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frankenjust completed!


UB7

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Everything on here is gen, except the bracelet which is an aftermarket jubilee. And the datewheel is a cubic-works - Movement is a ETA 2824-2 ..

What do you guys think?

PB120365.jpg

PB110312.jpg

Wrist shot

PB160464.jpg

Franken vs. Gen

genfranken.jpg

Edited by UB7
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Guest porsche356a

Nice DJ, Ive been following the progress. :lol: I've had the same problem with my stems breaking. I've already broken 3 of them. Its the movement thats the problem. The crown sits higher thn the momement, and when the crown is pushed in, it puts a lot of stress on the stem causing it to break. I've been told a 2836 works much better. Let me know if you break any more. ;)

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Thx guys! @Porsche...That is the same exact analysis watchbuff gave me - its the movement thats causing the problems. I'm going to order a bunch of stems just incase..Other than that the watch is great~

I forgot to mention that this jubilee band is one of the most comfy rolex bands ive ever worn, it really molds to your wrist i love it..

Edited by UB7
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Nice daytona, especially love the vintage I was thinking about getting 1..I thought i was nuts for owning 3, seeing that pic makes me feel a little less crazy - i personally think daytonas are 1 of the coolest watches ever made but thats just my opinion, if they werent so ridiculously overpriced I would consider buying a gen..

Anyways, back to the DJ i sent it out this morning overnight so watchbuff should get it tommorow before 12pm...along with my submariner which hes going to fix the aftermarket insert and give the crystal a better profile and mod the CG's..he might drill lug holes but im not counting on that as much as the other 2 mods..will post pics again when i get the DJ back which will be next monday or tuesday at the latest

PB080283.jpg

Edited by UB7
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Nice daytonas freddy, especially love the vintage I was thinking about getting 1..I thought i was nuts for owning 3, seeing that pic makes me feel a little less crazy - i personally think daytonas are 1 of the coolest watches ever made but thats just my opinion, if they werent so ridiculously overpriced I would buy a gen..

Nice Daytona collection, UB7, and I agree that Daytonas are 1 of the coolest things you can strap around your wrist.

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Would you say the difference is worth it?

Gen case to rep case?

BTW:

Are the hands and the datewheel gen as well!?

The watch is 100% gen.

As for judging the perceived value of a gen over a rep, I can only say that is was worth the price in time, effort and money to me. But keep in mind that I built this franken myself. If you factor in the cost of paying someone else to construct it for you, you might as well consider buying a used gen. That way, you can take it to your local AD or RSC for servicing without worry (since the watch will have the correct serial numbers it will not set off any red flags at Rolex). In addition to not having to worry about the accuracy of datewheel fonts or beats or lug hole locations, etc., no steel rep bezel can or will ever sparkle like the white gold on a gen. Of course, some rep cases may accept a gen bezel, but I cannot verify this.

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Would you say the difference is worth it?

Gen case to rep case?

BTW:

Are the hands and the datewheel gen as well!?

Well, it depends on how you look at it. If you are looking purely from a financial point, then no, it is not worth. But as a hobby, then yes. (what Freddy built is worth it on both levels!)

If you enjoy working with the parts, sourcing the parts, and building the timepiece, of course it is worth it! No one ever said this was an inexpensive hobby.

I have a couple of projects on the burner right now that will definately be too much for the average collector as far as financially. I've just recently aquired a brand new Rolex bracelet still in the wrapper that costs the same as buying 2-3 Rolex reps, mix that with a genuine dial, genuine hand set, genuine crown, and genuine no-holes case, we're talking $1000+, and that does not include retro-fitting a movement, the servicing, extra parts, lathe work, etc. To some, that is a complete waste of money. And in the end, total bill will probably be around $1200. If i was to buy the gen, best price for the same watch would be around $2800. If I wanted to sell it once I'm done, would I get $1200? Not likely. I would probably have to break it down and sell off one part at a time. Of course, there is the option of sourcing a gen movement, but then add on another $1500+, and at that point, I might as well just go out and buy one. But then, there goes the fun of doing it myself.

