symbebekos Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 First of all, I want to express my appreciation to everyone who's helped me so far - Avitt, Freddy, Ubi, DW, and everyone who's posted useful information in the many vintage Daytona threads - there's no way I could have gotten this far without you, so thank you! OK: I've gathered up the parts to do a V72 6263 build, but before I approach a watchmaker to do the assembly and initial service, I wanted to see if anyone had any comments on the parts I'm using or general hints or tips. (Also, if you have a great watch person in the LA area, please shoot me a PM!) I should say that my goal with this project is to produce a watch I love and can enjoy wearing, not to fool anyone or (god forbid) sell as a counterfeit. I actually think it's a lot more interesting to learn everything about a watch and produce a homage from parts than to just drop $30k at a Rolex dealer. So although I will eventually look for a gen dial, bezel and bracelet, I won't be adding rep bridges to the movement or anything like that - I suppose if I could find a Rolex 727 at a reasonable price I'd put it in, but what are the odds of that happening? The movement: I won a Gallet chronograph from eBay for $684 - I only bring up the price to point out that it's still possible to get deals on V72 movements and possibly bring in a complete 6263 project for under $1200 if you stick to rep parts. Case: I actually bought two DW cases, one engraved and one not - both have gen crowns, tubes and crystals but rep pushers. I need an opinion - is the engraved case engraved improperly? It looks like it was done with a laser or something and not correct mechanical engraving. For that reason I'm leaning toward using the plain case. Dial: Not much to say, a very nice DW dial from a friend. I do intend to put in a gen dial eventually as there are no rep dials I'm completely happy with that I've seen. Bezel: I bought two direct from DW - the stamping on the first one was comically bad, so he sent me another one for a nominal cost. I'm not happy with this one - there's no space between UNITS and PER in UNITS PER HOUR but I can live with it until I source a gen, I suppose. Bracelet: A rep 78350 with 557 endpieces and an incorrect clasp. This is going to be the first part I replace with gen. Any thoughts before I put this together, RWG?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 It is late, so I will keep this brief - The movement & dial look good. A gen dial would be an obvious improvement over the rep dial, but the cost vs benefit lines are very skewed due to the high cost of gen Daytona dials. You are correct that the case etching is the wrong type (it should be engraved instead of laser-etched), but since the space between the lugs will be hidden beneath the bracelet's end links, I would not worry too much about that. Anyone with enough knowledge to ID the lug etching as incorrect will likely be equally suspicious of finding no engraving at all, so I would go with the etched case which looks better than no etching at all. The only item that really bothers me is the bezel, which just looks off. All of the fonts look a bit small & are just slightly incorrect. But the glaring problem is the spacing (too wide) of the numbers that make up the '110'. If you compare the spacing of the other 3-digit numbers on the bezel to the 110, you will see what I mean. The 1 1 0 should be closer together. Previously, DW's steel bezels got this right (all of the black plastic aftermarket bezels I have seen, including DW's, have the '110' spaced as you see it here), but this 1 is wrong. I guess DW must have switched suppliers for his bezels since the last 1 I got from him (last year). This is too bad since someone else just asked me about Daytona bezels & I told them to contact DW. I may have to rescind that recommendation for the time being. Otherwise, good luck to you & your watchmaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Looks like you're off to a great start! Looking forward to seeing the finished product Should be quite stellar once completed. Especially as you start replacing rep parts with gen. Quite possibly the most satisfying way to tackle a project as each improvement and upgrade can be relished individually... Cheers, R P.S. I'd go with the un-engraved case. Better to have a blank than to have the wrong engraving (in my opinion). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Thanks for weighing in, Freddy and Ubi! Here's a shot of the first bezel DW sent me: At the time I felt the stamping was way too deep (the 85 and 90 are practically slipping off the left side of it) but now I'm second-guessing myself. As for the engraving, I was thinking about sending the unengraved case off to Phong...I know he's expensive, but he can do the correct engraving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakemaster Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Man rep or not that dial is beautiful. Just one you don't see often. Can't wait to see it together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Looking good and well done on buying a V72 for such a reasonable price. I would like to point 1 thing out although I'm not sure if anything can be done about it. One of the annoying quirks of the DW dial is the "O" in the word Rolex. The font is wrong. This has been mentioned in other threads and I'm not sure if it can be corrected but I would look into it before having the watch assembled. I say this because I am having a 7750 powered 6263 assembled at the moment and I overlooked this so I know that one day I will have to have it corrected if possible. Hope this is of some use and good luck with what looks like a great project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 The 'O' in Rolex is a known (& common) problem with aftermarket Rolex dials. Oddly, the only 1 of my Daytonas that have a nearly correct O is the asymmetrical 7750 6263 DW And even more oddly, some of the worst looking aftermarket Daytona dials seem to be get that O right. Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Is there anything that can be done to rectify the "O" issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Looking good and well done on buying a V72 for such a reasonable price. I would like to point 1 thing out although I'm not sure if anything can be done about it. One of the annoying quirks of the DW dial is the "O" in the word Rolex. The font is wrong. This has been mentioned in other threads and I'm not sure if it can be corrected but I would look into it before having the watch assembled. I say this because I am having a 7750 powered 6263 assembled at the moment and I overlooked this so I know that one day I will have to have it corrected if possible. Hope this is of some use and good luck with what looks like a great project. You're dead right about the O. Another thing that bothers me is that the numerals don't overlap the subdial circumferences as with the gen, which is another chronic problem with the DW dial. I don't know what to do about these issues except look for a gen dial at a reasonable price (ha)...although in a recent