TJGladeRaider Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I could use some guidance from some of you who have kept up with things better than I have. I have someone with an interest in an MBW Comex case set I got years ago with that fabulous rivet bracelet (still wrapped in plastic) they had, a replacement crystal and gen crowns. Anyone have any idea what something like this is worth these days? Since there never was any way to source this, I have no clue. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flex Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Does this one has functional hev? or, only etched hev.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hard to assign a worth to these things since their value is whatever the buyer is willing to pay. I recall that (all but the very earliest) MBW cases have an etched (as opposed to a working) Hev & their main claim to fame is the ability to accept gen crystals, crowns/tubes & movements (with some modding). I can tell you that I have given away (free) or thrown out those bracelets by the handful (they are rubbish - inaccurate & poorly made). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 I agree the MBW rivet bracelet it junk. The case set without the movement costs about $175 from MBW if i remember correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 I agree the MBW rivet bracelet it junk. The case set without the movement costs about $175 from MBW if i remember correctly. Costs? I never knew anyone to get them to sell a case set. Maybe things changed but they only agreed to let me have one because I bought so many MBWs and it took me forever to source. The He Valve is etched into the case. Since nobody is ever going to get a real, functional He Valve in a rep - kind of a silly notion if you consider what that's for, I'd rather know for sure it won't leak. I'll take every genuine MBW rivet bracelet anyone has available. Compared to the other rep versions I have seen, there is no comparison. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hard to assign a worth to these things since their value is whatever the buyer is willing to pay. I recall that the MBW cases have an etched (as opposed to a working) Hev & their main claim to fame is the ability to accept gen crystals, crowns/tubes & movements (with some modding). I can tell you that I have given away (free) or thrown out those bracelets by the handful (they are rubbish - inaccurate & poorly made). Hey Freddy, If you ever get another rivet bracelet from MBW, can I have it? I wouldn't have any of the junk on the other vintage reps out there, but the MBWs are completely different - night and day better in my view. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Yeah the MBW are solid link while the gen bracelet is hollow folded link. I agree the MBW probably is better quality. Just not correct thats all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 "Since nobody is ever going to get a real, functional He Valve in a rep..." I have a no date vintage submariner from 'Paul' at Abay from 6 or 7 years ago and it has a functioning He valve made similar to rolex spec. You can remove the crown, install the caseback, and pump low pressure air into the case through the case tube and the valve opens and air escapes. The problem is the watch is a replica and will leak from the crystal etc way before it could go deep enough to get puffed up with He. I tested it in a Bergeon tester and it went to 30 or 40psi a few times which is about 2 or 3 atm. I have mentioned this watch a few times before and the major problem is when delivered they do not have a proper crystal retaining bezel so one has to be made and installed, then the bezel must be machined to fit the crystal retainer. As delivered, they are not good for light rain. Maybe the He valve is really to let water out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Yeah the MBW are solid link while the gen bracelet is hollow folded link. I agree the MBW probably is better quality. Just not correct thats all. I certainly cannot fault your logic there. I have lots of folded link rivet bracelets here, but I MUCH prefer the MBW for quality, even if it isn't correct. Are we sure that ROLEX never made a solid link rivet - not questioning you, just wondering. The thing that boggles my mind is the fact that a prior poster has thrown so many of these MBW rivet bracelets away -- did you actually pause to think about that? Having been doing detective work for about thirty years, things that don't make sense tend to jump out at me and go round and round in my head til it sorts out. To throw them away one must first have them in one's possession, right? How would one acquire the genuine MBW rivet bracelet? I got mine by: 1) working through all the myth and mystery that prevailed years ago til I found a source that would actually come thru for me rather than rip me off (the horror stories are as various as