dbane883 Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 When it comes to sourcing NOS vintage tropic superdomes for subs/sea dwellers, the toughest ones to find are the T19, T17, and the T39 (in that order). There are the occasional posts in VRF and on eBay that claim that the crystal for sale is genuine. With so many good aftermarket crystals, how can you tell its gen or not? Even the so-called "experts" are fooled routinely. Well, as I worked on a big crown build for lionsandtigers, I discovered something that might be helpful. As you may already know, the crystals are/were made in layers... Some of the cheap rep crystals are made in a single layer. Occasionally, you can see the concentric rings under the base of the sidewalls. But this can be difficult to see. But if you hold the crystal with the sunlight hitting it at an oblique angle, it's possible to see the layers as such: This in and of itself may not be a tell that it's genuine. If there are no rings, then I would avoid it for sure. But some reps, like the CWP T19, also show these rings. So what I discovered yesterday was that all gen superdomes distort around the outer areas that stretches outward. Looking at text while holding the lens can display the distortion I'm talking about like this (in this case a gen T17): But I tested this with a few rep superdomes I had lying around. The result was completely different. While the dome profile may be perfect, the distortion is way off on the edges. Text seems to curl around in a toroidal fashion creating two assymetric rings of text on either side of the crystal. Here's a T19 from Michael a Young at CWP, arguably the most popular aftermarket tropic superdome: Note how the text goes circular on either side; something that does not occur on gen superdomes. I tried this with a known gen T19 and T39 superdomes with similar results. While this may not definitive, the absence of the visible acrylic layers and/or presence of circular text distortion are probably signs that you just bought a fake crystal that's worth no more than $20. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Very nice! Here's another discussion we had a few years ago about rep vs gen crystals: http://www.rwg.cc/topic/122555-identify-this-t19/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 And another, the original: http://www.rwg.cc/topic/2261-tropic-39s-comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane883 Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Ok. Well I guess I'm a bit late to the crystal party! Sorry, I can't give back your 5 mins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 No worries my friend! I will admit my ignorance to the world here, I didn't know gen crystals were made up of layers. And that explains the layers I see in my gen t-17! Keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droptopman Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 Interesting, the clarity is quite noticeable between the two as well. Thanks for the information. I can definitely see the rings on my 16750 plexi in the sunlight. Sent from my droptop using telepathy ️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlf Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I can't seem to find a gen t19 that's in my budget, would the CWP one be around $100 and is it worth it in you're opinion ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam007 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hey I want my 5 minutes back..... Prepping the DeLorean... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam007 Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I can't seem to find a gen t19 that's in my budget, would the CWP one be around $100 and is it worth it in you're opinion ? Thanks I bought my Gen T19 Service Cystal for $99 from my watchmaker. If you need one, I can ask him if he has more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 On June 25, 2015 at 9:32 AM, Dlf said: I can't seem to find a gen t19 that's in my budget, would the CWP one be around $100 and is it worth it in you're opinion ? Thanks The question is, do you want the flatter "service" crystal or the vintage dome? I smashed the gen Superdome 39 on the Frosty Flake and had to find a replacement. I tried the MY domed T19 and it's really nice. The profile isn't quite right, it's a little flat at the zenith. The distortions are a little too "ringed" around the perimeter too, but it's very clear and sparkly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane883 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 The CWP T19 is about $70 plus shipping... Its a superdome profile and the best aftermarket one that I have seen or used. Definitely worth the money. A gen service crystal does not have the same profile, but great if the single radius profile is what you prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlf Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 It's going on my pcg build, I like the flat look personally as most aftermarket I've bought are too round on the edges for my taste, but still can't decide which would look better as Its a really old sub refrence, maybe the CWP would be the best choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Here's how it looks on the Frosty Flake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlf Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Looks great Nanuq I like the middle distortion looks very gen ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlf Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Also Did anyone try the Yuki t19? Couldn't find any feedback on it . Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I tried to get a pic of the distortion for you on my Clark's T19. Straight on there is no distortion. Angled you can see the distortion around the perimeter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kime Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Thanks for this info, we can't have enough references duplicated or not. Please don't refrain from posting becuase there might be a historical post, every new view point is a valid one !!! One thing that I feel is confusing currently is the repeated reference as Michael Young as CWP. Why is this? If we look at his web site it clearly states CLASSIC WATCH REPAIR. where as Clarks routinely refers to himself as CLARKS WATCH PARTS which is also routinely abbreviated to CWP. So when we have a post that includes references to Michael Young and Clarks at the same time it is hugely confusing. Can we agree to reference Michael Young as CWR or am I missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogladio Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 One thing that I feel is confusing currently is the repeated reference as Michael Young as CWP. Why is this? If we look at his web site it clearly states CLASSIC WATCH REPAIR. where as Clarks routinely refers to himself as CLARKS WATCH PARTS which is also routinely abbreviated to CWP. So when we have a post that includes references to Michael Young and Clarks at the same time it is hugely confusing. Can we agree to reference Michael Young as CWR or am I missing something? From their webpage: "Classic Watch Repair is the latest venture of www.classicwatchparts.com " So CWP has been around since the old days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Thanks for this info, we can't have enough references duplicated or not. Please don't refrain from posting becuase there might be a historical post, every new view point is a valid one !!! One thing that I feel is confusing currently is the repeated reference as Michael Young as CWP. Why is this? If we look at his web site it clearly states CLASSIC WATCH REPAIR. where as Clarks routinely refers to himself as CLARKS WATCH PARTS which is also routinely abbreviated to CWP. So when we have a post that includes references to Michael Young and Clarks at the same time it is hugely confusing. Can we agree to reference Michael Young as CWR or am I missing something? In dbane's opening post he writes "Here's a T19 from Michael a Young at CWP". To my recollection, 'Michael Young', 'Classic Watch Parts' and 'CWP' have always been synonymous, meant the same source. I don't think I've ever read anyone here refer to Clark's as anything but 'Clark's' or the man himself, Gary Clark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 27, 2015 Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Michael Young, aka CWP, is also sometimes known as MY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 I've tried both the MY and Clarks versions of the T19 on Cartel 5513s. The Clarks makes the rehaut look too large/wide imho. If you're looking for a rep T19 Superdome, MY is the best choice. If you're looking for a flatter profile go for the gen T19 service crystal. 5513 with Clarks T19: Same 5513 with MY T19 .... 1665 with MY T39 ... and a 5513 with a gen T19 service crystal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 Agreed. Clark's parts have always been referenced as Clark since I've been on the forums, and I first started reading in summer of 2008. I've never once seen him referred to anything other than his name. Michael Young is always MY or CWP even on the gen boards. He's rep friendly but serves the gen community. I don't find it confusing at all. He runs two businesses. Classic Watch Repair is his service and repair business, and Classic Watch Parts is his parts business. Pretty easy to tell the difference, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kime Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 From their webpage: "Classic Watch Repair is the latest venture of www.classicwatchparts.com " So CWP has been around since the old days. Ok well this explains a lot... fair enough... so as long as Clarks is never referred to as CWP we have no issues :-) lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlf Posted June 28, 2015 Report Share Posted June 28, 2015 I feel we need a T19 comparison next 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 After the MY crystal split around the rehaut a couple of times a few weeks after being installed on two occasions. I decided to replace it with a used gen T19 service crystal. Maybe the plastic used in the MY production is too brittle. The retaining ring wasn't overly tight, only requiring gentle pressure to hold the crystal in place. Anyhow, here's the 5513 with the gen T19 service crystal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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