thread someone brought up the idea of sending a blank gen Singer dial to a pro like Bob Ridley or Kirk Rich for a complete redial service; if that were possible I'd go for it but I don't think it's been tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Is there anything that can be done to rectify the "O" issue? Short of finding a micro-artist to repaint the O (Ziggy told me he could not do it), I am not aware of any other options. You're dead right about the O. Another thing that bothers me is that the numerals don't overlap the subdial circumferences as with the gen, which is another chronic problem with the DW dial. I don't know what to do about these issues except look for a gen dial at a reasonable price (ha)...although in a recent thread someone brought up the idea of sending a blank gen Singer dial to a pro like Bob Ridley or Kirk Rich for a complete redial service; if that were possible I'd go for it but I don't think it's been tried. I have never tried Ridley, but Rich requires a gen Daytona dial in order to repaint it. And they know the difference between a gen & a 'Singer' engraved aftermarket dial, which is too bad since they use the original rolex stamps to print dials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 I have never tried Ridley, but Rich requires a gen Daytona dial in order to repaint it. And they know the difference between a gen & a 'Singer' engraved aftermarket dial, which is too bad since they use the original rolex stamps to print dials. That's a drag. I did see an eBay auction end at $800 for a beat-to-hell-but-gen dial - I wonder what Rich charges for the redial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 It's obviously very difficult to get the Daytona dial correct...and there are no known aftermarket dials that get everything right. Freddy333's 7750 dial, for instance, has the correct "O", but suffers from the "Nanuq Error" on the word "COSMOGRAPH" (the "A" is pointy at the top, and the "R" is too rounded). Incidentally, the dials that I selected for both my 6263 and 6265 have both of these problem...Yet it doesn't bother me, because they have superior overall visual impact. The coronets are long and thin, the print is sharp, the subdials are crisp, and the finish is brilliant...this is what strikes me then I look at the watch, and not the font flaws. If an aftermarket dial shows up which corrects the font issues, and retains the overall visual impact, then I'll jump on it. Until then, I'm pretty happy with my imperfect dials. Don't know if you mentioned this, but I would suggest a genuine T-21, as this will add substantially to the look of your 6265. (Oh, and I also suggest that you use the unengraved case. That will give you a chance to have the other one properly engraved...I might be giving that a try myself.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 I wonder what Rich charges for the redial. They have never charged me more than about $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 They have never charged me more than about $200. That seems quite reasonable, considering the delicacy of the work! Do you have a photo of the dial they did for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Do you have a photo of the dial they did for you? Sorry, I do not have before pics, but this is an after pic of 1 of the dials they repainted for me. It is an exact match (minus the original's fading & discoloration) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted December 2, 2008 Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Regarding the "O" : if we are in territory that The Zigmeister can't cope with then we are in trouble indeed. It's very interesting to see where you are going to go with this project and I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Alas I can offer no solutions to the problems but the more learned members will give their all I'm sure. Keep us updated and I for one will be watching with interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted December 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2008 Freddy, that dial looks amazing. I wouldn't hesitate to go to KR based on that, for sure. Thanks to everyone for the good wishes - I'll update the thread with photos when I have the watch put together. Again, if anyone has an experienced watchmaker they use in Los Angeles, please drop me a line! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted February 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Well, it took a while for me to get this project done, but it's finally finished. Here are some preliminary photos, I'll post more detailed ones later. I was able to find a wonderful watchmaker who did all the work for me without any problems. In fact, he was very curious about where I was able to get such rare replacement parts, even after I clarified that they were aftermarket and not original Rolex. For me, an unqualified success! The V72 is running as it should and of course the chronograph function works perfectly. Let me know your thoughts! Over time, I'd like to add a gen bracelet, bezel and dial, and the case needs to be properly engraved with model and serial numbers, but I'm not in any rush. Putting this on my (hairy) wrist for the first time was a huge thrill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Congratulations. Your watchmaker did a nice job. I would forget a gen dial unless you are willing to spend at least the cost of another complete DW to buy it (assuming you are able to find 1). Engraving the case is a nice touch, but no one other than you or your watchmaker is likely to ever see (or appreciate) it, so I would not worry about that too much. But a gen bracelet always takes these watches up another notch, so you might consider that as your next move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Love your watch! I think you made a lot of good sound decisions regarding the particulars, weighing the pros and cons..................as you contemplate upgrades just know; all great works of art are never 'finished', merely 'abandoned'. Stay with it! If you are patient the gen. accouterment will come to you. Having said that I must say; I would have loved to own that Gallet in it's own right. I have to admit I am ignorant to that line but my interest is piqued! Curious, althought there is a scale that runs the perimeter of the original's dial, was there ever a tachymeter bezel? It appears as something is missing. Wear it in good health and to fortune. ps You may want to change the 'Topic' subject to My 6265 Project..................... Edited February 7, 2009 by Demsey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Well done truly an achievement. Your watchmaker has done well these can be a real pig to assemble. Mine is still with my watchmaker. Wear it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
symbebekos Posted February 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Thanks to everyone for the kind words! Freddy, as usual I agree with you, I think a gen bracelet is the best thing to do next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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