occb2

I am in but for a 167XX case. I have a few of them that I want to build. We have 5513 and 1680 cases that are Gen spec already. MWB, phong. We have the 16800 and 16610 between Phong/jensen and TC and some WM9's floating around. We NEED something not done before. If not. I will work on it by myself. I still don't see giving my case as a mold and paying for 5 movements up front in the tune of $1200-$1300 each. To me they are asking me to pay for it all and they will have the mold to do as many as they want to on my dime. Nit cool..

Is this still about dealing with Phong? Phong is by far the best case we can get for our hobby. I know TC is cheaper. I know TC is great. But that is one watch. I can tell you holding a TC case and a phong case together is completely a difference in the quality. TC had caught up on a lot. Bevel edges. The new bezel, I can't wait to see. But if we start looking at 5513 and 1680 and daytona. We don't have much choice and I don't want them. Cartel cases are few and far between. At least the ones that meant anything. The newer ones are far off. Now I don't understand the anti Phong. Phong is a bit of an old pain a lot of the time but I can't think of one time he has not come through in repair. One time he was flying out that evening and got a case sent to me next day. He has made mistakes, but who hasn't. Heck I ordered a TC case and it took two months to get and when I got it the lugs were a joke. One was half the size of the other and the top had the same issue. I brought it up to him and it took another two months to come back with a case almost as bad. Phong is a lot. He has the machinery and he has the knowledge. His son is amazing. That is who I have been using. My last 16800, 1680, 5513 X2, and my new daytona are all coming from him. He has not let me down and he is a gentleman to talk with. Never leaves you wondering then bam the case is there. He lets you know every step of the way. Is it pricey. Yes. If I buy a $25,000 C and C machine. Spend or have an employee spend hours to soften the case, I am not selling it for $500. I do believe that the prices are high but if your like me and everything else besides the case is going to be Rolex, I sure in heck want a case that will water seal and work as a real one will. I Have been luck to find a real 16700 case and a 16800 and a 16610 case on ebay. Yea they were crazy prices. I think the least costly one was the 16800 one and it was $1700. Not far from what phong charges. But it they were available every day then Phong would be out of business. Also to ease mines. I have a buddy here in Orange county that took his Sub to get serviced by a Rolex Watchmaker. The store no longer is a rolex dealer but the watch maker is still a rolex watch maker. He serviced his sub with a Phong case. No issue. I told him he was nuts and that he was going to get it taken and everything. $650 dollars later. He has a beautiful 16610 polished and everything. So Just saying. They are good at what they do and I will continue to use them. If you would like to spend $350 on a Cartel if you can still find one of the old Cartels go for it. Its a great case. That is the best thing of this hobby. We can all do what we want how we want. Take a Invicta case and mold it to a sub case. If it looks good. It looks good. But to blast a dealer we have here and someone who helps a lot of us. Its just wrong. IMO.

Thanks brother. I thought the same thing. I got the case in hand and the case end pieces marks look a lot better live than the pics. Love it. Again thanks tons.

I will be taking more pics. But here is the history. I have been attempting to get a case for any of my subs. All my builds are completely Rolex now but the cases. Over the years I have brought, 16610 case and 16710 case. I saw this 16800 case on ebay and its local in NY. Guy has amazing feed back and 0 negatives and over 750 positive feed backs. http://www.ebay.com/itm/182264843323?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT To me it looks great. It has marks of the band and it looks like a closet queen 16800. The markings are correct the font are correct. So my question, since it wasn't cheap does ANYONE see anything fishy about this case. I don't have it in hand. I will tonight BUT I will be in Hershey PA for a reunion unit Sunday. All input is great. If you don't know please don't comment and say anything. All input is greatly appreciated. My rolex place by be closed down and I have to go to Connecticut or NYC to have it looked at and apprised. If you don't can't check out the link, here are some pics. Oh I will have more pics on Sunday night. I know you guys here make me look like a 1st grader when it comes to classic Rolexes. I compare the pic to my ST 3035 and the Phong 16800 case I have is a 3135. He made a mistake sent me the wrong movement case. I asked him, how many 16800 do you know that have 3135's? He gave me a discount and I kept it. But I have a 3035 and all my 16800 is going onto the movement and into the case. Thanks guys. I will have the serial number checked if I can at Rolex. Prior to me buying it I called some of my active guys in the NYPD and had them put the serial number in NCIC to see if it pops up as stolen. It was fine. The good thing is that this dealer in queens that I got the case from is local. He sales lots of stuff, mostly watches. He has lots of cases and in this one he has the movement, full bezel, dial, hands and bracelet. So that shows me he got the watch and chopped it up. He has a bunch of other Rolexes on there. Just not sports ones. I told him to be on the look out for a 16710 for me. Thanks again advance. Rob

