Rolex Submariner 16610 MBW Tibalised. Almost fully modded

[Stephane]

Dear All,

 

As you might remember I got a 16610 MBW as my first MBW ever from TTK's group buy.

The original thread can be found here : Rolex Submariner 16610 MBW

 

Saying of the day

 

A Rolie a day keeps the doctor away 

 

 

 

Warning

 

Only true experts of genuine Rolex and a bunch of members of RWG could really spot the differences between a 25$ Sub, a high end modded rep @800$ or so and a genuine 16610.

 

About my addiction for the 16610

 

As we all know, the perfect sub exists. It's made by Rolex;)

You can find tons of SS Subs at 4.000$ on the second hand market.

So how make a perfect rep: it's simply impossible, mainly because of the case.

Some Chiang Mai or Vietnamese source seem to have a 1:1 case…but so far, as long as I'm aware, they cost so much that you'd rather buy a genuine second hand.

Some of us believe MBW is the best platform. Others say TW best are.

Most say, the ooold MBW and TW are better than the current ones.

Well, should we forget about trying to get a good modded Sub then ?

No, no, no 

 

Here some of the ones I own or owned !

 

 

 

 

 

The 16610 has been my favourite watch forever, since I was a teenager probably.

Why?  Because of the brand recognition I presume and the "Spies", as not only Bond wore Subs, but most of the spies in other books too.

I have to admit it's no longer the case as I am more into Rolex from the 60ies and 70ies now.

I guess that is what maturity is all about 

 

But still, there is no way that I give up trying to get as close as possible to a genuine 16610 

 

Yes, but who's going to do this mods on my 16610?

 

Good question.

At a certain point, I was desperate to find someone reliable who would agree to work on a Noob's watch.

So, I shot PMs to several…and of course, 3 gentlemen accepted to work on my watches.

I say of course because expert members are not going to bite you if you ask them…(well some might bite you but not all of them). So it was pretty silly to send several PMs on the same day.

Hmmm, embarrassing, isn't it?

So, I decided to send my 1680 to one fellow member, my Great White to another and my 16610 to Tribal.

 

 

 

 

Ok, let's go straight to the point. What mods are truly needed on an MBW 16610?

 

Well this is a big concern.

Apparently, not all MBWs are the same. There are different batches.

As an example, mine has a terrible date wheel, which is way to bold.

Also the magnification is way to high.

So, even when swapping the date wheel for an "old MBW" one, it's still a bit too much.

I saw recent MBWs with smaller fonts aswell.

So, there is no receipt.

The mods needed depend on how your MBW is going to look like out of the box.

 

 

What mods were done on my own MBW?

 

I passed it to Tribal, and asked him to do his best to make it look better.

We did not know each other, but it worked out well.

So, here is what has been done on mine, currently.

 

Original watch: MBW from TTK

-Bezel Edge polished: this makes a huge difference, believe me even if not noticeable on the pics.

 

 

-CGs shaved: matter of taste here.

Not everyone is shaving them the same way. I like the way Tribal did it.

 

 

- Gen tube and crown: no comment, an absolute must and kinda cheap.

 

 

- Gen Insert/Pearl: sorry, again, an absolute must, might be a bit expensive if you're not lucky to find a good deal.

 

 

 

- Case drilled and retaped: well, no way to avoid this of course.

 

- Rehaut polished: hmmm, at this stage of knowledge, I'm not sure if it is needed on all watches, but on mine, it looks damn good.

 

 

- Noobmariner dial installed: yes, this is a must too.

The MBW dial is not correct at the 6 hour marker.

The minutes markers around 6 hours are taller on the MBW.

This is a flaw which is immediately noticeable.

 

 

- Bezel shaped on lathe (more space to rotate): Tribal did that to mine.

I prefer the feeling of the bezel now as it rotates smoothly.

Some bezels are really hard to rotate when fresh out of the box.

I'm not saying it should be loose of course, just easy to handle.

 

- Older MBW Date Wheel (not yet the best option though): this needs some more care.

Note: genuine 16610 do NOT show the same date font or magnification each time.

Rolex is totally unable to release the same sub over and over again.

Rolex changes their manufacturer often.

So, please dear members, bear in mind your date or mag could be just perfect…

 

 

- Crystal Unchanged as it looks terrific: according to some serious expert member, I shouldn't change it.

It's the MBW one, with barely invisible crown and it sits very well on the watch.

 

 

 

 

The bracelet, what about that?

 

Hey, I have a Noobmariner bracelet that is very close to the genuine feel but there is no way I am putting it on this watch.

 

What is the first comment of people when looking at your 16610, genuine or rep?

 

- Hey, is it a genuine?

 

So, when wearing a Sub, 50% of the time people are thinking it's fake.

 

What is the second comment from them?

 

- Ah, it's fake because not heavy enough.

 

They do not know though because they never touched a genuine modern Sub.

A genuine is ridiculously light.

 

I decided to keep a solid midlink bracelet on mine to avoid all these remarks.

When someone asks: "is it genuine". I reply "who knows"?

Their conclusion is: "it's heavy though, must be genuine!" (Like "it's not ticking, it's a gen")

 

 

 

So what?

 

I am happy.

