Rolex 1680 - Gen vs. Rep Comparison

[LifeTrekker]

The 703 crown is ok for a 1680- it's what Rolex would use in a service if they replaced the crown- they'd also replace the tube since a 703 crown won't fit on a 702 tube. The 703 crown and tube came out in the early 80s. You can tell the 703 assembly by the tube- it has a gasket on the outside of the tube at the base of the case. Your 703 looks like a 'tall crown' which is the old style of 703 crown. The newer crowns are shorter. Also, there's the 704 which is all ss and not wrapped like the 703s. 

Awesome info! Thanks for sharing!

 

So the 703 is not exactly right for my watch, but it's not exactly wrong either. I guess it just depends on the effect someone is trying to create. Gen, never serviced = 702 crown, while gen, serviced = 703 crown.

 

Again, thanks for sharing. I'm learning something new every day.

 

 

 

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"Also, there's the 704 which is all ss and not wrapped like the 703s."
 
A few years back, I bought a couple hundred used rlx crowns aka 'take offs' and there were a few 704 types in the mix making the 704 older than I thought.  Most of what I got in the mix were 530-8 with maybe a couple dozen 600-8 gold.  All except three or four 704-0 were wrapped/capped crowns.
Wonder when the 704 types came out?  I could not find the date when I bought them and they were probably 3 to 5 years old when I got them.
 
Prices fyi:
I have some nos 703-0 crowns that I bought in the early to mid 1990s when parts were still available from supply houses.  All the nos crowns I have from back then are the type with crimped caps. 
The 702-0 and 703-0 were $35 each back then.  I did not buy any 702-0, should have loaded up on them. 
Steel 5.3 and 6.0 were $20, gold 5.3 and 6.0 were $35, 703-8 gold were $75.
A set of 3 hands was $23, a set of 4 GMT hands was $30.50. 
A full set of screws for any automatic caliber was $25. 
Tropic acrylic crystals were $15.50, cyclops $17.50. 
One reverser complete $25.
Spring bars $2.50 each.
 
It's too bad my time machine went to Woodstock and never came back.
Have not heard from Max Yasgur in a while either...

You could be making a fortune right now just selling parts if you had just known what parts to stock up on.

Oh, imagine what we could do if we had a time machine.

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[automatico]

"You could be making a fortune right now just selling parts if you had just known what parts to stock up on."

 

For sure.  I kept mostly 1530 base movements and parts...1520/1570/1575.  The nos crowns I have would be good for someone wanting to restore an older watch to 'original condition ' without using a modern 'monobloc' crown.

 

"So the 703 is not exactly right for my watch, but it's not exactly wrong either. I guess it just depends on the effect someone is trying to create. Gen, never serviced = 702 crown, while gen, serviced = 703 crown."

 

The price list I got the prices from is dated November 1995 and it was good through 1998 or so.  It has 702-0 crowns listed so watches serviced years later could have new 702-0 crowns installed if someone kept some of them.  The 7020 case tubes were $17.50 and 7030 case tubes were $22.50 on the list.  Still have a nos 'Pepsi' 1675/16750 bezel insert from back then and it has $30 written on the envelope but do not remember if that is the buying price or selling price.  I had two inserts, black and Pepsi, I put the black one on a 1675 I had at the time.  I paid $325 for the 1675 GMT, it needed a balance staff (pack of 3 for $18). 

 

The price list was from a watch parts supply house, not RWC so the parts cost less to the supply house, probably 25% to 40% less.