bluebite Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Hello, Probably a dumb question and one you've been asked too many times already but I can't seem to find an exact answer on the forum. I have a rolex 1570 movement with a genuine 1680 dial and hands. I also have access to many genuine case parts like inserts, crowns/tubes, stems, gaskets, etc. (Pictures of the movement/dial/hands will follow quickly.) Where can I find that elusive MBW 1665 case so I can start modding right away and show you guys how Frogs Rock? Besides the expensive ones on JW, I just couldn't see one worth the $ in terms of quality and accuracy. If such an animal doesn't exist, where to find a nice 1680 rep case? Thanks for you help! BlueBite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebite Posted March 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 OK that was a really dumb question. Live and learn. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watcher Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 To be honest I would not even go down the MBW route with the quality parts you have already. I'm creating a 1665 white SD at present with the same movement and all genuine parts( already got them) but I will and actually already have gone for the Vietnam case as they are machined ready and require pretty much no work to be correct in detail and finish. It's upto you of course but I think the extra wait to get the required pennies is well worth it in the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebite Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 To be honest I would not even go down the MBW route with the quality parts you have already. I'm creating a 1665 white SD at present with the same movement and all genuine parts( already got them) but I will and actually already have gone for the Vietnam case as they are machined ready and require pretty much no work to be correct in detail and finish. It's upto you of course but I think the extra wait to get the required pennies is well worth it in the end! Thank you. I'm looking for a "machined ready case" and I won't mind the extra pennies since I'm looking for 99,9% accuracy. Where to find a Vietnam case, NDt ? Cheers, Bluebite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Bluebite take a look for a thread I recently made about trying to organize a possible group buy for some of these vietnamese cases being talked about. The reason why we're working on that route is because the NDtrading mark-up on the wholesale price is expensive enough to make it a difficult base to justify for those of us on a budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahchard Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 if you wanted something soon... try mqwatches... they are cheaper than NDT i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I can't find that guy or place....is he an ebay seller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahchard Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 He has a shop in Ho Chi Minh... This is his website: http://www.vintagewatchesmq.com/home.html If you don't get a reply from emailing him, keep trying... he takes awhile to reply... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Thanks man...much appreciated. Check your USB port, Oli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebite Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Bluebite take a look for a thread I recently made about trying to organize a possible group buy for some of these vietnamese cases being talked about. The reason why we're working on that route is because the NDtrading mark-up on the wholesale price is expensive enough to make it a difficult base to justify for those of us on a budget. Why not? Saw your post mezzanine, and I'm in for a group buy as I'm certainly not willing to pay $1450 right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahchard Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I think i was quoted 900 by mq last year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I was recently quoted a price of $800 by MQ on a 5508 case- the same as NDtrading. Since NDT is here in the US, I went w/ them- no customs issues. I do agree that a better case is a good idea. The best that NDtrading has right now is $1000 for a 1665 case (not the DRSD case- which was $1250- the difference would be the case back, I guess). Anyway, the big drawback to the MBW case is the non-working HE valve and you might have to do a little bit of filing to fit the 1575 movt in there. Oh, and file the crown guards, which is no big deal. I figure if you're going to go to the trouble of putting a Rolex movt in there, it's worth it to spend the extra bucks to get the better case, etc. Otherwise, just stick w/ the MBW/ETA and add the crown/tube, and bezel insert, etc. I just feel like putting a Rolex movt in there warrants the extra expense. My 5508 w/ 1520 movt is running $2200 and I'm not there yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebite Posted March 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 I think i was quoted 900 by mq last year... And I was quoted 1000euros last week... That sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 See, to me it's not worth it to spend an extra $1000 on the case, and still have a dial that screams "fake!". There might be genuine GW dials that are still available at "reasonable" prices, but genuine DRSD dials are $7000+, and climbing (and there is no suitable replica). If you don't like doing mods, and you don't mind giving some Vietnamese guy some obscene amount of profit, then go with the Viet cases. Until a really great replica dial becomes available, or competition drive the Vietnamese cases down to the $300 level, then I think I'll stick with the MBW option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 I agree with avitt, it's not worth it to drop that kind of money on an aftermarket case when there is a cheaper alternative. I could see the value in a group buy for a model that is not available to us (like GMT or Explorer) and only if we could get it for wholesale. The whole thing that I like about these cases is that they can take genuine parts. My interest is almost exclusively now in being able use these platforms for those parts as a high % of the total value of the watch. When we start talking about spending that kind of money on a case, it limits the ability to worry only about the cost of the genuine parts- which is how it 'should' be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 See, to me it's not worth it to spend an extra $1000 on the case, and still have a dial that screams "fake!". There might be genuine GW