freddy333 Posted November 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 Doubtful. On the other hand, I believe the case containing my 775x will. So for those with misgivings about the dial on the 775x watch, one could probably retrofit a V72 & dial later. I have not verified this, but I am pretty sure it would be an even swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff g Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 Being anal is ok, I guess, when it comes to watches. A watch that I coveted for years was the 6265. Silver dial. I tried and tried to get a DW model, but to no avail. I finally ordered one from a forum collector. Although I love the watch, its inaccuracies are overwhelming. Looking at some of the DW cases and bevels, which are semi-perfect, makes my CN model look really bad. My bezel engraving is terrrible...the bezel is misaligned (typical)... and I need to freeze the 6:00 subdial. At the very least. However I still love this watch. Another classic watch design..regardless. It is no where near the quality of the real deal. I would like to improve on its imperfections, but fooling 90% of the people is not the issue. The issue is... spending 350.00 bucks... for a the joy of wearing a nice (fairly accurate) replica of a classic design. NO ONE will ever call you out...or care...if your watch is a replica...99% don't even know what the watch is all about, much less care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted November 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 Jeff - You make some very good points. For a number of years (prior to building my 1st DW), I was quite happy with my Lemania/Venus-powered 6241 (Josh sells a similar (braceletted) version of the 6263) Although it has some problems (and its inaccuracies are considerably greater than the 775x that is the topic of this thread), it feels like a gen (to wear or operate), is built like a battleship (except for the crummy rep crown/crown tube, which is easily replaceable) & I have never been called out on it in the years I have owned, worn & enjoyed it (and I have received a number of compliments from Rolex owners even though they are not often the best judges of the rep vs gen debate). Still, whenever I wore the watch, the 1 thing I knew was a dead give away was the inaccurate (symmetrical) pusher layout. Anyone who knows even a little about vintage Daytonas can spot it as a 'fake' from 10 feet away because of the pushers. So, being conscious of this, I only ever wore the watch to locales & events where, although there might be some WIS's in attendance, the watch would be kept mostly under cuff and out of the direct gaze of knowledgeable eyes. I think anal is good when it comes to designing, modding or building a watch. But I think it is wrong to gauge any rep (save for the most meticulously crafted V72 DW) based primarily on its ability to fool the sharpest WISs or an AD armed with a loupe and 30 years of Rolex experience. No rep, including the most accurately built DW, can do that. I think what most of us want is to be able to wear one of these higher-end Daytona reps out in the real world in real company and without feeling like you are walking around with a trail of toilet paper streaming from the bottom of your shoe because your Daytona rep contains an error that could be seen from outer space. My threshold is a rep that cannot be identified as a rep by the guy sitting at the next table. To my eye, a watch like this 775x fits that bill handily, which is why I have been wearing it all over town without ever giving it a single thought. And other than my DWs, this is the only other Daytona rep (out of the 15 or 20 I have owned over the years) that I can confidently say that about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Freddy333, I have read and re-read this thread and I think what you are proposing is superb. I started looking for a good vintage rep daytona many moons ago and I could not accept the symmetrical pusher layout. Not at all. Hence, when I found out about DW and EE watches I pounced on an EE and, after a few hiccups, I now have a watch that I am quite happy with. You will notice I say 'quite happy'. I will tell you what I am unhappy about. 1. My dial is rubbish. I would like to replace it with a decent PN (exotic) but do not know where to get one. 2. The watch has an Asian 7750 movement. As you know this is an auto movement. Although I love the fact that I don't have to wind it, I know it is wrong and that bugs me. 3. Allied to point 2. is one of my biggest issues, the caseback. To accomodate the rotor it is too deep (as you know) and this is very annoying. In conclusion: If you were to produce a watch that had a decent dial. Asymmetric pushers. Manual wind movement and (importantly) flat caseback I think you would be on to a winner. Just to harp on about the caseback for a second, I know you said that what you propose does not have the flat caseback so then I have to say what's the point of a manual wind movement? Don't get me wrong I think what you are trying to do is fantastic but if the watch has that deep caseback then it had may as well have a rotor as well, and if that is the case then all you end up with is my EE and I for one would be back to square one ie with the three annoying points mentioned above. Can you get flat casebacks? I really think it would make what you propose absolutely superb. Good luck and all the best, Dieselpower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted December 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 Diesel - The caseback is not flat, it is just narrower than the caseback that came standard on this watch (the standard caseback is the same one that comes on other 7750-powered Daytona reps). I