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Hello, I have a co-worker who is showing me (this week) some of his "supposedly" gen rolex watches and wants to sell me one, he claims he is in dire need of cash. So he's telling me he sells me his Rollie Sub aluminium 16610 (used of course) for a cheap price, $1000 USD, which is ridiculous because on chrono24 the cheapest 2nd hand 16610s go for $4000 USD. I don't knw why but he seems like a little deceptive, maybe the watches are stolen or something or are super reps, that doesn't make much senses because for the price he's selling you barely can buy a super rep like a franken TC Sub v6. I know the common tells between a super rep like a TC Sub V6 vs a Gen 16610,but what about a franken super rep, like a TC Sub V6 with franken bezel/insert and crystal/crown. Are there "common" tells to distinguish between a gen 16610? He claims he can't have the watch opened because he doesn't have the time to take it to an AD to have it identified as gen, but the will let me look at it even through a loupe. I know that its supposed to have a gen 3135 movement, so if I play the crown to set the date / time etc I will know if its an ETA or a 3135 (could be a yuki 3135 though!) by watching the hands movements CW/CCW in respect to the crown movements, but the concrete question, Are there any other less known tells, like the hand stack? I have read somewhere about this but can find the information and haven't been able to find anything despite a through and time consuming research on google and all the other forums. I don't want to expend cash on a super rep pretending to be a gen! I'd rather knw its a super rep and decide to buy it -or not- as I already have a TC Sub V6 with a gen insert. Thank you very for reading and I would appreciate your help! Best regards

Just finished this little build. I wanted to make a 6536 small crown and a few months ago managed to source a gen vintage crown. I couldn't get an old crown tube so I bought a twin lock with the right chamfered base from cousins UK and had to drill out the centre for the spring loaded tube to fit through. Case was drilled out and re-threaded. I also shaped the chamfered edges on the lugs and also took away some metal under the lugs to create a thinner more curved case profile. Bottom line is that the 6536 was a very thin case and nobody makes anything like it. And to re create the case accurately the lug holes would need filling and re-drilling in a slightly different place after the bottom and top of the case had been milled down. A massive job and not one I'm in a position to do. It's a tiger concept V2 case, pain in the [censored] to source parts for because there is a lack of any replacement plexis. I ended up using a cousins plexi which gave me a low dome. Hands are from a place called Ric's watch repair, they are flat sub hands made for 1570 movement, so I had to broach the holes to fit the asian movement I have at the moment, I'm waiting for a Swiss vintage ETA to be serviced that i'll put in for a truly nice finish. insert is from raffles, bleached so the coated layer comes off and fades. Dial is a re-lumed Helenarou from RWG member Big Dazza, cheers mate. I had to resize the dial to fit the TC case, from 29mm down to 28mm and in the process some of the matt spray coating came of, I cleaned a lot of the rest off but decided to leave some around the edge as it looked like the gloss dial was starting to age and fade and I liked the effect. Clearly the only major flaw and issue in this build is the depth rating, the 6536 had 100m / 330ft text on the dial, and nobody apart for Yuki does this, and the Yuki dial is 37mm which would drop straight through the bezel. Finally I added an "exclamation mark" under the 6 marker. I've seen these gen dials and thought it was a tiny detail i'd love to include, and a few days ago I found a gen 6536 picture with one of these dials. I hope you like it.

Here they are, the two boxes. Mostly gen.

Inside is a 'high beat 2813' which I understand to be the clone of a clone ETA 2824. Who knows about its longevity but it is ticking smoothly and date change is perfectly clicking at midnight so I am happy for the price. Bezel is Crisp, text is sharp enough for a watch at this price point and all the markers are on square, as is the cyclops which magnifies perfectly. I've never been interested in lume but I noticed this one lighting up brightly in a dim room so presume this is super lume, as described. Very nice. Overall I'd have been happy with this watch if it had been twice the price. For the money I paid its a steal. This is from Perfect Clones and cost £110 delivered.

