Best way to acquire parts for franken build? (5508) Advice Needed

[vannav]

Hello All,

I'm a bit of a noob here, but have browsed a lot of the threads. I was mainly interested in building a close to spec vintage sub. I ended up going the route of "a well known seller in Arizona."

Here's the watch:

None of the parts are gen. I thought that I was going to be able to build a close franken part by part, but this takes a while and a lot of $$$

Is there a way to pick up gen movements and dials other than ebay? Also, I'm leaning toward putting it up in the sales forum (I need to purchase a VIP membership to list anything over 1500)

General advice, should I say in for the long haul and try to build a close to spec franken? I would really appreciate your thoughts and general advice. Thanks

 

[freddy333]

Welcome aboard.

Before embarking, you have to indicate your budget. Franken Subs start around a grand & can reach several grand, depending on how many gen parts your plans call for, how critical you are & who is doing the work. I would recommend that you begin by researching the Sub model (eg, 5513) you want to build. Visit some local vintage watch sellers & try some on, use their functions & familiarize yourself with their look & feel. Also, spend time perusing gen sites to download pics of the gen model you want. 1 of the problems with vintage Rolex are the vast number of variations within a single model range, which is the thing that confounds newbies & many long-time collectors. Pick up a good Rolex Sub book. There are many available that include lots of good, clear photos that you can learn details from. It is a good idea to have a good working knowledge of your model before you do anything. That will reduce the likelihood of costly mistakes.

Once you have a good idea of your goal, I would begin by sourcing a movement, dial & case, in that order, since the movement is generally the most costly & it will fit any gen spec dial/case. Keep in mind that most of the better aftermarket cases will cost a grand or more by themselves; same with the dial. & the final cost to build most frankengens tends to exceed the best pre-construction estimates. So be prepared for both sticker shock & the occasional setback (part that does not fit, movement that has unexpected problems, parts that do not match seller description, etc).

Good luck.

[vannav]

Thank you freddy333 for a salient response. I think I've kind of gotten waist deep in this area a bit too soon--I need to do a lot more research first and really get a good framework of what project I want to undertake. Hmm, I'll probably browse these forums a bit more. I may just end up putting this one on sale. I really do like the idea of putting a vintage piece together, but I'll need more time to source the right parts.

[alligoat]

I built a 5508 about 8 years ago, NDTrading case and dial, various other parts and a 1520 movement out of an Air King. While the 1530 would have been the correct movement, the 1520 worked fine. Only gen parts were the crystal and the 6mm crown, everything else was rep. As I recall, I spent around $2500 building this rep.

It's hard to source gen parts for a 5508- they're scarce and expensive. Now days I'm more inclined to go the less expensive route and avoid the Rolex movement and use a good swiss eta. Aging of the rep parts can make for a nice build and when you're in the $500 range, I find it just as satisfying.

This cartel 5513 was a fun little project- shaved the crown guards and filed down the case between the guards and installed a 702 case tube and crown. Drilled out the lugholes and now it's a nice little beater for $300. Movement is the dg2813 and it's doing fine. Of course it helps when you can do most of the work yourself- all of which I learned hanging around here and on the other rep forums.