I will say that I have brought a lot of cases from both Phong and his son Jensen. I'm not talking 2 or 3. I have been very happy on them all but one. But out being retired if someone is willing to point me in the direction of how I can get my hands on the machinery to make cases. I am more than happy to learn how to make them. I did did attempt to have them make me a 16710 case. Phong wants me to buy 10 and supply my real 16710 case that he would return to me. His is son was a lot more reasonable. He wanted me to send him my real one and in return I would get my real one back and I would get a discount on the 5 I had to order. If i knew how to do it I would make them myself. Would love to learn. He wanted my watch and 1/2 of the $. To me that pissed me off. I was paying and giving him what he needed to make a case. All he heads are the contacts. Nothing out of his pocket. Then he wants to charge 1450 a case. I brought my real case complete with crystal and bezel and back for $1800. That aside. They by far make the best copy for a 16800 16610 5513 1680. Ok they might need a little more case work to be perfect but every thing real Rolex fits like it was made for it and it seals. I'm on a cruise right now and took my 16800 driving. I hit 100 feet easy on the dive and watch is holding like a charm. I also do have to say that a TC case is an amazing 16610 case for the money. I have comparison pics over at RWI. Having them both in front of me, bare, nothing on them yet you can see the quality of the phong case. Machine markings, sharpness. But for the $500 -$700 difference you can make it nicer than a phong. By by far the best copy 16610 case I have ever seen in this world is a TC case worked up. I sold it out of laziness because i didn't want to change the phong case. As as far as using a TC case for a 16800. It won't work. You can make a old 16610. But the rehaut is completely different on the 16800 and the 16610. Crystal are the same but the depth isn't. So the date looks larger on a 16800. Plus you can't stick a 3035 in a TC case. Being on a cruise I can't upload pics of a 16610 and 16800 rehaut. But it is very noticeable how different they are. TC makes an amazing case for the money. But when all is said and done at the end of the day a phong case is the way I go. I have stop dealing with dad and I just deal with Jensen. But after the whole 16710 I think I am going to be looking for a new case maker or just start doing them myself or just buy real. I have seen them on eBay for $1800- $2500 and they are real. Why would I pay $1450 for a fake? Especially when I only need 2.

I can say this. I got two great 5513's from Phongs son and a 1680 from phongs son. My 16800 from Phong himself came out terrible, He put it as a 3135 so I had to source a 3135 instead and used my 3035 in a build that came out amazing a 16803. So I was a bit angry at the father. The case before that I ordered a 16610 case and he messed up the holes for the bracelet and had to redo it. I am sticking with the son.

No the bronze black bay is 3 mm bigger they did a nice job. Sounds good Mike I'll bring it along.

In the tudor they went with an in house movement. They are owned by Rolex so Im sure it will be a great movement. As far as the one I have I have to open it nit I would say aa 2824 or a 2836.

I have to post something on this watch. I think its is the best upgrade that Tudor could have made. That and the Dark. I saw it next door on RWI when Jason put it on what he was wearing for the day. I jumped thinking it was a personally made watch to find out that they are made now by some rep companies. Then I was informed that there was one for sale in the sale section. I jumped over there and brought it. Got it two days ago and its been on my wrist. It is just a beautiful watch. Reminds me a little of the GMT Root beer with a sub kick. They did a good job jumping up the normally 40 MM of the Black bays to 43 MM. I would guess it would have to do with the fact that starting this year Tudor will no longer be using ETA. Let me just post some pics here.

Yea Marti I was one of the guys who was going to meet up with you but I live in Orange County NY and to hang out on a Sunday night and drive an hour and a half north after was a bit much. If next time we do it early and get a bunch of guys it would be a blast. We did it last year in NJ and it was fun. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mike how did it go last night? Did you meet up with Marti? What time did you finally meet up? We really have to do a full GTG.

This is a Star time 3035 with engraving from phone and a startime solid 18k bezel and solid 18k middle link bracelet with gen end links and clasp. With Rolex 3035 and dial and hands and date wheel and crystal and bezel insert. 18k Rolex bezel and tube! This is an amazing 16803!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

At 5 AM can't sleep like always. I put my two tone on to go out last night for dinner so my May 1 where I had to adjust the date was my 16613. Built her myself. Startime 3135 case with Startime Solid 18K bezel. WM9 16613 bracelet which is amazing and a Yuki 3135 with about $1000 in rolex 3135 parts. Dial was a brand new 16613 dial. Rolex date wheel, rolex crystal. rolex Bezel insert, rolex 18 crown. It was my first jump from making tudors that at max were $400 to this beauty. I wear it with pride. Love this hobby.

Misiekped are you still in? If you are I am. Do you want me to pick you up then head down there? PM me.

You are amazing. Thank you for experimenting on the Yuki for us. Showing the true potential of a movement. Sent from my SM-T670 using Tapatalk

Well this is why I buy phong cases. My 16800 my 16610 and my 5513 all have phong cases. They are amazing. Now if we can just get him to make a 16710 case we will be good. Sent from my SM-T670 using Tapatalk

Diseno ! Beauty.

I agree 100% with Sacsah1. I ended up going with a phong a couple of years back on my 16610 because I had ordered a case from TC and the lugs were bad and I waited another 2 months for a replacement from him and again the lugs were bad. So at that point I ordered a case from Phong. Just the case and case back is $1100 the whole set up with bezel and crystal is $1450. I used phong for my 5513 and my 16800 also. To the OP when you say AD brought do you mean authorized Rolex Dealer?

Bsteve97 I would say that is the best if you plan on updating it. But if you want to leave it as is and wear it I would just get the one with the 2836 movement. The sa3135 is not a reliable movement and very hard to get parts for if something happens to the movement where the 2836 is easily repairable. Hope that helps.

Is the 1st still the day of the get together? Have we got a location?

They are not interchangeable in the case. The dial and the hands will fit fine. But there is an extra lip in the 3035 case that the 3135 will not fit.

Must had been a great party even the camera was buzzed, look at all the faces...LOL

Hell yea. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk