Rolex Replacement Cases

[bbell6]

I'm new to this forum, and was hoping someone could help me out. I've seen quite a few Rolex Replacement Cases on Ebay. Usually a stainless case that has been augmented with a few genuine Rolex parts (i.e. crown, tube, crystal). These replacement cases sell from between $300 and $1500 depending on the model. Are they that much better than the replica cases discussed on this forum? I'm a little confused as to why they cost as much or several times more that a complete replica. Could anyone enlighten me?

I suppose it would help if I explained my intended usage. I am not trying to build the perfect replica. In fact, I'm not as much interested in a replica as a high quality Rolex style case that I can convert into a one of a kind watch . I was thinking of piecing together a watch. Maybe a black sub bezel with a white Explorer II face. Therefore, I'm not as interested in whether the crystal sits a little too high or too low, or if the crown guards are accurate, but rather whether the case feels solid and takes genuine parts.

Thanks in advance,

Ben

[thewightstuff]

it would be nice to suggest that the variation in price was as a result of materials, accuracy and workmanship however sadly the price variation is dependent upon how many people become convinced that its a genuine rolex case on offer and bid accordingly.

genuine rolex replacement cases are marked serial numbers 44xxxxx though there are genuine cases about from watches parted up. its rare that any popular models make it onto ebay though it does happen once in a while for sure

[bbell6]

From your answer, I assume that means that a person is just as well off to buy a replica and work from that case? Unfortunately, the auction I was watching ended a little earlier today and I couldn't help bidding. I got lucky and won (or as it turns out I may have been unlucky). I guess that's what happens when you don't know what you are doing and you are impatient on top of that.

[bbell6]

I purchased a case for a 5513. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best ETA movement for completing this watch? I've tried to determine what ETA movements were used in the tudor subs, but it appears that more than one may have been used over the years.

[14060 or 16610?]

2836 and 2824 are the ETA movements most commonly used in reps. I have one available, PM me for details.

[thewightstuff]

the price you paid and the case itself would impact how good a deal you got. its all in the eye of the beholder though with these things so if your happy then thats fine.

one point though, if you bid and paid as if it were a genuine case then you may have some scope for requesting a refund. if it was one of the myriad of replica cases advertised as "replacement" and doesnt say that its genuine then you will have trouble returning due to this. most are worded very carefully so that the buyer thinks they are getting a genuine case bidding with an according value and yet has no recourse when it appears they didnt. theres alot of seadweller and sub cases, all from the same original source on ebay just now. many going for 4 figure sums and none of them genuine. ive no idea as to quality of material or workmanship on these however.

did you get the blank case or the "kit" with the bezel, insert, tube,crystal and dial?

anyways, onto your questions.

unless the inside of the case has been machined to fit an eta movement then you will have issues getting one to fit in easily. most likely is been done for the rolex 15xx movement i would suspect, the ones ive seen were though without more details on your one i cant say for sure.

to fit an eta in here you will need a spacer ring at the very least. theres a size differential you need to bridge. while rings are readily available from the reps, you will most likely need to work down one of these to custom fit your own case unless it comes supplied with one as the size wont be the same. perhaps you could ask the seller for one. its probable that they sell them too or can get one easily enough.

you may also encounter an issue with the stem placement. reps have the crown holes somewhat offset compared to the gens due to a slightly different location/depth on the movement. you may be able to just force it to work however its worth mentioning that there is likely to be some issue here too.

from your question regarding the tudor movement i assume that you thought like many that the tudors are simply rolex subs with a different movement and that this might prove a good access route. while tudors did indeed use eta movements with a modified rotor, the cases are different from that of the rolex versions in order to accommodate the different movement dimensions. if you are picking up an eta movement. try to get the slow beat version. the current ones use 28,000bph compared to 18,000 or 19,500 on the genuine rolex movements. the difference is noticeable to say the least and worth the hunt.

for the simplest build it would perhaps be easiest if your new case is 1:1 to buy a rolex cal 1520 or similar and use this for your watch. a decent one of these can be picked up for around $1000 or so but figure on another couple of hundred to have a service carried out on it before you start. sources of good used gen vintage parts are also becoming tight with the increase in value of the vintage sports models which isnt good news for franken enthusiasts or gen owners alike.

