I can spot sitting at a table in seconds. I believe that Cartel are all in the same exact case type. They are all the same as far as crown guards and so on. Rolex has never done that because they are hand made and hand worked cases in the 60-70's and each are different. Cartel watches look amazing for a nice everyday beater. Polish it up and buff out the crystal and the watch looks like new. The movement craps out you buy a 20-30 dollar 21J and throw it in. But there are tons of give aways like the bezel. But once you start to put all rolex parts on the watch the price goes through the roof. That is why I like to start with a case that I can grow with. A case that if I want to later on down the line I can put a real rolex movement in it and real rolex dial and bezel and so on. I have seen Cartel cases worked on. There are a lot of threads on RWI and Repgeek and even here, of taking a Cartel and working it. The case comes out amazing. A good watch maker does wonders! Good luck.

Looks beautiful. I can say I have never seen such large beveling on a Rolex but like I said I’m not to great with the 4 digit rolexes. I fell in Love with Rolex subs because of my fathers. He got it before I was born at the time my brother was just born in 68. It was a 5513. When he he died a few years back the watch went MIA. But I have all my babies. Bottom line is keep building until YOU are happy.

Well I am far from being a 4 digit guy. I have made amazing ones. I own a 1680 that is completely Rolex but the center/mid case. I got a real 1680 case back and a full real Rolex bezel assembly along with the crystal ring and crystal. I did the same with my 5513. I have seen WSO and Startime ones. They are both not correct with the angle of the bezel. The rest are close. But the tension washer never fits properly. It alway jams up the actual bezel on the startime one, which is the one that I get the most for people. Phong makes an amazing set but it is not cheap. But at least it is very close to the real deal. I started with the 1680 by thinking I could do what I did with my 16610 when I started, which was get a real crystal and crystal ring and slowly start from there. But when I got the real crystal ring the phong bezel didn't fit well. It was really lose. Then I got a star time one and it was too tight. Then I got a WSO one and it was matted finish and looked like crap. None worked. Then I found a guy on TRF in Germany that had a bezel set with tention ring all sealed. I got it and it all works like butter. Now as far as Cartel. It is what it is. I hate that statement. But when you are buying a $300 dollar watch it just doesn't do the right thing with the bezel. While it is an amazing watch for the cost, understand that the watch it is replicating is 30-50 years old. Look up a 5512/5513 at the year you are trying to get it too look like. Then go from there. I dont know if a Cartel is a Rolex spec crystal. If it is, trust me when I tell you that a phong crystal ring and bezel assembly with a real Rolex acrylic crystal is the way too go. Hope this helps. I know that it is a lot of money. But that watch above is one of the best builds I made. Real Rolex full bezel with crystal ring. Real Rolex 1520 serviced Real Rolex 5513 dial Real Rolex 5513 hands. Real Rolex 93150 with 501B end links. Real Rolex acrylic crystal. Real Rolex crown and tube Phong 5513 case.

I do them all the time. It is a little of a pain because of the flex of the spring but you need to make it as flush as possible and push down till it clicks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Praying for you brother.

I have removed countless TC ST and Rolex bezels. I have never bent any of them. They should pop off very easy. When you take the crystal ring off to put in a new crystal then you can mess up the crystal ring and that will cause a problem. But popping it on or off should not damage anything. But if that thin gasket ring gets messed up, that is the problem,

Did the click spring work before? Trust me. IF you don't believe me, remove the tension ring and put it together and you will see it working fine.

There is a small little ring called a tension ring. It goes under the click and should edge fit with the bezel. When that gets pinched or is the wrong size it will cause the bezel to bind and not rotate. The ways around it is like Eazye said. They to reset it maybe it folded or bent causing it to bind. If not and it is from another watch or is a real Rolex one or a star time one it won't fit properly in causing a lot of issues. I have found the easiest way to fix it is to bend it almost in a U then open it. Then the other direction bend it to a U. Then it should be raised up. Put the lowest part under the click spring. then line up the bezel and press slowly down. Then use a bezel press till it clicks. That should work. If not, you need a new tension washer.

