Sogeha

See, you end up being your own harshest critic. We OCD over details. Yet the more genuine vintage pieces I see the more I realise that almost anything is correct. For a long time I've been looking at the bevels dbane883 achieves and thinking I could never do case work to that standard. Have you seen the "what 10000 buys" thread? If I screwed up that badly on a rep I would dump the case and never use it, yet it exists as a genuine. Someone thought it was okay. Same goes for mix and match parts, later crowns, dials, hands, bezels are pretty much normal.

I don't think you need a very thick skin around here. I put my 5508 up for criticism and was suprised how kind people were. I've worn it for a few months now and kept on reading. I now see small faults nobody mentioned, though I sure they were seen. 1016 are lovely, my current one isn't anywhere near as good as yours. One thing I do know it it is difficult to get a decent hour hand. It should extend into the chapter ring. However I have seen many, many genuine 1016s online and in London dealers that have clearly had a replacement hand set at some point and have a short hour hand. I'm no expert but I think you have a build to be proud of. Enjoy it.

Is that your work? That's the first Royal Oak I've ever liked.

Well I've thought for a while that the best vintage Rolex are built by members here. Amazing what a few months reading can do. Even I can see that case is knackered. On the other hand I've seen people asking more for just the dial. i do have a question for the gurus, what about laser welding it back to shape. I hear more and more "reputable" dealers are having it done.

That's going to be a beautiful watch. I'm putting money aside slowly for a 6263 from Phong myself, hopefully I won't have to wait the ten years you have. You are a patient man. The engraved bridges are impressive, but with a closed back on only your watchmaker will see them, so I think you made a good call on economising there. You are going to be in for a fair bit of money, but I bet your movement is worth what you paid for it, the dial and case if not more, so it's got equity and isn't just lost money. Even if you had to sell it as parts you could get a lot of your money out if you ever wanted to, in the meantime you are going to have a great piece to enjoy. Please share pictures of the completed watch and details of the journey. The members here love a high end build. best wishes Paul

Phong is expensive, but I have a lot of faith in his abilities.

I'm very impressed by that and even more so at the cost. Well done Sir.

Physically he is in France. Best way to contact him is to do a member search here and send him a PM. He is a member but his user name has no space, rolexaddict.

These always look impressive to me straight from the factory, so I'm looking forward to seeing you hot rod it.

I could spend all day reading about your builds. Thank you for sharing and enjoy your new watch.

Thank you for sharing this build. I'm a fan of Phong cases, that is a build to be proud of. Enjoy it.

Start them young. I must pick up one for my daughter.

Wow I'm a member of a criminal network. I'm a made guy! Too bad owning a copy of anything is perfectly legal here.

Probably best to start by messaging Whoopy and seeing if he still has some. TC can be contacted by googling for his blog. Blog.tc-sub.com i've just done a quick search and found this: https://rwg.cc/topic/162375-whoops-custom-vintage-rolex-dials/ No doubt one of the senior members will be along to say something acerbic about using the search function. :-)

Probably best to start by messaging Whoopy and seeing if he still has some. TC can be contacted by googling for his blog. Blog.tc-sub.com

I can second that. My watch smith is Rolex trained. Back when he first went self employed he got a contract to service secondhand Rolex for a Bristol dealer. The dealer basically got his stock from pawn shops and gave them to my guy for a service and as much aftermarket bling as possible to be fitted. Diamond dials, zircon dials, gold cases. The dealer ended up shot dead in Spain by his ex girlfriend. My watch smith wishes he kept all the genuine parts he removed and I wonder where all the bling Vegas watches went.

On reflection this probably sounds sarcastic and it's not meant to.

I have read of drilling main plates. ETA 2783 has been done. Personally I would still stick with the present movement, I guess a seiko or even a quartz could be fitted by someone skilled, but a big crown with the correct movement is a much more desirable piece IMO.

Some real sense being talked here. I second Droptopman's statement that the modders and Frankenstein builders are some of the finest people. A lot of forums can be real shark pits with regular feeding frenzies. RWG is a breath of fresh air in that respect. Im also a car guy. Twenty years ago anyone with a fake car would be seen as less than human. Times have changed there. Rods regularly feature in classic car mags, manufacturers are building replicas of their own historic models and a lot of the cars racing are replicas to a greater or lesser extent. Originals are too valuable to risk in racing and too fragile in some cases. I feel the same about good watch replicas. If you wear a watch to be someone you are not, well that's your choice and others might make a judgement on how secure you are as a person. If like a lot of us you wear a replica because your like the style, history, retro looks and do it for your own pleasure, then I see that as a diffent thing. I wear one or other vintage Rolex everyday. I have a couple of nice fakes for normal wear, I have a couple of beaters for the workshop and anything where it might take a knock. I have a couple of genuine vintage Rolex too. I don't wear them much because if I damage a part and have to replace it I'm loosing authenticity. I imagine if I had a genuine 5517 or 5514 I'd keep it in a safety deposit. Perhaps a great investment, but not really a watch anymore. it takes a little while to get the message out that fake and fraud are not the same thing. I don't think this community has much tolerance for fraud.

The Yuki movement is a clone of the Rolex. My understanding is that parts, while finished to a much lower standard than Rolex, are interchangeable. Certainly I have read of several builds without cutting dial feet.

I don't think anyone knows, except that it is highly likely to be mainland China and not actually owned by Yuki

www.yukiwatch.ecwid.com But make sure to read about the need to service the movement and ideally fit some replacement parts. Generally new comers are advised to do a search before posting as most questions asked have been covered comprehensively in the past.

I really appreciate your taking the time to share this information. Thank you

Son of.