RickFlorida

I have seen other people claim this but Automatico always has the best information. On another forum, a guy claimed "1530 is the base caliber for many movements, it is actually 28,5mm x 6,30mm whereas the 1520 is 28,5mm x 5,75mm" but maybe the 1530 had a date function or something?

Thanks for the replies everyone, this has been very helpful to hear what you all think and about the fellow who tried to get China to make cases for him. I respect what he tried with the 5514. I only want to try to make the midcase and maybe the caseback plus I want to eliminate the need to depend on those factories overseas. I'll keep posting any updates but I don't think real progress would be until summer. The purpose of this post is really just to share my idea. By the way, does anyone know the exact dimensions of a 15XX no date movement with the dial? Or what is the thickness of a dial and the thickness of the 15XX movement and I can just combine them? It's awkward measuring the inside of the case so having the exact dimensions of a 15XX movement with the dial will help me a lot. I know dials are 26mm in diameter but not sure of their thickness.

I'll do my best. A few things will have to happen for this to be a real project. I will have to get enough funds to pay someone who can create the final CNC file for 5 axis machines. And.... I'll have to figure out how to create the closes shape to acceptable crown guards before I send my Vietnam 5513 case. My Vietnam 5513 Case is the closest thing I have to genuine but it has the 1990 thick looking crown guards. Most people want the 1960's looking crown guards. So before I would send my midcase to the guy to take accurate measurements, I would want to fix the crown guards or everyone will be bitching. LOL (The picture I used above is from the internet to just show a quick description of my question)

Hello. In my quest to see if a CNC file of the 5513 case can be made and then it would simply be a matter of sending the file to an online 5 Axis CNC service like 3d Hubs, I was wondering if anyone knows the purpose of the multiple dimensions you see on the inside of the case radius. The Green Arrow is obvious. These threads are for the caseback to screw into. Thanks to an Italian watch maker who does repairs, he shared with me that the thread size of the 5513 (and I assume 1680) is 31mm diameter, .5 pitch and the standard 60 degree thread profile. But why do we see multiple threads/surfaces in the red area? I'm assuming that the reason for these other thread looking parts is that in order to to create the nesting surface for the 15XX movement (the perimeter you see that has the half moon cut out to slide the movement holding screws into) they had to continue using a die/thread cutter. In other words, all of these extra looking threads is only because they made the rolex cases on a lathe, they did not have 5 axis CNC machines. Am I correct? So if we want to just make a CNC file, we just need the movement holding space, the threads for the caseback, and of course the inner smallest diameter to hold the dial? Is my thinking correct? Thanks for any help. If I succeed in making a 5513 CNC file for the midcase and maybe even the caseback, this will help us get cheaper cases. But these would be sterile.

This question has been solved. Davide Biguzzi of http://www.laboratorioportanova.eu/index.php/contatti/ kindly shared with me the following answer. The Rolex 5513 (and I assume the 1680 and Tudor 7928) had the following thread size for the midcase. (This should be the "tap" size if you had one made to create a case from scratch on a lathe) diameter 31.00 mm and 0.5 pitch,It is a metric size with 60 degree thread profile So we have known the tap size for the crown tube for years, 3mm X .35 and now we finally know the tap size for the where the case back screws on.

And here the old threads are repaired on a 5513, they just make a cutting tool at 60 degrees after laser welding enough material back on the old threads. But I'm curious what the actual thread size is like if you made a tap and die. http://www.laboratorioportanova.eu/index.php/portfolio/lavori-su-casse/restauro-di-una-cassa-rolex-submariner-ref.5513/?lang=en

I found this information today. Any thoughts? https://forums.watchuseek.com/f6/thread-sizing-watch-backs-1289674.html Particularly this statement: "metric threads are typically sized such that the tapping size is thread designation minus the pitch. m39x0.5 would have a minor dia of 38.5mm, 60 degree thread form, 0.5mm pitch if i was making a case and back that's about where I'd start." Dave

That is crazy!

Is this for real? What is really strange though is that I've seen a TON of listings of submariners where the movement is real but the dial and the case are listed as "replacements" but don't have the right Rolex replacement serial numbers for replacements. I forget what it is but Rolex did replace some cases if they were not water tight but there is a certain two digits or letters they begin with. The sellers on Ebay just take a real movement from rolex but use a high quality aftermarket case and sell the submariner. The seller is being kind of honest saying it's a replacement case and dial but what I'm surprised is that Ebay nor Rolex end the listings. I think they all go through so you just have to word things correctly.