It's the tension ring. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He was an amazing man. I have not read his autobiography but I have seen him interviewed and his personality and heart were beautiful! His charity work was amazing. A true man! I also hate to say it but I have to say that Sean Connery isn't too far behind. I saw a pic of him recently and they did not say good things. He refuses to go out in public. He and my dad are the two reasons I love Rolex Submariners.

Your best 5513 will be built by a member of yourself. Case wise, I find Phong or his son Jensen makes the best case. You can go aftermarket crystal. Dials also phong. In fact you can have phong build you a full 5513. I went with Mike here, (Misiekped). I got the parts and he put it together. Got a Rolex dial from star time that was aged in its own wax bag the patina is out of this world, and Mike had the Rolex hands the right patina. (If you need anything Rolex Misiekped is your man) He serviced the 1520 and I got the case from Phong. I just got the outer case. I found a case back on Ebay for a lot but it adds to its character. I got a bracelet from Ebay with a VD band. I found a bezel and crystal ring on TRF. I got a new crystal on TRF. The insert came with the real bezel. Mike dyed the peal to match. The final watch is breath taking. It is in every way a Rolex minus the case. LOL. If only a real case would come up. I see ones on EBAY and while I have brought 3 cases on Ebay all ended up being real, these are so hard to tell. The metal Rolex used back then was not 904. And there are so many good copies out there. I guess my point is to do it yourself. Sourcing if the funnest part. Then to actually build it is fun and a skill I am happy to have learned. Keep us up to date with which way you went. But if you need a turn key one, Phong makes an ETA version and a Real Rolex movement version. Rob

Where are you located? Also what kind of movement are you running. I have a bunch of spare movements for parts if you need a part hit me up.

Pam's are the best bag for the buck when it comes to copies period. They are so good that even collectors can't tell some of them apart. It is amazing.

The NY, NJ get together is getting close. If anyone is interested I would like to get a head count. So PM me or Mike on a bike. The location is the same one we had did two years ago in Hoboken NJ. The room is perfect and we have our own privacy. It should be a blast.

Hey I was hanging out with Mike (Misiekped) yesterday and we were talking about having a get together before the holidays. Last time we tried it ended up getting canceled because everyone backed out the last minute. So we are going to try again. Any one is welcome. It has to be in a where we can hang out and just talk and show off our watches and maybe have a meal and a few drinks. So who is down for it? I am going to post this in RWG, RWI, RepGeeks. Maybe we will get a great turn out!!!! First who know a good neutral spot? Last time we did NJ and it was a great spot because we had the lower floor to ourselves. That way we can be just us and not the whole place hearing what we are talking about. Rob We need to work on a date and location. So what is good for you guys?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What they say!!!

I just ordered a used 3035. So hope its in OK condition. If not its going to need service. I've only serviced a 3035 automatic winding assembly and that was a bitch. LOL. Mike has my 16803 3035 dialed in that it runs -/+ 1 sec a day. I am amazed. It is like I sent it to rolex. He came over and used my Micro stella wrench tool and not kidding. 1 sec a day. The 3035 is an amazing movement. I don't understand why people don't do a lot more 16800's than the 16610. I love both but if you clone a 16800 the movement will move identical to a 2836 and 2824. The 2824 doesn't snap at 12 like a rolex but very close. Hand adjustment and beat and everything is the same. My 16803 would run the same if I had it in a altered 16610 case. Drill holes. I think the rehaut is a little different but really the 16803 is amazing. I go from that watch to my 16610 LV. Can't wait to have the Daytona zenith going. Throw that baby in the rotation. Right now its my 16800, 16610LV, 16803, 16710. The 5513 is only on special times where I don't need to know the date. LOL. The 1680 is the one that gets no love. The 16610 is retired and is in my safe deposit. As soon as I get my 16613 back from my father in law which might not be until he is gone. That will also go in there. Those are the only two that I have all the box and papers for. The 16613 I have the receipt from the AD. My next plan is now that the cases and all parts are Rolex for the 16800, 16710 I will add them on to my insurance too but wear them of course. If I can find a 1980's 5513 case. Man that would be amazing. God I love this hobby.

I'm keeping it with all the white gold inca one that I have. The band and everything.