freddy333 Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 I just received the new MQ Newman dial & it is a virtual clone of the MQ dial in my '41, except for the colors being reversed. I was going to post a pic of the new dial in my '39, but, as usual, the chrono seconds hand (from Phong) is free-wheeling. So it is being epoxied & I will post a pic of the new dial in the assembled watch once the cement has fully cured (tomorrow). In the meantime, here is a teaser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 I can't wait to see it, congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quaresma7 Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 looks amazing Freddy, waiting for more pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 Can't wait! My same dial is with The Zigmeister at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 wow freddy, how many VJ72s have you got stashed aside?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 I had alot of trouble getting this dial installed (not the fault of the dial), so I may be re-doing a few details, but here is the new dial next to its brother (also from MQ)(fyi - I transpanted a gen crown onto the '41 dial & the crown on the '39 is MQ's original aftermarket crown - they look almost identical) a shot of the old dial for comparison & a gen for comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Fantastic! Much better than the old dial did you swap the coronet or is that how it came? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 I had planned to transplant a gen coronet onto the new dial, but the 1 on the dial looks nearly like the gen, so it is not worth the risk involved to swap them. What you cannot see in the pic is the surface texture of MQ's dials, which are very close to early gens like the example in the pic above. I have not seen any other aftermarket Newmans that have this texture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roliroli Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Hi Freddy, looks good, could you post some close-up to see the texture and three-dimensionality of the dial? I still have that crappy minh-dial on my PN, which is completely flat printed... Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Hi Freddy, looks good, could you post some close-up to see the texture and three-dimensionality of the dial? It is difficult to photograph the texture, but this should give you a general idea When I have more time, I will take some pics with my DSLR, which has better resolving capability to highlight the texture a bit more. Like all aftermarkets, there is minimal depth to the subdials & MQ supplements what there is, cleverly, by shading the paint around the inner circumference of each subdial. It is more easily seen (by eye) on the black dial, but keep in mind that many gens are nearly as flat. Empirically, I have noticed that later dials have deeper subdials than earlier dials. The early dials have that nice texture, while the later dials have a more 3-d appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Looks great! I can't wait to get mine back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omgiv Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 That looks beautiful Freddy!!!! I love your 41. If you don't mind, I might PM you to ask you some questions about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Freddy, you've done it again!!! Beautiful dial, and a beautiful watch. I'm not a huge Daytona fan, just have a hard time with the manual wind,no date, but that aside,it is a beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Here is a pic from my DSLR, which gives you a more accurate view of the terrain. As you can see, the texture looks very much like the early gen dials If you look closely, you can see how thick the paint is on the subdial characters (like the gens). Look at the 10 in the minute totalizer & the square at the end of the line opposite the 10. Compare this to any Newmans from Phong or NDT. Pretty impressive, considering what we are used to from aftermarket dials. Finally, an aftermarket factory that actually does use 'special paint'. As always, not quite perfect, but this would definitely fool me if viewed from my benchmark threshold of authenticity - with the naked eye from an arm's length away. Remove the serifs on COSMOGRAP (the H is the only serifed letter) & we might soon be venturing into Texas territory lads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmj Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Wow! its simply stunning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Hope you don't mind I zoomed in for you, wow, looks amazing. The texture is phenomenal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 For full disclosure, I should mention that, since this is an Asian-made creation, it arrived in a terrible state. There were small dots of 'goop' in several places on the dial & the 11 hour markers were covered in so much muck & debris that they absorbed more light than they reflected. I spent about an hour with rodico & a Q-tip to get them to look like a couple of gens I used as models (very few 40+ year old dials are 100% pristine with perfectly clear/sparkly mirror markers on them), so I think this is an acceptable level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Hope you don't mind I zoomed in for you, wow, looks amazing. The texture is phenomenal Yes, that is what I was referring to in my pre-purchase posts & I still cannot really justify the ridiculous price MQ charges for these things. But, even if the rest of the dial was no different than the dial it replaced, I would have had to get it for the texture alone. This sets a new standard in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 "since this is an Asian-made creation, it arrived in a terrible state" I'm shocked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 During install, I scraped a bit of paint off in a couple spots around the perimeter. I have been feeling sick about it all evening. But now that I see it up close, it actually makes the watch look genuinely older. Similar to how the cracks in JoeyB's plastic insert give my '42 a shade more authenticity, I am now glad they are there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Dials like this one are going to give the genuine Rolex collectors a bad,bad case of indigestion!! It's sort of unfortunate in a way, because while we on this forum are trying to build the "perfect" watch for our own satisfaction and pleasure, I'm sure that there are a fair number of not so scrupulous folks out there who are salivating over the prospects of building a Daytona like yours for say 5-10k and then reselling it for 25k. If it's difficult for you to tell the difference between a genuine and the one on your wrist, think about the guy who has some cash to burn and see's one on Ebay for 20k with 30 minutes to go and 10 bids!! Ebay buyer beware!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Very true, but this is nothing new. The unscrupulous have been ripping buyers off with frankens-sold-as-gens for as long as I can remember. This dial ,& other aftermarket parts that raise the bar, simply make it a bit easier & broaden the buyer gene pool. But a good, clear macro of the dial & its sins are revealed. Anyone who buys a watch like this based on dark, de-focused or distant pics, regardless of the story that accompanies them, is a fool. & you know what they say about a fool & his money................ Anyone care to wager how long it will be before 1 of the members here post my watch on some of the gen sites with the usual rants & raves about reps & frankens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 "Anyone care to wager how long it will be before 1 of the members here post my watch on some of the gen sites with the usual rants & raves about reps & frankens?" Does that happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 You are kidding, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 No, I guess I'm a bit ignorant when It comes to those things I didn't know they kept tabs on the rep world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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