predfan2001 Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) I'll say so. I built this watch 2 years ago and have worn it and abused it. It still performs as good, if not better than the gens I have owned. I should polish the T19 crystal but I think the battle scars look cool. This watch started life as a 5517. I installed a MBW ETA movement, bleached the insert and moded the cgs. I sanded the T off and removed the band bars. Yeah the spring bar holes look too big....but gen spring bars work just fine. I'm happy with it. Edited September 27, 2009 by predfan2001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Very nice work, bro If you were going to 'tone down' the crystal scuffs, I'd suggest using a 4-surface nail file to do it, as that will still leave you with some nice scuffs all over, but take away the worst of the marks... Am I right in thinking you wear this on your left wrist? I only ask, as I think if it was work on the right wrist, the scuffs might obscure the dial at times Absolutely top notch though, my kind of watch for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 I like it, too. If it were a gen, I would say it is time for a x-tal replacement. But, since it is a rep, the hard-to-see-through lens helps hide some of its (rep) sins. The wear also adds to its authenticity since most of the public have been brainwashed (in great part by some in the neurotic gen community) into believing that all reps are cheap junk that typically breaks within days of purchase. This watch appears to have a good many miles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predfan2001 Posted September 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Very nice work, bro If you were going to 'tone down' the crystal scuffs, I'd suggest using a 4-surface nail file to do it, as that will still leave you with some nice scuffs all over, but take away the worst of the marks... Am I right in thinking you wear this on your left wrist? I only ask, as I think if it was work on the right wrist, the scuffs might obscure the dial at times Absolutely top notch though, my kind of watch for sure Tone down? Are you crazy? Lmao! I know I'm silly....but I loved that old post about a gen Sub that was lost by a fisherman and found later in the hull of the boat. I wish mine looked like that one but I just can't manage to wear it that bad. Here it is: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Tone down? Are you crazy? Lmao! I know I'm silly....but I loved that old post about a gen Sub that was lost by a fisherman and found later in the hull of the boat. I wish mine looked like that one but I just can't manage to wear it that bad. Here it is: The operative word there was 'if' As Freddy says, abuse like that makes watches, not easier to pass off as gens, that's not the right sentiment I'm trying to get across, but it 'makes them less suspicious' to the untrained eye. It gives the watch some anonymity, makes it look less 'box fresh', makes it more of, what would in car terms be dubbed, a 'sleeper'. People don't notice them, and that saves the "Is that real?" question getting asked I remember when pics of a watch were posted about a month or so back (I think it was a double red Seadweller, I forget now) but it looked so pristine, it would easily be mistaken as a rep, for being so perfect, despite its age... I think my Tudor Sub is probably 'on the cusp', in that I've aged it a bit, but the insert could still probably be a little more faded before it 'looked old', the only problem, being the dial looks too new to put with really vintaged parts, and it's a real balancing act, so I'll probably keep it as it is, before I go too far That's an awesome photo, and indeed, that's definitely the kind of look a Sub should have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipSlap Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 This pic reminds me of something cool I saw a few weeks ago. I was having a drink at the bar in Patio Espanol -- a restaurant in San Francisco that doubles as the regional Spanish Cultural Center. The old Spaniard (about 70?) tending bar was wearing a stainless Tudor Sub that looked like he had worn it every day for the past 30 years. It didn't have too many deep scratches, but it carried a million little ones. Loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokerpot Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Haha you guys beat the hell out of your Rollies! How tough is it to scratch those faces? What're they made out of? Also where does the pleasure from trashing the Rolex come from? Is it just to give the illusion of a really old one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Haha you guys beat the hell out of your Rollies! How tough is it to scratch those faces? What're they made out of? If it's the perspex crystal, they're very easy to scratch. A slash from a pocket knife will do some damage, as would a knock against a housebrick (or similar rough surface) Also where does the pleasure from trashing the Rolex come from? Is it just to give the illusion of a really old one? For me, it's to create a 'temporally accurate' watch. The case of my vintage sub, is the same style as was used in the mid 50s. Such a case would not make it to the present day without picking up the occasional ding. Same with my Tudor Sub (late 70s era) Wearing a model of watch which is 20+ years old, but is in absolutely pristine condition, means either a safequeen (which is a waste of a watch) or one sign of a replica. Making the watch appear the age it should be if it were genuine, is not so much a case of trying to pass it off as genuine, just helping it to blend in more, and making it more accurate I wouldn't age a modern Rolex, as there would be no need for it to be heavily scuffed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 If it's the perspex crystal, they're very easy to scratch. I believe these crystals are Plexiglas (acrylic plastic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 I believe these crystals are Plexiglas (acrylic plastic). Ahh, thanks for the clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 There is no reason any watch rep or gen could not be a tool watch, as long as it survives what you chuck at it then it is a tool, I was in to see a surgeon the other day and he was wearing a nice cartier it is still a toll for his day. Me i have used ny ingy/speedmaster and rail master for military work so i would class them as tools! Pred fan i could live with it but i would have to polish the crystal, and an old polished one has a special shine to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predfan2001 Posted September 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 There is no reason any watch rep or gen could not be a tool watch, as long as it survives what you chuck at it then it is a tool, I was in to see a surgeon the other day and he was wearing a nice cartier it is still a toll for his day. Me i have used ny ingy/speedmaster and rail master for military work so i would class them as tools! Pred fan i could live with it but i would have to polish the crystal, and an old polished one has a special shine to me! Yeah I'm gonna have to polish it soon....it's getting hard to see the hands at times. To me, a plain and simple no-date Sub is not for bling. It was intended to be a tool watch and to be used. The used look gives it character. Yeah this is just an old rep, but I really spent some time on making sure this watch would function well and be fairly water resistant. I had a gen just like this once and I really doubt I'll ever have another...I can wear this one and pretend right? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predfan2001 Posted September 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 Haha you guys beat the hell out of your Rollies! How tough is it to scratch those faces? What're they made out of? Also where does the pleasure from trashing the Rolex come from? Is it just to give the illusion of a really old one? Oh and Pokerpot...from my experience with a bunch of Sub reps, an off the shelf rep like this would never take what this watch has(a MBW might??). Say....your typical ETA vintage Sub....the crystal would have shattered long ago. That is if it didn't fall out first. Yeah I've actually had brand new Sub reps that the crystal fell out the first time I wore them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predfan2001 Posted October 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 (edited) Had a chance to work on the crystal today. Filed, sanded and buffed a few times. It still shows a few deep scratches but filing from different angles gave it a nice "uneveness" that give it a great vintage look under light after a good buffing. Edited October 3, 2009 by predfan2001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 Had a chance to work on the crystal today. Filed, sanded and buffed a few times. It still shows a few deep scratches but filing from different angles gave it a nice "uneveness" that give it a great vintage look under light after a good buffing. 100% improvement, my friend Now you can see the hands clearly, but the watch still looks like it's taken a flogging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbh Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 I agree. It looks much better now, and I even think more believable. No way would an average person keep a crystal that was as scratched as the first pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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