Hello everyone, The short question is what is the thread size/name for the actual caseback on 5513's (and I assume 1680 and Tudor 7928 is the same)? I see that people like Automatico have posted the size is 30.9mm but what is the pitch? The threading of the midcase for the crown tube is 3.0mm x .35 correct? The ".35" at the end of 3.0mm X .35 for the crown tube is the pitch. We need to know the pitch of the 30.9mm caseback threading in order to reproduce the case. In my quest to explore how 5513 cases might be made which must have an expired patent on........I am still brainstorming on this. I have given up on 3D printing as an option as it really would not work. If we tried 3d Printing a case, you would still need to machine it to finish the threading and apply a correct finish to the surface. This would just make it cost more than designing a CAD file and having it CNC'd because by 3d Printing, you essentially would be making the case twice. My new option is to make a CAD file either by designing it from scratch or by using a potential contact to reverse engineer a case I have. I don't know how far I can get but I will try. I'm not totally against the fact that we have to pay 1200 bucks to Phong to get a complete case that we know is great and even would ship from and stay in the USA, but a CNC file would preserve our ability to get these. I think people will stop making these and I hate that when I asked for a sterile version of a 5513 replica case, I had to pay more when I got it from Vietnam. Thank you!

Hello everyone, Does anyone have experience getting in touch with NDT Trading? I have called the California number on the website and left a friendly voicemail saying what I was interested in (5513 case that looks just like MQ Vietname and Rubywatch) and a Maxi Dial that I would need in a few months. I thought I would ask if they would be in stock and whether I would need gaskets for the crown as well as the caseback. I also sent an email or two over the last few weeks and never got any responses. I've read that the NDT Trading person is a lady named Natelie from other forums. Since I'm in USA, it would be far easier for me to purchase a 5513 case from NDT Trading which appears to be in San Jose California rather than me make another purchase with MQ Vietnam who quickly dispatched my last case but required expensive Western Union fees and postage issues from there. NDT Trading would be the perfect solution for people on this side of the pond but I have failed to get any responses. Does anyone know this person and would help me get in touch? Thank you, rick

Thank you. I think I will just have to use a 703 tube and crown on the next build then because the Athaya clutch spring for the 702 failed very, very quickly after the build so I can't see using these again.

Hi everyone, So I realized recently that the clutch spring of my Athaya 702 failed very quickly. I love the crown but it has to function for me. Since I will soon be in the market for a complete MQ or Rubywatch 5513 case I wanted to ask if anyone knows if the crowns that come with those cases have a better clutch spring than the Athaya 702? My current 5513 build has a MQ midcase but I purchased the midcase only from MQ so I never tried one of their crowns. While on the subject of those complete 5513 cases, do they come with all gaskets for crown? By the way, is a clutch spring inside the crown something that can be replaced with a new or genuine part or are the clutch springs permanently pressed in? Thanks for any information.

I finally realized this is what happened to my 5513 project! I thought my keyless works were screwed but then I realized that if could play with the crown and finally still set the time. I can't believe how fast the clutch spring failed on the Athaya 702. I only had the watch a short time when this happened and I rarely set the time. I keep my watch water proof by testing and then not changing time unless I have no choice. I set my ETA based 5513 build crown "up" to slow it down at night so I don't have to change time much. When the time changed last year, I went to change the time and the clutch spring was already failed. I think mine failed instantly!

Agreed. when I first got the MQ 5513 Case I noticed right away that bezels and retaining rings fit perfectly flat on them unlike the the cartel. Plus, When I fit crystals on the Cartel, they would usually crack after some time. I think they are not perfectly round (the case necks). I put a very tight crystal on my MQ 5513 case and it has not cracked at all. The son of a [censored] is water proof as heck as I use it in the saltwater. I love the MQ cases and I assume RubyWatch are the same. Plus I think Phong uses the same case but just shapes it more by hand? Who is making all these cases originally?

Just some info. I learned after working with Cartel cases. Even when properly shaped, I found the Cartel case very difficult to make into a good finished product. For example, once I got an MQ vietname case, I realized how nice and flat bezels can sit on it. The Cartel case was not truly flat where the bezel and crystal sit. Plus, if you ever want to purchase and use real rolex movement, buying an MQ, Rubys, or Phong case, Yuki case will pay dividends as you can just drop a 15xx in there. For only 500 bucks, I got MQ to send me a sterile Midcase. It's worth it.