Hi fellas, got a problem with my old Daytona from 2004. Watch runs perfect, just a 21J inside, but modded. But the clasp is wack. The springbars fall out, because the little holes are not deep enough. I tried to get a new bracelet, but i haven´t found one. My endlinks are massive and the most bracelet that i´ve found are not massive. So here are my questions: 1. Can i fix the problem with the clasp, if i drill the holes a lil bit deeper? 2. Can i change my old massive endlinks to a new bracelet? How? Because there are no visable screws. Hope you guys can help me! Bye Mecko ps: Here are some (bad pictures):

Hey guys and gals, I was just cruising over on the big 'ol Bay site looking for some parts and stumbled across this lot. It looks to be legit, sourced at a watch maker's sale (possibly retired, who knows). There appear to be some nice parts here, as well as some very worn dials and such, but it comes with a clean looking SS bracelet reference 78350 as well as a case back removal tool (likely Bergeon). http://www.ebay.com/itm/lot-Rolex-Oyster-Perpetual-Date-Datejust-Airking-cases-Dials-and-Crystals-/201412935173?hash=item2ee5257e05 Sadly I do not have the funds to swing this myself right now, but thought that I might post here for you guys to see if anyone is interested. Assuming that there is enough interest, I would think that the $1,650 invested could rather easily be made back by parting cases and dials out to others of us that want them. The only caveat for now appears that the 'buy it now' ends in the next 5 or so hours, so I would take a look fast if you are interested. *** This Ebay account does not belong to myself or anyone that I know, I am simply mentioning a possible good deal here for those that are looking to complete any projects that they have open, which require any of the parts offered in this eBay sale. The seller looks to be trustworthy and has good feedback, so it appears that, given going prices of Rolex dials and cases, this could be one heck of a deal for someone interested. Good Luck!

Gentlemen, is there any good source for a nice thin fonts 1655 bezel out there, other than Phong ? Thank you.

I've been searching forums and I came across a rolex rep called SSD, hearing enough praise for it's beauty and close to gen physical attributes with functional HEV. Can anyone tell me what is SSD and where can I get one, Is there an updated 2015 version?

hey guys, I just signed up today and I'm looking for a rose gold Rolex Daytona, rose face with black subdials, does anyone know who sells the best looking version of this watch? Thanks guys! And all input is greatly appreciated ;)

Hi all, Lately i've been looking into some Pro Hunter editions for Rolex. They really seem nice to me, and there isn't too much information about them on the forums currently. Therefore, here I am. Looking for some opinions and information. I've found a quite nice one (In my eyes); I'm not thinking of purchasing, but I'm just wondering how good these are, because there are so less, it seems to me people would have a harder time "spotting" them. Some pictures, and the link: http://www.torobravo2015.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=39_217&product_id=525 Thanks! - Avenue

I have finally completed my 1016 build the details. Case - JMB swiss 2783. (waiting for a fully serviced one, this one is a spare which is running well) silver merc hands from raffles, aged and relumed dial from Praz Gen 6mm RLX crown with a modified rlx twin lock tube from cousins. rep rivet strap modified for gen size spring bars.

