My 16520

[HauteHippie]

A few shots of my new 16520. I'm lovin' it!

[redwatch]

Wowza!!!! That's a beauty!!! Now get down to Anaheim so we can all see it tonight!

[vlydog]

I'm lovin' it!

Me too B; great shot!

[flex]

nice! so, you pick the white dial.

[nakortheblue]

I don't suppose you are going to AR the crystal?

[nakortheblue]

I don't suppose you are going to AR the crystal?

[HauteHippie]

nice! so, you pick the white dial.

Ya, I was in need of a white dial watch. I think this fits the bill nicely.

[Ronin]

Nice watch and pics!

[dluddy]

What's not to like. Love it B

[tmg]

Wheeew, very nice indeed!

[freddy333]

[Migge]

Just awesome, maybe the most appealing daytona (Apart from the 6263/65) of all time.

[ciccio]

NICE !!! What's gen and what's rep in this beauty ?

[rosnik]

[krpster]

Very nice!

[HauteHippie]

Thanks all. It's a great piece.

Below is the formula. Costwise we're talking about 37-40% of a used gen. Basically you could buy this watch, or you could buy a used gen 16610 sub from the late 1990s. No brainer for me.

The Zigmeister's handiwork

Ubi's help

Gen lumi dial

Gen lumi hands and sub dial hands

Gen pushers

Gen crown ---->>> ????

Gen case back

Gen 78390A/803B bracelet

Gen "Mk IV" bezel

Gen crystal with laser etched crown @ 6

Phong midcase engraved with genuine A serial number - Went over this case with a fine tooth comb, and it's dead on compared to a gen A serial case or a service replacement case. The gen 803B SELs fit this thing like a glove. Notice no gaps. And the CGs and lug contours are perfect. The notches on the underside of the pushers are exact. Phong's engraving is also excellent. This is what I can actually call 1:1.

Ebel 400 El Primero movement shown below, with gen pinions added (these actually gave The Zigmeister fits):

[HauteHippie]

PS. The SO's Date in pic 1 is fully gen.

[Guest jsuperman17]

wow chief!! thats amazing!! that will be my grail/exit watch in the future.. of course gen... do you mind telling us the actual cost of the project? do you have any regrets in terms of just getting the gen instead??? an absolute stunner!!! the best chrono movement of them all!

[omgiv]

Absolutely beautiful!!!!!! A true labor of love. Where did you get the gen pinions and which ones did you use?

[watcher]

That is the sweeteast franken I have ever seen and will ever see!! I thought you had bought a gen at first!! Enjoy this beauty. The Zigmeister is a very impressive guy too!

[HauteHippie]

Gen pinions were very hard to track down, and they were even a bigger pain to install (for RG). Some nice soul on RWG (SORRY I FORGET WHO!!) sent me a tech sheet for the 4030 which I used for the part numbers. The esteemed Ubi actually tracked a first set down, and then was unable to find another for himself. So, I of course stepped up the search and tracked down another set for Ubi. In the end, I believe they ended up coming from two different sources.

In other news, last night, the gen crown broke while setting the time. So much for gen QC, guys. This crown was straight from Rolex in untampered / sealed packaging. Not some pseudo gen crown you find on EBay. The spring load mechanism just seems to have fallen apart. Oh the joys of expensive watch parts!!

[Eton]

Whoa B, that's straight up SICK!!!

Congrats bro, wear her well!

[freddy333]

In other news, last night, the gen crown broke while setting the time. So much for gen QC, guys. This crown was straight from Rolex in untampered / sealed packaging. Not some pseudo gen crown you find on EBay. The spring load mechanism just seems to have fallen apart. Oh the joys of expensive watch parts!!

Whoa! In all my years of watch collecting, I have never seen that happen on a new/NOS Rolex crown (common problem with used parts though). Have you contacted the seller for a replacement? I believe Rolex warrants parts for 90 days.

[chiman12]

Beautiful build chief! This makes me want to start out on a 16520 quest of my own!!!

[Eton]

That's crazy about the crown, shouldn't happen!!!