HauteHippie

That looks great... but for me the workmanship still overshadows the color of the lume. By quite a bit.

LOL. Wow.

How can you tell if it is a RSC relume vs. a third party relume, though? I'm surprised that RSC relumes would be so sloppy, if in fact they were ever in the business of doing relumes. Previously I had thought the RSCs were more in the business of replacing/swapping entire dials rather than reluming existing ones by hand....

OK, that's what I was wondering about... Are the peaks and valleys and imperfect edges typical on an original dial of this vintage?

Great piece, freddy. Out of curiosity, what were your specifications given to Kent Parks for the relume?

That is pretty interesting because I think the 1680 dials that preceded it did not have the italicized =. I would have guessed that the italics were a carry-over into the 16800 from the earlier generation before modernizing to non-italicized dials. So, I guess that would make the version with italics a little rare?

I agree on the chocolate brown dial color... indeed a bonus. Hopefully you can find some tritium hands that fit. It's a nice piece, and genuine through and through.

The more important question, in my mind anyhow, is whether or not these faux swiss movements are fully compatible with genuine ETA parts.... If so, then I don't really care if they're ETA or not in the first place given that they're serviceable and repairable.

Here's a reference: I can see what the watchmaker is saying about the crispness of the dial print and DW, but I can't see what freddy is saying about the markers at 6 and 9. Much better macro pics are definitely called for here. My guess would be gen dial with the dial print issue being due to the normal variations for which Rolex has been famous. Notice also that your CGs seem pointier than those pictured above also. And how could a non-gen dial have feet in the correct location for the 3035 without any signs of modification on the underside? As to whether it's a relume or retouch... who knows. I doubt it, but that's just me.

Out of curiosity - and not a put down at all - from where did you get this information? PS. Welcome to the group.

Welcome aboard... I've always wanted to visit Vancouver.

Speechless. Very nice! I agree about the quality difference in the gens... Every time I think our frankens have truly progressed to the point of indistinguishability, I get a reality check with pics like these.

Just for what it's worth... the cases of the V1 SA and the V2 SA are definitely not the same. The V2 SA is commonly shown with gen dial swaps here on the forums, and it readily accepts the gen dial without removing the rehaut ring. The V1 SA, as The Zigmeister has informed me with parts in hand, requires the use of the rep rehaut ring on the gen dial to fit in the case. With the gen rehaut ring in place, the stem holes on the movement simply do not line up with the case holes. So... V1 - Accepts gen bezel, accepts gen dial only with rep rehaut ring. V2 - Does not accept gen bezel, accepts gen dial with gen rehaut ring. Plusses and minuses to both, therefore... Obviously on the V1 the dial depth is slightly inaccurate and you're stuck with the rep chapter ring. But the acceptance of the gen bezel is a big plus because this means you can actually remove and reinstall the bezel in order to remove the crystal for AR coating. Now, the V2 does have decent AR from the rep factory, however I don't know how durable it is and if it does get scratched then your SOL as that bezel just aint coming off without destroying it. Just some things I'm learning the hard way.

I thought this one was yours. Looks great! I remember The Zigmeister saying recently that even OFrei is selling surplus ETA movements now, so I guess they're going to be like a box of chocolates no matter where you get 'em... Another interesting point on this watch, given that it was brand new, was that when it arrived for crystal extraction for AR, one of the dial markers had fallen off and was just loose inside the case. I think the gen dial was definitely the right choice here.

Couldn't agree more re: EUR/GBP... UK GDP is at its lowest in almost 20 years, and '09 isn't going to be kind to the GBP. I can see EUR/GBP soaring to new highs. In fact I believe it hit an all-time high of about .95 just a couple weeks ago.

Having not read other responses, I'll go with: 1. Dial gen, original . 2. Hands rep with a The Zigmeister lume concoction. EDIT: A closer look at the patina on the metal makes me think gen hands with possible relume concoction. 3. CG rep with The Zigmeister pin mod. Crown gen.

Yes, the ETA 2892-2 ebauche is quality... I'm with Nanuq though: Nice watch. Very reasonable on the used market, too. A good gen to have in the collection... but not THE watch of all watches.

Looks fantastic. I've always wanted a gen 89, and prices have come down. But maybe I'll follow your lead instead...... or just buy this one off of you.

Here's my franken 2892 FM Conquistador... the genuine dial is the only franken part.

Here's one I gifted to my brother as a PhD present... Gen everything minus movement (2892-A2) and hands (rep).

Thanks for the updates, RG.

Wow, that's awesome!

Well said, everyone... I'd love to meet more of you in person this coming year!