MBW old 5513 or 1680 case?

[nielest]

I've noticed on another forum someone pointed out that the mbw old 5513 case had a higher bezel (drsd like) and would opt to use an old mbw 1680 case with a closer height lower bezel to begin a 5513 project. How accurate is this advise? Vintage rollie gods please chime in. Any help is most appreciated! I have everything ready now just need to confirm the case to bring my frankenstein to life... :-)

[gplracer]

Eurotimez sells the old case..... or you can get a yuki case if you find someone (stilty) to give you a space for an eta movement.

[nielest]

Def using mbw old case, just need to know which case has the closer bezel, 1680 or 5513? From pics the 5513 bezel seems a lil high.. Close to a drsd bezel. Any vinty masters care to shed some wisdom on this matter?

[panerai153]

old MBW case is definitely the way to go. This is the one that is engraved "orig Polex Design" 5513. This is the case that MBW used for the 1680 as well as the 5513. It will accept genuine parts. You can purchase these from Eurotimez( just the case) or keep looking on the forum and quite often a complete watch usually a 1680 comes up for sale. the only problem with that, most of them have already had some degree of Mods done to them. the ones that have lots of genuine parts i.e. Crown/tube, insert, crystal and lots of other mods like a slow beat movement, better dial, dial and hands relumed and a better rep bracelet or a genuine 93150 are going to be quite expensive.Rarely a case comes up for sale, but make sure its the old style MBW.

Good luck

Arthur

[coolfire]

Definitely old MBW 5513 for a 5513 project, as panerai153 has mentioned above...

Here's my Spin-LE franken 5513 using the old Polex MBW case

[nielest]

old MBW case is definitely the way to go. This is the one that is engraved "orig Polex Design" 5513. This is the case that MBW used for the 1680 as well as the 5513. It will accept genuine parts. You can purchase these from Eurotimez( just the case) or keep looking on the forum and quite often a complete watch usually a 1680 comes up for sale. the only problem with that, most of them have already had some degree of Mods done to them. the ones that have lots of genuine parts i.e. Crown/tube, insert, crystal and lots of other mods like a slow beat movement, better dial, dial and hands relumed and a better rep bracelet or a genuine 93150 are going to be quite expensive.Rarely a case comes up for sale, but make sure its the old style MBW.

Good luck

Arthur

i have all my gen / aftermarket / 2846 etc parts ready just need the correct mbw case, it's either the 5513 or the 1680, a member from the RG boards brought to light that the mbw 5513 case has a slightly higher bezel than the gen 5513, the 1680 case however is also marked as 5513 on the lugs of the case but comes with a close to gen lower bezel, just comes with a cyclops crystal that can be easily swapped with my clarks t19. Just would like confirmation from some senior vintage modders that can chime in on which case 5513 or 1680 has the closest bezel replication of the gen 5513 so i can alter my order asap.

Here is his beautiful 5512 made from a 1680 case, as you can see the bezel seems nice and low like the gen 5513, on mbw 5513 cases used for a 5513 project tend to have the higher bezel...

http://repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=81107

[nielest]

Definitely old MBW 5513 for a 5513 project, as panerai153 has mentioned above...

Here's my Spin-LE franken 5513 using the old Polex MBW case

thanks coolfire!! What you think of the bezel height?

PS: Beautiful franken by the way!! droool!

Edited January 9, 2010 by nielest

[coolfire]

Not that sure of the bezel height, as i only have this old case 5513..

Here's a side profile of mine

[ubiquitous]

The old case is a 5513, marked ORIG POLEX DESIGN:

This is the case to use for a 5513, or in my case a 9411 Tudor Sub as a gen dial is a drop in solution for these models (a gen 1680 dial needs to be trimmed slightly). The newer 1680 cases aren't quite as nice in my opinion.

[panerai153]

i have all my gen / aftermarket / 2846 etc parts ready just need the correct mbw case, it's either the 5513 or the 1680, a member from the RG boards brought to light that the mbw 5513 case has a slightly higher bezel than the gen 5513, the 1680 case however is also marked as 5513 on the lugs of the case but comes with a close to gen lower bezel, just comes with a cyclops crystal that can be easily swapped with my clarks t19. Just would like confirmation from some senior vintage modders that can chime in on which case 5513 or 1680 has the closest bezel replication of the gen 5513 so i can alter my order asap.

