gplracer Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 I saw this on the bay: 21 Tropic All of the non-Rolex tropics I have seen have rounded sides. This one seems to more closely resemble a gen at a reasonable price. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 I believe that the newer crystals tend to have the bevelled edge, while the older ones were rounded...it depends on your preference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gplracer Posted October 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 Interesting, I did not know that. I like the beveled edge better. It has a faceted look that is great under lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 Shoot B, for $13.60 how can you go wrong? Like jmb says, these crystals always vary a little anyway, so get a few extras! Thanks for the lead! BTW, I got one from Clark's this week and it looks good also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 I saw that last night, too! I've always heard that there were aftermarket, beveled-edge, T21s in existence (Zigmeister mentioned this in a couple of posts; he said they were 'indistinguishable' from gens), but this is the first time I've seen one being sold! I'd love to see one up close, and find out just who is making them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parryl Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 so any one ordering ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donerix Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 I ordered one yesterday (before I even saw this post - small world ...). I should have it by the end of the month and will take some pics (if nobody gets one before) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parryl Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 how is it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Sternkreutz tropic 21s are rounded Just fitted this for a friend the other week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted October 18, 2010 Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Here's the one from jandkwatches- it's a beveled edge crystal on my 6239/7750 case- I like it. It's similar to the purported gen T-21 that I have. It's better than the DW crystal that came with the case, IMO. The watch on the right is the DW 6239/7750 w/ the 6238 dial- the crystal has the rounded edge The watch on the left is my 6238/9- V72 with the gen crystal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 I have an apparent gen Rolex t-21 on my daytona. Its got the rounded edges like the Sternkreutz crystal posted above by FXR. I personlly like the sharper beveled edges, but I agree that anything is better than the stock DW crystal. It was horrible, cloudy and just crumbled around the edges as i removed it. dizz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Looking at 'Rolex Daytona, a legend is born', it looks like either crystal is correct. I don't know if the domed top was first and the flat top w/ beveled edge was later or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Looking at 'Rolex Daytona, a legend is born', it looks like either crystal is correct. I don't know if the domed top was first and the flat top w/ beveled edge was later or not. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the changeover from domed to beveled crystals happened sometime in the mid-1970s. This also affected other types of crystals at the time, but their names confusingly remained the same e.g. "Tropic 21" stayed "Tropic 21", despite the entirely new profile. Please have a look at my comparison of gen and aftermarket T21s from earlier in the year, since very few people did! I would love to add this J and K crystal to the comparison, as it seems to be a spitting image of the newer gens I have. (I've bought -and ruined!- quite a lot.) I've never bought a genuine domed T21, as both the Sternkreuz and Clark crystals are excellent at 1/10th to 1/20th the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 Excellent LH, glad to see you the chime in, and I would agree with your observation of the beveled edge T-21 being later. I remember your comparison post from earlier this year and enjoyed revisiting it just now. I'm pretty happy with the jandk crystal, I'm using it to replace the original DW crystal which was too loose. I've found these DW crystals to be a little slim on the OD- in the 30.4+mm range, whereas the aftermarket and gens are in the 30.55mm to 30.6mm. So when you swap in a better crystal, you then have to go back and file the bezel so it will fit over the better crystal. Enlarging the ID of the bezel is a slow process for me- 30 minutes to an hour of hand filing and sanding with lots of test fitting in between. But eventually you reach the point where you can press the bezel over the crystal with a good tight fit. LH, hope all is well. You left home as a typhoon was arriving. Are you having good luck finding free internet connections? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 alligoat: Unlike last year, Manila got away unscathed, though the northern part of the country was not so lucky. As for the Internet, I'm currently paying for the pleasure of browsing this fine forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Enjoy your trip, LH! The best one was in Mestre when my wife said the bar had free internet! 36 euros later I convinced my mother in law it was time to go get dinner. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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