ifly65 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 I purchased this TrustyTime Swiss ETA 1665 used from a forum member. It arrived with the DW doa. The seller refunded my money in full and let me keep the watch. I am not blaming TrustyTime for any of these issues mentioned below. Andrew was cool about a refund to the original seller. I bought this used 'like new' with caseback sticker and all. I was told it was a few months old. It appeared mint and unused when I received it...see pics below. Besides the DW problems, I noticed was that it wasnt holding its power reserve because it was not auto winding properly. I removed the plastic spacer and shaved it down with an x-acto knife. I threw all the ultra fine plastic shavings into the ETA movement for a lube-filler...that's good right? That fixed the insert issue, now its winding properly and holding a great power reserve. Then I took it 'across the river' to a small town jeweler to be fixed. After a few hours my 'rep friendly' watchmaker calls me..."someone really mickey moused this piece of %&$". He fixed it the same day by noon. It turns out that someone glued another DW (shocker huh?) over the original DW and it was spinning loose. He removed it and now the original DW works perfectly. The numbers dont align the best at '31'...etc. That doesnt bother me so much. Im just happy its working properly now. My watch smith also lubed the tube threads and greased the o'ring. The crown feels much better when you tighten and loosen it. I refunded half the cost back to the seller as suggested. I really like the dial on this watch...nice subtle yellow markers: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormTooper4 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Nice Pictures and a good story ST4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Glad to hear things worked out! Great photos too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Fleischer Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 i think most rollie reps have another DW on top of the original. i noticed that too, and thought it was weird but i think that's how it supposed to be to get them centered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifly65 Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 i think most rollie reps have another DW on top of the original. i noticed that too, and thought it was weird but i think that's how it supposed to be to get them centered. Thats interesting...maybe once I get tools, Ill try to put another one back on. It wasnt glued down properly, so it was making a nice 'crunching' sound when you turned the crown in the dw position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Fleischer Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Thats interesting...maybe once I get tools, Ill try to put another one back on. It wasnt glued down properly, so it was making a nice 'crunching' sound when you turned the crown in the dw position. its a pretty big job. you gotta take of the dial & hands. i wouldn't do it unless i had some experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 i think most rollie reps have another DW on top of the original. Yes, that is correct. The top DW contains the Rolex fonted numbers, while the lower (oem) wheel contains the standard ETA fonted numbers. He should have just reglued the top DW back on (obviously, your rep-friendly watchmaker has not worked on many ETA-powered Rolex reps). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifly65 Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 its a pretty big job. you gotta take of the dial & hands. i wouldn't do it unless i had some experience. Thanks Noel, I agree. I am very interested in learning the basics and more. My family of watchmakers left me books...etc. I would learn on other watches first. Im even considering watchmaker classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifly65 Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Yes, that is correct. The top DW contains the Rolex fonted numbers, while the lower (oem) wheel contains the standard ETA fonted numbers. He should have just reglued the top DW back on (obviously, your rep-friendly watchmaker has not worked on many ETA-powered Rolex reps). Freddy, thanks for the info. I did read about people gluing them on, but I wasnt aware that this was from the factory..or is it? According to my watch guy, it was too wide and impossible to re-glue or fit properly without shaving its width. It was binding the action of the dw function making a horrible crunching noise. This guy is much older. He looked at me like I was crazy for buying reps. Obviously, he doesnt see reps ever. He barely charged me, whether or not removing the dw was the 'rep pc' thing to do...Im happy that it is working now without the crunching when I turn the crown. The reality of the details to any profession or hobby seem to get lost on most individuals that dont have the knowledge or skills pertaining to that particular profession or hobby. Its strange...when I photograph these watches, I notice every little detail. You feel like everyone else should notice these details. Its a let down when they dont. No one even notices my watch, more or less the details. After many months of wearing my blue TT to band gigs in front of many people...not one person has mentioned it yet. If I was the only person left on the planet, I would still wear a watch. I just wish my rollie reps had better LUME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 I did read about people gluing them on, but I wasnt aware that this was from the factory..or is it? It is (glued on at the factory). According to my watch guy, it was too wide and impossible to re-glue or fit properly without shaving its width. It was binding the action of the dw function making a horrible crunching noise. This guy is much older. He looked at me like I was crazy for buying reps. Obviously, he doesnt see reps ever. He barely charged me, whether or not removing the dw was the 'rep pc' thing to do...Im happy that it is working now without the crunching when I turn the crown. If the watch is an MBW, then the DW should not be the cause of the crunching (unless it was installed incorrectly, which is always possible). Its strange...when I photograph these watches, I notice every little detail. You feel like everyone else should notice these details. Its a let down when they dont. No one even notices my watch, more or less the details. After many months of wearing my blue TT to band gigs in front of many people...not one person has mentioned it yet. The vast majority of people you come into contact with (including the average (non-collector) gen owner) know nothing about these watches beyond the name on the dial. And most of those who do, do not feel comfortable enough to offer an unsolicited opinion. But instead of fretting over the fact that your hard work seems to be going mostly unnoticed, consider it a down-payment towards keeping those few who do know the difference (between a rep & a gen) from calling you out. That is the way I look at it. Every minute detail I spend considerable time, effort & money on to improve is 1 less thing that might not be used against me. I just wish my rollie reps had better LUME! Can you say 'Ziggy'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ifly65 Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Thanks again Freddy...all great insight and info. If the watch is an MBW, then the DW should not be the cause of the crunching (unless it was installed incorrectly, which is always possible). I wish, but no Its not an MBW. The seller said it was from Trusty but I cant find this version on his site...maybe an experienced rep person like yourself might be able to help identify this watch for me? There are no markings on the caseback, It is a smooth clone eta movement gold in color, the bracelet is not the rivet style and it has a faux hev. The vast majority of people you come into contact with (including the average (non-collector) gen owner) know nothing about these watches beyond the name on the dial. And most of those who do, do not feel comfortable enough to offer an unsolicited opinion. But instead of fretting over the fact that your hard work seems to be going mostly unnoticed, consider it a down-payment towards keeping those few who do know the difference (between a rep & a gen) from calling you out. That is the way I look at it. Every minute detail I spend considerable time, effort & money on to improve is 1 less thing that might not be used against me. Thats a good way to look at it. As a noob, Im trying not to get too 'picky' about these reps or I will drive myself crazy Can you say 'The Zigmeister'? Sweet. How much does that cost? 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.