numerous in the rep communities), 2) then I had to pay a lot of money (compared to the price of other reps), 3) I had to specify that I wanted the rivet bracelet on my watch (often having to wait til it was available) and then I had to hold my breath hoping that my investment didn't get lost or seized on the way. Folks who were involved in trying to get one of these MBWs back in the day will tell you what an ordeal it really was. Now, bear with me cuz we detectives jes nacherly go thru things step by step - you'd be amazed what falls out that way sometimes. Since it obviously would make no sense that anyone would actually special order a pile of MBW bracelets separately (even if there ever was such a source) at the outrageous cost just to throw them away, the guy who had a pile of them to throw away must have actually acquired a pile of MBWs first. I always thought, and I think most people on here thought, that I was the worlds worst perv for MBWs - but we all must have been wrong about that. I'm having a little trouble picturing the next part too. A guy willing to actually spend more money than I did on MBWs, finds a source, spends years acquiring a pile of MBWs, specifying rivet bracelets that he doesn't want, gets the watches, removes the bracelets, throws them away TO REPLACE THEM WITH A PILE OF WHAT? I cannot imagine anybody who'd replace an MBW bracelet of any kind with a Chinese bracelet - even if they thought it was better, since it would ruin the value of the watch for anyone wanting an original MBW. Now people do strange things - take me for example. I love the rivet bracelets for how they look, but I like to wear genuine stingray straps and I don't want to be changing stuff around all the time so I have a collection of strapped MBWs along with my other collection with bracelets. Alternatively, I suppose, one might replace the MBW bracelets with gens - if they had more money than God. Anyway, it's all a puzzle to me, but it is unfortunate because I really feel that the MBW rivet bracelet is a work of art. I never had one fall apart while I was wearing it which a lot of people have experienced with the ones from Chinese vintage reps. Also, and I know people are critical of this but I have my reasons, I like to wear a vintage when I go diving and I'm not taking a leather backed stingray strap in salt water - anyone have any idea how long a Chinese vintage rivet bracelet will stand salt water exposure? I can tell you - at one time, that's all I had. Bad, Bad, Bad idea. I'll segue into my reasons for a moment. I'm an "old school" Dive Master with more than 3000 hrs under water. I have never owned a wet suit and I don't use a modern BC. On any trip with new guys, I always bring my Royal Aqua-Master double hose regulator (reworked to stand contemporary pressures), the horse collar BC we had in the seventies (still available because they are used by law enforcement and SEALs), a plastic back pack, dive knife from 1970's, etc. In lieu of wet suit, I wear Levis and either a sweat shirt or tank top depending on water temperature - don't laugh, I PROMISE you that my Levis will last longer, and resist cuts and abrasion, better than any wet suit and I never saw anyone try to pull on Levis to have them come apart due to dry rot. In other words - a picture of me diving today would be me from 40 years ago - and the watch weirdness isn't an issue. My sole concession to modern day dive equipment is one real nice wrist computer - I've owned cars that cost less, so who needs any watch? A couple of years ago I was on a dive trip in the Tortugas on the Playmate - a dive charter boat I'd recommend to anyone. Expensive, but they cater to very small groups and have everything from private rooms to a real chef. I was on the stern next to a really nice young man I liked a lot - men my age rarely like teenagers but he was as clean cut as my own kids, and an all round nice kid to be couped up on a boat with for a week. That young man had every dive gizmo known to mankind and a huge tank compared to my little steel version. He had so many gadgets afixed to him, he looked like a Christmas tree. The Mate took one look at us sitting there next to each other, "Spartan Basics" vs "Joe Diver" and started screaming to hold everything - had to have a picture! Anyway, enough of that - back to the bracelets. If anyone actually has an MBW rivet bracelet they don't want, I love them, solid link issue or not. I've had my favorite Ziggied DRSD well over a 100 feet down in salt water, several times, and over several years - can anybody say they have actually done that without a problem with any Rolex rep? It may not be correct, but it damn sure isn't junk. If someone else actually has a pile of strapped MBWs, I'd love to see them. Here's my strapped MBWs. Ciao, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 $150 ? cheers, Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 $150 ? cheers, Frank For the LOT? You crazy . . . didn't you see those gen stingray bands! I'd have to have at least $200, and another $50 to cover the FedEx. I guess, for the sake of the new guy who has no clue, I should make it clear, JK. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 For the LOT? You crazy . . . didn't you see those gen stingray bands! I'd have to have at least $200, and another $50 to cover the FedEx. I guess, for the sake of the new guy who has no clue, I should make it clear, JK. Bill i mean §150 for the case set - this is my noobie opinion ... its just an unmodified MBW cases set ... and a bad bracelet ... u asked for an opinion .. and as i recall that's what was it was sold for ... don't know if you paid a few middle men like George, Maria, Luckyy, Kenzo or whatever they names where R.I.P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 I never knew anyone to get them to sell a case set. Maybe things changed but they only agreed to let me have one because I bought so many MBWs and it took me forever to source. Bill - Eurotimez was selling MBW cases before he went belly-up (or whatever it was that happened). I got a 5513 MBW from him for a friend a couple of years ago, which I believe cost around $200. No idea who, if anyone, may still be selling MBW cases? But I would be surprised if no one is. Since nobody is ever going to get a real, functional He Valve in a rep - kind of a silly notion if you consider what that's for, I'd rather know for sure it won't leak. Read this. I'll take every genuine MBW rivet bracelet anyone has available. Compared to the other rep versions I have seen, there is no comparison. Although it will not (easily) accept the correct 2mm dia springbars), this rep rivet is nearly an exact copy of my gens & light years beyond those MBW bracelets (Click the pic for the link) I have 1 of these on my 6536/1 Sub Hey Freddy, If you ever get another rivet bracelet from MBW, can I have it? Yes, but I have not purchased any reps in a couple of years, so it is not likely I will be getting any more. You might post a request in the Rolex or for sale forums as some of the more senior members may have 1 lying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woof* Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Freddy, how do you size the Yuki rivet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Freddy, how do you size the Yuki rivet? Ideally, you grind off the rivets, add/remove the required links to make the bracelet fit & install new rivets (I have no idea who, if anyone, sells the correct rivets these days). The alternative is to use a flat screwdriver/blade to unfold 2 links, add/remove the required links to make the bracelet fit & refold the original links. The problem with the alternative option is that it is very difficult to unfold/fold steel links without leaving the face of the links deformed. Fortunately, the clasp has sufficient adjustment available to fit my 7" wrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woof* Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Thanks Freddy, I have two rivets, a cheap generic eBay one that actually has screws, and a new one that came with my vintage milgauss. Since I posted the above, I took my new unsized one to a nearby jeweler and he had the rivets to do it. I won't get it back for a week but he's done work for me before and is very good. As for the single MBW rivet bracelet that I handled...I agree with you. ETA: The jeweler told me the rivets are the same ones he uses for watch bracelet clasps..so he was very familar with the operation..he showed me an assortment in a box he had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Sounds like you got lucky with a watchmaker who has the proper rivets. If you can, please see if the watchmaker can provide a source & part number for the rivets he uses. Oh & do not forget to post pics of the finished bracelet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woof* Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Will do Freddy! I just happened to have the bracelet on me when I picked up my gen 6251H jubilee that he repaired for me. His plastic box had a ton of different lengths and he used tweezers laying them out next to my bracelet checking sizes. The box looked to be a comercial labled assortment. I'll get that info next week when I pick it up and take pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 i mean §150 for the case set - this is my noobie opinion ... its just an unmodified MBW cases set ... and a bad bracelet ... u asked for an opinion .. and as i recall that's what was it was sold for ... don't know if you paid a few middle men like George, Maria, Luckyy, Kenzo or whatever they names where R.I.P Can't blame ya for trying. LOL If anybody ever bought this case set from MBW for $150, they should have bought them all. They didn't sell them, and why would they? Install an ETA that you can buy anywhere for next to nothing, and you have a watch people were begging for an opportunity to buy for serious money. I was probably the best customer they ever had, and I had to pay a lot for the set - if I could have bought them for $150, I'd have bought them all. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Bill - Eurotimez was selling MBW cases before he went belly-up (or whatever it was that happened). I got a 5513 MBW from him for a friend a couple of years ago, which I believe cost around $200. No idea who, if anyone, may still be selling MBW cases? But I would be surprised if no one is. Read this. Although it will not (easily) accept the correct 2mm dia springbars), this rep rivet is nearly an exact copy of my gens & light years beyond those MBW bracelets (Click the pic for the link) I have 1 of these on my 6536/1 Sub Yes, but I have not purchased any reps in a couple of years, so it is not likely I will be getting any more. You might post a request in the Rolex or for sale forums as some of the more senior members may have 1 lying around. Hey Freddy, That piece about the Helium Valve was fascinating - do you suppose any of the ones in any of the reps actually works? Still, people think I'm crazy for taking a rep diving at all, and I don't see anyone taking one to the kind of depths were He is an issue. What does that Yuki rivet bracelet cost? That looks like a fabulous piece but, correct or not, I'd hate to have to go thru that grind and replace drill to size the watch. It's nice to have screws - but once you got it sized correctly, it would be awesome to have a bracelet that was all riveted together. No reps in years? You married to a friend of my wife? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 That piece about the Helium Valve was fascinating - do you suppose any of the ones in any of the reps actually works? Yes, my 1st working Hev came from a cheap rep. Read this. What does that Yuki rivet bracelet cost? Pricing/details in the link I provided above (click it). No reps in years? You married to a friend of my wife? No (reps in years & I do not think I am married to your wife's friend), just spending all my effort on gens & gen-powered frankens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Yes, my 1st working Hev came from a cheap rep. Read this. Pricing/details in the link I provided above (click it). No (reps in years & I do not think I am married to your wife's friend), just spending all my effort on gens & gen-powered frankens. Hey Freddy, " . . . gens and gen powered frankens" - like plural? You must be an addict! My wife would . . . no, I ain't even going to speculate. That is a nice looking bracelet and it seems cheap for $148. Do you have to grind the rivets off and all that as you previously described to use it? Did you notice that all those Yuki cases come with no waterproof guarantee? The reps I tested, even the Chinese cheapos, were waterproof to 5ATM. What's up with that?! What kind of money do you think it would cost to build a really good gen powered DRSD? Not suicidal, just curious. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Can't blame ya for trying. LOL If anybody ever bought this case set from MBW for $150, they should have bought them all. They didn't sell them, and why would they? Install an ETA that you can buy anywhere for next to nothing, and you have a watch people were begging for an opportunity to buy for serious money. I was probably the best customer they ever had, and I had to pay a lot for the set - if I could have bought them for $150, I'd have bought them all. Bill i can fully understand why you where the best customer Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 " . . . gens and gen powered frankens" - like plural? You must be an addict! Was (an addict). With 1 exception (preferably in steel).............. .............my collection is pretty much complete. Noting the exception above, I have all of my grails - either gens or nearly gens (gen-powered frankens) - as well as a select handful of non-Rolex reps. That is a nice looking bracelet and it seems cheap for $148. Do you have to grind the rivets off and all that as you previously described to use it? Read this. Did you notice that all those Yuki cases come with no waterproof guarantee? The reps I tested, even the Chinese cheapos, were waterproof to 5ATM. What's up with that?! As always, take seller claims with a big chunk of salt & have your watch pressure-tested by a watchmaker if you want to take it into water (& be able to use it afterward). What kind of money do you think it would cost to build a really good gen powered DRSD? Not suicidal, just curious. All told, I think I spent a total of about $2,500 on my drsd (all gen except for dial, crystal & MBW mid-case) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praetor Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 (edited) Doesn't NDT sell a rolex moonphase? Edited April 8, 2011 by praetor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.