Birth year 16750 build

[sneed12]

Posted on the other forum, but figured I'd share here also.

<February>

So years ago I built a 16710 with an ETA CHS movement:

https://www.repgeek.com/rolex/172833-chs-noob-gen-bezel-construction-16710-gmt.html

I wore it for years, and liked it, but eventually for some reason I cannot remember I parted it out and used most of the parts for another build. Ended up with the movement sitting in a parts drawer.

I've also, over the years, built 1675s on cartel cases:

https://www.repgeek.com/rolex/178000-cartel-1675-converted-low-beat.html
https://www.repgeek.com/rolex/205489-1675-el-cornino-build.html

Again, for whatever reason I've ended up selling these on. So I haven't had a Pepsi bezel watch in my collection for a couple of years.

I got to thinking a few years ago that it would be fun to make a "birth year" watch -- a Rolex rep that could have been produced in the year I was born. After some thought I decided to do a 16750 build. The 16750 case is identical to the late 1675s, but the movement is a high-beat CHS GMT movement (in other words, the hour hand is on the bottom and GMT hand sits above it in the stack, like the 3185). It does not have jumping hour hand but does have quickset date. Since the ETA based CHS movement I had lying around matches that functionality, I thought that would be a good fit.

I also wanted a matte dial, so I ordered a cartel rep 1675 (same base I used for my last two 1675 builds). But this time around, I decided I wasn't satisfied with the 1680-based case. I decided to use just the dial for this build. I had no idea where I was going to source an acceptable case, so I ended up with yet another box of parts sitting in a drawer for years pretending to be a watch build project.

Fast forward to this year, I start seeing yodog builds featured in the forum (I've not been active much lately, so maybe this is old news, but these cases weren't available back in 2012 when I was doind a lot more modding). I reach out to yodog and he graciously offers to source a case for me.

Finally I'm in position to do this build. What I'm after is a watch that could hypothetically have been sold by Rolex in 1981 when I was born -- not that it necessarily was a configuration available from the factory, but that these were gen parts in production at the time. So I'm going to use a 1675 case which, other than engravings, should be identical to the correct 16750 case I'm after. Using Clark's 1675 bezel assembly since yodog only provided midcase, caseback, and crown. Matte dial. I've always liked silver open 6/9 datewheels, so using a polexpete DWO. 

I start with his case:

It looks great, and it has the slim profile and short rehaut that the cartel case can never get right. Some tool marks (and he said he cleaned it up a bit already) that I'll clean up later, I'm anxious to put this together and see how it looks.

I dig the old movement out of a drawer and make sure it's still running right (which, PS, this one has been running like a champ for 7+ years now)

Pull the cartel dial and test fit into the case.

Well, it doesn't fit. Too big. Needs to be reduced in diameter in order to fit the case correctly. So, I set up my poor man's watch lathe aka Dremel:

I slowly rotate the dial and file down the edge until it sits in the case properly. Interestingly, I actually think it looks better with a smaller dial opening, in the cartel case the dial opening went beyond the minute markings and made the dial look too small for the case (look at one of my old 1675 threads). Here it looks like it fits properly.

Once the dial is the right size, I reinstall on the movement, put the hands back on, and fit into the case. Fits like a glove and the stem height is, miraculously, almost perfect.

As long as I've got my lathe set up, let me give a light polish to the bezel ring (they come from Gary bead-blasted)

and put it all together.

Was not sure what to do about a bracelet, so first tried a Speedbird NATO which I quite liked

but decided I ultimately wanted a bracelet. Dug up a rep rivet that fits ok

And a shot in its natural environment today, on an airplane

<October>

Updated with Yuki dial and a rep 93150, 580 endlinks and a GMT/explorer fliplock clasp (i.e., without diver's extension).

Ended up sacrificing some no-name ETA dial to use as the dial feet / spacer / plate for the Yuki dial, since obviously the feet didn't fit. I bored out the center hole to make room for the hour hand wheel and drilled out the date window. Bit of a bonus was that the hour hand wheel sits a little higher than the date disc + overlay, so I was able to keep everything nice and tight under the dial. Clipped the Yuki dial feet and used glue to attach, the whole thing is bombproof now.

Check out that beautiful open 6

 

I just swapped on a T-38, will post up some pics maybe tomorrow.

 

 

[alligoat]

Nice build! The similarities between the 1675 and the 16750 are many, like the bezel and bezel insert. I can't remember when Rolex added Date to the Oyster Perpetual 16750 dial, but it was somewhere in the 80s I would think. Amazing that your CHS eta has been trouble free.

BTW, you can get a correct DWO from rafflesdials.com for the 16750- open6/9 and round top3s on a white background.

Thanks for sharing the build details, I know it's a lot of work putting it together but it's sure fun to read. Building these old vintage models is getting harder all the time- the rep factories just keep turning out the new models and aren't supporting the older vintage reps that much these days.

[p0pperini]

What a great post! Lots of handy tips for modding and building there for us fledgling watch bodgers. Using the Dremel as a lathe is such a simple but useful idea.

And a lovely GMT, too. Top work, and thanks for sharing sir.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[automatico]

"Updated with Yuki dial and a rep 93150, 580 endlinks and a GMT/explorer fliplock clasp (i.e., without diver's extension)."

 

I bought an R427xxx 16750 5-20-91 ($1350) and it came with a 93150 oyster bracelet with full length flip lock clasp cap but without the dive extension.  I sold the timehead and still have the bracelet but had it converted to tutone by MSB Watches in Miami FL 20+ years ago.  

The watch was all original when I got it, same as when purchased new.  If I run across the bracelet in the next few days I will post the hood reference and clasp numbers on this thread.

 

 

"I can't remember when Rolex added Date to the Oyster Perpetual 16750 dial, but it was somewhere in the 80s I would think."

 

Iirc it was somewhere around the time they went from printed markers to applied markers but my guess is it was not across the complete line in one whack.

Here is a 16750 with applied markers and OP only, without the Date:

https://www.bobswatches.com/preowned-rolex-gmt-master-16750-black-dial.html

 

May 20, 1991

Monday, under the sign of Taurus.  The US president was George H. W. Bush (Republican).  Famous people born on this day include Bastian Baker and Robby Ayala.  In this week of May people in US were listening to I Don't Wanna Cry by Mariah Carey.  In UK The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) by Cher was in the top 5 hits.  City Slickers, directed by Ron Underwood, was one of the most viewed movies released in 1991 while As The Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer was one of the best selling books.  On TV people were watching All Good Things.  If you liked videogames you were probably playing Arcus Odyssey or The Atlas.

US $100 on 5-20-91 = $190 today.  List price for rolex 16750 was about $2750.

[alligoat]

Well with that 84-85 dial from Bob's having no DATE on it you would have to figure that the OPD dial came after that- 86 or later I guess.

I always refer to those applied markers as the dials with the white gold surrounds and it was around 1984 when Rolex introduced those dials and did away with the matte dials.