Watchmeister

Take your time. If this European crisis continues you will be seeing handwinds for $2500 again.

Wow, those are great prices. Sounds like patience is a virtue and with a little of it you can have your cake and eat it too.

Guys, Thanks for the info. I used to do the high end stereo thing before digital was a real part of the stereo scene (yeah, I am that old) and our biggest issue was tubes versus solid state and very cool turntables. And yes, I still have ridiculously large Infinity RS something speakers sitting in my basement.

I thought the "R" stood for Real. But seriously Taaxed if you are uncomfortable with the whole rep franken concept than you are in the wrong place. But the price you pay is that you are giving up on the forums which tend to have a higher level of watch knowledge. Your average gen owner knows very little other than when it breaks you bring it back to the AD and it comes back mysteriously working again. There are plenty of gen owners here in addition to purist forums who are here for the shared watch knowledge and friendships. No one is pressuring anyone to buy reps but if they do offend you and you can't keep your thoughts to yourself you should probably move on.

Pardon my ignorance but can I assume DAC stands for Digital Analog Converter? And exactly what is its purpose? Sorry if these are silly questions.

At least it should be. It never ceases to amaze me how askew cyclops can look according to the angle of the watch.

If it is an Asian movement you could send it to one of the experienced rep movement watchsmiths. Alternatively you could ask the dealer for a recommended servicer in your area or to send the watch back directly to him for repair if you and he agrees that the repair is a warranty repair. If the watch is otherwise a keeper you could consider buying a standard ETA movement and swapping out the the movement (you would want to use the original datewheel though). Often the cost of servicing the Asian isn't much cheaper than buying an ETA. Depending on the particular Asian movement (I don't know what is in the PO Chrono) you may also find that all parts are not interchangeable between the Asian and the Swiss in which case the replacement parts (if any) may be difficult to get.

My wrists can also swell as well depending on altitude, me, etc. and for that reason I leave it at one finger or more. I will generally go as big as I can without worrying about the complete watch rotating. It does lend itself to more banging though. It also will depend on the watch. No matter how big I go on a larger watch like a ROO or DSSD it stays on top of (or close to) the wrist. The other thing, at least on the older Rolexes, is that making them tight is only going to accelerate the stretching of the bracelet.

If the earlier posts are correct they are using a similar case as the current Offshore. Based on the pics the correct strap would be the "newer generation" case. The older generation strap is used for the EOD's etc. where there are no links hanging off the case so the strap end is completely different. In terms of how the strap will fit the case I will guess that you will have to either play with the current endlinks to slightly enlarging the strap pin holes to allow for more play as the Apbands are somewhat thicker and a tad longer or you can buy their links but they are expensive.My watchsmith has always opted to use the original links on mine. The one other thing I should add is that if you haven't already picked one up and have any worries about running into other folks wearing AP's or knowledgeable about them if it is truly the same size as the Offshore there is a noticeable difference in the size between the Oak chrono and the Offshore. I have seen them next to one another. Having said that the Paris boutique is one of the most stunning AP's out there in real life. I certainly have been tempted over the years. At some point I am hoping the dealers will wise up and make a properly sized one but I have no idea.

In spite of all the back and forth I must confess that one good thing came out of this one from my perspective. I had no idea how the whole Rolex Vintage and what constitutes a gen, etc. works. I know there is no definitive answer but it certainly gives me a framework for understanding. Also scares the heck out of me about buying vintages in the future. I am going to tread very carefully.

Sorry to hear this. The seller does have the right to decide who he sells to. The level of personal information is inappropriate - especially as you are the buyer. He either receives your money and sends the watch or .... If you are really concerned about it being a phishing scam please let one of us in admin know.

I will take two.

Interesting post. I never knew the MBW's ever came with a working He Valve. Does anyone know around what year they discontinued that feature. I have a couple of oldies hanging around so now I am wondering what I got.

You guys are way out of my league on this debate. But it seems to me that to characterize the watch as a gen 6542 with refinished dial is certainly reasonable. Especially in light of the fact that so many "vintage" Rolexes are clearly similarly constructed. Obviously to characterize it as an original Albino GMT is inaccurate. My takeaway from this back and forth is that I am staying away from gen vintage Rolexes other than those from original owners. You have no idea what you are buying. Out of curiousity, will Rolex certify vintage rolexes as "gen" anymore. I know the guys at the NY service center won't service them anymore.

All right, everyone calm down. I accidentally started this. I think everyone is in agreement that denigrating that franken 6542 as a fake is incorrect. And everyone else would also agree that it is a wonderful franken based on a very rare (or nonexistent) piece. No one is claiming the watch is gen (least of all the owner). My apologies to all for starting this. Now I am off with the kids to see that cinematic masterpiece "Breaking Dawn".

Agreed, "fake" is the wrong word.My apologies.

Aah, somehow I don't think I am getting off that cheap. She ain't wearing reps.

I wish. I presume mine is an early Dirk. But I am happy with it. I just hope our projects look as good as the Vanni watch.

Not trying to be offensive. Forget everything I said. I know it is an all gen watch and it is stunning. My point is that you take a $15k equivalent watch, repaint the dial and you have a $115k watch. And that is what everyone focuses on - the one part that is altered. Does that make more sense?

Very nice combo. The crystal really makes the whole watch pop. Wear it well.

The rubber bezel should still be a lot more durable. I see both versions fairly frequently and the gen ss bezel is always looking pretty scuffed up and it is not noticeable on the rubber clad, even if it does have nicks.

No point in getting a white strap in my house. I am just not one of those swinging single guys who can pull it off and more importantly I would never see it again the minute my wife saw the white strap.

That is my theory. My only concern is whether the strap holds up. I can't believe they were made that flimsy back in the day.

Oops, mixing up my movements. Forget the question.

A little bit older still in original package but just for you :