I had to take half day off rushing back home to my work bench the other day to build this piece, I called it "TC Elabore 2824 Yacht Master 16622". Before the British dial maker brought KH 16610 Dial to this community, he showed great interest in vintage Rolex Rolesium Yacht-Master 16622. He wanted to know if he could produce the vintage Yacht-Master dials, would I build a couple of YM for him and the family. Of course I would. I thought it was easy. All I need to do was to buy a couple of Factory Direct Yacht-Master from my Chinese friend. I was naive and not knowing how the Chinese repdom had evolved. The so-called "TC Factory Direct Yacht-Master 16622" were all gone. The successors are the ones with the modern 116622 bezel font and the Chinese cloned 2836 movements, which I do not fancy due to its wrong crown position and very not gen like crown shape. My Chinese friend rejected my proposal of making a small batch of the TC Factory Direct YM. Our demand was not even close to the MOQ that he could turn the machines on. It was simply not financially logical to him. Disappointed I was, so was my friend. But we can understand that being a parts manufacturer in Far East, every bit that is being produced has to be sold. It matters to my Chinese friend as well as his workers' very survival. The whole Rolesium Yacht-Master 16622 RE-LIVE project was put on hold indefinitely. "I do not have the buying power to meet your MOQ. If there's any way we can work this out. If there's something you or the syndicate behind you need, that I can provide, you let me know." I told my friend before leaving his factory in the ancient country. Earlier this year I received a call from my Chinese friend. He briefly explained how the Chinese horology industry is this year. Quite a few factories can produce quality watch parts. Quality parts that can meet toe to toe with their Swiss or other European rivals. However, the Chinese brands or the Chinese watch companies are still having big headaches dealing with after sales issues, especially with accuracy and durability issues. They need better watch movements. "Wasn't Shanghai, Seagull, and Hangzhou already good enough?" I asked. "Shanghai and Hangzhou are 2nd tier watch movement makers. They mainly serve smaller brands and watch companies domestically. The movements they made may look close to ETA, but in terms of accuracy and durability, those two makers are still not in the game." "Although the State owned Tianjin Seagull being the top tier watch movement maker in China, quality control (of the final products....the movements) is still a nightmare to watch companies who buy from Seagull." "You may find a certain percentage in each batch of delivery very good and perform on par with their Swiss counterparts. But you'll find another certain percentage perform like rubbish and the rest dead on delivery." "Seagull's employee turnover rate is at history high this year. The talented and well-trained ones didn't get a raise fast enough to balance the economic inflation within China. Once they can no longer bring home enough rice to the table, they just leave and head South for more opportunity." "We need better movements!" My friend emphasized again at the other end of the phone. Let's take a break on the story I'm telling. I want to spend a minute and walk you through the components of "TC Elabore 2824 Yacht-Master 16622". The first and most profound upgrade on TC Elabore 2824 YM is the Kensington High 16622 Dial. According to the maker, KH 16622 Dial plate is made of German silver, which is a white colored copper alloy and a common material being used to manufacture high end movement's main plates by most of Swiss watch giants. The other compounds remain the maker's trade secrets. The dimensions of KH 16622 Dial's hour markers or indices are ever so slightly different to the 16610LV's. The triangle at 12 and the rectangle at 6 and 9 have to just be a tad bit more slender than the ones on the 16610LV dial. This in my opinion makes the craft even harder. Nonetheless, the polishing job on the hour markers were done just tremendously awesome. Bear in mind the polishing and lume job on hour markers are done by hand instead of machine. There is no way the dial maker could mass produce this kind of dials given the fact he is doing this for fun. I have already talked about the print job in "KH 16622 Dial First Look". Handling the KH 16622 Dial while assembling the watch, I couldn't help but suspect the British dial maker, a gen Rolex dial maker gone rogue. After seeing how good the KH Dials are, I couldn't go back and use the 16622 V1 hands anymore. The hands and the dial have to match. They have to match in visual quality, in craftsmanship, and in harmony of reflections of light. The Date Wheel Overlay also, is playing a significant part of visual harmony when reading the watch face. It sits right under