Search the Community

Well I succumbed to the need to take a closer look at the updated Cartel 5513 and ordered one from Josh. http://www.pf-818.com/-p-9481.html At long last we can say goodbye to to the stubby crown guards, a good excuse for me start another build. Here we go The annoying "Stailesssteel" and 1665 model designation between the lugs. I will sand these out to leave a brushed finish. Comparison of case height with the previous stubby 5513 and 1665 Cartel models (both modded). First the 5513. 1665 with a phong bezel assembly Side by side with the modded 5513 Asian 2836 movement Replacement of dial and handset. Dismantling the bezel assembly and crystal removal in preparation for case work. So far so good. More to follow

Dear RWG, it's been a while since I posted here but I am tempted to have a go at a build these days. I have at my disposal a decent cal. 1530 from a non-chronometer Air King, early 60s. Would it be feasible for some of the last non-chrono 1530s to end up in early 5513's? Ruby is selling a 5513 vietnam case stamped III.64, which might just make the cut for realistically housing a 1530. If this sounds like a reasonable proposition, I was intending to add - gen SL Service Dial (these seem to be obtainable some cracked, some not) - gen SL Service Hands - gen SL Service Insert Which crown and stem would be appropriate for this build? Is a gen tropic a "must"? Nowadays, is there a reliable EU modder on this board who could do some case work and assemble everything? Sorry for all the questions, if this is a feasible build and people have some parts they'd like to sell, please get in touch. Thanks! drury

I have a 5513 project with no caseback. Yuki has been out of stock of 5513 and 1680 backs for a while. eBay has been a bust. Can someone point me to where I can get a decent caseback?

Inspiration: a 5513 (5**/76, delivered to the Royal Navy in March 1976) the hommage (low cost but time consuming) dressed in grey:

Ok - So I had a summarized build-thread already, but it was lengthy and I wanted to start fresh with a new post, as I am now calling the watch finished. Since the last post I have swapped the hands and added a genuine clasp to the bracelet. Special thanks again to Dbane, NeckyZips, MillerDave and Yuki as well as other members I picked up various odds and ends from. Many thanks to the community over-all for the insight, wisdom and motivation to build this. Spec's 1680 style sterile case - transformed by Dbane with gorgeous bevels and finish-work. I drilled out the lug-holes myself, but they needed some extra help, as did everything else. Spot-on mid-case engraving done by Neckyzips. Genuine 5512 Caseback - sourced from VRF - with Genuine OEM Rolex 5513 case-back sticker from eBay/Germany applied. Genuine Rolex T-19 Plexi Genuine 55xx hands - steel, sourced on eBay, relumed by Big Dazza. Replaced gilt/bright gold hands in favor of these. Genuine Rolex 700 Crown and Tube Genuine Rolex cal.1520 movement, completely rebuilt with new (genuine) auto-rotor and main-spring by master watchmaker Genuine Clasp mounted to rep Rivet Oyster Bracelet (StoneP sourced) - have genuine spring-bars and 2 other straps. Genuine Bezel assembly with aged rep insert sourced from Big Dazza Yuki 5513 Gilt Underline Dial - relumed and aged by Big Dazza, genuine foot-stem positions for a smooth fit This is my first build here - really thrilled with it all together. Here's the link to the original thread and again, these shots were taken with Canon EOS DSLR with 35mm lens. Tuned in Photoshop. For sale, $34,500.00 (clearly, I have no wish to part with it, ha-ha)

Joining a good part of nostalgia with reliability, simplicity, good power reserve, excellent readability and light on the wrist/ease of use this 5513 has advanced to be one of my favourite/ most worn watches in 2016. At the bedside by night, on the wrist by day the philosophy behind it is quite simple. In the last 60+ years it has been all over the World. It has been serviced and fixed by some excellent and by other mediocre watchsmiths in the most remote corners in the World - with those parts that were available and not those that are period correct, a crown here, a plexi there, some hands that were available. Relumed, repolished and just "fixed" this has never seen a ROSC from the inside and it never will.