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Guest watchbuff

My rolex DJ has a

Gen case -$180.00

Gen Dial- included

Gen Crown + tube $30.00

GEN Bezel WG

Gen Jubilee band-$155.00

Gen Crystal- included

Tudor hands-$20.00

ETA 2824-2 Same beat as 3135. -$60.00

Some time but that is expected to be invested.

Total in parts

$450.00 (Approx)

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My rolex DJ has a

Gen case -$180.00

Gen Dial- included

Gen Crown + tube $30.00

GEN Bezel WG

Gen Jubilee band-$155.00

Gen Crystal- included

Tudor hands-$20.00

ETA 2824-2 Same beat as 3135. -$60.00

Some time but that is expected to be invested.

Total in parts

$450.00 (Approx)

About $900 for mine (including NOS 3035 movement, but I did get quite a deal on it).

I should mention that I had alot of the parts in my parts boxes, so most of my time was spent on assembling.

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I would say its definitly worth it no matter how you look at it, whether its just collecting or collecting and building - This DJ project was relatively inexpensive to build, even considering the fact that I had to pay watchbuff to do it it was still probbably well under $600 all together- To have a watch that can visually pass as a gen without question is great..Its really a hybrid so to speak - the only non genuine part is the movement and the datewheel (im replacing the band in the next few weeks)...If you dont want to dish out at least 2-3g, I think a franken is a great route to take - I mean unless you pop the caseback this watch is virtually indistinguishable from a gen... In fact I would wear this new franken ahead of my gen with a 3035 movement anyday-however that watch badly needs a complete overhaul..the movement still runs flawlessly but theres a few other problems

Edited by UB7
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My rolex DJ has a

Gen case -$180.00

Gen Dial- included

Gen Crown + tube $30.00

GEN Bezel WG

Gen Jubilee band-$155.00

Gen Crystal- included

Tudor hands-$20.00

ETA 2824-2 Same beat as 3135. -$60.00

Some time but that is expected to be invested.

Total in parts

$450.00 (Approx)

--

GEN Bezel WG what about this?

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Guest watchbuff

The bezel was included with the case. The 16200 series had a WG bezel and crown with a stainless case.

Sometimes these projects have 20% of the cost in just trial and error. Right size crowns, tubes, movements, snapping stems, datewheels etc.

A gen datewheel would be a waste just to grind-n-glue onto a 2824-2 The look here is to get the font correct and lined up in the DJ window. The cubik DW is thin so it can be workeds with but you only get to glue in once. A font re-sizing is in order or a new mag window is needed but neither is noticable and I would consider negligable. I have seen various series DJ that are gen and the font's and bags seem the same as my "hybrid".

I wish I could source a 3135 movement then I would toss the 2824-2 out the window but until then, shes got the looks of a gen.

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The bezel was included with the case. The 16200 series had a WG bezel and crown with a stainless case.

Are you talking about the smooth bezel on UB7's franken? That is smooth steel my friend. ;) The 16200 is SS case, SS smooth steel bezel.

The 16234 is SS case, WG fluted bezel.

If you read the numbers, they are coded.

16200: 162 = SS datejust case + 0=smooth bezel + 0=Stainless Steel

16234: 162 = SS datejust case + 3=fluted bezel + 4=White Gold

16233: 162 = SS datejust case + 3=fluted bezel + 3=Yellow Gold

16220: 162 = SS datejust case + 2 = engine turned bezel + 0=Stainless Steel

These numbers are good to know, especially if you are planning on buying a second hand gen. I've seen a few on ebay in the past that have bezels that don't match the case number.

Hope this info helps you. :D

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Guest watchbuff

UB7 You should be getting your DJ today. Post pics and let me know how it looks. Will start on the Sub today, insert first. We can work out the rest when I talk to you for when it is done.

P.S.

The band may be tricky, I am not sure where to get or if you can get the screws for the screw link band. Maybe a new one rep) is in order? I'll see what I can do. The diver's extension is fixed.

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