You Can Build a Nearly Perfect 116520 Daytona

[freddy333]

NOTE - YOU will need to research current site locations as they have changed since this article was written.


STEP 1
Get 1 of these (this watch has a nearly perfect dial & rotor, but its case is too thick or high-profile)


and remove the movement from the case (release the stem (gently press the button in blue) & remove the 2 case straps/screws (marked in red))



STEP 2
Get 1 of these (this watch has a (more correct) low profile case & potentially heartier, 1st-generation secs at 6 7750 (note that the evidence for this is purely anecdotal & is NOT scientific), but the dial is a bit 'off)

(Note the additional metal below the crown & shape of the CGs - the low-profile cases all look like this)

and remove the movement from the case (release the stem & remove the two case straps/screws)

(There may be exceptions to this rule, but all of the movements in the low-profile Daytonas I have seen (several) had this same rotor. So if you see a Daytona rep with this movement, it is likely the 1st generation secs @ 6 A7750)


STEP 3

• Remove the hands, dial & rotor (held on by 1 screw) from both movements, but keep track of which parts came from which watch (very important).
• Onto the 2nd (Idolreplicas') movement, install the dial & rotor from the 1st (Perfect-Clones) movement & reuse the same hands (essentially, you are just swapping the dial & rotor from the 1st watch onto the movement from the 2nd watch.

You should now have a heartier movement with a very accurate dial & rotor.


STEP 4
Modify the CGs of the 2nd watch's case to match this gen (file or grind down the extra metal below the base of the crown & reshape the CGs)



STEP 5
Reassemble the watch & you should now have a watch that looks like this (and a spare that contains most of the flaws that were previously spread out between the original 2)

(Hands, shirt, jeans & boots sold separately)


(Note the correctly shaped CGs & the (correct) shallow rehaut, which are due to the case's lower profile & placement of the movement)

Now, if someone knows of a source for a correct (flat, brushed) caseback (and, possibly, a slightly lower-profile (gen) bezel as the final icing on the cake)........

__________
Alternatively, to save a bit of work playing musical hands & dials, you can just swap the movement from the 1st watch into the 2nd watch's case & leave it at that. I think the hands on the 2nd watch are a bit more accurate than the 1st watch, but we are talking minute differences here. And, like I said, there is no factual evidence that the earlier generation of secs at 6 7750s (in the 2nd watch) were any more reliable than the current versions. This opinion is based entirely on my observation that many more of the old style secs at 6 7750s seem to still be running years after they were purchased vs the recent versions which seem to die within a few months. This is just a gut feeling on my part, so do not flame me if your watch is an exception to the rule. But I would like to know your experience if you have 1 of these early versions that may be identified by the unique rotor design.

While the movements are removed, you might also consider applying some powered graphite as explained here (the watch described in that thread has now been running (to within COSC standards) for about 2 weeks)

[ta8088]

The only Rollie I don't have but want is a Daytona. Interesting tutorial. Thanks!

[sssurfer]

Awesome, exciting tutorial, freddy! Thanks!

Just, it's more than 500 bucks + CG reshaping special skills + all the work & hassle...

[ubiquitous]

Looking good!!

BTW... In a moment, I'll be clearing out my in-box. At that moment, you may in fact have a PM (heh heh)...

[freddy333]

Awesome, exciting tutorial, freddy! Thanks!

Just, it's more than 500 bucks + CG reshaping special skills + all the work & hassle...

Just to be clear, the total cost is closer to $650 or $700 than it is to $500 (unless we can get either or both of the sellers to give us a more reasonable rate for a group buy (I would buy another of the watch-ebay watches if it could be had at around $200)) & I agree that it is alot of hassle. But I think the results speak for themselves for those of us with more money than sense.

[By-Tor]

Very good information Freddy.

If you don't mind, I'll link this article to my Daytona 116520 FAQ.

[ubiquitous]

Of course, there is another alternative... But from experience, it's a heck of a lot more than $600 to build one of these...

[freddy333]

And your pair of franken lovelies just reminded me of something that I forgot to mention in the original post -- I would also recommend polishing the polished parts (not the brushed sections) of the bracelets on these 116520 reps with a dremel & some green & red rouge. This will help to smooth out most of the 'grainy' appearance of the bracelets that come with all these reps. I can usually tell a gen 1165xx from a rep by the way the light reflects off the polished parts of the bracelet. After modding it, the difference is much less noticeable.

[freddy333]

Very good information Freddy.

If you don't mind, I'll link this article to my Daytona 116520 FAQ.

Probably a good place for it.

[ubiquitous]

And your pair franken lovelies just reminded of something I forgot to mention in the original post -- I would also recommend polishing the polished parts (not the brushed sections) of the bracelets on these 116520 reps with a dremel & some green & red rouge...

As a fact of trivia; both bracelets on my 16520's were originally standard rep bracelets with an all brushed finish; I spent some time polishing the centers, but they could stand to be repolished (I'm examing both as I type). I have gen bracelets for both tucked away in the parts box; unfortunately, my skin doesn't react so well with 904L

[jot9011]

I think King has the first generation sec @ 6 for sale on her site.. Different rotor though. Is this the low profile case?

[freddy333]

No, I do not think that is the same. I can tell by the rotor, the finish of the movement & the shape of the CGs. The early movements had the strangely decorated rotor & alot of shiny bits on the movement. King's is what I call the 2nd generation -- these had the plain rotor & a more brushed & substantial looking movement (I have never weighed the movements, but these 2nd-generation 7750s feel noticeably heavier than the earlier versions when you hold them - this may be a benefit if you have a 'gold' Daytona rep, since the gold gens are quite a bit heavier than the gold-plated reps). I have seen a number of these & they appear to be similar to the current (3rd) generation, which is what Joshua sells (but with a nicer rotor & dial). Compare the CGs on Kings or any other seller except this watch-ebay one. The watch-ebay watch is the only one I have seen in 3 years of searching that has the correct low-profile case like mine.

I posted this picture in a thread early last year, but I cannot find it now. The watch-ebay (and my) case on the right, all the other 1165xx Daytona rep cases look like Joshua's, which is on the left. Note the difference in both the thickness of the case, but also the flat lower edge. In contrast, my case (on right) has the same gentle concave shape as the gen case. The bezel, too, while not perfect, is closer in size/profile to the gen than is/are the current crop of rep bezels

Not a big difference, but it is noticeable when the watch is on your wrist.

[freddy333]

To cover all the bases, the following 2 pictures illustrate the differences between the gen & rep casebacks.

This is similar to the beveled caseback that is fitted to every 1165xx Daytona rep I have seen

I could not find a good picture of a gen 1165xx Daytona caseback, but this picture of a gen 1165xx Daytona given to winning Daytona drivers will give you an idea what they look like (just ignore the engraving)

There is no beveling in the circular area within the notches on the gen Daytona casebacks, the caseback is mostly flat across the back with a brushed finish (vintage Daytona casebacks were smaller & polished).

[freddy333]

I have gen bracelets for both tucked away in the parts box; unfortunately, my skin doesn't react so well with 904L

Ubi -- Apply some clear nail polish to the underside of that 904L & your skin will thank you. A wise old watchmaker gave me that tip.

[dieselpower]

Freddy333,

You may have inadvertently just solved a mystery. Some time ago I purchased an EE Daytona and when I received it I noticed that it had small traces of what appeared to be clear glue, or nail polish on its back around the endlinks. I asked the seller about this and he did not know why it was there but reported that the watch was like that when he bought it. I wonder if the original owner had sensitive skin and used some nail polish in the manner that you describe?

Apologies that this is somewhat off topic but I couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Very interesting tutorial BTW. If I wanted a seconds at 6 Daytona this would seem to be the way to go. Thanks for sharing.

Dieselpower.

[scoobs1971]

@Freddy: Thnx for the very informative post!

@Ubi: Always good to see the Twins back again

[ubiquitous]

Ubi -- Apply some clear nail polish to the underside of that 904L & your skin will thank you. A wise old watchmaker gave me that tip.

Yeah.... I've trid that route before with very little success, unfortunately. It works well on the caseback, but I didn't have very good results with the underside of the Oyster links. Not a huge deal, however.... I don't mind using my rep bracelets for these. They're still hollow link, and very comfortable to wear

@Freddy: Thnx for the very informative post!

