Genuine 68273 Datejust Cases on the bay

[One4adventure]

120314336553

I just picked one up myself!

Now I need the help of you guys to put this together into a Christmas present for my wife!

Do you guys thing I could sneak an ETA movement into this case?

I am thinking TT bracelet and Gold Bezel and crown. perhaps a pink mother of pearl dial?

This is exciting, I saw a woman wearing the midsize datejust the other day, a very classy looking watch!

For $60 the price seamed right?

Thanks

Chris

[FxrAndy]

can these be real at that price???

[slickdick]

Dont know about the price, but the cases look real to me.

[FxrAndy]

if these were the larger cases i would be looking for an EX1 dial right now!

[dluddy]

if these were the larger cases i would be looking for an EX1 dial right now!

Had the same thought

[stilty]

They are real.

I have a project on the go right now. Parts are NOT easy to source for this. I have been at it for over a year. I finally have everything I need, except a decent bracelet.

I have a TT setup with dial, and I also bought one of the cases as listed, but then I had to source a smooth SS bezel, a dial, a movement holder, crown, crystal, and movement.

I am using an ETA 2000-1 movement. They are not cheap. List on them is $350.00. They are nearly identical to the Rolex 2135 in size. I sourced a genuine Rolex movement holder, and it fits the ETA nicely. I just need a 0.20mm spacer to line up the stem. I also sourced a genuine date disc that I will use, as well as a genuine dial, and hands. The hands will need to be broached, but they are very close in size to ETA. Hardest parts to find were the gen movement holder and a bezel. Dials are fairly easy to find, but very expensive if you want a nice one. ETA 2000-1 is easy to find if you want to spend $350, not easy to find on the used market. Crown is easy to find as it is regular 24-530-0. Crystal is easy to find.

Good Luck.

[freddy333]

As the OP stated, these are the perfect base upon which to construct a gift watch for wives, girlfriends, mums, aunties, etc. The price is relatively low, because common Rolex cases have been flooding the market for the past few years as people remove the innards for use in various frankens. The Rolex 2135 movements are not as common & the last 1 I saw sold for about $500. There are also a good number of gen dials that will fit (you will need to remove the dial feet & find an alternate way to attach the dial to an ETA or other non-Rolex movements) & these range from about $110 to $300, depending on whether you want a plain silver dial with stick markers (at the low end) or something with more exotic materials and/or jewels (at the high end). The cases all appear to have tubes, so if you throw on a gen crown & crystal, you could probably put together a great franken.

[slickdick]

I think their cheap because it is case+tube only, no dial, bezel, crown or crystal. Take these into account and you end up spending more then a 160xx case for 200bucks.

Edited October 11, 2008 by slickdick

[stilty]

It is an expensive venture if you have a specific project in mind. When I first considered the project. I picked up a complete set for under $200. Included, dial, crown, bezel, and crystal. I found a good price on an ETA 2000-1, so I picked that up as well. I did a lot of research before I decided on the 2000. It is 0.20mm difference in diameter vs 2135. I then figured I would source a genuine Rolex movement holder. Found one of those, test fitted the movement and it is very very close and will work for the project. Also, the dial is a pressure fit dial and attaches to the movement holder. No dial feet to worry about. The movement is attached to the holder with screws, then the movement and holder is fit in the case with clamps. The only problem is, the ETA 2000-1 sits 0.20mm too low in the holder for stem alignment. I have to figure out a way to raise the movement up in the holder so the stem is aligned with the tube. The movement holder also acts as a support for the date disc. I found a gen to use. It will need to be glued to the ETA as an overlay. I also had to order taller cannon, hour, and fourth wheel.

Clark has a genuine disc for sale right now. Just make sure you get the disc for mid-size, not ladies. And that is it for 2135 and not 2235. 2135 matches ETA date progression.

If you can get all the parts, it looks like an easy build, especially if you go with an ETA 2000-1 and a genuine 2135 movement holder. I recommend getting the movement holder as that is what the dial is attached to, and what supports the date disc. The date disc is larger in diameter than the movement, so you will need the holder. There is a seller that had on the bay for $295! Way too much money, and it did not include the clamps and screws. Check with the seller of the cases, if he has that many cases, he may have the movement holder to go with it.

I found a couple of holders from a seller in HK, but you really have to ask around to find them. Not very common.

[Heywood]

I hate to get off topic, but somebody may have interest in doing a similar, but simpler project. As Stilty mentioned the eta 2000 is a great choice to replace a 2135 or 2035 movement. I assembled a watch for my wife with a 6718 case with an eta 2000 movement. This is a very straightforward project without the hassles of spacers, date disc overlays, date alignment or other tedious details. The movement fits nearly perfectly (diameter) and the stem lines up perfectly. Dial feet were removed and dial was installed with adhesive dots. For a simple watch thats nice looking this franken is hard to beat. Here's a couple of pics (hand alignment has since been fixed).

[stilty]

Nice one! That ETA 2000 is a near perfect fit, and a very high quality movement as well.

.

[freddy333]

Now that is the way to do it. Great work, Heywood.

[vmena]

Building a franken, specially a TT is very expensive. The one I did (16233) cost me finally near 900 USD, taking in account that gold is not cheap, and parts in gold like crown, bezel and bracelet are very expensive. I didn't find the spacer and I had to make my watchmake all the "dirty" job, and it is not cheap at all.

[Heywood]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. Sometimes you get lucky when franken-building and everything fits without raising your blood pressure!

[stilty]

A couple pics (quick n dirty) to show you what you need to do if you want to build a franken with that 68273 case.

Here is the ETA 2000-1 in the Rolex 2135 movement holder:

Here is a pic with the genuine 2135 date disc: (jewelled gear will need to be removed)

And here is with the dial installed. There are no dial feet with the 2135 midsize. The dial has a lip that is pressure fit to the movement holder,

Here is the set up installed in the case:

And a collection of parts waiting to come to life as a Mid-Franken-Just! One TT and one SS.

[freddy333]

Looks great, Stilty. You might consider spraying the (white) datewheel for the TT with some yellow varnish to make it look 'champagne'.

[stilty]

Thanks Freddy, that is a good tip. But I have a gen champagne disc as well. I just used the white for a quick picture.

[One4adventure]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. Sometimes you get lucky when franken-building and everything fits without raising your blood pressure!

Thank for the great tips!! the seller tells me he has movement holders for $40 each, is this a good price?

I found a site advertising the ETA for $150 new.

[stilty]

Thank for the great tips!! the seller tells me he has movement holders for $40 each, is this a good price?

I found a site advertising the ETA for $150 new.

Yes, both are good prices. Just make sure the screws and clamps are included with the holder.

[Heywood]

Stilty that's a fine looking project you've got brewing there. I'm looking forward to seeing that pair when you get around to finishing them up.