dials that are still available at "reasonable" prices, but genuine DRSD dials are $7000+, and climbing (and there is no suitable replica). If you don't like doing mods, and you don't mind giving some Vietnamese guy some obscene amount of profit, then go with the Viet cases. Until a really great replica dial becomes available, or competition drive the Vietnamese cases down to the $300 level, then I think I'll stick with the MBW option. I agree, mostly. In the hands of a competent modder, the MBW case (with the addition of a working Hev) is so accurate & well constructed that only the most knowledgeable Rolex specialist would even know what to look for to see the very minor differences between the MBW and Viet Nam (or gen) cases. Certainly, the average Rolex owner or 'man on the street' is unlikely to be able to call this out The 1 item I take exception with is the caseback since the Viet Nam part is noticeably more accurate than the MBW. With a bit of sanding/polishing, I doubt that even a specialist would be able to call this part out by sight alone (Note the deeper/wider engraving & proper location of the dot between the 'T' in Patent & the 'E' in Valve) Here is my modded MBW DRSD caseback for reference (Since these pics were taken, the end links have been swapped for gen 580s) But, at $450 (Phong's price), I do not see THAT much of an improvement over the MBW caseback. However, when the Viet Nam sellers come to their senses & start selling these parts for a more reasonable price ($200 or less), I would swap casebacks in a heartbeat. The dials continue to be the weak part of the equation & since the dial is the most important part of a watch, it is difficult to rationalize spending around $1,000+ for a case that is only few percent improved over the MBW. Long ago, Avitt convinced me to go with the MBW dial over an NDtrading dial & I continue to pat myself on the back for listening to him. However, I have since found an improved dial that, while still not perfect, corrects many of the sins of the NDtrading dial which make it, I believe, a quite suitable replacement (and improvement) for the original MBW DRSD dial. The only obvious flaws on this dial are the still slightly too narrow 6 & 9 index markers & questionable color of the lume. On the other hand, the crown, date window & text all look within spec to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 Freddy, that is an awesome post. With regard to the dial, I'm surprised that the NDtrading dials aren't better than the MBW ones. I have what I think is an aftermarket dial in my 1665 that I would swear is better in objective terms than the MBW dial- but you're much more aware of the merits of these dials than I am. If it's possible to find a good aftermarket DRSD dial, I'll swap out the dial at the same time I'm doing the crystal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 NDtrading on right Although the fonts on the NDtrading dial are generally more accurate than the MBW, the NDtrading suffers from a crown & 6 & 9 index markers that are too narrow and some of the lettering is irregularly spaced (example - look at the 1st 3 letters in chronometer). No aftermarket dial that I have found gets everything right, so you have to choose your set of poisons. For my money, comparing either the MBW or NDtrading dials to the aftermarket dial I posted in my 1st post, I think the 1st dial is the most accurate of the 3. Here are 2 gens for reference My current MBW DRSD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cskent69 Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 Please - any comments on this dial from NDT - i want a better GW dial than the MBW one. Genuine One One from TX What do you all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 Please - any comments on this dial from NDT - i want a better GW dial than the MBW one. The lume color is artificial looking, the crown still too narrow & some of the lettering placed oddly, but, otherwise it looks pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebite Posted March 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 Fantastic post Freddy, very informative Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 Freddy, I may have asked you this before I can't remember, but it could be useful in the context of those that are interested in replacing their MBW dial with an aftermarket- could you take a look at the flaws on this dial? This one is an aftermarket like the NDtrading, but I'm not sure if it's the exact same as theirs or not. I've found that the aftermarket dials, while incorrect in some of the 'fidelity' ways that you were describing, just look way better in terms of their overall quality. I'm talking about thinness of fonts, the coronet, the spacing of letters, the texture of the dial, etc.. I admit I have a hard time getting a good shot of the dial.. Before the obvious point about the script font being too western, I've seen two versions of this dial in the genuine world, one was more typical script, but I have seen a genuine dial with font that looked closer to this. Should've saved the photo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 The printing quality of these NDtrading dials is very good, better than the MBW dials, which is 1 of the reasons I purchased 1. But, as I said, each aftermarket dial has its own set of inaccuracies & each owner must decide which dial has the least amount of objectionable sins. For me, between the MBW & NDtrading, I went with the MBW. My thinking is that if you closely inspect each dial through a loupe, the NDtrading will win because of its clearer & more precise printing quality. But when viewed normally, from a few feet away (or the distance between 2 closely spaced tables in an intimate restaurant, which is the benchmark I use), I think the MBW's more accurately sized crown & index markers give the viewer a more gen-like presentation. The new dial I posted earlier gets all of the text fonts/sizes nearly dead-on (both of the other dials got these wrong for different reasons). It gets the crown nearly dead-on (the NDtrading crown is too narrow, the MBW too imprecisely printed). It gets the date window nearly dead-on (the MBW is slightly too small). Its only serious flaw is that its 6 & 9 index markers are still slightly too narrow (though not as obviously wrong as they are on the NDtrading dial) & the lume color is still too artificial looking (if they had only used white, I could easily widen the 6 & 9 index markers & the dial would be a winner.......but, as always, they get at least 1 or 2 obvious things wrong). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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