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DW 7032: Work-in-progress


lhooq

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I think it's robbery. Once again, these cost $18.00 to $36.00 from Rolex. Evan at an AD'S 30% mark-up $120.00 plus shipping is a crime.

Maybe the ADs consider $36 to be a crime, and these hunks of plastic actually have a production cost of 80 cents each. :)

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I would never pay those prices for a piece of plastic/acrylic.

You are in right to think that! :good:

But take just in count that when ( and if ) you buy GEN ROLEX watch ,

you will pay the real price X 20 times.

This happen for spare too,

that's under demand and supply (universal) low .

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You are in right to think that! :good:

But take just in count that when ( and if ) you buy GEN ROLEX watch ,

you will pay the real price X 20 times.

This happen for spare too,

that's under demand and supply (universal) low .

Yep, now you know why my board name is Justasgood. I haven't bought a watch new from an AD in over 25 years. Never will again.

Easier to build 'em, buy 'em used, or buy 'em broken and fix 'em.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I had hoped that this update would be the debut of my DW 7031 with genuine Cyclope 128. Unfortunately, due to concerns about the latter, I had to drop my plans for the former:

1106084411_DKvjo-X3.jpg1106084384_7ECn2-X3.jpg

At the end of September, I was consulting ubiquitous for some advice on this build. At some point I asked him what had happened to the bezel he used on his NDT Monte Carlo, as I liked the visual effect of the black, concentric circles. Well, anyone who knows ubi won't be surprised by what happened next, as he offered to send the bezel to me, free of charge. The man is a legend for a reason!

The bezel arrived earlier this week, shortly after I received the gen crystal from Rosnik's source. I had hoped that the 7031 bezel would fit the crystal without modification, but this was not so. In fact, the black bezel was a near-perfect fit for DW's crystal. For the gen C128, a substantial amount of metal would have to be trimmed from the bezel's inner diameter. It looked to be a close thing on the NDT bezel, so I decided to fall back on the steel DW unit.

Despite the photos I've seen of gen crystals on the DW case, I was still surprised by the difference between gen and DW crystal dimensions. It's not just the outer diameters; the ID of the gen is a tiny bit larger. This results in a minuscule, but nevertheless disconcerting, amount of play between crystal and rehaut. I am guessing that this is due to production variation on the case, as I felt more of a wobble on some axes.

1106084451_tsouC-X3.jpg

My watchsmith sanded the ID of the DW bezel until the crystal could fit. Unfortunately, not all the markings made it through unscathed, and some of them lost their black paint in the process. I've decided to leave these unpainted. (File it under 'vintagizing'.) I don't know how justasgood did it (and in 20 minutes!), but his bezel trim job is the best I've seen on any DW 7032.

Was it worth upgrading? Definitely. In terms of accuracy, I still believe that there must have been a domed Cyclope 128 for the earliest Monte Carlos. I've found photos on VRF that show smooth refractions around the edges, which suggest the absence of a hard transition. However, I've yet to see a close-up, side view of such a domed C128, so I can't prove it. Anyhow, nearly every MC photo out there shows a beveled-edge C128, so it's safe to go with the majority.

I find that the biggest benefit of switching to a gen crystal is clarity. To be blunt, the optics on DW's crystals are not good. The cyclops, in particular, produces a bit of a "funhouse mirrors" effect on the date window. That's gone on the gen, as are other distortions on the rest of the crystal. Contrast is increased, and it's easier to make out fine details on the dial surface.

It should be noted that the gen crystal lowers the watch's profile significantly. By significant, I mean 1mm lower at the center of the crystal, more than 1mm lower at the top of the cyclops. The cyclops on the DW crystal stuck out like a chimney.

1106084488_7oWs5-X3.jpg

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Note the damage to the crown and pusher, courtesy of Bolognese pavement.

1106058062_BPYAG-X3.jpg

Next step: New hands, slowly making their way from Hong Kong. I'll try to have a direct comparison between Yuki, this CWP set, and the stock DW units.

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Just read the part where sssurfer helped you out. M is one of the best and this just confirmed it thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Not only did he get my watch repaired, but he was also a huge help in getting ME fixed up! I was down in Naples with a respiratory infection and in need of first aid, and M was able to recommend a good hospital in Rome. ("Ah, Napoli is not famous for its medical services," he said over the phone.) I lost an afternoon in the waiting room, but everything -including medicine- was paid for by the government of Lazio.

Also, he bought me a cappuccino. Terrific guy!

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  • 3 weeks later...

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