Toadtorrent

It really depends on you. It looks and feels fine, but the gen bracelet operates smoother and the edges on the rep one are not as nicely finished. Many folks will tell you to soften the edges with Scotch Brite pad or something like that and soak the bracelet in mineral oil and wash it off and it will feel much smoother.

I gotta get me a pvd piece...maybe a pvd PAM...maybe a pvd PAM Destro...maybe a pvd PAM Destro with The Zigmeister tritium lume...

I think the big determining thing is the #4 on the rider tabs. The sharply defined #4 is found on the V1 and V3...this looks like the V2 to me.

It's hard to say for sure because of the clarity of the photos...but hey. The easier one would be to remove the strap and see what the printing says between the lugs. That one requires less reliance on clear pics to be sure.

The #45 on the rider tab as well, looks like it has more taper to it on the 5 side...as opposed to the V1/V3 which has the tab cut pretty close to parallel to the right side of the 5 creating a more "square" tab shape vs. a more wide-based trapezoid if that makes any sense. Look at my pics presented either in my guide linked in my signature or in Yodap's post above.

As an aside, the lume dot @3 is not really a tell, because they improved the lume application on the V1 / V3 to make it look better so it doesn't look like the half dot applied flush the date window.

In the UPO and 4th generation PO, the movement is a straight swap

That's good to know. Thanks.

you misaligned the keyless works, youll need to disassemble and reset it, common problem

There you go! There is a thread here somewhere on the 2836 or possibly the 2824 keyless works and resetting it. They are essentially the same...but you have to do it from the dial side so hand and dial removal and re-installation are required. Quick and easy...but inconvenient if you haven't done it before.

I love the spitfire...a classic. Is that a Spanish DW??

If this is going to be a keeper watch, you should take the opportunity to swap in a 2892 instead

Ubi, when doing a swap of a 2824 with a 2892, how do you accomodate the thinner movement and stem alignment with the case? I know they are same width so no movement holder is needed for that...but the thinner movement I thought caused problems with angling the stem in the case.

Can you clarify if the stem is still in the watch and the crown is off the stem, or if you removed the crown and stem and are having a problem re-inserting it into the watch.

If the latter, you should try inserting the stem and crown unit in slowly turning the stem and crown clockwise (winding direction) until you start seeing gears move. Once the gears start moving, depress the stem-release button while pushing in further while turning (don't press the button too hard) and play around with this gently until the stem is re-seated properly.

If the crown is off the stem, you will need to remove the stem first, screw back on the crown with Loc-tite and then re-insert the unit.

If the movement just needs the spring for the datewheel, you should be able to get a watchmaker to do the repair more cost effectively than getting a new ETA movement.

Very nicely done. As said above, a bit if wear shows that this watch was worn...you want that!!! Beautiful, classic piece.

I would be interested in the lighting setup too. These are great. That's hilarious about using the E-500 for metering...effective but bulky.

Wow...first time I've seen these. Very interesting...I like this a lot.

Beautiful and refreshing view. How are you metering these?

The only answer, is absolutely

You don't even have to ask bro Whatever you need, I'll be happy to do

Ditto...just saw this. I'm in...whatever you need...hollah!

Breitling and Ti...the ultimate combo. Between you and HackR's old school Ti flying B's...man...has me drooling!

Wow Lani...had to look at this again. That gilt dial is fantastic. I thought the old dial was great...but this is really something.

Big congrats.

The gen case is probably the hardest to find as that is what carries the serial number. Few people worry about the gen case on the high end Franken-tonas. A good rep case with the asymmetrical pusher spacing, gen v72, gen T21, gen bracelet and clasp, gen crown, crown tube and pushers, gen hands and a good rep dial would get you a very nice 6263 indeed for a high price...but still low relative to the $35K the gen would cost.

If I read Chuck Maddox's site correctly...the Rolex variant of the v72 is actually the V722 and has a Breguet Overcoil & MicroStella Balance...so some performance upgrades but functionally the same. Again...hopefully somebody like Freddy or others can answer this better than me. Out of my sphere of experience to say for sure.

Buying a junker watch is good to just learn the basics. You will need to assemble yourself a little toolkit and I would HIGHLY recommend getting Offshore's starter toolkit from his store. Search for his thread on the store and the kit. It is by far the best way to start for tools - good quality and good price.

You will need to learn:

• Case opening
  
• Stem removal and re-insertion
  
• De-casing
  
• Hand removal
  
• Dial removal
  
• Hand re-installation
  
• Dust removal
  

All this stuff is the foundation...working on the movements themselves comes later and likely not something you should dive into for awhile...or at all.

