Gigatron

I replaced the bezel insert on my trusty sub. Got an insert that had a better pearl and font. Took an exacto knife, slipped it between the insert and the bezel, gave it a little outward nudge and the insert came right out. Then I used a little bead of watch crystal cement (available from micromark.com) around the outside edge of the insert and pressed it into place (making sure it was aligned). I let it sit overnight and it has had absolutely no issues. Besides the drying time, the total swap took less than 5 minutes. The bezel still spins, clicks 120 times and the watch looks 100% better. -Fred

Not a SD guy myself, but my friend's gen SD dies after 24-30 hours if he doesn't wear it. That part is probably normal. As for the crown not screwing down properly, it seems to be a firly common issue. I sometimes cant get my Sub to engage correctly, so instead of winding the watch, I end up changing the date. It probably has more to do with factory QC than anything else. -Fred

I have the $218 model (though, it was $188 when I got it) with the swiss ETA from Andrew. Date changes right around midnight. I have 2 friends with gen SS subs and one with a gen SS SD and we've compared every aspect. One friend has a model (he has several subs) with hollow midlinks, just like my rep. They feel exactly alike. The other friend has a model with the solid midlinks; his bracelet feels much more substantial. But on both, the bracelet edges are brushed, not polished. The bezel clicks and stiffness are exactly alike. The cyclops placement is almost dead on. Mine looks like it sits just a half-hair too low, but good on the left-right orientation. And looking on Rolex's website, it looks like the cyclops' right edge should line up just along the edge of the minute ticks on that side, as mine does. Though I have noticed some slop in the crown itself. When I know I won't be wearing it for a day, I wind it so I won't have to reset the time. I've found that sometimes, it doesn't engage correctly and I end up changing the date instead of winding the movement. But really, that's minor issue for me. On the upside, I've had this thing out in the atlantic for over 3 hours straight without a drop of moisture getting in. It didn't fog and I didn't see any condensation. Now granted, I wasn't diving, but i was swimming and goofing off and the watch was in the water the entire time. The only modification I've done is to get a new bezel/pearl insert for $25. It increases the look of the watch 1000%. My friend has approximately 9 gen rolexes, some subs, some other models. When we compare subs, he gets annoyed because mine looks exactly like his and doesn't require a $500 teardown every couple of years. The only visual difference is in the crown - and I had to point it out to him. I'd contact Andrew and see if he could get a replacement for your friend. -Fred

Supermoves, as a fellow new guy to the replica watch world, I can sympathize with your concerns. Before joining here, I did some online research and settled on a Sub with an ETA movement from trustytime (I think it's what they refer to as the noobmariner). The only change I made was replacing the bezel insert with a more accurate one with a new pearl ($25 and 5 minutes worth of work). My replica keeps better time than my friend's gen sea dweller. And my other friend's father, who owns 7 gen subs, couldn't tell the differences between mine and the gen on his wrist. Needless to say, both are kind of upset with me . -Fred

Nice looking insert! I did mine about 2 months ago. Probably the only upgrade I'll do. But I didn't think it was as much work as that tutorial went through. I took a hobby knife with a #11 blade, wedged it between the bezel and the insert and gave it a twist. Came right out without doing anything else. Then I used some watch crytal cement along the outermost edge of the inside of the bezel (so i wouldn't end up gluing the bezel in place), lined up the insert and pressed it down. Let it sit overnight and it's good as new (well better, but you get my point). Think the entire procedure took under 10 minutes and that's only because I was a bit hesitant at first. -Fred

Well, I did it. The entire bezel insert just popped right off. I used the point of a hobby knife on the outside edge, gave it a little twist and popped it off. The new insert doesn't seem to "pop" back in, so I used some G-S Hypo cement. It has a pinpoint built in applicator so overflow isn't an issue. It's the same glue watch makers use to glue in the crystals, so it dries glass clear and rock hard. I ran a thin bead on the outside edge of the bezel and pressed down on the insert. Hopefully, it holds tight... -Fred

