Dani Cica

Anyone knows how to regulate this movement? I am having a nightmare with mine.

Quite wrong, the Tropic 11 has sharp edge and Tropic 12 has rounded edge. Both vintage.

Thanks, already worked out!

Thanks for the reply! Actually, A drop of oil on the junction of the crowns parts to lubricate the spring solved out the problem completely. The crown works perfectly and it's noiseless now. I used a tiny bit of White Lub or WD-40.

I've got this beautiful 6200 build and all of a sudden my crown started making these really ugly sounds when screwing it down. There's nothing wrong with the movement, if I take out the crown and hold the stem with pliers, press the crown while rotating to engage the internal sprint, the noises are there. Really weird, would be nice to know if there's any way to sort this out without having to replace the crown. Cheers!

Yes, same as mine. The Clark 19 is also 30,2. Case opening measured 30,5 here. It will leave a gap of 0,3mm. There's a Sternkreuz HW 30,4mm that may be a better option...

I have a Clark T19 here that I was thinking about using for my build. Do you know if that's the same size? I'm thinking about sanding it on the base to make it shorter. My other concen is that it stays a bit lose in there. There will be a small gap around between the crystal and the rehaut.

What crystal are you using for that build?

Thats cool, didn't know their catalog. Do they do branded items as well? They only show unbranded on the website. Thanks!!

Done, came out easily. Flamed it to look vintage. Now on to replace the crystal with Clark T21. Any replacement source you guys would recommend for the Bezel Insert? Yuki, WSO?

I still didn't quite figure how to remove the bezel here. Neither the crystal. I have a much better one but dont want to break the original crystal. The bezel simply wont come off!

I've got a rep with 2836 movement but whenever I pull out the crown to adjust time the movement moves a bit inside the case. I have opened the case and tightened the clamp screws but it's no use, the movement ring is still not tight enough with the case. I am sure there's a workaround for this issue without having to try another ring (which would probably be the same)... Any suggestions?

I haven't built a 1016 yet but my suggestions would be: - Swiss ETA 2840 from Swatch - it's compatible with 2836 ($40) - 2836 case from Raffles Dials ($50) - Yuki yellow marks dial and matching hands for 2836 - maybe you'll have to cut off the dial feet ($110) - Zulu leather strap from eBay ($20) or Yuki 20mm bracelet ($72) or folded style from Yuki ($190) - Clark tropic 22 crystal from eBay ($10) - Gen 6mm crown on eBay ($30) - 20mm fat spring bars from eBay ($10) How about that?

How about a 2840 from an old Swatch watch?

Quick observation: you said sapphire crystal, when you should actually be getting a plexi tropic 22 crystal (you cand find a decent one for under $20)

I know this thread is old but there's a big variation within these vintage Rolex 5500 Explorer dials. and as an owner of one of these watches, I've done a bit of research about them and I know that there are a few variants dials around. Their differences are really easy to spot. Within the PRECISION models, we can group them in 2 kids of dials: "SMALL GAP LOGO" and "BIG GAP LOGO". The first variant have a small gap between the ROLEX logo letters. Invariably, they show a visible bigger gap between the letters R and E in "PR ECISION". Sometimes they have rounded numerals, some times square. The < aligns left of the seconds markings. No difference in thickness of the EXPLORER type. **This variant is identical to YUKI's but I really believe many are genuine examples, like the ones bellow. On the second variant, the ROLEX logo shows a bigger gap between the letters, specially around the letter O, like in "R O LEX". Sometimes the numbers are square, sometimes puffy rounded. No difference in thickness of the EXPLORER type. The word "PRECISION" does not have a gap like the ones above. The < aligns left of the seconds markings. Id like to point out the example posted by freddy333 as "genuine" but it is the one which shows the most inconsistencies. The < is not aligned with seconds marking. The hour hand has a slightly smaller circle. Contrary to what freddy333 said, this watch could actually be the one using aftermarket dial and hands. It also shows a thiner EXPLORER type for the name, which is very weird. In my opinion: FAKE. That said, the dials by YUKI are pratically identical to the 1st variant. See images bellow, both posted by users saying they were using YUKI dials. Conclusion: want to buy a 5500 Explorer? Go for the "BIG GAP LOGO" variant as it's more likely to be a gen dial.

That's exactly what they would do, even if my watch was a true 5500 explorer, they would franken it into a AK and charge money for that - not to mention they would keep the old dial and exchanged parts! Nah! My watch is back in my hands safe and sound. Will take it to a trusted watchmaker next week who is an indication by some members at RWI. Nonetheless, it was good to hear from Rolex itself that the watch just needed a lubrication and cleaning - which actually means the watch is probably mint! Cheers!!

Check this out: http://www.ttw-138.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_89&products_id=6795 They also come with these subs as an optional. Both are 20mm though. Never seen a folded rep in 19mm. http://www.ttw-138.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_8&products_id=16382

Definately, just wondering if the dial is gen or not. So even if it's not a dial gen, is it still a fair price?

Couple weeks ago I got myself a nice Rolex 5500 Explorer from a seller on Chrono24. For the price I paid ($2000 without the bracelet), I was expecting it to be a redial and not a rare 5500 Explorer. Anyways, after receiving the watch I took it straight to the Rolex Service Centre for a checkup. Turns out that Rolex thinks the 5500s never came with the Explorer dial so it should be reverted to the Air King precision dial and hands. Weird! This is not true, the 5500s did come with Explorer dials (from 1958 to 1967 according to Bob'sWatches) so I don't understand why people at Rolex shouldn't know about this. Other than that, Rolex said the watch is genuine, needs polishing and lubrication so I take it's in pretty good shape. I asked them about the dial and hands and they said "they appear to be gen" but it's impossible to know for sure. WTH? The serial number of the watch is from 1959. Here are the pictures: And this is the watch featured at Bob's Watches - the logo, letter spacing, crown, marks, all looks exactly the same, so I am thinking my dial is gen and possibly the hands too. It's a big decision for me because the dial and hands are aftermarket I am considering returning the watch to the seller. Any thoughts? Thanks!