HauteHippie

A classic, and a fine example of a case where only a gen will do !

Hmmmm.... Based on bezel, which of these would you say has lug holes in the case:

LOL. Guys come on.. Z serial, F serial. They're the same. Are you really concerned about the cut of the teeth on the bezel? I agree the only question is whether to build an M or something without the rehaut engraving. The bezel is not necessarily an identifying feature when you start to notice what's really out there in the wild (gen-wise)....

Ya, the low crown position was a flaw back then. So is your preference of the Sean caseset due only to the bezel teeth? Interesting that your insert snapped in. I've heard from others that they don't. I think BKLM reported on that a while back.

It's OK. There was a transitional period where the older bezel style with the shallower cut on the teeth existed on no-lug hole cases. The Sean bezel doesn't sound like it fits a gen insert without a slight sanding of the insert (and who knows if it fits a TC sub case). You may not notice the insert sanding once installed. But the slight diameter reduction is visible to the naked eye. This was the same situation with the "TW Best" case of the late 1990s that had lugholes. Great case, but the bezel proportions required the insert to be sanded. While it looked OK once installed, next to a gen sub it just somehow looked smaller. This was why. The case diameter itself was actually correct. Pic of my late 90's TW Best (now sold) below. This, by the way, is where the TW Best name originated. My memory is fading, but I think it was River who first used the "TW Best" moniker. Betcha wouldn't know that gen insert was sanded:

This one again. Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

Picked up one of the items to raise funds for Caroline, and Kurt will be ordering some new gen parts for it while I send him a gen dial so he throw together an ad hoc franken. The Caroline Build! Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

Thanks! Me too!! Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

Different! I like it. Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

Today it's my other Daytona: Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

I'll buck the trend. Between those 2, the 16610 looks more believable to me, although a different date overlay and bezel insert would make it even better. Sell the 1680. On the used market these days, a run-of-the-mill ft-first 1680 like this one is going to be had for just about the same price as a no-lug 16610. So value-wise neither of the two really has an edge. The 16610s have been going up in price, while 1680s have been holding fairly steady.

Well I think my birth year watch of choice is currently for sale on VRF. Need the full serial to confirm....

I will go out on a limb and say there is absolutely no way Rolex is OEMing the pushers that are sold at Ofrei/Cousins. There is a night and day difference, mainly in feel of the screw/unscrew and the tolerances. The gen screws and unscrews smoother (noticeably smoother) than the Cousins pushers. And the gen has less play laterally when unscrewing. This is very noticeable. It makes the gen feel solidly in place and the Cousins feel wobbly. Lastly, one of my two Ofrei/Cousins pushers has started to oxidize and is now a slight titanium looking color. This is after little more than a year. I have gen pushers on my 16520, and another pair of gen loose awaiting install on to my 6265. The ones going on the 6265 are the most recent Rolex offerings, while the ones already on my 16520 are older. So, yes, I have touched, used, felt, both extensively. I stand by my statement that, in my opinion, they Cousins offerings are junk. Once I have The Zigmeister do the swap from Cousins to gen, I will send the Cousins pushers to anyone for free. Then you can tell me I'm nuts. The only hope would be that Cousins and Ofrei actually sell different pushers, and that Ofrei pushers are a world apart. I doubt it, but I've only seen/used Cousins pushers. There are many rumors that have permeated the boards over the years, and have fallen flat in personal experience. I count this one among them. 1. The gen bezel fits on the XXX rep with no problem (name your rep) 2. The gen dial and chapter ring can be installed on Breitling XXX reps with no crown stem alignment issues (this one finally did come true, but was false for a long while) 2. The date wheel overlay is easy to install and will cause no problems. (name your overlay) 3. The date wheel overlays always line up in the date window on every date. (name your overlay) 4. The Cousins pushers are the same as gen pushers. The list goes on. Sorry about the rant.........

Not sure. This might be the Air King end link as opposed to the Daytona end link? Would the 571 make a difference? The clasp code on the bracelet is F which dates it to 1981. Not sure if that makes any difference.

Let me know when you have an "out my back door" thread.

Ya, why didn't you offer him $3000 to take it off his hands?

My heart sinks. I don't know what we can do to help, but if anything, let us know. I'll definitely pitch in by buying one of these pieces. I've wanted to see a TC sub up close. So just let me know. My deepest condolences.

Hmmm, looks like i let me Platinum membership lapse. Ooops. I'll take care of that.

Looks fantastic. It's in amazing shape. Wear that one well!

That piece is absolutely sweet. Fantastic pics too, as always.

Looks like that depends on coating type also. They have what they call "functional" (for tools) and "decorative" (for watches and glasses). For functional, AlTiN (what the older Panerais had) is listed as 1-4 microns while DLC is listed as 0.5 microns. For decorative it looks like most PVD will be kept at 1 micron, and have better uniformity. I suppose you could request functional even for a decorative application, but I don't think I will.

I guess it depends on the type of PVD. The place I'm dealing with has about 30 different PVD coatings in addition to DLC. Looking at their data: The PVD I liked has a Hardness of 3500, vs DLC which is 2000, according to their charts. And both have a max working temperature of 750F/400C. I dunno. I don't think either is going to wear off. They're used as a coating on drill and end mill bits. For watches and eyeglasses (my application in this case), I don't think you're going to need one vs the other. It comes down to color choice if you ask me.

I'd be curious as to what ABC has to say about doing this kind of work. (213) 489-1816

I guess the results are mixed. Sometimes the look is a nice and uniform aging effect, other times it's rather mottled and not so nice. For what I'm doing, I think a PVD coating would give the result I'm seeking. I've found a coating that gives an aged Ti look, or sort of a graphite color. See the color of this knife blade with this particular coating applied.. After some light cape codding, I think it'd be just right...

PS: Can't find the original thread linked here - I know OXI CLEAN is part of the equation.