many parts are now less then simple to obtain and what is about it often less then top quality or expensive....and often both. dials are $500 atleast for a passable one, domed crystals $150 minimum now and often more, bezel inserts annoyingly hard to get and expensive when you do. even things like bracelets and endlinks have gone rocketing upwards. even later glossy WG surround 5513 dials, IMHO absolutely disgusting arent cheap anymore. the rise of 5513 has caused sellers to speculate and charge more even for parts considered undesireable.

my own 5513 has almost doubled in value in about the last 6 months or so just to give you an idea of the rise currently underway. it had doubled in value over the course of the year previous too.

while its fun to build your own watch for sure, it may have proven cheaper and easier to have bought something like an MBW for your starting point and then just customised this as you felt. that being said, watches are a hobby and dont need to make financial sense in the least. theres an attachment and pride in a built watch that cant be bought for sure.

its very hard to get a good result with the vintage models IMHO. theres lots of little issues that if you are used to seeing gens really jump out before you even get to the big ones like crown guards, lug holes and the fact that the watch looks too new.

Edited March 26, 2007 by thewightstuff

[bbell6]

the price you paid and the case itself would impact how good a deal you got. its all in the eye of the beholder though with these things so if your happy then thats fine.

one point though, if you bid and paid as if it were a genuine case then you may have some scope for requesting a refund. if it was one of the myriad of replica cases advertised as "replacement" and doesnt say that its genuine then you will have trouble returning due to this. most are worded very carefully so that the buyer thinks they are getting a genuine case bidding with an according value and yet has no recourse when it appears they didnt. theres alot of seadweller and sub cases, all from the same original source on ebay just now. many going for 4 figure sums and none of them genuine. ive no idea as to quality of material or workmanship on these however.

did you get the blank case or the "kit" with the bezel, insert, tube,crystal and dial?

anyways, onto your questions.

unless the inside of the case has been machined to fit an eta movement then you will have issues getting one to fit in easily. most likely is been done for the rolex 15xx movement i would suspect, the ones ive seen were though without more details on your one i cant say for sure.

to fit an eta in here you will need a spacer ring at the very least. theres a size differential you need to bridge. while rings are readily available from the reps, you will most likely need to work down one of these to custom fit your own case unless it comes supplied with one as the size wont be the same. perhaps you could ask the seller for one. its probable that they sell them too or can get one easily enough.

you may also encounter an issue with the stem placement. reps have the crown holes somewhat offset compared to the gens due to a slightly different location/depth on the movement. you may be able to just force it to work however its worth mentioning that there is likely to be some issue here too.

from your question regarding the tudor movement i assume that you thought like many that the tudors are simply rolex subs with a different movement and that this might prove a good access route. while tudors did indeed use eta movements with a modified rotor, the cases are different from that of the rolex versions in order to accommodate the different movement dimensions. if you are picking up an eta movement. try to get the slow beat version. the current ones use 28,000bph compared to 18,000 or 19,500 on the genuine rolex movements. the difference is noticeable to say the least and worth the hunt.

for the simplest build it would perhaps be easiest if your new case is 1:1 to buy a rolex cal 1520 or similar and use this for your watch. a decent one of these can be picked up for around $1000 or so but figure on another couple of hundred to have a service carried out on it before you start. sources of good used gen vintage parts are also becoming tight with the increase in value of the vintage sports models which isnt good news for franken enthusiasts or gen owners alike.

many parts are now less then simple to obtain and what is about it often less then top quality or expensive....and often both. dials are $500 atleast for a passable one, domed crystals $150 minimum now and often more, bezel inserts annoyingly hard to get and expensive when you do. even things like bracelets and endlinks have gone rocketing upwards. even later glossy WG surround 5513 dials, IMHO absolutely disgusting arent cheap anymore. the rise of 5513 has caused sellers to speculate and charge more even for parts considered undesireable.

my own 5513 has almost doubled in value in about the last 6 months or so just to give you an idea of the rise currently underway. it had doubled in value over the course of the year previous too.

while its fun to build your own watch for sure, it may have proven cheaper and easier to have bought something like an MBW for your starting point and then just customised this as you felt. that being said, watches are a hobby and dont need to make financial sense in the least. theres an attachment and pride in a built watch that cant be bought for sure.

its very hard to get a good result with the vintage models IMHO. theres lots of little issues that if you are used to seeing gens really jump out before you even get to the big ones like crown guards, lug holes and the fact that the watch looks too new.

