Cheapo 1016 Project

[lanikai]

Ditto to all... I was looking at a genuine .. but yours looks much better price wise..

Congrats on completion of a great looking vintage piece.. one to be proud of fo sure

thanks for taking the time to post this ...

AC

Lani

[lhooq]

This all makes sense but I'm still having vapor lock over the crystal. It's Clarks' equivalent of a tropic-22 but it fits loosely by what feels like a millimeter? How did you ultimately get it to work, and with what parts?

All of my pictures show the stock crystal that came with the Narikaa rep. (I imagine it's the same domed acrylic as on most of the other vintage Explorer reps.) Unfortunately, I never was able to get the Clark to fit. I asked my watchsmith if he could try a bit of glue to get it fitted, but he strongly advised against it. I'm guessing the poor fit is down to the rep case, rather than to wrong dimensions on the part of Clark Parts. Wish I had some accurate measurements to back up that guess.

lanikai: I like to think I'll eventually own a gen 1016 someday. They're really not getting any cheaper!

[lanikai]

A gen T-19 would not fit ??

unfortunately the acrylic has to fit flush with the case .. found that one out too..awhile back

there is a retail store here and the owner is a collector of vintage Rolex.. he let me into his study.. he had every Explorer

known to man.. the 1655,... on and on.. he had to mop up my drool..

I've been debating this or a gilt 5513 369.. the simplicity of the bezel is outstanding on the Explorer.. I have a NDT dial with "Precision" the case from MBK is 36mm,...the T19 should fit on the MBK... small but I'm going to start that project shortly..it won't look too bad size wise with a riveted bracelet or on a nicely padded gator strap..

AC

Lani

[lhooq]

A gen T-19 would not fit ??

I seem to be having trouble with numbers, because your comment didn't sink in until just now. Unfortunately, I don't have any T19s on hand to try out, but I'll try to get an accurate measure of the lip diameter. There's a bunch of thick generic crystals on Ofrei that I'd like to sample.

Does anyone know of an online list of Rolex crystal diameters? All I could find was the Rolexforums list that matches crystals with model numbers.

Edited October 26, 2009 by LHOOQ

[lanikai]

erase .... a T19 would definitely be too large..i may be stuck with my rep acrylic for awhile...

it's ok it's not that bad for now..

L

[alligoat]

Does anyone know of an online list of Rolex crystal diameters? All I could find was the Rolexforums list that matches crystals with model numbers.

I'd be interested in the Rolex Forums list that matches crystals w/ model #'s.

The problem you run into w/ reps is that they may not match any standard Rolex plastic crystal. You need to buy a $10-15 pair of calipers from a place like Harbor Freight. Then you can measure the outside of the inside lip of the case which the crystal fits over and the inside lip of the retaining ring (bezel).

I do know that a 5500 Explorer would take a T-12. Don't know about a 1016. Another possibility might be the T-21- it went on the 6234/6238/6239/40/42/42/6263/6235. These were all 36-37mm cases from the 60-70's.

[lhooq]

alligoat: I'll be passing by the hardware store on the way home from work today and grabbing some Verniers. I hope to get accurate measurements before the end of the week. The watch, incidentally, is heading back to the watchsmith for repairs. After the cleaning and losing several minutes over the course of two days, it stopped. I opened it up and it looks like the spring is tangled.

Thanks for the info on the other potential crystal replacements. Here's the crystal list from Rolexforums. I don't think it's comprehensive, as it only includes some of the models you linked to the T21.

[lhooq]

The watch is back from the shop and running again. Here's a tip: If you've never regulated your watch before and think it's something you can easily tackle, make sure you REALLY know what you're doing before you start. Bad things can and do happen!

I snagged a cheap pair of calipers, but was unable to take a measurement of the case lip or the inside of the crystal. The outside measures 30.5mm, and I really suspect a T19 would do fine on this case. I acknowledge what lanikai wrote three posts above, but I'm pretty sure our cases aren't alike. Compare the side-on photos in this thread and in his, and focus on the angle of the bezel ring (steep on the MBK) and the shape of the lug horns (smoother curve and less pointy on the MBK).

In fact, given that the Narikaa case appears to be identical to the Hont 1016's, and given that the Hont case is marked "ORIG ROLEX DESIGN 1610", my Narikaa JUST MIGHT BE a ref.1610 Datejust case. (Shame on me for not making the connection earlier.) Unfortunately, the 1610 leads me to a Cyclope 118 crystal (Clark lists it as a 30.6mm), which isn't something I want on an Explorer. It is a lead worth following, though.