I know this watch might be looking even better with another date wheel and some work on the case to make the edges feel smoother.

I will probably do this, but for now, I'm grateful to Tribal and wear it very often these days although, once again, I prefer vintage Rolex.

 

Cheers & Thanks for reading.

 

Stephane

 

The pictures

 

Please do not reply quoting the pictures as there are quite a lot and it would mess the speed of the thread and the entire forum. Thank you very much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[predfan2001]

Hey Stephane. I've been meaning to ask you something. I know you have an "Ultimate" from Trusty. I have one too, one of my earlier/uneducated purchases (at a discounted price due to one of his screw ups). Is there any saving this watch? The rehaut isn't that great, too conical, but everything else is pretty good. I wonder if I could get a beginmariner and swap this movement into it? Any ideas?

[pitimany]

@Stephane

I had similar problems with the sub.

Please add all the money you had spended in Subs and you sould be close to a Gen 16610.

[lazarini]

Hi Stephane , looking good there . Nice Tribalization

Wear it well !

Regards Laz

[Stephane]

Thanks guys.

@Predfan: my expertise is very limited. Let's ask Tribal or some other members if that is possible.

Andrew's ultimate is far the best Sub I've seen myself except modded MBWs.

Having said that, why would you want to do that ?

The only way to get a better one would be to sell the ultimate and get a MBW.

@Pittymany:

You are right. I put much too much money in subs. But I guess one must learn with subs like everything else in life.

My initial idea was to "get them all". A collection of Sub reps to make myself an opinion of "who has the best sub?"

It was pretty stupid though as ...Rolex has the best sub anyway.

@Laz: enjoy your Tribalized man ! Mine is cool.

@ALL, and specialy fresh members: most of the Subs we can get from collectors are very good.

But only modified ones with genuine parts are looking close to the real deal.

Cheers

Stephane

[FasTTaP]

'a Rolex a Day keeps the doctor away' :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Tribal]

Great write up,

and many thanks for your kind words...

I'm happy you like my work....

[b16a2]

Excellent review of your watch Stephane, and great work by Tribal. You truely own a great Sub!

[bklm1234]

great move putting a noob dial in. excellent.

-bk

[Stephane]

Thanks BK.

At the end of the day, I might want to add a Noob bracelet who knows...I might ike it

[dvn]

@Stephane - Beautiful watch. How much would it cost in total can you disclose.

I am tempting to do the same. i have a nympho/Noob righ now.

[Stephane]

@Stephane - Beautiful watch. How much would it cost in total can you disclose.

I am tempting to do the same. i have a nympho/Noob righ now.

Hmm, should I disclose ?

I already did in another thread, anyway.

Put it this way: I'm not rich, I simply saved a lot of money from reducing the number of cigarettes I smoke a day.

So, please, do not flame guys like me who spend quite a lot in mods. It's a choice to compare with buying genuine watches.

So, this 16610 costs, so far, 570

[cableguy]

I want one....lol

[slay]

great pictures!

but whats wrong with the Submariner case on the reps??

[mezzanine]

Very impressive looking sub.

I have to say, the crystal sits higher relative to the insert than my MBW did. Great picture of the bevelled crystal edge.

I really like the idea of polishing the rehaut.

The noobmariner dial swap is a good move. The datewheel could use a swap.

I would've swapped the bracelet, but I understand it's a personal choice.

I found on my MBW that the cyclops seemed to sit slightly high, relative the date window...but that's subjective and probably inaccurate.

I like the idea of modding the crown guards, even on the modern sub.

The crown/tube swap is nice....I wish that the MBW didn't require it to be drilled first. That bugs me about the modern.

The insert can be done without using a gen...but the pearl is nice to have a gen one.

[Stephane]

Thanks again guys.

@Slay: well, I'm not sure if you say "nothing is wrong with the case" or "pity the case is wrong".

The problem is that the crown cannot be centered in the case !

The othe problem is 316L instead of 904. The colour is not the same.

Using % to judge if the rep can be almost like a gen, I'd say 95%.

5% for the colour of the steel and the position of the crown which will never be correct even if everything else is genuine.

Cheers and thanks for looking

Stephane

[vmena]

At the end of the day, I might want to add a Noob bracelet who knows...I might ike it

Go for it stephane... I did with mine and if you are a picky (like me) then you can't stay with an unacurate bracelet... difficult to align spring bars but it worth the effort.

[Stephane]

Go for it stephane... I did with mine and if you are a picky (like me) then you can't stay with an unacurate bracelet... difficult to align spring bars but it worth the effort.

I cracked under pressure

I order one

I do not want to tear my Noobmariner apart, so I needed another one

Cheers

Stephane

[hendrixelixir]

How did you get a solid midlink bracelet? Does it have the rolex insignia on the clasp? I totally agree--having solid midlinks would probably eliminate half the "is it real?" questions. The other half will always be there... the magical 5 letters on the dial make it so.

[Stephane]

Hi there,

Most of the reps comes with a solid mid link.

Which is quite funny as everyone looks for a non solid mid link bracelet !

My MBW is no exception and came with the solid mid link one.

And yes, it has the crown on the clasp of course !

Cheers

Stephane