the cyclops. So, it has to be centered vertically and horizontally within the date window and cyclops. I pay special attention to the DWO's position during each of my build. However, once a while I still get emails from members with Replica Owner Syndrome complaining about the position. I am not going to gripe over tiny variances that exist even in gen units. TC Elabore 2824 YM comes with "TC 16622 Hands Set V2" and "TC DWO V4". TC Elabore 2824 YM case set, bezel assembly, insert, and 78760 bracelet are from the same Chinese manufacturer that made "TC FD YM". Although being a 2015 remake in very limited volume, it shares the same gene traits to its 2012 batch. The material being used to produce the case, bezel, and bracelet is 316L stainless steel. Unlike its 316F brother, 316L is a tad whiter under light and is a tad harder to machine. Which resembles the material character of gen Rolex 904L stainless steel, a Rolex Proprietary steel alloy. What I like about TC FD YM case: 1. It has the correct vertical crown position which gracefully houses any 2824 movements. 2. Unlike the modern 116622 reps, it has the correct crown guard shape that gorgeously embraces the 7 mm crown. Gen Yacht Master bezel gives the wearer a solid and springy feedback when turning it. One would hear a crisp "ding" on each click. Do not expect the same gen feedback and click sound on the rep despite how indistinguishable it looks to a gen Yacht-Master 16622. I want to point that the bezel turning on this YM is still a bit on the softer side. My hunch to answer the secret is machining tolerance. However, I don't think my Chinese friend could break the machining bottleneck in making the bezel assemblies. No matter how I tweak the click spring, the tolerance is there. So if the bezel turning feedback and the click sound is something you would nick pick about, DO NOT buy it. Another imperfection I mentioned in "TC Factory Direct YM" and I want to point it out again is that there are tiny sand blasted pits on the bezel insert. The 2012 batch had them. The 2015 batch still has them. It's not easy to see them with naked eyes, but with a loupe there are everywhere on the insert. It's one imperfection the Chinese maker couldn't eliminate due to sand blasting process. Despite I categorize the blasted pits on the insert an imperfection, a senior member told me that gen YM has them, especially those made in circa 2000 to 2006. He would not categorize it an imperfection since vintage gens were made with the same manufacturing process, thus shares the same product characteristics. But gen owners would not complain about it to Rolex. A gen owner blogged about it on Timezone thinking it is a plus, a character, and a human touch from Rolex technician. TC Elabore 2824 YM comes with "2015 TC 78760 Bracelet". I did not name it "78760 Bracelet V2" because it is not. It is a 2015 remake of the old TC 78760 Bracelet. Everything is the same except the end link is slightly wider to fit the mid case tightly. The 2015 remake has the end link in 20.15 +/- 0.02 mm both ends. I get great visual pleasure after fitting a 2015 TC 78760 bracelet into a YM mid case. Members who own a modern 6 digit serial Submariner 116610 or a Yacht-Master 116622 may feel disappointed how flimsy a classic 5 digit Submariner 16610's bracelet is. Rolex made the vintage 5 digit Submariner 16610's bracelet with hollow links in order to cut excessive weight. It has practical reasons in that era. If you are one of those who prefers how the modern 6 digit Rolex's solid bracelet feels, 78760 bracelet will not let you down. You will feel the solidness, the proper and yet very well balanced weight of this 1997 debuted solid mid link 78760 bracelet. TC Elabore 2824 Yacht Master 16622 comes with "TC Elabore 2824 Movement". Earlier this year, my Chinese friend wanted to know how well my "TC 2824 movements" perform in terms of accuracy and durability. As I stated above, they needed better movements. So, I shipped a tray to let him to see for himself. Within a month I received another call from him. "If you will help us to reach a merchandising deal with your new movement maker, we will help you make a small batch of the old Yacht Master." "What's the catch?" I was alerted. "My friend, you have to understand with our fast growing middle class, the Chinese wants and needs better quality goods." "Jiangsu province alone has 2 times the population than California. And Jiangsu holds only 5.9% of the Chinese population." "There is no catch. We do not have connections to your movement maker. Being red necks from rural China and not well educated, we need someone's help to reach a deal with your respected movement maker." "Well, that I can be of some help." I said. The very reason I call it "Elabore 2824" because this is the elabore grade of TC 2824 movement. Some members claimed TC 2824 China made movement. I