FYI: I measure an outer/inner diameter of 31.1/29.4mm on my Clark T22, give or take one kadam.

In addition to getting my watch running again, my watchsmith spent some time this afternoon bending those endlinks like Beckham. They're not perfect -one corner is still peeking out, but I don't dare push it back in!- but they're a big improvement. See:

[alligoat]

In fact, given that the Narikaa case appears to be identical to the Hont 1016's, and given that the Hont case is marked "ORIG ROLEX DESIGN 1610", my Narikaa JUST MIGHT BE a ref.1610 Datejust case. (Shame on me for not making the connection earlier.) Unfortunately, the 1610 leads me to a Cyclope 118 crystal (Clark lists it as a 30.6mm), which isn't something I want on an Explorer. It is a lead worth following, though.

Thanks for the tropic/cyclops list, LHOOQ. It's very helpful.

I doubt your watch is the same size as a 1610. Heck, I'm not even sure if a 1610 is a Datejust. There is no replica of the 1600 series DJ's that I'm aware of. I doubt there are any replicas of the later 16013/16014/16030 DJ's. My thinking is that the printing on Hont's case is a misprint, probably.

I saw a partial list of cyclops to tropic conversions yesterday:

Cyclops to tropic

25-100 switches to 25-3

25-108 " " 25-12

25-121 " " 25-33

25-122 " " 25-2

25-135 " " 25-29

25-144 " " 25-19

25-246-c " " 25-246

Nothing for a Tropic 118 though

You may be better off just leaving your plastic crystal on there- it looks fine to me.

[lhooq]

Ta-daa!

Having laid out my essential elements for this project in the original post, I was never going to be happy with my watch missing one of them. I was able to get good measurements of the rep crystal, but these weren't as useful as I thought they'd be. The places I would be ordering crystals from only gave outer diameters (with a couple of exceptions), and there were more than a few possible matches. I ended up buying from Clark again, and ordered a "Vintage Style" Tropic 19, and a pre-Daytona Tropic 21 as a backup alternative. (Thanks for the leads, alligoat!)

Both crystals look much better than the one on the rep, though I really wanted the T19 to work since its profile is a closer match to the dome of the old Tropic 22. (Speaking of which, does anyone know when Rolex started putting shorter T22s on the 1016?) I received the crystals on Friday, and visited my watchsmith after lunch on Saturday. Bad news: The T19's outer diameter was correct for the bezel, but the crystal was ever-so-slightly too thick to fit on the case. He then tried the T21, and it was ever-so-slightly loose on the lip! Full credit, then, goes to my watchsmith. He told me he'd have a crack at it in the afternoon, and that I should come back in the evening. When I did, I learned that he'd been able to trim the inner edge of the T19. He handed me my watch back, fully assembled and looking like it had been born with that acrylic lump. Project finally completed!

Here's the Stilty-style profile shot again:

Let me pre-emptively critique the use of a T19: It juts out more than the old T22 does on a gen 1016, though this is partly due to the relative slimness of the Datejust case and bezel. The T19 also has a more gradual curve to its dome, and lacks the clearly defined edge of the T22. But this project was always meant to be a compromise, so I think I can live with these flaws. The dome looks absolutely fantastic, and gives the dial some much needed depth. From the side, I get the UFO-like profile I always wanted.

A side-by-side comparison of my modified Narikaa and my Hont 1016:

Dial and movement aside, Hont and Narikaa's Explorers are nearly identical, so this picture can be considered a before-and-after for this project. Visuals aside, what I love most about my project watch is its lightness and its low-profile fit on my wrist. This is entirely due to the excellent bracelet; the familiar solid-linker feels bulky and cheap by comparison.

One last look at both watches:

Thanks to its superb dial, the vanilla Narikaa makes a great 1016 rep. But what a difference a few changes make!

When I bought the Hont earlier this year, I think it only took me a few hours to realize that I'd have to give this 1016 thing another go. It took a ton of research, a bit of legwork finding competent people, and a lot of praying for different parts to fit, but it all came together in the end.

I hope my experience helps some of you out there. Maybe this means I can stop looking at genuine 1016s on eBay and dreaming? Nahhh...

[slickdick]

Looks really awesome! the thick plexy really tops it off.

Why not change the end links with the right explorer pictured above.

[lhooq]

Why not change the end links with the right explorer pictured above.

I wish it were that simple, but the 58 endlinks are an integral part of the 7206 bracelet. There's no way of separating the two.

Besides, the lugholes wouldn't line up with the springbar pass-through on the modern endlinks.