cal. 1530 5513 questions

[drury]

Dear RWG,

 

it's been a while since I posted here but I am tempted to have a go at a build these days. I have at my disposal a decent cal. 1530 from a non-chronometer Air King, early 60s.

 

Would it be feasible for some of the last non-chrono 1530s to end up in early 5513's?

 

Ruby is selling a 5513 vietnam case stamped III.64, which might just make the cut for realistically housing a 1530.

 

If this sounds like a reasonable proposition, I was intending to add

- gen SL Service Dial (these seem to be obtainable some cracked, some not)

- gen SL Service Hands

- gen SL Service Insert

 

Which crown and stem would be appropriate for this build? Is a gen tropic a "must"?

 

Nowadays, is there a reliable EU modder on this board who could do some case work and assemble everything?

 

Sorry for all the questions, if this is a feasible build and people have some parts they'd like to sell, please get in touch.

 

Thanks!

drury

[automatico]

I have a copy of an 'official' rlx service and parts manual and it shows the 5513 to have either a 1530 or 1520 movement.

According to the same book, the 1530 was 'officially' introduced in 1957 and the 1520 in 1963. 

 

As an example, I have a 5501 tutone AK with a 1530 and it is stamped III-62 inside the case back so a 5513 made in III-64 should be Ok with a 1530.  Your AK probably has the date in the case back too.

I do not put much stock in movements matching case numbers in the 1960s because I have seen a lot of what is according to today's 'rolexperts' to be 'put togethers' but are in reality, more than likely original. 

(I have hot dog wrappers blowing around in my shop older than many of the new batch of internet know-it-all 'rolexperts')

 

Another example of this is a 1959 1010 OP that I have with a no hack 1570.  Not a swapped out movement afaik because I have owned it for 27 years and bought it from a guy who had owned it for years...he said it was his 'deer hunting' watch.  "Dear' hunting maybe.

I called rlx HQ in NYC when I had connections in the 1990s (before they went crazy) and asked a fellow that worked there who was familiar with these watches about mine having a 1570 in a 1959+/- case.  He said this Bombé lug style watch was mostly used for 'A&I' watches (awards and incentives) and the production was very low so the factory had cases made in batches and put dials/movements in them when needed.  He had one too but I can not remember the case serial number period or movement calibre.  The parts book shows them to have a 1560 or 1570 but I have seen a couple with a 1530 so who knows for sure?  Not me.

The 1570 was 'officially' introduced in 1965 according to the parts book.

 

When I stick one of these 55xx/1680 projects together, they are never 'period correct' as far as crowns, crystals, bezel inserts etc are concerned, I just use what I have.  No applied marker dials on 1960s/early 1970s models or anything that far off but otherwise just close enough not to be an embarrassment...this rule is for 'Frankensteins' only.  Outright turkey buzzard replica projects can get by with being an embarrassment as far as I am concerned, mainly because I have quite a few.  

 

I don't look ahead very far but it is possible that in a few years a watch like you are planning may be accepted as 'genuine' because with 3 or 5 years of wear the average 'rolexpert' can not tell one way or the other.  Besides that, if demand is still strong the best Frankenstein examples will be 'allowed' to qualify for genuine status because of...you guessed it!...Supply and Demand.

Looks like some of the rolexperts are already witnessing this phenomenon.  I do not know whether to      or  

[drury]

Thanks for the reply! That's pretty much what I thought, I reckon Rolex couldn't care less back then and just used whatever they had in stock ...

 

I did actually find a 1964 with a 1530 ticking away inside: https://www.europeanwatch.com/30374.html

 

Now, seeing that ... a gilt dialled 5513 would be rather nice as well. Still making my mind up. I do like the Ruby case, so will probably go down that route.

 

Is anyone familiar with MinhQ's 5513 gilt dials? ( http://vintagewatchesmq.com/minhquy/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1620&category_id=146&keyword=5513+gilt&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1 )

Are they worth the investment or is there something better out there these days?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[hologramet]

Search.. There are a lot of build logs/threads about your exact questions.

[alligoat]

I don't know if there's anything better than a MQ gilt 5513 dial, but I have read that MQ can be tough to deal with- that came from Jackflash. After MQ there's Ruby who might be a little slow to respond these days and Phong who is ok to deal with but might be a little more expensive.  

[Champagnesky]

On 6/8/2019 at 2:32 PM, drury said:

Dear RWG,

 

it's been a while since I posted here but I am tempted to have a go at a build these days. I have at my disposal a decent cal. 1530 from a non-chronometer Air King, early 60s.

 

Would it be feasible for some of the last non-chrono 1530s to end up in early 5513's?

 

Ruby is selling a 5513 vietnam case stamped III.64, which might just make the cut for realistically housing a 1530.

 

If this sounds like a reasonable proposition, I was intending to add

- gen SL Service Dial (these seem to be obtainable some cracked, some not)

- gen SL Service Hands

- gen SL Service Insert

 

Which crown and stem would be appropriate for this build? Is a gen tropic a "must"?

 

Nowadays, is there a reliable EU modder on this board who could do some case work and assemble everything?

 

Sorry for all the questions, if this is a feasible build and people have some parts they'd like to sell, please get in touch.

 

Thanks!

drury

I have one exactly the same build coming up, 64 ruby case, 700 crown etc...I would recommend to get the service dial, save some money and later get a genuine dial. Feet first or meter first, the gilts are crazy expensive. 

[hologramet]

On 6/8/2019 at 2:32 PM, drury said:

Dear RWG,

 

it's been a while since I posted here but I am tempted to have a go at a build these days. I have at my disposal a decent cal. 1530 from a non-chronometer Air King, early 60s.

 

Would it be feasible for some of the last non-chrono 1530s to end up in early 5513's?

 

Ruby is selling a 5513 vietnam case stamped III.64, which might just make the cut for realistically housing a 1530.

 

If this sounds like a reasonable proposition, I was intending to add

- gen SL Service Dial (these seem to be obtainable some cracked, some not)

- gen SL Service Hands

- gen SL Service Insert

 

Which crown and stem would be appropriate for this build? Is a gen tropic a "must"?

 

Nowadays, is there a reliable EU modder on this board who could do some case work and assemble everything?

 

Sorry for all the questions, if this is a feasible build and people have some parts they'd like to sell, please get in touch.

 

Thanks!

drury

 

P.S. Using a 1530 over a 1520 is a very wise choice. 1530 is the best 15XX movement there is. 1520 was actually a simplified/cheaper 1530.

https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-caliber-15201530/