didn't bother to explain because numbers will speak for it self. Some parts within may be imported from other countries, but it is cut, assembled, fine tuned, and QAed on this land, by its people. It's American. What are the difference between Standard grade and Elabore grade or even COSC candidate Top grade? There are several variables and several criteria a movement that have to match the performance before it is branded Standard, Elabore, or the COSC candidate Top grade. In plain English, a Standard grade 2824 movement has to run within +/-12 seconds per day on CH (dial facing up) and 6H (6 o'clock facing up) when fully wound. Max variation on all positions is 30 seconds per day. That means a watch with a Standard grade movement will probably gain or lose maximum 30 seconds each day. An Elabore grade 2824 movement has to run within +/- 7 seconds per day on CH, 6H, and 9H when fully wound. Max variation on all position is 20 seconds per day. A top grade 2824 movement has to run within +/- 4 seconds per day on all 5, CH, 6H, 9H, 3H, and FH positions. Max variation on all position is 15 seconds per day. The timegraph of this very Elabore 2824 movement within this "TC Elabore 2824 YM" you are looking at is performing a COSC candidate Top grade gen ETA 2824-2 movement would perform. A gen Rolex 3135 can easily run worse than this specific TC Elabore 2824. I am not telling or making promises here to members that you will receive COSC performing movement if you are acquiring "TC Elabore 2824 YM". I am stating how good a "TC Elabore 2824 Movement" could be. Before I begin building each unit, the movement is clocked, adjusted (if needed), then clocked again on my machine when finished. It is then going through a 14 days real life timing checks on my rotating machine which simulates everyday wear. I will provide a written report of the final readings in the package. However, if upon receiving the unit your time is off by xx seconds, don't email me and ask me what's wrong. Variations are UNAVOIDABLE. Mechanical watches are not atomic clocks! The accuracy of a movement can be thrown off by a variety of factors. The length of how long a movement stay within standards also varies. If you are anal about DEAD ON accuracy, look for a qualified watchmaker or modder to make the fine tuning. The yacht and the Yacht Master. Gentlemen, that is about the quick look at TC Elabore 2824 Yacht Master 16622. Thanks for reading. TC 08/05/15 After note: Some members may ask why the manufacturer won't use 904L? The Chinese Bao Steel and An Steel both manufacture their own version of 904L steel. It won't be so much trouble and cost to use the Chinese 904L steel. Don't be fooled by the Rolex code designation. According to the maker, the only other stainless steel on this planet that has the same machining and complete product character of Rolex 904L is Allegheny Ludlum's AL-6XN. But for some reasons, they couldn't get their hands on the AL-6XN. Do you know, we used to make the world's best marine time pocket watch? Do you know that Hamilton and Waltham were original American watch companies? I am very happy our Chinese friends are buying the most important part of the watch, the movement, from us. I am even happier they are putting our movements in their local brand watches instead of reps. We may actually reclaim our position in the horological world again like we once did. Some members complained about the lengthy turnaround time. Some who would not wait simply buy parts and bits from me then build the watch themselves or have their local watchmakers assembling for them. If you know a bit or two about watchmaking, I'd be more than happy to pass you the parts and bits. I would actually encourage you to do so. I've found joy and peace of mind assembling TC Subs and now TC YM. I believe you could, too. However, if you're buying parts and bits just to have your local watchmaker to build it for you to save time, I would recommend you to carefully select your watchmaker. After all, to complete a TC Sub or YM takes time, patience, skills, and also some rep know hows. Even the tiniest mistake can render a part/parts useless. If your watchmaker screwed up during a build, and pin it on the part/parts being defect that is not fair to me. Please remember watch making isn't an exact science. One would need an artisan's mind and steady hands to do so. I can provide you with some recommendations of modders/watchmakers which I have worked with in the past may that be in the US, EU, or Asia. Please remember that as I have mentioned times and again, building these units is my hobby and my escape from troubles. It brings me a peace of mind. I do not charge members for my labor. However, my personal estimate of a fair market value of TC Sub or TC YM including labor is well over US$1,000. So, if your modder does a good job, please pay fairly to your watchmaker.

