Finally got my 16610 done

[Dizzy]

I think its because they look scratched up a bit especially the hour hand, but it could just be super macro picture. They look fine in the first couple pics.

This is by far the best 16610 rep I have ever seen! I wonder what a gen 93250 would cost? I dont even think ive seen one for sale?

[JoJo35]

Diz, I think because of the lighting it gave that appearance to the hands. In order to photograph a gen etching on the crystal, you need to shine a flashlight along the edge of the crystal (in this case, I had a light shining down from the 12:00 position). Super macro (100x mag or more?) will do some strange stuff. Lol, I once saw a thread on a gen forum that said essentially that "beauty is in the amount of magnification!" Haha, just think what hi-def TV did to newscasters!

[Gabus]

Very nice, like all your projects. wear it well.

[alligoat]

It's a beautiful job JoJo, but like you say, I pretty much knew the gen parts from your previous builds which are always first class. I also saw the etched crown this summer on my 16800 one day in the sunlight- this watch went thru the RSC around '98-99- new tritium dial, hands and insert also

I got this watch for a good price and the tritium still glows- makes for a great beater!

P serial is early 2000's, right?

[panerai153]

When did Rolex change over to the SEL case? I think that if iwere to buy a gen, it would be and older non SEL model with lugholes. I just like the more vintage look better.

[Utheman]

When did Rolex change over to the SEL case? I think that if iwere to buy a gen, it would be and older non SEL model with lugholes. I just like the more vintage look better.

What? No gen lugholes?!!! j/k

That brings up something I've been wondering about. When does a watch cross over into the vintage cagtegory? My 1992 16610 has non-sel and lugholes and I like that look better also. It's older, but not considered vintage yet, I think.

btw JoJo35. The watch looks awesome. If you changed bands and drilled some lugholes, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference

[alligoat]

Interesting! Lugholes went away around 2003 as I recall.

SEL's came out around the time of the P serial maybe.

Tritium till '98/'99, one year of Swiss dials- using luminova and SL and Swiss Made after that.

[HauteHippie]

alligoat, SELs came out at or around the A serials, before lugholes went away. Lug holes went away starting with the F serial. The genuine P serial 16610 case would have lugholes and would have had a bracelet with SELs.

[HauteHippie]

Chief,

Thanks for your comment regarding the dial. As far as the quality of the gen vs rep dial, there really is no comparison. Unfortunately the pic is out of focus, and I really didn't bother doing it over a dozen times to get the focus/lighting perfect. However, the printing and "crispness" of the gen dial is clean and perfect as it should be, and blows the WM9 dial completely out of the water. I'll admit the pic is really lousy. With that pic I was actually trying to capture the etched crown on the crystal, and I think the focus is slightly forward of the dial. Besides that, because of the way the lighting has to be in order to see the etched crown, it casts weird shadows, and showed off every single spec of dust on the crystal (there was a lot, I photoshopped most of them off the dial, but you can still see the dust that appears to be on the hands, but is actually on top of the crystal above it).

Ya the first pic of the dial is representative. I thought they were two completely different dials, so was a bit confused. But the lighting and focus explains it.

[HauteHippie]

By the way, the K serial also had the flat S, lugholes, and SELs.

Gen K:

[HauteHippie]

OK, my last post...

I just noticed that the F serial also had the flat S dial. And this was the first series without lugholes. So, JoJo, what you've really got there is a F serial franken, not a P serial. You might want to go with a triangular 4 lumi insert, or drill lug holes and make it a P. I'd probably opt for the insert change.

Gen F:

[JoJo35]

Haha! Good research Chief!

I wasn't aware that the F also came with the flat S.... although, since the new gen crystal is indeed an "S" service crystal, it is still very plausible that the case can also be a service replacement. Believe it or not, those bastages on 5th avenue wanted to replace the case on my oysterquartz when I took it in for servicing because of slight pitting near the caseback. I politely informed them "no thanks", and then took my watch to a very qualified watchmaker who completely serviced the electronic movement and successfully pressure tested the watch.

[HauteHippie]

Haha! Good research Chief!

I wasn't aware that the F also came with the flat S.... although, since the new gen crystal is indeed an "S" service crystal, it is still very plausible that the case can also be a service replacement. Believe it or not, those bastages on 5th avenue wanted to replace the case on my oysterquartz when I took it in for servicing because of slight pitting near the caseback. I politely informed them "no thanks", and then took my watch to a very qualified watchmaker who completely serviced the electronic movement and successfully pressure tested the watch.

Anything's possible, true. But I'd bet a trapezoidal 4 insert on a service replacement case is an exceedingly rare and possibly non-existent combo, though. :-)

[JoJo35]

Anything's possible, true. But I'd bet a trapezoidal 4 insert on a service replacement case is an exceedingly rare and possibly non-existent combo, though. :-)

Had my gen A series TT serviced on 5th ave, I kept the flat 4 insert and popped it back in after the service, so not really non-existent

[Dizzy]

I once saw a thread on a gen forum that said essentially that "beauty is in the amount of magnification!" Haha, just think what hi-def TV did to newscasters!

HA HA yep!

[highoeyazmuhudee]

Did the Zigmeister not relume these good enough? You didn't say why you would change the hands?

The Zigmeister does wonderful work from what ive seen. for me, rep hands (excuse the pun)are sore thumbs.