@Ubi: Always good to see the Twins back again

Why thank ya, kind sir! It's nice to be back posting, even if on a semi regular basis

[HauteHippie]

Interesting project, freddy. How confident are you in your graphite seconds at 6 fix though? $700ish seems like a big expense for a sec-at-6 chrono at this point....

[freddy333]

Interesting project, freddy. How confident are you in your graphite seconds at 6 fix though? $700ish seems like a big expense for a sec-at-6 chrono at this point....

I am as confident as a guy can be with 1 win under his belt & just 2 weeks of follow-up observation. So far, so good, but the powdered graphite has brought exactly 1 watch back from the dead, which is why I have been including disclaimers stating that this is NOT a proven remedy. I believe the theory is sound & it worked (once) in practice, but needs alot more testing on alot more dead or dying watches before I can be confident in its efficacy (to use the parlance of the medical community). Unfortunately, I do not work on enough of these watches (or have time to), but Ziggy may. And he would be a better judge of their long-term survival since he is alot more familiar with these movements than I am. Also, I have never done a 100% teardown/rebuild of an Asian secs at 6 7750 (but I may soon) & I think that would be a minimum requirement for further testing. That is, take a dead/dying 7750, do a complete overhaul & apply the powdered graphite during the rebuild. Then see how it goes. The watch I fixed was never completely overhauled -- I just did the chrono/automatic wind module and the keyless works -- so if it dies again, there could be a number of causes, some having nothing to do with the extra secs at 6 gearing that the powdered graphite fix addresses.

[By-Tor]

Probably a good place for it.

Done.

Thanks man.

[FxrAndy]

As a fact of trivia; both bracelets on my 16520's were originally standard rep bracelets with an all brushed finish; I spent some time polishing the centers, but they could stand to be repolished (I'm examing both as I type). I have gen bracelets for both tucked away in the parts box; unfortunately, my skin doesn't react so well with 904L

that is a real shame with all the work on your two babys and having the gen bracelet and all, but does say some thing about the rep steel, i winder if any gen daytona owners have this problem, i wonder how they would react if we told them the solution

[ubiquitous]

that is a real shame with all the work on your two babys and having the gen bracelet and all, but does say some thing about the rep steel, i winder if any gen daytona owners have this problem, i wonder how they would react if we told them the solution....

Indeed. It's a bit of a bummer; a dermal allergy is no fun at all. However, the rep bracelets work great- No fuss at all, and they're relatively low cost. A good option for a guy like me

[gioarmani]

3 questions, please:

1) Does the chrono-function work on the watchebay model, and is the seconds sub-dial smooth?

2) What is the overall case quality of the watchebay model?

3) And last, do the bracelets & lugs line up properly on swapped cases, or are they interchangeable?

Thanks

[freddy333]

3 questions, please:

1) Does the chrono-function work on the watchebay model, and is the seconds sub-dial smooth?

2) What is the overall case quality of the watchebay model?

3) And last, do the bracelets & lugs line up properly on swapped cases, or are they interchangeable?

Thanks

My watch, purchased 3.5 years ago on CQout appears to be the same as the watch watch-ebay is selling.

1.The chrono functions (all of them) have worked since the day I received the watch, but the running seconds on every secs at 6 7750 I have seen (including mine) IS a bit erratic (due to imprecise machining & insufficient number of jewels to support the additional subdial-relocation gearing).

2.Case & bracelet quality are the same as Joshua's & most of the other secs at 6 Daytona reps. Good, but the finish can (and should) be improved with a bit of rouge & a few minutes going over with a dremel (or, possibly, a Cape Cod cloth, but I always use rouge & a dremel, so I cannot verify this).

3.If you are referring to the lug holes lining up with the end links, no. None of them seem to be placed in the right location. Getting the bracelet on or off these cases is a b-i-t-c-h & a half. But if you are asking whether the bracelet end links line up properly between the case lugs, you tell me (my watch (case/bracelet are same as watch-ebay) at right, powdered graphite test watch (still running), at left)

[gioarmani]

Good to know. Thanks.