Good afternoon, Was not quite sure where to put this. I pre ordered one of PB Dad's Heritage HS01 back in February of 2014. Put a $400 deposit down on the watch. He is now going to build it. Here is the thread from RG http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=220825 He is only making 20 of them and will not sell/make anymore. I am no longer interested in the watch. If you are interested you would actually take my spot and buy directly from him and he would warranty it and ship it directly to you. PM me if interested. Thanks

Dear all, Unfortunately, last week I've lost my pearl of my sub. Yesterday, some of my paint from the PPP-MOD came off. I haven't been very lucky lately, I just wanted to replace my pearl, but now my insert is screwed as it s also losing the platinum paint. Therefore, I am looking to entirely replace the bezel insert. I'm looking to buy one and I'm not very sure where to look, as I'm looking for a good one. (I might even go gen If someone has something nice to offer); please help me out and recommend me something. Really greatly appreciated. I've included a pic for the interested ones. — Avenue

Dear all, Unfortunately, last week I've lost my pearl of my sub. Yesterday, some of my paint from the PPP-MOD came off. I haven't been very lucky lately, I just wanted to replace my pearl, but now my insert is screwed as it s also losing the platinum paint. Therefore, I am looking to entirely replace the bezel insert. I'm looking to buy one and I'm not very sure where to look, as I'm looking for a good one. (I might even go gen If someone has something nice to offer); please help me out and recommend me something. Really greatly appreciated. I've included a pic for the interested ones. — Avenue

Just started working on a Submariner 16610 Franken and was curious what order others had done their upgrades in? So far I've done: Gen Crown Gen Ceramic Bezel Next I would like to do a gen band but am questioning if I should go for the crystal first. The dial looks so close I'd likely look at that last. Movement I'm not concerned with as I'd just buy gen if I was doing that as well. So what about you?

Hey all, I've been doing some reading but would love to hear your thoughts. I've got a Milgauss and a Submariner 116610LV and noticing the bands are showing some wear. Nothing major, just scratches from daily use. I'd like to spend some time cleaning them up and wasn't sure what is best for this. I've read that 3M ScotchBrite pads are good, along with different grit sandpapers. That being said, what do you recommend? How do you get your bracelet back into pristine condition?

ROLEX 5513 Spider Franken build After exactly 6 months since I started on this project I can now announce that my Franken ROLEX 5513 Spider is now fully assembled and finished . I´m still considering a GEN 702 crown (Anyone got one?) but then again the Athaya is also great. So once more here´s the parts list and then I let you guys enjoy the assembly pics by the master himself Joran (@DR3M3L at RWI and a very skilled watchmaker). He did an incredible job of putting it all together after @Rolojack did an amazing job on the case (see part 2 of the build for that). A big thank you to all of you who have responded to me a long the way. A very special thank you goes out to @Ingelero who has been a big inspiration and help in my journey. He is one of kind guy and his love and passion for Vintage Rolex has inspired me to the vintage route. For part 1 of the 5513 build click here: http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/178404-5513-build-parts-now-complete/ For part 2 of the 5513 build click here: http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/178871-5513-case-origin/ Updated Parts list: Cartel 5513 case (Modded to a 1984 5513 by Rolojack) Helenarou Caseback (flatter than the cartel) NOS Swiss ETA 2846 GEN ROLEX 5513 Spider Dial GEN TUDOR Mercedes Hands (switched from the TCV1 and clarks because of softer white) GEN ROLEX 5513 Insert GEN ROLEX T-19 (switched from aftermarket to GEN because of clarity) Aftermarket Bezel Assembly Athaya 702 tube & crown Yuki Bracelet and clasp WSO 580 ends Gen spec spring bars Pics and text Courtesy of Joran (D3M3L at RWI) GEN 5513 Spider Dial Removing the old (bold) plexi: Fitting new gen plexi: Insert fitted and bezel added to the case: Dial: Removing datewheel and it's gears: Dial and hands attached, into the case: Silicon grease on the sealings, caseback back on and the bracelet attached! And waterproofed till 6 Bar

Here's the main collection, dials, up close and personal - taken with Olloclip and iPhone 6+ No editing or filters - I'm working to get better at this. I'll be running them through Photoshop post-processing, and I'll repost then in a comment.

Hi! Just wanted to show my first build. I would really appreciate some feedback from you guys. Unfortunately the watch is not waterproof, I think it's because the xtal retainer has worn out. Sorry for the bad pics with the fingerprints The specs: Case - Cartel. Reshaped, aged and polished. Lug holes drilled. Caseback - Cartel. Aged, the paint in the engravings removed. Bezel assemby - Cartel. Ssteel made some work to tighten it. Bezel insert - Yuki. Had it in bleach for 15 min for a slight faded effect. Bezel insert pearl - Yuki, relumed by Big Daz Crown - Gen vintage 703. Dial - Whoopy 1665 DRSD mk2, lumed by Big Daz. Hands - Clarks, lumed by Big Daz. Datewheel - Polexpete silver dw. Installed by Ssteel. Crystal - Sternkreuz t39. 2834-2 movement, regulated by Ssteel. Endlinks - WSO 580. Bracelet - Unknown maker. Hope TC starts doing 93150 soon Clasp - not sure but I think its a TC 93250 v5