Hmm, that is weird. Maybe they are out of stock but you can call their customer service number and they answer the phone right away. I guess they may stop selling these too?

On Google Chrome, 90% of the time the advertisements are blocking the "submit" button when I try to reply to topics on the forum. I just wanted to give a heads up, is this only a problem with me? Thank you.

I think I see your point but the funny thing is that because the 5513 is still popular, there are jewelers who specialize in re-threading the midcase and caseback of 50 year old cases so they still work. This means there is a demand to still wear 50 plus year old rolexes outside of the collector or replica market. Only 3 places at this time advertise on re-threading old rolex cases and the cost is 400 to 800 bucks. Even if I had the money to purchase all original 5513's, I would still want to build one that I can wear in the saltwater where I spend many of my days fishing, paddleboarding, and scuba diving. Great point but I'm just trying to find a case that an original rolex 15xx movement will fit in just like they are selling cases that fit 3135 and used to sell 3035 cases. The question to them is what about all the people with 50 plus year old rolexes that have cases with failed threads. There is a demand I think as I mentioned above with the 3 jewelers who re-thread cases.

Hi everyone, So I'm thinking of doing a second build and I'm remembering what a pain in the ass it is to find 5513 replacement cases. In the past, I've made posts about 3d printing resin molds and then casting them in stainless steel but after experimenting with my casting and molding equipment I use to make jewelry and doing research, I highly doubt the end product would have a good enough finish and be waterproof. (my idea would require extensive machining to make the final product look right) For my first good build, I use an MQ Vietnam case. I love it but it's a pain in the ass to order from MQ due to them not taking PayPal or Credit Cards and while I think I will purchase my next 5513 replacement case from RubyWatch, he is often out of stock. He may also not accept Pay Pal for all I know and it will be a huge drama of dealing with Western Union to Vietnam again. Perhaps money transfers in the U.K. are easier but I find them in the U.S. to be ridiculously expensive and paperwork driven. (I had to create an account with Western Union just to send the dang money!) Anyways, what is the deal with Startime having a source for 3135 movement submariner cases but that source does not make 5513 cases? Rolex made the 5513 case for over 30 years and you can fit so many different rolex movements in it. Wouldn't they sell more 5513 cases than 3135 cases since you can fit so many rolex movements in the 5513? I actually called Startime today and asked if the source made a 5513 replacement case and they said they only know about these 3135's they sell. She said she thinks the source is Swiss but that's it and that there is no hope on getting 5513 cases. Could this just be a mistake by the source that they don't realize how many 5513 cases they would sell if they made it and they just assume the 3135 submariner is newer and that is what would sell more replacement cases? How can we find and contact the swiss source that makes startime's 3135 submariner cases and explain that they would sell more 5513 cases since you can actually fit 3 or 4 different rolex movements in it and that all the old 5513 original cases are leaking now and are not water proof? This is a ridiculous problem. It can't be patents because the patent is older on 5513 than 3135 movement cases.

Update. I just discovered that there are “bezel fitting tools” and not just “crystal fitting tools”. So obviously, the subs and sea dwellers use bezel press tools which use deeper dies. I just had zero clue they existed until now.

How can Rolex intentionally withhold supply but then complain when counterfeits help meet the demand that Rolex intentionally prevents from being met?

Can I ask about the drown? Is the crown that comes with the Rubyswatch 5513 case decent or is the Athaya crown better? I own an Athaya crown and its on my MQ 5513 midcase and it's watertight to at least 200 feet. (That is what I tested my watch too). I might buy a Rubyswatch 5513 case for another project and was wondering if the crown is good enough to use (equal to Athaya)?

Hello. I bought the midcase only from MQ Vietnmam and I asked for a sterile case thinking it might be cheaper. I ended up paying over 500 and you can get the complete set at RubyWatch for 600 so I think I paid more for having it sterile? MQ is kind of a pain because they only take Wester Union for payment but my midcase was shipped fast. I don't have a photo of the caseback but it looks just like a genuine to me but without inside engravings. I'll take a photo tomorrow if I get home in time.

I see your strategy. The WG Dials are harder to replicate. I appreciate all the information, everyone. I really appreciate it a lot. I think I have enough to go on and just need to decided what I really want. Thanks guys!