Hey gang, I received my new bezel insert/pearl today and as I was looking at it, I noticed something about the numbers on the insert. If you look at the pictures, I'll describe what I see First, the noobmariner as is out of the box Next, with the new bezel layed on top And finally, where you can see the diffrences. The numbers and markers are thinner on the new insert. Which insert would be correct for my watch? Technically, it would be easier to just replace the entire bezel insert and pearl instead of just the pearl. Since the original pearl is smaller, it is set lower in the triangle (i.e. closer to the crystal). That means that if I were to enlarge the hole, it would be offset by the distance between it's center and the center I would had to have made if I were drilling a blank insert. The new pearl in the old bezel will not centered correctly or it will have a gap between the pearl and the inside edge of the insert. So, will the new insert work inplace of the original or will it be so completely noticeably wrong, that it would be laughable. I'm holding off making any changes until I hear from you guys. Thanks, Fred

yup, watchmaterial.com. I ordered the replacement bezel insert to get the better pearl. I'll hopefully have it soon so I can figure out exactly what it is I'm replacing (the pearl or the pearl and it's bezel (little silver ring around the pearl)). You want part number 315-16800-1. -Fred

I'm just curious as to what's getting replaced, the little bitty pearl, or the pearl and the little silver bezel it sits in. I just hate doing these things without knowing what to expect. I'm one of those people that read all the instructions before assembling things or hooking up electronics. Not because I can't figure it out, but because I hate little surprises that manufacturers sometime like to forget to mention early on, things like "now attach part A23 to part D4 that was installed in step 2" and then when you go back and look at step 2, they never told you to attach part D4, so you end up taking the whole thing apart. I realize that this should be loads simpler, but I've already seen suggestions to "remove the entire bezel insert and pop out the pearl from the back" to "the pearl pops off using your fingernail". As you can see, they are completely different instructions, implying 2 completely different methods of achieving the same goal. I just want to know what, exactly, am I looking to do . My theory is, it's easier to ask a million questions and do the job once, than to try and wing it and have to buy a new wacth when something doesn't go right. Thanks again, everyone -Fred

Hey gang, well, I just ordered the replacement bezel from watchmaterial (315-16800-1), but I was wondering if there were any tutorials (particularly ones with pictures) so I could see what I'd be doing before it got here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. -Fred

what a pain that sounds like. Wonder why noone sells just the pearl? Is the bezel worse than the one on the noob? I'm just thinking it's probably easier to replace the entire thing, but I'll concede to the advice of the more experienced people. -Fred

I can't find anything using that part number. All I get is a page that says ATTENTION: No Items to Display I tried serching using: Pearl PN315-16800 315-16800 and I get the same message as above. Is there someplace I should be looking on that website? The closest thing I can find is in Watch Bezel Insert; 315-16800-1, Insert fit RLX SUB, black and silver. But I don't see how I could swap out the pearl. It looks like the silver bezel around the pearl is larger than the bezel on my noob. Am I replacing the entire bezel insert or am I missing something? Thanks, Fred

do you have an exact part number for the pearl? I've been thinking about getting a replacement pearl for my noob, but I just want to make sure I get the correct one. Thanks, Fred

My pleasure. It seems like a lot of new people are always too shy to ask question for fear of bringing down the wrath of the long-time members. I just figure that they were newbies too at one point. Plus, I'm too old to be afraid of internet people Anyway, I got mine from trustytime (I don't know if that's the the same as TTK or anything - I hate all these abbreviations). It was 5 days from time of order to arrival at my doorstep. Can't beat that kind of service - especially when you're getting a watch of this quality -Fred

Oh,my pleasure. I'm never too embarrassed to ask these kinds of questions. Turns out, you need shame before you can be ashamed Anyway, I actually got this beauty from Andrew for $218 shipped. This is the ETA model. I figured since I wasn't going to own more than one or two watches, I might as well go all out and get the swiss movement. Honestly, I have yet to be disappointed. So, what's the deal with replacing the bezel and/or the pearl? Are they one piece or two piece? How do I do it? Thanks, Fred