This is a Snowflake budget build that I completed about two weeks ago. It was meant to be a project that could be completed for under $250. Sooo, that meant I was unable to do some of the more detailed things like the engraved caseback, gen spec 580 end links, send out to get case reshaped etc. But I think it looks great for the investment and it accomplishes exactly what I was looking for. The parts are: Case: cartel 5512 Hands: raffles Dial: raffles I haven't aged this one apart from a little bit of hour marker aging which can't really be seen in the pics. I plan on doing the insert sometime soon. But for now, I;m enjoying the new old stock look. Next build will be a Tudor 7922 big crown! I'm excited about that one as well!

So just received a package and halfway trough taking The protective plastic stuff off i thought why not do a whats In The box topic ! So here you go First teaser Can you guess what it is

Good evening, after spending a lot of time on the fora and even more looking at the TDs' pics, I need to hear the experts here: who can provide the best "out of the box" 5512 and 6263 ? I already know that every single piece is not good enough just as is, and I know some artists that would build some lovely vintage Rolexes if they only could find some free time in their busy schedules, but if I should buy'n'wear a McQueen 5512 or a Clapton 6263 where could I find some ? Thank you, this place is amazing.

By the end of 2014 I had sold all of my reps as I wanted to venture into Vintage Rolex. And that all started with a 5513 dial I purchased late January. Not sure, but I guess with all great builds, it either starts with dial or case. And this dial I immediately fell in love with . The 5513 spider from around 1984 which I bought right on the spot, no doubt. And then the search continued for all the right parts. Right after the dial I bought the 5513 service insert, which I overpaid for just a bit. But then again it was 100 % new. I sourced a really high quality SS bezel assembly from member over at RG. Then after looking day & night on fleebay I found this NOS Gen Swiss ETA lowbeat 2846. Getting the GEN Tudor hands was the hardest part. They never come up for sale 2nd hand so I was lucky to get them BNIB. The Athaya 702 tube and crown was easiest part, just send email to Athaya, sending pp funds and after 2 weeks in the mail for like $35, and they look really great. The case I decided to source a 5513 watch with Sead. Strip the parts and have the case modded to GEN spec. I found a member here who was willing to help me out. I sent over the parts but he could not find the time to do it. So after 4 months waiting I was back at square one. And then I was referred to great modder here by a good friend of mine. Case will be sent to him this week and then I hope by end of June I´ll be able to have all parts assembled. Here are the pics and will be back hopefully by end of June for pics of the modded case. So here´s the Parts List: 5513 cartel case Helenarou 5513 Caseback (flatter than cartel) GEN 5513 Spider Dial GEN Tudor Mercedes Hands for ETA (in 2nd picture) GEN 5513 Service Insert GEN Swiss ETA 2846 lowbeat Athaya 702 crown & tube T-19 service dome (aftermarket) SS bezel assembly (aftermarket) Cartel 93150 Bracelet (will probably get a Yuki to replace this one) WSO Gen spec 580 Ends Gen spec Springbars Well, ain´t that a great Spider Aftermarket SS bezel, will need polishing but it´s really great quality Not sure what to do, the lume on these is (just like the insert) really great green lume. Dial is tritium and has no lume left. So would it be possible to relume dial dots with vintage green lume? I personally have no problem with dial no lume and hands & pearl with lume. This would probably also happen on service where hands and insert would be replaced. HR Caseback has much flatter profile than the cartel one. Comes at a price but I´d like the watch to sit flat on the wrist.

Hello all - this late 60's early 70's Datejust 1603 has been in the family 3 generations now. It had the standard silver face, classic yes, but boring and hard to read at a glance with the silver/silver/silver (stainless steel) design. So I stuck a Yuki Green face on it. I also had my watchmaker overhaul the 1570 movement as it was starting to suck, and open opening the watch and reading the caseback we realized it had been 11 years since he'd last had it on the bench... oops. The Yuki Green pie-pan isn't a perfect fit by any regard, but it's like a $120 dial... does the business and looks funky. It's a bit thicker than the genuine Rolex dial, and the date-window isn't perfect, but it's close enough.