16800, a little info thread

[QueTip]

The 16800

I've been thinking about this for quite a while yet and thought I would do a little tutorial on 16800 builds as the one I did on the Bluesy builds. 
Since there are NO reps of that model, you HAVE to build it to have it. 

So first things first.. The 16800

Basically it is the model between the 1680 and the 16610 (168000 actually but are we counting this??) 

It is a pretty unpopular Rolex in collectors eyes so far but I am totally positive that will change drastically over time with the rarity of the Pallettoni dials and the special spider dials that are popping up in those pieces, there most likely is a great potential in those pieces. 

 

Improvements compared to the 1680:

- Saphire Crystal -> no more acrylic
- Rolex Cal 3035 -> no more 1570/5 (-> added QuickSet function and now high beat)
- Unidirectional rotating bezel
- Waterproof to a depth of 300m -> 200m on the 1680
- New crown - 703 (trip lock) -> 700 on the 1680
- 93150 Bracelet with 593 end links -> 7206 or 9315 on the 1680 with 580 end links

Now let's get to the building. 

Of course you will want a decent case as a base for your build. I also have to say this is probably one of the hardest tasks in repdom. 
Find a correct case...

There are not many to choose... 

Only ones I know about that are usable are: 

- 3035 ST case (old and super rare) 
- Phong 16800 case ($$$) 

Sure you could use a TC case too but that wouldn't have a shallow rehaut and just be incorrect, also you will have to drill lug holes. It's up to you to decide if you can live with that flaw or not. Imho it's not too much of a biggie but I would still hunt for a correct case.

Once you have a case, move on with the sourcing of a crystal, crown and tube. 
I personally would go gen on all of those. 

- nonAR 295c sapphire crystal
- 703 crown and tube

After that, I would go with the decision of the bezel assembly and the bezel ring. 

Your choices are: 

- Genuine
- Phong
- ST
- TC (if you go TC case)

Bezel insert HAS to be gen imho so there goes that. 

 

Now we have almost everything except for movement, bracelet, hands and dial eh? Yeah exactly. 

Now it is yours to choose if you want to go matte dial (Pallettoni) or gloss dial (with WG surrounds)

Special dials would be the Spider dials (also $$$ if proper one)

Spider dial: 

 

The matte dials are pretty expensive to buy if you can even find them in an acceptable condition. They are really hard to come by. 

The gloss ones although are out there like sand on the beach, you can find them literally everywhere and also score pretty good deals on them

 

To be periodic correct there are several Marks for the dials.. 

Matte dials: 

Mk1: 

Mk2:

Rare dial, can usually be found on watches with serial numbers from 6.1 to 8.5 mil ('84-'85)
The hyphen in the wording 'Swiss - T<25' is perfectly centered with the '6 Marker whilst on the Mk1 it was placed more on the right. 
Also in the depth indication the tail of the letter 'f' almost touches the tip of the letter V in 'SUPERLATIVE'.

Mk3:

Even rarer dial than mk2
The two hyphens of the '=' in the depth indication are staggered - not aligned to each other

Mk4: 

Now the Mk4 is a special dial since it is a dial that was around at the early serials. 
It is unique for the font of the 'ft' and the inclination. 

Gloss dials: 

Mk1: 

Mk2: 

I think the difference between gloss Mk1 and Mk2 are obvious, so I will not get into them now. 

 Bicchierini Dial

the Beyeler dials with WG surrounds that came out in '84 and lasted for a year or two. These dials would have the same printed font as the matte dials and were supposedly gloss dials but a lot of them have lost their gloss over time. This is a Beyeler dial- circa 84-85.

(taken from alli, thanks, I forgot it) 

If you have found a dial you like, go and buy a hands set, you should use:

- genuine
- TC LN v2

and age them to match the Patina of your dial. 

When it comes to the movement, the question is all about your wallet.

You can go: 

- genuine cal. 3035
- ETA

Now last but not least, we're having the bracelet.. 

For that you can choose between those:

- genuine 93150
- PT 93150
- anything else aftermarket 

However I would suggest at least getting a genuine clasp for it. 
Please also keep the dating of the clasp code in mind so that it mates up with the rest of your build specs. 

After you have sourced all of those parts, send them out to the watchmaker of your choice and have him build the 16800. 

 

Happy building! 

 

 

 

 

I hope this can be of use for you guys, I thought why not post it here too since I had it on RWI.  

There's another one of the 16613 Bluesy ready if it is wanted. 

[Sogeha]

Thank you, these how to tutorials are really great. I would agree that it is only a matter of time before the Matt dial 16800 start to rise in value. 

[Blindpirat]

Great post!


Sent from Hell

[QueTip]

18 minutes ago, Sogeha said:

I would agree that it is only a matter of time before the Matt dial 16800 start to rise in value. 

They already did. Slightly in a full watch but in parts it's horrid! I paid about 1200 for mine when I built my 16800 and that was about 1/2 year ago. They are becoming super rare to score in great condition. 

I may have to add, the one I bought was MINT, perfectly patina'd and spotless. 

[Sogeha]

Given that a Phong case is 1450 plus 1200 for a dial and then all the other bits. Would you say that at the moment it might be better to stretch to a gen and watch it's value rise?

[QueTip]

2 minutes ago, Sogeha said:

Would you say that at the moment it might be better to stretch to a gen and watch it's value rise?

Tbh, that depends.. If you're looking at it from the value and investing side, it sure as hell is a great time to buy a gen. On the other hand, if you want to save a few bucks on the way getting it, you're totally good with building one too. It's just all about what you're ready to load off for the watch.  

 

In rough calculation you can end up with a pretty decent build at these costs..

Case - 1450

Dial - 1200

Movement - 350-400

Hands - 50

Insert - 100

Bracelet - 200 

Crown - 100 

Crystal - 100

 

All in on the parts side now is about 3600 excluding the cost to have it built. That still is about half of a gen so yeah.. 

 

Personally I appreciate a decent build a lot more than any gen of that model. I just can't get the same connection to a gen than to a watch that I built and handpicked the parts for to have it all match up correctly. That alone is worth more than a gen in my opinion. 

[username here]

Movement- you could also use a yuki 3135. it will fit into an ST 3035 case. 

[Sogeha]

7 hours ago, QueTip said:

Personally I appreciate a decent build a lot more than any gen of that model. I just can't get the same connection to a gen than to a watch that I built and handpicked the parts for to have it all match up correctly. That alone is worth more than a gen in my opinion. 

Thank you for your comprehensive answer. The last paragraph is particularly true for many of us here I think

[QueTip]

7 hours ago, username here said:

Movement- you could also use a yuki 3135. it will fit into an ST 3035 case. 

Yeah, it will be rather hard to find the open 6 3135 dw though and it'll have incorrect crown operations for the era. 

Later isn't the biggie but the dw is. No brainer investing in a yuki and still using a DWO if you ask me..