Hi, I am looking to purchase the best 5513 and 1675 GMT replica also in the market for a Daytona. Any suggestions please? Anybody used Trusty Time? http://www.ttw-138.com? Regards Martin

Hi guys, I have not presented something new here for very long time, but today I have something that should share with you! My new Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513, gilt dial, Meter First, from 1966. Let's see in detail: Case: Yuki case with Serial number from 1966 - Modded with speciale patina (steel browning). Dial: GEN from the same period, in very good condition. Hands: Yuki, relumed and reworked. Movement: Cal 1520 with 17 jewels non-Hacking, from the same period (revised und regulated). Crown: GEN 24-700, in good condition. Tube: WSO reworked. Insert: GEN Service. Plexi: T19 GEN Service. And the result: I hope you liked it

My goal was to build a 5513 that aged like it's seen the world. It's not about beating-up a watch, but making it believable that it is 50+ years old. I guess I'd call it "giving the watch it's character". It's the little details that make the difference on your wrist! I absolutely love the way the dial, hands & case turned out on this one. The dial in particular is absolutely gorgeous and the way the GILT Rolex letters reflect the light alter certain angles is unmatched by any cheap printed dial. There's a reason why a GILT dial alone on a gen Rolex adds about 30.000$ to it's price. Doing these build properly takes a lot of time, I often start work on a watch and then abandon it for weeks until I have an eureka moment about something I could do to get the look that I want on the dial, hands, case, and so on. I also lost count on how many hand-sets, bezel inserts and dials I wasted due to experimenting (so don't feel bad if you ended up damaging parts while trying something new :)). What I used: CASE: 5513 from Sead BEZEL: Phong Fat Font Insert BRACELET: Yuki 7206 Folded Bracelet MOVEMENT: Replaced w/ a low-beat 2813 DIAL: Tropical GILT dial from Vietnam HANDS: Clark's GILT Mercedes Hands CRYSTAL: Michael Young (CWP) Tropic 19 CROWN/TUBE: Athaya 700 What I did: CASE: The stock case was too round for my taste and the stock lugs slightly too thick, so I completely reshaped the case from all sides and angles (including the lugs from top, bottom & side). I re-defined & polished the bevels/chamfers several times to make them look like they would look on a watch that has been polished (but not extremely over-polished) the years. Crown guards were trimmed on the inside and re-shaped from the outside. After getting the case in the correct shape, I aged it & polished it several times over and over to give it character. Last but not least, I drilled the tube hold, tapped new threads and drilled a cut a countersink to install the 700 tube properly (without the countersink, the tube and as a result the crown will stick out too far and look hideous). DIAL: I aged the lume of the gilt dial & gave it a nice patina as I'd expect it on a watch that has gone so tropical. I also aged the dial itself a little to give it some patina that goes well with the tropical turned brown color - not full-blown radium dust like I did on another build recently (since this represents a tritium watch), but a little to make it believable that there was some radioactive substance, sun-light and other corroding factors present. HANDS: I used several steps involving different mixtures made of various minerals & chemicals and even soft-drinks to get this look that resembled old gilt tritium hands. BRACELET: The 7206 bracelet from Yuki looked like it was brand new, especially the inside of the bracelet (which was brushed) bugged me, since I own a few genuine folded rolex bracelets and a bracelet this old shouldn't be brushed on the inside anymore - even if has been restored at some point. I aged & polished the inside of the Yuki bracelet to mimic the look of my well-taken-care-off gen folded bracelets. BEZEL: It's a phong fat font insert that was aged, browned, re-coated and pressure-fit into the the bezel ring. - Note about my Vintage Builds: I often receive PMs from members asking me if I could build a specific watch for them, but I declined all of these requests for the reason I mentioned earlier - doing these vintage builds properly takes time and passion for the work. I don't think you can do this on a "contract basis". I end up selling many of my watches, but even if I start building something with the intention of selling it later-on, I build each one of them as if I'd build them for myself. So if you like some of the watches I build so much that you want one, I appreciate the trust and I'm definitely flattered, but I'd ask you to not PM me and ask me to build a specific watch for you. I'll put up whatever I decide to sell in the Sales Section. Eye-candy:

Hi guys, my new Rolex 5513 is finished! I have used the following parts: MBW Case (completely revised). Athaya 702 Crown and Tube. ETA 2789-1 movement. Singer stamped dial (relumet). GEN Insert. GEN Plexi. Yukiwatch hands.

Hello all, here is an other modified Cartel case based 5513 build. The mods and parts list to achieve this are as follows: - Cartel 1680 supplied by Trevor as efficient as always - Gilt Underline dial supplied by Yuki - 700 crown by Athaya - Sternkreuz T19 - Aussie springbars What has been done: Mid case crown guards shaved and reshaped, rehaut re-milled, crown seat lowered so the crown is nearer to the bezel, lugs reshaped and finished with the correct angled brushing, lug holes enlarged to fit gen spec spring bars, bezel ring re-milled to tight fit the gen spec T19, bezel insert slimmed to seat lower in the revolving ring and treated with sodium hydroxide for aging, dial treated with a mix of ink and PVP to simulate the gloss finish age -hard to capture on the pics but in the flesh it gives a lot of depth and character to the finish-, hands treated with ink and PVP together with the dial, and..... lots of love !!! Now to the pics:

