Food for thought...

[freddy333]

IHS, replacement (service or aftermarket) datewheel & (possibly) aftermarket dial.

[JoJo35]

Ok, Nanuq just made it easy.

His is correct.

PS: dial on the 'bay watch is not aftermarket

[FxrAndy]

So all this is about flat topped 3s??????

the hand stack is correct for 3075 isnt it?

[JoJo35]

Ok, that's enough

6 mil 16750 should have Mk1 dial

[FxrAndy]

so can we have an example of a mk1 and mk2 dial please, could it not have been changed during service?

[HauteHippie]

RSC part replacements happen all the time. Why are we calling these things "major problems"? I'm still confused

[ubiquitous]

Ok, that's enough

6 mil 16750 should have Mk1 dial

I don't see a whole lot wrong... Correct range serial for a 16750, dial is genuine, hands are good and in the correct stack for a 16750, crown, CGs are fine, caseback is correctly signed 'PATENTED' for this era watch, 3075 of course checks out.

If anything is really out of line, it's the MKII dial in a case/serial as low as 6.3M. But that could have been swapped in at some point or another during service, restoration, etc. While not technically correct for the specific production range watch, it's still a genuine dial and still plausible.

[Nanuq]

Okay, when we get Jojo's sorted out, then we can open the questions on mine. There's a rarity there too.

[ubiquitous]

Nanuq- Nothing wrong with your radial dial, but that double 3 in the date window does pose to be a slight issue.

Nice brushed finish with bold flat 3's, though...

[JoJo35]

Must have missed your earlier post ubi, did you edit that?

Anyway, here's a correct Mk1 dial. Yes, of course it could have been replaced during a service, but for any serious collector, a dial is big. Although crystals and crown/tubes get replaced during normal service, dials, cases and casebacks normally don't. Luckily there's still enough of these out there so someone seriously looking can wait for a good one to come along.

[ubiquitous]

That's no edit. I always mark them when I do...

[Nanuq]

Thanks Ubi! The guy I bought it from actually believed that was a fake dial so I got it at about half the going price. Orchi even has a photo of it now.

I am, however, slightly concerned about the date wheel.

[redwatch]

Jojo - for us noob's here, could you point out what the differences are between a MkI and MkII dial?

[ubiquitous]

Check the shape of the coronet (specifically the base), and the fact that none of the usual C's and H's really line up in the 'SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED' text...

[redwatch]

Ohhhhh........ Very cool! Always learning from the masters here at RWG!!!

[alligoat]

Red, it looks to me like the 'GMT-Master' is smaller on the MKI dial, possibly the 'ROLEX' also.

Dial archive at VRF is a good place to look, but they don't use MKI, MKII terminology.

[HauteHippie]

Anyway, here's a correct Mk1 dial. Yes, of course it could have been replaced during a service, but for any serious collector, a dial is big.

Fair enough. But "ebay" and "major problem" usually means something else entirely.

[ubiquitous]

I agree; 'wrong' dial on a $50k watch is one thing whereas the wrong dial on a $5k watch (where the correct dial to replace can be purchased for $700) is completely different.

Serious collectors would not be considering the 16750 as a serious watch to collect.

[JoJo35]

I agree; 'wrong' dial on a $50k watch is one thing whereas the wrong dial on a $5k watch (where the correct dial to replace can be purchased for $700) is completely different.

Serious collectors would not be considering the 16750 as a serious watch to collect.

I totally disagree. To assume that someone who (perhaps) can only afford a "$5k watch" is any less serious than someone who chooses to invest 50k on a piece is foolish. Most serious collectors started out small, and some (god forbid) even start with "fake" watches. Does that make them less serious about their chosen hobby? I found the watch on the bay to exhibit a problem that just about every other viewer of this thread didn't catch. This thread was meant to be a learning experience. I even tried to prod viewers into doing some research on their own and actually learning something new instead of spoon feeding it to them.

I'm sorry I bored you with my thread by prolonging it, and further apologize that I missed your earlier response. I feel that a correct early 16750 is a good watch to add to a collection, and would find it surprising if most serious collectors on VRF and elsewhere wouldn't have one in their stable. Even though I started with fake watches, I know I will never buy another one. At this point, I do consider myself a serious collector as much as my means allows, and quite frankly I find your second comment offensive.

[ubiquitous]

My point being that it is all relative to what you are buying. I hardly consider the wrong version GENUINE dial in a watch at this price point to be a major problem. Is it a problem? Yes. Major? No. It can be corrected fairly easily; dials for this ref are not difficult to source, and the effort to replace is nominal, especially if performed during a service, which a watch of this era should have done anyways.

If you find my second comment offensive, you should maybe step back and have a beer and try to relax. I'll even paypal you the funds to buy one on me. These are just watches and a discussion; nothing more. A 16750 is a good watch, yes. But a watch that a serious collector would buy for reasons other than wearing? Maybe. A serious collector would invest in a 6542 or early 1675 with PCG, gilt, chapter or whatever else people are deeming as hot these days, and those are the pieces they would have more concern for being correct. Had a similar scenario been present on a 6542 except with something like a steel insert instead of a bakelight been a major issue? Yes. Especially considering that finding a replacement isn't as cheap or easy as, say a 16750 MKI dial.

We are all serious collectors to whatever degree and extent, but I think you need to relax a bit. Getting worked up over something like this is hardly worth it.