Rolex to Tudor Conversion Project

[dovo1695]

When my addiction to reps first started a few months ago, I had absolutely no interest in Rolexes. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even looked at the Rolex forum. Suddenly I'm hooked. I think that these are simply stunning watches. Unfortunately for me, there is no way I could pull off a rolex. That's when I started thinking about Tudor. Very few people have ever heard of Tudor watches, and I could definitely wear one without anyone raising any eyebrows.

I know that no one sells Tudor reps, but I was thinking it would great to take a base Rolex, and swap out the dials. I have done some searching here on the forum, and it seems as though all of the Rolex to Tudor conversion projects have used an expensive MBW Rep as a base ( I guess because of the dial diameter?). I have found 26mm Tudor dials on Ebay and I was wondering if there are more affordable base Rolexes to use. I would love to use a Noobmariner as a base but I'm not sure if it would work or not. Any advice for a good base watch would be very appreciated.

Thanks in Advance

[alligoat]

A noob case won't work. A 26mm Tudor dial is too small. The noob dial is 28+mm.

One of the inexpensive 5513 reps would work like this one above:

Paul, Silix and Andrew all carry it. It's a smaller case- like 38mm and I just recently put a gen (aftermarket Vietnamese?) dial in it- worked fine. Heck, with a Tudor dial, the dial feet might even work. On the Rolex dial you have to cut the feet and glue the dial to the top movement ring.

[dovo1695]

Thanks Alligoat! The 5513 is a nice looking watch. I'd like to make it into a Tudor Sub using this.

As I was posting the attached picture, I noticed that the Tudor Sub dial has a date-wheel. That's a bit of a problem since the 5513 doesn't have one! I guess I could always cut out a snip from an ETA datewheel and glue it in place. I guess I'd choose "15" so that way I'd never be more than 2 weeks off on the date! I guess a better option would be to look around for a tudor sub dial without a date-wheel.

Are there any other Rolex watches with a date wheel that would accomodate a 26mm Tudor dial? (I guess this raises a whole new issue of the date wheel hole lining up...)

Edited June 7, 2008 by dovo1695

[predfan2001]

It can be done. This one would have worked, but I didn't know what dial dots were at the time and couldn't keep the dial from slipping. I ended up using this Hydronaut dial in a vintage case....it fit that one better. Then I parted it out and sold the pieces. I saw the dial in eBay a couple weeks ago but nobody bid on it. The Tudor dial fit in this case because it is one of the Subs with the wokky rehaut. The wokkiness allows a smaller dial. This dial would not have worked in a Noobmariner.

Then here it is in a 5517 case with a date movement

Here's what I have going now...this Tudor Tiger Sub dial is the same size as a Noobmariner. The date window lines up with no overlay. I've already installed the round hour markers from a Submariner dial, I just need a couple more 12:00 markers (triangle) to have it ready to go together. I'm thinking either a green bezel insert or a black and red one.

Edited June 7, 2008 by predfan2001

[predfan2001]

I had the same idea as you last year. So I ordered an ETA 1680 Sub. I had the vintage case and a date movement but the 1680 dial and case was modern sized.

You'll have to get a 5513 as Alligoat said (assuming that case is what you need....I've only used 5517s) and then buy a 2836-2 movement with a date. The fact of the matter is that other than MBWs, there are very few Sub reps that will accept a gen dial.

Thanks Alligoat! The 5513 is a nice looking watch. I'd like to make it into a Tudor Sub using this.

Are there any other Rolex watches with a date wheel that would accomodate a 26mm Tudor dial? (I guess this raises a whole new issue of the date wheel hole lining up...)

Edited June 7, 2008 by predfan2001

[dovo1695]

That 5517/Tudor franken is gorgeous!!!

How in the world did you resolve the date window issue? Did you swap out the movement to one with date-wheel or am I missing something? I see that the 5513 from Trusty uses a Swiss ETA 2836-2. Is this movement already set up for a eta-datewheel such that you just add the datewheel and its ready to go? (Sorry if this is a dumb question, I guess I'm a bit of a noob).