Certain things can go wrong - broken and bent hands, stripped crowns, torn gaskets, scratched dials, broken dial feet, etc...and you'll see threads on this site about how to address all this stuff...you'll have to search...but they're in there somewhere.

Work on that junker watch a few times and go for it...it's fun.

There was a member that had some cheap watches for sale I would recommend $30 a piece, 4 pieces that would probably fit the bill. Look in the for sale section.

Good luck...and I hope you'll "pay it forward" and document your journey and contribute back to the forum your experiences.

Hi Criggs,

I was crafting a really long response and lost it when I accidentally closed my windows. I'll try again but in briefer form.

Welcome to the forum. You found the best watch forum around ...gen or rep. We have the most knowledgeable and helpful watch history buffs, movement experts and modders around. The fact that they are the most helpful and knowledgeable at the same time makes this an outstanding Community we hope you will enjoy being a part of.

Long Story Short:

I'm not a 6263 expert so hopefully they will come and fill in the blanks I start here. We have folks with gen, rep, and heavily modded 6263 and pre-'Tona's here so the knowledgeable is solid and based on experience...not conjecture.

DW:

• V72 engine - most solid and repairable by any watchsmith who can work on these
  
• DW Mystery Movement - Accurate for spacing but may have reliability and serviceability issues...but cheaper than a V72
  
• A7750 modded with asymmetrical pushers - harder to service as needs skills to service not only a 7750 chrono BUT also the idiosyncracies of the Asian version
  
  
  There have been threads about some DW's having crappy dial register printing. He'll fix it...but the QC can be shaky sometime.
  
  J&W:
  
  • Most expensive
    
  • Accurate but not necessarily the most accurate (hopefully the experts can chime in as I have VERY LITTLE knowledge of the JW ones...going by memory of past threads)
    
  • One stop shopping
    
    
    SPINMASTER:
    
    • Reasonably accurate
      
    • Easy one-stop shopping
      
    • A7750 manual version
      

    LOW ACCURACY BUT CHEAP:

    [*]A7750 Auto Versions

    [*]Seagull ST19 / Lemania Manual Wind versions

    [*]A7750 non-auto versions

    [*]These vary immensely in accuracy...have to shop for what you want

    These options are still beautiful if you get the one that fits your bill and are the most cost effective. With 6263's and pre-Daytons you have to figure out what you want: High accuracy or the the look of the watch at much lower cost. Just because they are not accurate doesn't mean they aren't reliable or beautiful.

    Threads to read:

    DW's IOffer Store

    6263 and SpinmasterDiscussion by a Couple Experts

    Spinmaster's 6263

    Pics of my Seagull 6263

    A7750 6263 Maintenance

    Discussion of A7750 Manual Wind Mod

    Accuracy Discussion

    Bad DW Dial...I've seen a few of these posted

    Read the thread linked in my signature about modding the ST19 movement...as it uses one of my 6263's as an example.

    Also...read my Noob Guide linked in my signature to get you oriented to the world of reps. You like watches...that's obvious...and I think you are going to find yourself in BIG trouble when you start reading some of these threads...and I encourage you to read some of the other threads on buying guides, daily wrist-checks and reviews to introduce you to some other high end reps that I think you'll want to start exploring.

    Again...welcome to the forum. We try to help each other here...and hope you enjoy your stay..

Oh my goodness...that Panda dial is a dream watch. PM sent!!

I contacted my watchsmith...he offered me to replace the asian 2824 with a new GEN ETA2824 incl full service and adjusting for about 100

That's great news...maybe I should reconsider an IWC Porto afterall...hmmmm....

perfer to do it localy instead of shipping and waiting

how do i find someone who will repair this in my area (Orlando)

For just the hand re-press...I would look for a local independent repair guy (not an AD), tell them you have a replica watch (or call it a fake as they won't understand the term "replica" and will just call it a fake anyways) and ask if they would press a hand back on your watch. If it turns out to be something more than that, they should still be able to do the hand repair.

If you want a servicing done...I would still suggest The Zigmeister as it's a complicated A7750 movement. Not many local repair guys will be able to work on them properly. They may say they can...but won't have worked on too many A7750's if any...Swiss ones maybe...

It could also be that the stem/crown was not inserted properly. When you pull the crown to time set position, can you feel the stem moving out 1 or 2 stops?

If you push the crown in all the way without screwing it in, can you feel it wind the movement or does it only do the date set?