simply removed the rotor from the movement & then swapped the original (too deep) caseback with an extra DW I had laying around (other than the caseback, I believe the case is a standard DW Daytona case). This all came about after I had posed (to DW) the idea that he consider selling these watches, but powered with a manual-wind Asian 7760 instead of the auto-wind 7750, so users would not have to mod the movement (and purchase the extra, shallower caseback) like I did. I have not seen the actual 7760 movement, but it would be thinner than the 7750 since it lacks the auto-wind components. The sticking point is, according to DW, that the 7760 is considerably more expensive than the 7750 and he would have to price the watch around $700-$800. He did not think there would be a large enough market at that price range. I disagreed and told him I would poll RWG members to see how much serious interest there was. After some initial buzz, a number of members posted that they felt the price was too steep (and too close to the V72 DW kits) & interest seemed to fade, so we never went any further. Personally, I still think this would be The Best Buy in Daytona reps, because I continue to receive compliments on my watch from people who are pretty good at spotting Rolex reps and the feature that fools everyone are those asymmetrical pushers. These 7750-powered Daytonas with asymmetrical pushers seem to be even rarer than the gen Paul Newmans, which is VERY rare. It would be nice if the dial was a bit more accurate (subdials a bit smaller & the crown lowered a bit to its proper location). But, like I said, what makes this watch unique is its asymmetrical pusher layout. And short of a $2,000 investment plus the time & effort to track down and assemble a V72 DW, I think this watch makes alot more sense. I certainly would have bought one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech Posted December 3, 2007 Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 I think that the vintage Daytona is for the connoisseur, and as such, extreme perfection is a prerequisite. In other words, I think that if you are willing to step up and pay $800 for a close rep, you probably would opt instead to buck up and buy a real V72 62xx instead. I am in total agreement....if I'm going to drop $800 for something close...I might as well go big and get the VJ72 and pony up another $1k+ and do it right.... Call me the connoisseur....but for this particular model...I have to agree with Euno....I would want it as close as possible....and I'd be willing to pay that little extra to ensure that.... ...and I do realize its not a gen but I don't have $50k+ for some vintage piece with a crooked hand.... :yucky: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 note: reviving the thread... CPR.... We've seen that Freddy's watch from the first post is now almost readily available if you know where to look. What are people's opinions now? I'm torn between getting one of these (for the reasons Freddy has stated, biggest tell of pusher locations is fixed) or going the route of a DW/Phong case with a V72 movement (which I already have). However, I've read about problems of fitting the V72 into the DW cases made for them and I'm unsure. This is one of the few Rolexes I like (along with the DRSD... and have to figure out what to do with my genuine 3035 movement too), but I'm really torn with indecision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HaloArchive Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hmm, I'd pay $600-700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I saw one of these watches recently here at the Houston GTG. Most impressive is the 37mm case and the assymetrical pushers. Very good looking watch. There's only one drawback- the subdial spacing is slightly outside of the v72 subdial spacing. But it's not really noticable unless you have a trained eye, or were directly comparing it to a v72 dial. I think it's an excellent alternative to spending the additional $1,500-2000 to put together a v72 powered 6263. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) I saw one of these watches recently here at the Houston GTG. Most impressive is the 37mm case and the assymetrical pushers. Very good looking watch. There's only one drawback- the subdial spacing is slightly outside of the v72 subdial spacing. But it's not really noticable unless you have a trained eye, or were directly comparing it to a v72 dial. I think it's an excellent alternative to spending the additional $1,500-2000 to put together a v72 powered 6263. I guess my problem is the ethics of taking apart a vintage 50s watch that I have to put this together... I'm torn I almost got an Ebel a while back for the El Primero movement but I'm not sure if I could have done that either (with respect to "Mr Ebel" By-Tor as well, everytime I'd see him on a thread, I'd feel guilty) Edited June 29, 2009 by Chronus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I think it's an excellent alternative to spending the additional $1,500-2000 to put together a v72 powered 6263. I think the price to build a V72 DW begins around $2,000 & goes up from there. But that is somewhat misleading because you have to factor in the amount of time & effort (not to mention tools) required to construct a V72-powered DW. And to pay a watchmaker to do the work for you will add an even larger chunk to your total cost. So, in the end, assuming you do not replace the caseback with glass or go around opening your watch on the streets, there is so little visual or functional difference between a V72 & A7750 powered DW that I have a hard time justifying it. I guess my problem is the ethics of taking apart a vintage 50s watch that I have to put this together... I'm torn A common (& understandable) question that all of us go through (you can Search out numerous threads by DW builders/owners pondering the same question). But I do not know of a single case where once the Daytona was completed, its owner decided to de-construct his new Daytona in favor of the original watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I guess my problem is the ethics of taking apart a vintage 50s watch that I have to put this together... I'm torn A common (& understandable) question that all of us go through (you can Search out numerous threads by DW builders/owners pondering the same question). But I do not know of a single case where once the Daytona was completed, its owner decided to de-construct his new Daytona in favor of the original watch. I think you're right on that note. What do you do with the case of the watch the V72 comes from ? I don't think I could just throw it out. I'm tempted to just get the 7750 version but I've come this far in locating the parts... just looking for genuine pushers now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyd3 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I think you're right on that note. What do you do with the case of the watch the V72 comes from ? I don't think I could just throw it out. I'm tempted to just get the 7750 version but I've come this far in locating the parts... just looking for genuine pushers now. You put it on eBay with the 20 or so other cases that are listed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 You put it on eBay with the 20 or so other cases that are listed LOL ! You're right! Or keep it, if for some reason the original has to be put back together (eg. service with a watchmaker who won't touch reps) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted June 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 You put it on eBay with the 20 or so other cases that are listed Ditto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P_Diddy Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 How do you re-size this bracelet as it uses rivets and not screws? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 Very hard to do PD. It requires a special tool to bend the links to remove them. I am not sure if anyone actualy has one around here. This is one of the reasons I am puting mine on croc. Col. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 It's interesting. A few questions for you... Is this an A7760 configured from the factory or is this like the Spinmaster A7750 with the auto-winding pieces (rotor, reversing wheel, etc) removed? Does this movement have asymmetrical pushers out of the box, or does it have to use some cam system like the Graham's? Finally, am I correct in understanding that the movement will not come serviced but new and "out of the box"? Thanks. It's a good looking piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 Very hard to do PD. It requires a special tool to bend the links to remove them. I am not sure if anyone actualy has one around here. This is one of the reasons I am puting mine on croc. Col. My watchmaker resized my Yuki riveted bracelet with a pen knife and the edge of a desk drawer! Probably not as neat a job as the RSC would have done, but I can't complain about the price i.e. free. Here's my 7206, shortened for my puny wrist: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialvat Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 I used small screw driver and end of desk as the screws would not move, it all adds to the vintage finish ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gplracer Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 Wow I really like that bracelet. How comfortable is it? I would like to have a daytona with non screw down pushers and a 7205 when yuki comes out with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 It's very comfortable, as far as Rolex bracelets go! Unless you wear your bracelets loose, the spring-loaded links give it a close and low-profile fit. The fact that it's brand new with stiff links is also a plus, since you don't have to deal with floppiness of a vintage. Loose and dinged links do add to the visuals, though. The clasp looks great, but I find it accidentally opens more often than later friction designs. Nothing a little bending can't fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Toady mate, you do realise that Frddy posted this back in Oct '07 yes? To answer your questions. The DW comes with either an a7750 or a a7750 with the auto wind removed. If you chose to go the manual wind route it fits in the case with the thinner case back (14mm os opposed to 15). The 7750 has large pusher tabs and needs no mod to work with the asymetric pushers. I have NFI how Freddies MVTs were going to come. I am building one of these shortly and the MVT will be getting a full service and oil before it goes in. Col. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Toady mate, you do realise that Frddy posted this back in Oct '07 yes? Hah hah...no I didn't. Stupid me. Thanks for the clarification. I was looking at the most recent replies...flipped back to the start of the thread and read the material but didn't read the dates. Either way, this is good info on the asymmetric pushers and the A7750...I didn't realize that. Thanks Col! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 If you realy want one, I can build you one. Just let me get the first out of the way. It's ordered and the MVT will be going to the watchmaker (me no work on OPs 7750s yet) for a full service before install. DW has recently redone a lot of his dials too. They are even better than they were. Col. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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