Here is his beautiful 5512 made from a 1680 case, as you can see the bezel seems nice and low like the gen 5513, on mbw 5513 cases used for a 5513 project tend to have the higher bezel...

http://repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=81107

There is only one case.MBW used the orig Polex Design 5513 Case for the 5513 model as well as the 1680. Back in 2005-2006 when we were getting these watches directly from George, Watchmaster and a few other dealers, there were umpreen threads on the old RWG and TRC about the incorrect lettering, which was and instant "tell" if someone saw your 1680 without the bracelet.There may have been two different bezels used for the 5513 and the 1680, I'm not sure.

The correct bezel would be a genuine 5513 bezel from that era, anything else is going to have some subtle variations. that's why the "super frankens" use genuine parts for everything except the midcase.If you want one that is really correct with correct engraving between the lugs, you need to use a Yuki or similar. You might have a problem fitting the 2846 in one of those "replacement" cases, but if you fill it up with genuine parts, you will have a really,really nice watch. You will have the same with the MBW case as well, just don't take the bracelet off!LOL

I looked at the photos on the link you provided. He didn't show any side view photos, so i can't really tell anything about the height of the bezel. You would need to have a 5513 MBW side by side with a 1680 MBW to tell. It would have to be a difference in the bezel, because they are both cased in the same case. Another thing, the crown tube opening in the MBW and most similar cases is lower in the case to accomodate the ETA movements. When you look at a genuine 1680 side view next to a MBW 1680, you can see the difference in the crown. It is a little highter in the genuine. that's why you have to use a spacer ring when you use an ETA in a Yuki case as the movement sits too low in the case for a good crown/tube fit.

Good luck

Arthur

[alligoat]

The replica market is constantly evolving, and MBW is no exception. We saw this earlier this year with Cats MBW 1680- the bezel construction wasn't as good as on previous versions. Looking at the pics, it does appear that the 5513 case on Euro's site may have a thicker bezel than the 1680 case.

Was it an oversite, they used a 1665 bezel and didn't realize it, or is it a change? It might be best to email Chris and ask him. Maybe include a few links to back up your case and illustrate your concern. They do a fair job of watching the forum, are receptive to suggestions and are willing to help. If MBW quality is slipping, maybe they can take it up with the factory. And maybe by calling it to their attention, you can get a decent case from them.

Either case should work, but if Cats bezel assembly wasn't that good, you have to realize that maybe these MBW cases aren't as good as they used to be.

[freddy333]

My MBW-based 5514 has a gen 5513 bezel/insert, so you can use this for comparison

Rolex used the same bezel/case for the 5512, 5513 & 1680 models. Similarly, as far as I know, MBW did likewise (except that all were etched as '5513' between their lugs).

[panerai153]

@ alligoat,

So what your saying is the "old style" cases that ETZ is selling may not be exact copies of the old MBW cases? If that is the case, Possibly the surest bet would be to hover around the forums and try to find an older "old MBW" rather than chance the Newer "Old Style". I know they come up all the time, as i got one several weeks ago, and there have been several more since then.Maybe some of the members who have sucessfully modded the New "Old style" cases can chime in with their thoughts.

Arthur

[alligoat]

Yes, Arthur, from what we've seen, the quality may not be what it once was. Like you say, if you can find a truely old case, it's worth buying it.

[JoJo35]

Yes, Arthur, from what we've seen, the quality may not be what it once was. Like you say, if you can find a truely old case, it's worth buying it.

I've still got one left, fully modded and put together by The Zigmeister with a 5512 dial and all the gen parts it should have. Now it's sitting in my watch box gathering dust, and I'm still not sure what I'll do with it

[gplracer]

JoJo you could sell it to help fund another gen purchase. Of course now that you have a gen 6263 what else is there?

[JoJo35]

Of course now that you have a gen 6263 what else is there?

A straight hand 1655, or for a few bucks more I'm considering a DRSD....

I've received PM's about selling my old MBW, and I will consider selling it, although full fledged frankens with multiple vintage gen parts don't come cheap

[freddy333]

full fledged frankens with multiple vintage gen parts don't come cheap

You can say that again.

[nielest]

Thanks everyone, your infinite wisdom is greatly appreciated!!

[valerian]

This is so cool. The knowledge around knows no boundaries!

Val.

[gavidoc]

i've built two frankens using the Eurotimez MBW case.

The bezels on the MBW are slightly thicker then a gen bezel but not by much.

Here is the first one and used the MBW bezel assembly.

This sencond one used a Gen bezel assembly.

both used ETA movements (27XX series) and gen dial/hands/crown/tube/inserts etc. Do be aware though that due to the lower opening in the case for the tube, when you bore it out to fit a gen crown tube you need to be VERY careful.