mezzanine Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 My recent mistake on the SD bracelet pieces aside, I think I might be scoring a wicked deal right now on a bracelet. Stay tuned for my latest misguided attempt to beat the system, only to realize I'm missing some critical detail! That's part of the fun of it, I'm finding. I think it makes you appreciate when you finally get there all the moreso. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cib0rgman Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Want some? Get some! Can get one of those Inserts please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I am one happy guy right now- I think I may have solved the last of my bracelet woes...could you guys take a quick look, and even though the pics aren't great, give me an idea of what it looks like to you- the previous owner wasn't able to elaborate very much on the specifics of the bracelet... I'm now the proud owner of two $1000 replica watches- please contact the authorities to have me committed for a full mental health work-up.... What's cool about it is that I was able to do something nice for a friend here, as I wanted to pass on some of the good karma that I feel like I've had in my pursuit of a couple of gen bracelets.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justasgood Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I am one happy guy right now- I think I may have solved the last of my bracelet woes...could you guys take a quick look, and even though the pics aren't great, give me an idea of what it looks like to you- the previous owner wasn't able to elaborate very much on the specifics of the bracelet... I'm now the proud owner of two $1000 replica watches- please contact the authorities to have me committed for a full mental health work-up.... What's cool about it is that I was able to do something nice for a friend here, as I wanted to pass on some of the good karma that I feel like I've had in my pursuit of a couple of gen bracelets.... Impossible to tell from the pics. A close up of the end links and clasp will be the best to evaluate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Hey Rob, I cant tell from the pics either... But since it has SEL's I would assume its not for one of your vintage pieces! As an aside, I greatly appreciate the vast amount of information you have shared with the forum and with me personally. I am the very proud owner of one of Robs vintage pieces and he continues to assist me in my vintage searches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I swear to god this bracelet better fit! The seller told me that it was purchased and worn on his Tudor Tiger for a few years, but was taken off by Rolex and polished when the Tudor was sent to rolex in new york for service is in Feb of '07.... But yes, now that I look at it again, he says that it's a solid link bracelet "in great condition with almost no signs of wear". So what does this mean, then? I hope that it's still usable!! I'm hoping to be able to use it on my 1680, and then use the 78360 on the SeaDweller...the 78360 is better on the SD because of the polished sides of the 93160 (or whatever it was that I bought today). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Oops! Looks like trouble to me- that's a short clasp, like the one found on the GMT Master II and the Explorer II's. And SEL's are all wrong for a 1680- got to be 280/380/ or 580 detachable end pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 I'm figuring, worst case scenario, I might be able to trade it for something more appropriate. What's the value on this in the used market? Hopefully close enough that it's not too much of an additional investment. Thanks for the feedback gents... I have to laugh...I called it!! But I don't mind the circuitous route.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 If it's gen Rolex, $300-700, depending on condition. I'm thinking it's 904L steel, being late model stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 It's gen for sure, but it doesn't look like it's in the same ball park as the sub bracelets...sadly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 Supply and demand, there just isn't the demand. But don't hold me to the prices, that's just my gut feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 Even if you DONT use it for a current project, KEEP IT... You never know when a vintage Tudor might come your way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilty Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 wow, there are some crazy prices out there. 180203695188 The buckle you are looking for is listed at $339. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POTR Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 Insanity seems to surround end pieces for some... I "crushed" a pair of 455 B's the other day to fit a mid-size Jubilee to one of my Croton Aquamatics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 WOW, very nice... Those should look great in your parts bin with the others! Unless of course you want to be UNLIKE every one else out there that has them and wish to sell them for a reasonable price!!! I am convinced watches are just like cars... Definitely worth more in parts! I just bought at 93150 today from a local seller (without 580's) and got it for $400. He seemed to think it was the deal of the century and I thought I had just been given an "exam". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Great deal, Terry. If anyone deserved to find one, it was you- now if only you had a pair of vintage 580's to go on that bracelet. Oli, that clasp is something else. Looks like it's in excellent condition, too. I was going to message you earlier on today when I saw an Explorer II bezel go for $4500 and it made me think of your 1655. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Oli, the only difference I'm aware of is in their $$ values. The 501B's are a good deal for people looking to mod their rep with gen endlinks. They shouldn't be outrageous like 585's are. Are the 593's hollow endlinks? I wasn't sure if the were SEL. I've got a GMT/Explorer bracelet on the way that I think has solid endlinks that I won't be able to use. Not sure whether I would keep the bracelet or perhaps trade both the SEL bracelet and a 78360 for a 9135 folded, but even as much as I love the folded bracelets, I don't see putting that kind of money out on a bracelet at this point. I would rather use a cheaper gen option and maybe get a gen bezel. Both my watches would be near complete if I had gen bracelets and bezels for them. Bezels might even be more rare than inserts/endlinks. I haven't seen one on the market for a while now, I'm not sure if there are any value-options where bezels are concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 From looking at the Rolex bracelet charts I've seen that: 501B's fit the 5513 and 16610 (93150 bracelet) 580's fit 1680 and early 1665 " 593's fit the 16800 " 585's came along later for the 1665- maybe the GW model What the slight differences are between the end links are, I don't know- I guess there are slight variations in the cases which need to be accommodated with the different end links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 I guess it's more a question of what is correct in Rolex'es eyes as opposed to what actually fits. It's interesting that the 501B's fit the 5513 case and the 16610 case- these are two different cases- just not that different, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 This is the latest arrival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Don't forget - those flimsy endlinks can be bent slightly to be fit to sit snug. Nevertheless - most time bending is not even necessary. Even at my AD he said i should bring in the watch as the EL's probably have to be bent. They were not bent in the end - and I am not talking about bending with pliers - but bending with fingers *slightly* What is a price to be paid for 593's and 501B's? Is there a market for these as I might sell mine off. Including my 585's and 580's... Oli, the 593's go for around the same price of the 580's. Say $200. I feel a fair price for the 501B's might be $80. I feel the 580's might be $200. The 585's....can I ask what condition? I might try to hit a home run on them, as they're not very common. I'd say $300. Keep in mind, I'm trying to give you an idea of prices that the market will bear, while giving you a solid profit by starting on the higher end of the price spectrum. Your comment about the bending of the endlinks is very relevant for me, as I've realized that to get a bracelet to fit, it will require that the size of the opening of the endlink where it attaches to the case is increased in width by a couple of millimeters. It's one of those highly simple things that is scary though, at least to me, and I think I'm going to get it done by a watchsmith as a result. Oli, let me know if you're interested in either a 78360 or the bracelet pictured above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Oli, I may have been a little high on the 593's, but you can always start higher and bring the price down. The condition of the 580's and their year is also a factor...but they should hopefully go for more than the 593's. I'll try to fire off a pic of the SEL's. It's in nice condition. I saw a standard sub bracelet (modern) go for $1500 recently. I don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted February 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Some more pics of the two current bracelets. I'm contemplating options at this point. Ideally, I'd trade the SEL bracelet for a sub/SD bracelet, but it is killing me to see them both there and not just put them on each of the two vintage watches that need one. Also, just to clarify, I don't mean this to be a sales thread or anything, but I have been sort of treating this like a blog almost, and I know a few of us are on the same search. I've been doing some research to see about the possible use of the SEL bracelet in terms of saving it to use with a future project, but it doesn't seem like there are any options for either GMT's or Explorer's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Stilty, your score on that NOS 7836 vintage bracelet inspired me so much that I think the stars aligned and I got one for myself recently for a nice deal. Again, for the SeaDweller, I don't mind the idea of going with a incorrect bracelet that much. The 9315 is just way too expensive ($1000 recently) whereas the functionally and aesthetically very similar 7836 is closer to $600 from what I've been seeing in the market. I felt good about getting this one for $400...it looks like it's in very good condition from the pics and comes with 258 endlinks that are likely to be sold separately at some point. I've only just recently popped a genuine 78360 with 580's on my 1665 and the difference is significant enough that I think, depending on the level of mods you've already got done, is a worthwhile upgrade over the replica bracelet. There is a caveat....I don't think it's worth it to invest in a 'correct' vintage bracelet for either the 1680 or 1665. It's just too expensive to be rationalized, most of the time. But finding a genuine bracelet that is very very close, but for which the genuine market isn't as popular as it is with the sub, is a good way to get the benefit of the gen bracelet's finish and precision. I also really like the folded bracelets because they haven't been repped, and I don't anticipate we're going to see them repped any time soon. Especially with the SeaDweller, I like having the older style bracelet. Also, it's nice to have some variation if you have both a 1680 and a 1665 and would like to get some variety in the look between the two pieces. What's interesting is that my 1680 is going to be perfect, from the stand point of being consistent with it's genuine counterpart from a parts perspective. My 1665 is going to be incorrect because it has a folded 7836 instead of 9315 and an aftermarket dial. And yet, the character and unique styling of the 1665 with the folded bracelet and it's much more 'aged' look give it an appeal that is all it's own and in no way secondary to the 1680 with correct gen dial/bracelet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilty Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Stilty, your score on that NOS 7836 vintage bracelet inspired me so much that I think the stars aligned and I got one for myself recently for a nice deal. Do you have other pictures from the seller? Definately would like to see some pics, especially with all this talk of fake 7836's floating around. Please post some pics when you receive it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.