usmctowgnr Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 So I have a tough decision to make. As I am sure some of you know from my other 1675 post I have a gen dial and hands that I recently purchased. I was planning on building a rep 1655-1675. However, I just found a gen 1675 midcase with back, crystal, crown and tube for what I think is a reasonable price. It is still not cheap as I will have to do some liquidating to pick it up. I plan on putting a gen jubilee bracelt with 550 endlinks on the watch either way and all ready have a faded black insert. If I were to buy the gen case I could not afford at the time to get gen bezel or movement. I would probably get a rep bezel and and a21 movement and wear it till I could get a bezel and 1575 movement. I figure I could find a gen bezel for around 400 and movement for about a grand down the road to complete everything. My question is, once I get all the parts I figure I will have around 2700 in the watch. Is that a reasonable amount for a franken? This is a tough call for me as like I said I will need to liquidate some watches and probably parts for a 16600 build I was planning. Thanks for looking and for any advice, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Well, considering that the finished project would be all gen, $2700 isn't bad. A complete, basic run of the mill 1675 is in the $3k range anyways. The only difference is you'd be able to spread the cost out over time, and you'd have the satisfaction of knowing you built it. But papers, box, etc. are all nill. A moot point for a watch of this price point anyways... Especially one that you'll be using to wear/use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmctowgnr Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I honestly don't know if it is worth building a watch for 2700 dollars that is worth basically the same. I could have 2700 in it and maybe get what I have out of it. If I were to go the rep route I could have about 800 in it with gen dial, insert, crystal, crown, tube bracelet, and be able to get that back out as well............... and spend the difference building a 16600 with same gen parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 The decision to build based on cost is only something you can answer... Personally, when the difference is so minimal, I'd probably pass on doing the full blown build... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 FWIW, I've quit building high priced frankens like this. You can still purchase decent everyday gen beaters - 1675's- in the 4K+ range, so why bother with a $2500+ franken. Now an $800 franken makes more sense. But you've got to decide. For beaters, I'm trying to stay in the $500-750 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I have to agree with these guys. i believe that the only way you can justify spendiing 2500-3000 on a Franken is to replicate a 15-20k watch. I think that you can build a really respectable franken for 700-900 USD and as you said yourself, if you need to sell it, it's readily salable. Pretty nice 1675's are for sale in the low 4k range all the time. Not a pristine one with box punched papers, and all the accessories, but a nice watch nevertheless. If you were building a 6542, or a DRSD 1665, then the 2.7-3k sounds reasonable, but not a 1675. I sold my WM9/BK 16610 and purchased a very nice genuine "P" serial 16610 for 3200 dollars. I was looking at a genuine dial, crystal, bezel and retaining ring etc to add to what I had already done and I was staring at another 1000 dollars added to the 1000 I already had in the watch, and that didn't include a genuine bracelet. It just doesn't make economic sense to spend over 2/3 the price of a genuine on a rep. I'm with alligoat on that, those are best topped off at 700-800 bucks. Save the rest for the 16600! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Considering the accessibility of good aftermarket parts, it is really not hard to mimic the genuine product really well for a reasonable price. I agree with the other members, use discretion on the decision to build a super franken. A really extreme rep build would be something like a Yuki case ($500)+ gen dial (you have)+ rep GMT for movement, GMT hand, and bracelet ($200)+Clark ETA hands ($14)=$714 and this would be a nice piece to wear everyday and you don't even have to spend that much. GL with your 1675 build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmctowgnr Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I hope you're not paying a lot of money for the case. Just from the corrosion alone...this watch won't be safe to go anywhere near steam, let alone water. If you use a 1575, you'll rust it solid in no time. The bezel retaining ring also looks really beat and you'll need to replace that, because I don't think it is any condition to secure a bezel assembly. So add the cost of a gen bezel assembly and insert. In addition, a gen jub. bracelet...a good one will cost ~$400-$500... IMHO...you might as well sell the 1675 parts and buy a complete one. Save yourself the headaches... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I remember seeing that case posted a few times over on vrf. I agree with Chi- Though it looks like the majority of the critical corrosion is on the caseback and not the case. The good news is it can be replaced. The bad news is, it's not gonna be cheap. Combined with everything else needed for the build... It's gonna add up pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmctowgnr Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks for the input, I am glad I posted pictures of the case as the corrosion is something I never payed attention to. I think for now I will pursue the 1655 1:1 unless anyone knows if MBW ever made a case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 MBW did produce a 1675, but unlike the 1665 and 5513 cases they make, it is not quite as good. I think the 1655 from Jos is the best choice for this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I agree with Ubi...the Josh is the best one for a build for the simple fact that I didn't have a problem at all using gen-spec parts on the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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