redwatch Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hi folks, So several weeks ago I purchased a WM9 V1 sub with several mods done to it. It has a gen crystal, gen crown, gen insert. The CG's have been reworked and the rehaut has been modified somehow (not sure exactly what is different, but it does look nice). I got it in the mail over the weekend but because of a nasty little cold, I didn't play with it until today. I opened up the excellent packaging and caught my first glimpse of the watch. The case is quite nice. Bezel turns beautifully and the mod work looks quite pro. Only one downside - the dial looks a little off and the date window is not even close to being centered. It has a euromariner LV dial with Gen LV hands. I was a little disappointed at first, but I really love the case. I had a noobmariner dial on an ETA movement from another sub project I am working on. So I though, why not? I took apart the case and pulled the movement out. This is what I found: The dial has obviously been shaved or cut down in order to fit into the case. And if you look at this shot, you can see that the date window is too far to the right. So, I pulled the movement out and installed my noobmariner dial, ETA movement and new retaining ring. I had to modify the little screw down tabs a little bit as they were just a tiny bit too long. This is the result: Thanks for looking and please chime in on thoughts or opinions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Wow...no comments at all guys? I am quite surprised! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 I was never too keen about the WM9V1 dial with the flat 'S' in Submariner. Certainly the noobmariner dial looks very nice and is an improvement, IMO. I'd say you have a very nice looking sub at this point. This is what a good late model 16610 sub rep should look like- gen bezel insert, gen crown, shaved cg's, good eta movement, a great all around beater- you can't beat it (so to speak)! Wear it with pride and in good health, it's a fine looking rep, congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Thanks alligoat. Now I need to figure out where to use the ETA movement that came with the watch originally. Interestingly enough, it seems like it is a different size diameter. Is that common? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raijor Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Amazing photos of a quality watch. The Wm9 sub is really good to begin with never mind after those mods. A great and special watch to own. Enjoy it for years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Amazing photos of a quality watch. The Wm9 sub is really good to begin with never mind after those mods. A great and special watch to own. Enjoy it for years to come. Thanks for the comments Raijor! I am really pleased with the results! I will post some wrist shots tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 It's an excellent Sub. Personally, I like the default dial of WM9 v1. The flat S is very cool. But of course Noob dial is a good option too. Enjoy this beauty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Nice work. Was this one of the WM special sale Sub's? Wonder why the orig dial was shaved down? Looks great now and nice Macro shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Thanks alligoat. Now I need to figure out where to use the ETA movement that came with the watch originally. Interestingly enough, it seems like it is a different size diameter. Is that common? All 2836-2's should be the same diameter- 25.6mm, as I recall. Now the outside rings vary to fit the cases that the movements are going into. But I would think you could fit your WM9v1 dial and movement back into your noob case fairly easily- this would give you an extra beater for when you're doing serious demolition work and you don't want to tear up your good sub! Or you save the eta for another day when you need a good movement, especially since they're becoming somewhat scarce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Agree with By-Tor. The flat 'S' is my personal pref, only because it is a fairly well done dial, and quite uncommon when it comes to gen. Very unique (though I have seen at least two gens with the flat S dial turn up within the last 3 months; more than I had seen in a year prior. Maybe an effect of the current economic climate forcing the sale of unnecessary lux goods). Regarding this particular watch- The dial trimming is quite puzzling to me. Very bizarre. I see that there is a 'shitinerand' caseback as well. Don't think that is standard fare for these. Looks like there might be a H1 gasket on the crystal, as the profile doesn't look quite high enough on some of the profile shots. Might also want to clean up the CG's a bit, but otherwise looks good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Yes, there are quite a few oddities with this one. The shaved (or maybe a better term is hacked up) dial isn't a WM9 v1 dial either. Its an aftermarket LV dial with thicker lume surrounds. The case back is quite odd too. I don't think that WM9 would have used those for this build. I would love to find a flat S dial for this piece. The seller said the gasket was a clarks gasket. What I find so odd is how far off the date wheel and date wheel window were on this. It was all the way to the right of the cyclops. Not even close to center. Another oddity is the "ETA" 2836-2 movement is 26mm in diameter. There are some very strange things going on with this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 You could check between the lugs at 12 o'clock. If it says ORIG POLEX DESIGN, it's an MBW case. But it might say ORIG ROLEX DESIGN like my Euromariner V3 which is the latest MBW case. There's a close relation between the latest MBW, the Euromariner and the WM9 cases. Do they all come from the same factory in Taiwan?? I don't know. BK would probably be the most likely person to know. The difference between 25.6mm and 26mm isn't much, but my first thought would be, is the movement a clone. Next step is to look at the gears and some of the other detailing. I ran across a clone that had a poorly shaped slot where you depressed the button to remove the stem- watchmaker said it was a clone. My nephew ended up buying an old 2836-2 to replace the clone on that watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 WM9 lug shots: And with an H2 gasket, you should have a crystal profile like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 I'll take the bracelet off tomorrow and see what I find out. Thanks for the tips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Ok, here's the pics of the end lugs. Let me know what you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Here are some macro's of the ETA movement that came with the watch originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Any thoughts on the case pics or the ETA movement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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