So I finally received a perfectly sized 31,09mm flatter replacement plexi - but managed to just break the original one by pressing from the inside. Reglue or replace (and how?) I still don´t get out the retaining ring nor can I loosen it with a carpet knife or caseback opener (and I´m not sure which the retaining ring is). Where exactly should I start to push from the outside or inside and where? This is a Cartel 5513, all rings are metal. If I just stop and don´t do anything more, I´d be able to just reglue the one that was in as it´s an irregular but even break all around and it can´t be seen if the bezel assembly goes back on. Just might add, I don´t have a crystal press either, as I like to use tools I´m able to find around the house. The original idea was to press it in using a miniature anvil that has rubber protectors on the borders. I´m feeling lost here and missing the watch, please help.

At this point I have only installed the Yuki dial, hands and blue insert. The hands I aged with a light scuffing from 3000 grit sandpaper and espresso foam. I chose a dark blue insert from Yuki because the inspiration for this watch was a gen that's bezel faded to a light blue. Without knowing what the base color was for the aftermarket inserts, I decided to get this blue insert and fade it to see if it can work. I bleached it for about 30 min, buffed with 5000 grit sandpaper and then spread nearly dry espresso around it to offset the blue and add a little vintage grime. That's the main thing I would like to know you're opinion on. Does the blue look legitimately like a faded, once black insert or does it just look plain blue? I know the insert is a lighter shade then the reference picture but that was the point where I felt it started loosing that obvious blue look. Reference gen 5513 Gilt My MBW

For your eyes is a PCG case carved from an unidentified case.... Bracelet is Yuki, crown is Athaya, dial I am not sure....

Ladies & Gentlemen, For your consideration: Genuine Rolex Cal.1520 serviced, worn parts replaced including auto-wind mech and balanceGenuine Rolex T-19 PlexiGenuine Rolex 700 crown and tubeGenuine bezel assembly, modified to case. (I tried many rep assemblies and then messed with the gen one I bought, thinning the outer part of the plexi retainer with a dremel...risky, but it worked.)Genuine Rolex MKII Fat InsertGenuine Rolex Singer plate dial, refinished, gilt gloss. Tritium effect, uneven fade, semi non-luminous plots by Big Dazza per special request.Genuine Rolex Gold Hands same as above, Big DazzaUnknown PCG Case - reshaped by DBane, myself, and engraved by NeckyzipsRep 7206 bracelet and 80 endlinks (Neckyzips engravings)Genuine Rolex claspNOS Rolex Case-back Sticker, Radiation Safe, as per early to mid 1960's advertsGenuine Rolex Box, pillow and wrap, polishing cloth. Papers by Rolojack. It's been a labor of love, and taken quite some time. I'm very happy with it. I am declaring it finished and moving on to my next project as well as a gen 1675 acquisition. Hope you enjoy the pics/post.

Hi All, This is my pride and joy. Genuine cal.1520 and much in the way of gen parts or high quality work. DBane worked the case beautifully, and Dazza lumed up the dial quite lovely. I have a genuine perfectly faded MKII insert coming from Dave. The thing I find is the dial still feels a little "flat" and I am looking for someone to "crank it up to 11" or tell me it's the best it can be... Either post what you'll do and for what $$$ and/or PM me. Here's a couple decent shots of the watch as it sits now.

