panerai153 Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Before you buy a dial, I would have the watch in hand. Different. Cases take different size dials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 i have a RED dial i received from my dial printer that i was test driving in my prototype 1680 case. my dials are made with feet for ETA, so you do NOT have to clip the feet, "singer" engraved plate. dial is brand new factory direct. i figure i should start recouping some costs to move my case projects forward faster let me know if its your taste in red. Ignore the date wheel print, its a faux date wheel to check the cyrstal mag size 26mm dial? if so it would fit into a puretime 1680 2846 beat rep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woof* Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I want a dial like that for sure, i dont have any other parts for the 1680 but i would purchase a dial like that and then build a watch around it! That is almost how I always do it..find a dial and then start amassing parts S: Let me know asap when the 5514's are ready! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 "for a 1680 i dont think there is a better dial than a white MBW dial" Agree on the MBW white dial. "for a red then a yuki maybe is the best but i think an expert will spot it as if they are an expert then they will know the red sub" Agree again and Higho's red dial looks real good too. Got a Yuki 5512 dial last week that looks very good although the paint lays flat. The markers are good. 'Flat paint' is fine but many genuine dials have paint that 'stands up' because the paint used on the pad printer tended to stand up rather than lay flat. From my little bit of greenhorn experience in genspec reproduction dials: The best 5513 dial I have seen up close was from IG44. Paint was bright, crisp, and stood up. Had slight serifs at luminous marker tips like many genuine dials...similar to eBay item number 180945690584. 1655 dials are hit or miss. Usually miss. One thing in their favor is all the rough genuine dials you see today on $15k 1655 watches. Some good 1016 dials. Some bad. I have one good example with smaller 3-6-9 like earlier dials but do not know where it came from. Here is a pic of a genuine early 1016: http://www.secondtimearoundwatchco.com/watches-for-sale/rolex/explorer-i/6257 Reality knocks... Otoh, I have a few no date 'COMEX' etc dials that I bought from 'Paul' about 10 years ago for $10 (ten!) each that are pretty good too. Now i'm all revved up to get one running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alberto.86 Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPTony Posted October 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 (edited) OK guys, finally i have the watch in my hands so i have dismantle it to see what is inside. This is the case, the movement and the dial (29mm). I'd really appreciate it if you can help me to understand which case is it and which movement also. So the real questions are: - would a clark crystal 127 and a clark tube fit? - would a gen crown be good for it? - can the yuki dial be placed in this case? the one you can see at the moment measures 29mm Edited October 14, 2012 by CPTony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted October 14, 2012 Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 The case isn't one of the old MBW's as they all had Rolex between the lugs misspelled "polex". If you look at the movement the number should be stamped on the top. You may have to spin the rotor around to see the number. All ETA 2846 movements are stamped. Not sure about the markings on the Chinese 21j movements. Looking at your first movement photo, I see numbers right below the edge of the rotor. looks like 2846, but can't tell for sure. If it's slow beat, that's probably the movement, otherwise probably a 2836 (Fast beat). At any rate if it is a 2846, factor in a movement service, as they are all old movements, and my experience they all suffer from D&D (Dry and dirty). A good service while it's apart will save you headaches in the not too distant future. Now that you have the dial out, you can measure it and find a replacement that is the exact size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted October 14, 2012 Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 The movement is an a21j design. And that is not an mbw. Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPTony Posted October 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 The movement is an a21j design. And that is not an mbw. Sorry yes, this is a 21j.. the thing is that I have just bought a clark crystal, a clark tube with gaskets and a gen crown...I assumed these parts would have fitted anyway... although a yuki would have been nicer, I can make the dial "vintage" by myself, any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted October 14, 2012 Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 I would work on the dial you have. A yuki is made for a 1570 movement, and you would have to cut the dial feet off to make it work. One of the biggest problems facing modders of the 1680, is how much do you want to spend? A white dial 1680 can still be found in reasonable shape for around 5-6k a nice Red sub around 8-9k, so when you start modding a watch that is not incredibly expensive, yopu have to be careful that you don't end up with a rep that's over half or more the price of a genuine. My rule of thumb is not to spend more than 20% of what a genuine in comperable condition would cost, so if you are building a red sub, at 8k, you could afford to spend up to around 1600.00 USD and still be OK. Where the price goes out the roof is when you replace the movement (25.00 USD 21j for a 1500.00 USD 1570!!) So having gotten my sermon out the way, here is what i would do. 1. Get the dial and hands relumed with a good vintage lume job 2. replace the insert with an aged genuine as well as a tritium pearl. 3. Tropic 127 crystal (genuine) 4. Genuine crown/ tube (Good relacement tubes are cheaper than genuine and work as well). 5. If I were replacing the dial, I would find the best white letter dial, as they are more belivable than reds which are much rarer. I just saw 2 genuine 1680 white dials in excellent condition for 600.00 USD each. Of course red dials are way more expensive, saw one of those over there too, wanted a cool 3800.00USD for the dial! 6. Good bracelet/clasp and 580 end links. Not necressary to be genuine, but good reps. 7. Movement service Good luck. The 1680 is an iconic watch, and one that should be in every vintage Rolex collectors collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted October 14, 2012 Report Share Posted October 14, 2012 Personaly looking at the case construction I would save my penny's and use this as a learning tool and if you really want a good 1680 then find an mbw or wait until HH has his case sets ready rather than spend money on what will be in the end (I you want a good modded 1680) something you wi never be truly happy with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 26mm dial? if so it would fit into a puretime 1680 2846 beat rep. 26.5mm like the gen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ephry73 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 I found a lovely 1680 red dial that I may use in a build. HH talk to me about your cases and dials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 Personaly looking at the case construction I would save my penny's and use this as a learning tool and if you really want a good 1680 then find an mbw or wait until HH has his case sets ready rather than spend money on what will be in the end (I you want a good modded 1680) something you wi never be truly happy with. +1 This is the cheap old CN 1680- no telling how long the a21j movement will run, dial is too big at 29mm so you can't replace it w/ a better dial which would be 26.5mm. You could find a better pearl for the insert, age the dial and the case and wear it til it craps out, but moving on is really your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 I agree move on and chalk it up to experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devus Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 If in doubt - just make a snowflake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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