The Tudor Tiger project is really interesting too. I'll be keen to see the final result!

Edit: Sorry... I was writing this question as you posting the previous post. You answered my question about the movement and datewheel before I even asked it!

Edited June 7, 2008 by dovo1695

[Tribal]

You can try a vintage Tudor Sub.

You need a MBW/MBK 1680/5513 Case its 40mm in

diameter which is correct for this Sub.

It also accept a vintage Tudor Submariner Dial.

A 2836 Eta movement and you need no Date Overlay

because the Eta wheel lines up perfectly.

You need also a Vintage Tudor Glass with correct cyclops

spacing.

Hope this helps.

[dovo1695]

You can try a vintage Tudor Sub.

You need a MBW/MBK 1680/5513 Case its 40mm in

diameter which is correct for this Sub.

It also accept a vintage Tudor Submariner Dial.

A 2836 Eta movement and you need no Date Overlay

because the Eta wheel lines up perfectly.

You need also a Vintage Tudor Glass with correct cyclops

spacing.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Tribal! Based on what I saw at Trusty's the 5513 and the 1680 have different cases. The 5513 has a thickness of 16mm and the 1680 has a thickness of 14.5mm. Does anyone know what would be a more appropriate case thickness? Obviously it will depend on the gen vintage sub dial that I wind up buying, but I was wondering if Tudor made subs with 16mm thick my (very) limited understanding is that Tudors tend to run smaller than Rolexes. I almost asked if Trusty's would suffice (if they are MBW), but I realized that runs precariously close to asking "who has the best vintage sub?"!!!

I think I might be getting addicted to reps. My first indication was that my wife came in just now from reading a book outside, took one look at me, and said "You're looking at watches again aren't you?" before walking back outside shaking her head.

After giving it some thought I decided to change my Avatar. Based on my level of excitement I'm getting the feeling that I'm embarking down a strange and precarious road of rep addiction. After all, I intend to take a beautiful vintage replica Rolex submariner, and then franken it into a less prestigous less noticeable watch. What could be more Quixotic than that!

Thanks for helping a Noob get into this fascinating hobby, and making him feel welcome in this great community.

Edited June 8, 2008 by dovo1695

[ubiquitous]

BTDT, using gen parts... But not the standard ETA 2836...

[ubiquitous]

An older one I've done...

[predfan2001]

An older one I've done...

Last year I bought a NDTrading dial like that and was going to put it in a MBW case but ended up selling off the stuff. I just can't justify having that much $$$$ tied up in a rep. I guess I'm just a cheap skate but I'd rather invest that in a gen. I don't mind having $300 or so in a rep but when it comes to $700-$800...that's a bit much.

Edited June 8, 2008 by predfan2001

[Sir-Lancelot]

The MWB 1680 case actually has 5513 specifications. The 1680 has a larger dial diameter.

So

[dovo1695]

@ Ubiquitous:

Wow! Those are amazing!

Thats it. I'm lost. After seeing those watches I can't turn back. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep properly until I have one of those in my winder (damn...now I need to buy a winder)

Are all of those gen dials (they sure look like it)? Or is there someone out there making aftermarket Tudor dials that I should know about?

[Tribal]

The MWB 1680 case actually has 5513 specifications. The 1680 has a larger dial diameter.

So

[/quote

Thats right about the case.

The MBW Dial 1680/5513 has a diameter about 26mm

so it will fit if you want to build a vintage Tudor Sub.

If you want to build a modern Tudor Sub like 79190

you need the Tudor 79190 Submariner Dial.

Gen Tudor Sub has a diameter 40mm.

Case is about 7mm include the Bezel.

11mm overall.

Glass is about 29,3mm.

I meausured on my Gen Tudor.

[predfan2001]

@ Ubiquitous:

Wow! Those are amazing!