I really appreciate your assistance. I may have paid a little more than the case was worth, but I knew it wasn't genuine. With shipping, I paid $335. It includes a case, back, bezel and insert, and what I believe to be a genuine tube (already installed), crown, and crystal (I had been watching two similar cases from two different sellers and had verified information with one of them - I signed on to ebay and realized that there was only about a minute left before the auction ended and in my haste purchased the one from the seller that I had not contacted - big blunder on my part).

If I'm correct, I need to pick up a movement, dial, hands, and stem. I'm not sure if the cg's have been moded, but I believe it is a 1:1 case. As you eluded to, it is prepped to take a 1530 or a 1520. My thought is that I will take my time finding the genuine Rolex movement and pick up an ETA for the time being (assuming I wouldn't have to make any modifications - and it sounds like I'll just need a spacer). I've never purchased a rep before and am new to all this. I've just been reading this board for a couple of weeks and wanted to try something. I guess the next thing for me to do is buy some tools and possible take the online Time Zone watch classes (any advice on those classes?). This project may end up being an expensive lesson, but as you say, I'll have the pride of knowing I assembled the watch. Additionally, I should learn more about Rolexes (specifically the 5513). This will probably pay off in the long run if I decide to buy a genuine.

It has been quite interesting reading the post on this site. I would say that people on this board know far more about Rolexes than most of the people who own the real thing (Of course, it sounds like quite a few people on this board do own the real thing). I have genuine sub that I bought from an AD in '94. But to be honest, I probably couldn't tell the difference in it and one of the unmoded replicas without holding them side by side.

Once again, thanks for your assitance,

Ben

[thewightstuff]

im glad to hear you werent "taken" and paid a huge amount for the case however you could have had a complete and modded MBW using as good a case for around similar money im afraid to say.

ive seen these cases with the 702 tube and disagree with ubi as to the authenticity of these. im convinced that they are rep versions, especially as they all come preinstalled. a gen tube in new condition would be pushing into almost half the price of the whole thing so it doesnt make sense. machining them given they can make the case wouldnt be an issue thats for sure.

my only comment is that if they are making these i wish they would make some 700 twinlock tubes

with respect of the eta install. its more than just a spacer unfortunately. you will most likely have to custom a spacer to adapt for your application though if your metalwork skills are good it shouldnt be too hard.

the major issue may be around the stem/crown though. the eta movements stem enters deeper down than the rolex. this means that most rep cases have the crown hole somewhat offset to accomodate. your will most likely be centred which while correct for the rolex wont be for the eta.

you may be able to just "flex" the stem to work however it will affect operation in respect of smoothness atleast though could be enough to be unusable. i cant say with any certainty how extreme.

it may be worth your while to grab rep parts to complete and then swap these out later if you desire for gen parts once you have ironed out the wrinkles. cosmetic gen parts are both rare and expensive and getting more each week it seems. to risk damaging them while working out fitment could very soon become expensive.

including a movement you could very quickly hit the 2k region for parts to complete if you go vintage rolex however. regardless it should still be a fun project and as with all hobbys, they dont always need to make financial sense

as for getting a gen 5513. it may be worth having a serious look around just now. good matte dials have all but disappeared as prices have rocketed in the last 6 months. theres atleast 10 times as many wanted ads as there are for sale ones as the last few people try to grab them while they can. there doesnt seem to be any signs of things slowing down thats for sure so if you plan of getting a vintage sports, in particular a 5513 in the next while, perhaps try to grab one while theres still a possibility of not having the trawl the dregs as its already becoming that way.

you would now seriously struggle to get a good one for less than 4k. ive no idea what the meters first versions are going for as these have all gone way underground and selling out of public eyesight at the moment. i cant think when i last saw one, even with replacement hands. i picked up an all original, matching tritium matte dial meters first 5513 with original crown and tube just as the crest was appearing. i had to bite the bullet at what seemed excessive then for it but what was for now a serious bargain. if you are willing to accept less quality examples with mismatched hands, inserts and poor/replacement/relumed dials then theres still a few popping up around the 3.5k mark once in a while though competition even for these is hot. the vintage GMT is a real sleeper at the moment and can still be picked up around and under 3k for good ones though they are gaining fast now too.

theres a few less than great pics of mine on the nodate sub thread in this forum if you are interested in having a peek

Edited March 27, 2007 by thewightstuff