My Vintage Rolex Collection The time has come to finally show you all my vintage Rolex collection. I love every one of them and still wondering about what should come next. Suggestions? Thanks for watching! - Sub007 Nr. 1: Rolex 16014 Franken Datejust (built by StoneP) Parts: Gen 16014 Case, Gen Tube, Gen Stem& 600 Crown, Gen Caseback, Gen Bezel, Gen Linen Dial, DWO (rep), Clark 25-135 xtal, 2834 movement, Rep Jubilee and ends (Riyi), Gen spec 2.0 mm springbars I´m a sucker for vintage rolex and the Datejust seemed such an elegant and very wearable watch, especially when wearing suits and cuffed shirts. Sourced this watch with StoneP who is just great guy with too many Rolex parts LOL. So when he wanted to get rid of some parts I pulled the trigger. But then the franken bug bit me and I wanted more, more and more...so while I intended to `just` buy GEN dial I ended up buying fully built Franken. But the result is just breathtaking, linen dial is something you have to see in real life and this is a 6 million gen case in pristine condition. Engine turned, I love it and at 36mm it feels so nice on the wrist. Found a very nice rep jubilee on the bay from Riyi002 (what a gentleman) and fitted some gen spec springs to it. Nr. 2: Rolex GMT 16700 (TW Maker with GEN Insert) So I just love this watch because it really adds colour to the black and white of Rolex Sports watches. The rep insert was really bad so I changed it for this GEN insert (required a new bezel as well). And now it looks and feels like GEN to me. Got this particular watch from Marvellous Replica (not sure if he´s TD here) but he is one of my favourite TD´s. This for sure is a keeper!!! Nr. 3: Rolex 5513 Franken Submariner Parts: Cartel 5513 case (Modded to a 1984 5513 by Rolojack), Helenarou Caseback, NOS Swiss ETA 2846, GEN ROLEX 5513 Spider Dial, GEN TUDOR Mercedes Hands, GEN ROLEX 5513 Insert, GEN ROLEX T-19, Aftermarket Bezel Assembly, Athaya 702 tube & crown, Yuki Bracelet and clasp, WSO 580 ends, Gen spec spring bars This was the one that got me all started with vintage Rolex in the first place. It has been discussed by my elaborately on this forum. And thanks to the great craftmanship of Rolojack and assembly and watchmaking skills of DR3M3L (Mod at RWI) this baby is now finished. Love the clean look of it and the gen spider dial is really making this a one of kind 5513. Nr. 4: Rolex 16600 Seadweller Parts: Stock BP SD with TC Dial, TC hands, TC insert, TC bracelet & clasp, GEN 704 Crown, Swiss ETA movement This baby originally comes from @OCCB2 who is by far one the greatest guys I ever met on the forums. True gentleman and went out on a limb to get this baby safe from CONUS to EU. It originally came with TC crown but fitted one of my 704 crowns as the TC kept slipping. And now it is a nice and steady beater with great lume, has date but no cyclops (so no issues LOL) and TC parts surely make this one badass rep that could certainly meet up with GEN.

Hi, I'm obviously new here but have been lurking on the rep forums for a little while. Just picked up a pure time 5517 to get my feet wet and have a couple questions that I haven't seen asked anywhere. People seem to be using ETA or DG movements that have close but not exact beat counts. I'm thinking I'll pull the ETA2846 out and use an old omega caliber 552 or 565 or 5xx, but I'm wondering why this isn't common practice. The 5xx has the exact same bph as the1520/1530 and is at least as accurate as the gen rolex movement. Has anyone done this yet? Size is very close on the omega as well, and obviously seamaster hands will fit since this is the engine in the seamaster 300. For anyone out there that's in the know, what problems do you foresee? i.e. is there some issue with adapting the winding stem to the crown or will the omega sit at the wrong depth? Thanks in advance for your insight. If things go well I may end up taking the $650 yuki case plunge and build myself a franken. Until then an omega powered rep sounds cool to me. Jake

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

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! So very excited to be on my way to being a full-fledged member of the community by doing my first 5513 build. This is my first "franken" and first build, so I've taken some time to source the parts, talked to a LOT of members (thank you all) and hopefully sourced the right parts. I had a local member "TheMillerDave" help me with many things, including the movement and case, he's a terrific guy and a great resource. Many other members helped me source gen parts too, including Whoopy, Jerkstore, Cubeians, and I'm probably leaving someone out. What I've got here is Yuki (baked) 5513 2 liner underline, gilt with hands MillerDave PCG case and case-back. Probably will try to source gen case & back still from another friend genuine insert and bezel components genuine 1520 movement genuine twinlock 700 crown, rep tube rep plastic dome crystal, one period correct, one 1665 in case I like it better "BK" Rolex 78790 Bracelet, Clasp code AB9 until correct gen bracelet sourced genuine 2mm fat spring-bars I've found holding my loop up to the iPhone and taking pictures results in pretty good macro shots. I feel a little gilty about spending all this money, but hey, it's a hobby Be kind, it's my first try! More shots and macro-shots to come as build progresses but here's a few just to get us started

I'll get us started: $57k 5513" mislabeled in the auction with no serial or movement photo's... PCG case too. Feel free to share more!

So I did a bit of aging to my insert on the 5513. I used a dremel tool "fine-detail abrasive brush" then polished it a bit. These are ultra high res pics taken with a Canon DSLR so it really shows everything. I took an iphone shot as well. Less harsh looking in person, and I'm happy with it, the black gloss of the insert is gone, it's a little barked up - and now looks the business of a 50+ year old watch. Tell me what you think please!

This has been bugging me. Is the rehaut width on the Cartel 5513 too wide, or is it the curvature of the T19 Clark crystal that makes it appear so? I tend to think it is, as a gen spec Singer dial sits nicely within the case, and the Clark T19 crystal fits snugly too. Would reducing the height of the Clark crystal help reduce this effect? Anyone done this mod?

To Fade or Not to Fade... that is the age old question. Which do you prefer and why? Vote above and comment below.