Thats it. I'm lost. After seeing those watches I can't turn back. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep properly until I have one of those in my winder (damn...now I need to buy a winder)

Are all of those gen dials (they sure look like it)? Or is there someone out there making aftermarket Tudor dials that I should know about?

If you're serious and you have the funds, get a vintage Tudor dial from ND Trading (they sell on Ebay) and a MBW 1680. Then get a Tropic 19 and get started.

You'll spend a minimum of $700, more if you want more gen parts.

[dovo1695]

Thats right about the case.

The MBW Dial 1680/5513 has a diameter about 26mm

so it will fit if you want to build a vintage Tudor Sub.

If you want to build a modern Tudor Sub like 79190

you need the Tudor 79190 Submariner Dial.

Thanks Tribal! Although truthfully, you've opened the door to pandora's box by mentioning the possibility of creating a modern 79190.

After you posted this I started thinking to myself "why let dial availability dictate the sub? Why not look around a bit to see which Tudor sub you find most striking, and then wait until said dial becomes available?". And so obsession is born.

If anyone is curious about the contents of pandoras box, follow the link below. Doubtless, the seasoned modders who have been so helpful will find no surprises, but to noobs like me a pictorial catalogue of Tudor subs through the ages is simply an amazing experience. I offer the post below as a small contribution in event that in the future a fellow noob stumbles across this topic while using the forum search function with similar ambitions. Warning!!! The link below might intice Rolex lovers with perfectly good Subs to envision heretofor blasphemous mods!

http://forumamontres.forumactif.com/revues...riner-t1013.htm

@Ubiquitous: Quote "an older one I've done".

That dial bears more than a passing resemblance to a 1958-1960 Tudor 7922! I can't believe it's really possible to source a dial like this!

Edited June 8, 2008 by dovo1695

[ubiquitous]

Last year I bought a NDTrading dial like that and was going to put it in a MBW case but ended up selling off the stuff. I just can't justify having that much $$$$ tied up in a rep. I guess I'm just a cheap skate but I'd rather invest that in a gen. I don't mind having $300 or so in a rep but when it comes to $700-$800...that's a bit much.

I suppose it's all in how you look at it. For me, building a watch isn't about the money spent nor saved; rather, I find it much more interesting and fun to build something myself vs. simply buying a gen complete. Sure, it costs a lot to fund a project like this, and the finished result doesn't carry the same provenance as a gen, but I'm not out to sell my finished product either, so I'm not worried or concerned about ROI. These are simply for my own enjoyment, so the dollar factor isn't of importance to me.

@ Ubiquitous:

Wow! Those are amazing!

Thats it. I'm lost. After seeing those watches I can't turn back. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep properly until I have one of those in my winder (damn...now I need to buy a winder)

Are all of those gen dials (they sure look like it)? Or is there someone out there making aftermarket Tudor dials that I should know about?

Yep... All gen dials. Except the 7928, which uses an aftermarket dial (though not NDT)...

[dovo1695]

[quote If you're serious and you have the funds, get a vintage Tudor dial from ND Trading (they sell on Ebay) and a MBW 1680. Then get a Tropic 19 and get started.

You'll spend a minimum of $700, more if you want more gen parts.

Edited June 9, 2008 by dovo1695

[ubiquitous]

The best way to build a watch on a budget is to spread the project out over time. Buying everything up front all at once will make the project a large endeavor with significant cost out of pocket (depending on the scope of your build); buying a part here or there one piece at a time helps spread that cost out and the small hits don't hurt so bad. The key is to be patient, and keep your focus; these things can be discouraging at times. However, taking your time will also allow you to make better educated decisions as you'll have plenty of opportunity to research, which is important with any project.

As an example- The watch below is one that took me a little over a year to build; most of that time was waiting for the right parts to come along...

Another thing to keep in mind- Sometimes the part you want or need will only turn up when you're not looking for it, or no longer need it... Despite how much cash you have ready...