steveb Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Hi, I'm new to the forum Can anyone point me in the right direction of a genuine 16200 case set? I'm looking at building an Explorer 1 like Ubiquitous but I can't find a case anywhere... Any ideas? Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slickdick Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Try the bay. Most cases you will see here come from there. Do contact Stilty, he's got the right spacers and possibly some hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heywood Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 @Steve-Roling-who used to sell many cases on ebay is a very reliable source for these. I don't have his contact info on my laptop, but I'll send you a PM later once I can get on my home pc where I have his email address stored. As SlickDick mentioned, Stilty, a member on the board has movement adapter rings that will simplify your build significantly. There are lots of folks on the board that will help along the way. The Explorer is probably the simplest of the frankens to build and a handsome piece. I wear mine nearly every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveb Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Hi, Thanks for the replies. I'd spent most of my day at work on Friday searching for cases... After my searches here found nothing here I'd headed over to ebay and still nothing. Maybe I should have just posted here to begin with and got on with some work instead...But you know how it is I'd built a Marina Militare up last summer shortly after buying a Panerai replica from Joshua. It was the first watch I'd put together and as many of you know its really rewarding when you put it on your wrist for the first time!!! During the summer last year I visited the Ian Flemming exhibition in London. One of the exhibits was an Explorer 1. I don't think it belonged to him but for some reason it was there and I thought I wouldn't mind one of them!!! Originally I'd thought about getting a replica, but when I saw the one Ubiquitous had put together I realized a close to genuine was possible. Fast forward to Wednesday night last week. I got the really sad news that my Grandad had passed away One of his many talents years ago was repairing watches so I guess thats who I got my interest from. Whilst sitting at work and thinking about him last Friday I had the the thought of putting together an Explorer 1 in memory of him I want to use all genuine parts if I can (except the movement) as its going to be a keeper with lots of memories attached. I know I'm only new on here, but any help or advice that you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Heywood, if you could PM me the email of Steve-Roling, that would be great!!! Many thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Best place to find a case is probably eBay, watch forums, or watch shows. I made up a 1016 "Frankenwatch" a few months back using mostly rolex parts from here and there. The will be differences in the prices of the various parts but this is probably a pretty good estimate. "Stilty" made one using an Eta with genuine dial and bracelet: http://www.rwg.cc/members/pics-vintage-Fra...l&hl=Stilty Here is what I used: 1...genuine 16220 case, L serial number from around 1990 ($150US from a forgotten seller on the internet 5 or 10 years ago) No bezel. 2...genuine case tube and 24-603-0 crown ($0, came with case) 3...aftmkt bezel ($30 iirc) Genuine 1016 bezels are very expensive and hard to find so I used an aftmkt bezel. 4...GS PA-464-64C crystal ($12) This crystal is identical in spec to modern flat top rolex 22 crystals. 5...genuine rolex 1520 movement ($750...later model 26 jewel, hack, 19800 bph) It looked OK but I cleaned and oiled it and installed a new mainspring ($10) anyway...no labor cost as I did it myself. Add about $100 to have it done. 6...aftmkt dial from HK (about $110 iirc) It looks very good, has Singer stamped on the back etc. 7...aftmkt hands ($15) 8...gaskets (about $4 for all three...case tube, crown cap, caseback) 9...aftmkt submariner springbars ($2 each) 10...leftover rolex case screws ($0) No movement spacer is needed. 11...aftmkt stem ($3) Total cost was about $1100 If you use an Eta of some sort, the cost will come down to around $450 plus having it cleaned. No bracelet included, only the timehead. Replica 1016 from various sellers are a much better buy but some have non spec crystals/bezels, no lug holes, 28800 bph movements etc so modification costs will add up. It is a good idea to use a case that will accept genuine spec crystals because sooner or later you may need one. assembly notes: A...The bezel was a bit undersize ID so I had to machine it to fit the crystal using a lathe and a tool bit cut to work in the cramped space between the chuck and bezel. B...The rolex 22 crystal top and sidewalls are thicker than a DJ spec crystal so a DJ spec bezel will have to be machined to fit. This bezel was supposed to work with a genuine 22 crystal but it was too small ID for the 1016 spec crystal. It was a little bigger ID than a DJ though. C...Rolex case reference 1018 is basically a (vintage) 36mm no date DJ and a lot were used to make fake 1016. They use rolex crystal # 21. D...All 16000 series cases (made for acrylic crystal) and 162000 series cases (sapphire) have the same case neck and dial OD size but the genuine spec flat dial and 1520 will only work in 16200 series cases made for cal 3135. The stem is about .4mm lower in a 3035 (used in 16000 cases) so the 1016 dial and 1520 will not work in 16000 series cases. I never tried to make a 1016 using a 1600 series DJ case but a 1018 case is a perfect fit for a 1016 dial and hands...if you could find a 1018. E...The springbar holes had to drilled out to accept submariner springbars and the springbars had to be shortened a little so they will not stick out of the lugs. F...There is quite a bit of difference between a genuine 1018 or 1600 DJ case and the genuine 1016 of the same era. The 1016 used the thicker crystal and "O" cross section caseback gasket where the 1018/DJ cases used a thinner crystal and flat caseback gasket. The 1016 was rated WR to 100 meters and the 1018/DJ was rated to 50 meters. All 16200 series cases are rated to 100 meters. G...You will need to use a slow beat Eta movement (21600 etc) as the genuine 1016 runs at either 18000 or 19800 depending on the date it was made. Can be hack or non hack. H...Try to find a 16200 series case with lug holes because it is a real hassle to drill out lugs with blind holes and very easy to screw the case up. I...Be sure to check the case and caseback threads and make sure they are OK and the caseback will screw on and off easily. J...With the caseback removed, rock the case on a flat surface to see if it is badly warped...I have seen a few that were pretty bad. A little is OK and can be caused by polishing etc but be careful and do not buy one that is very bad. Be careful...there is a lot of junk out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heywood Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 @Automatico, I'd love to see some pics of your 1016 if you have some. I've had one of these in the pipeline for about a year, but my dial and hands don't match so I haven't started wearing it yet. I can't decide whether I ought to have them both re-lumed or wheather I should just get a new set that matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 "I'd love to see some pics of your 1016 if you have some." I do not have any pictures...I am better at posting (aka running my mouth) than taking pictures. "I've had one of these in the pipeline for about a year, but my dial and hands don't match so I haven't started wearing it yet. I can't decide whether I ought to have them both re-lumed or whether I should just get a new set that matches." If the hands are not as white as the dial, I would just get new hands. If the markers/numbers are faded and the hands are white, it is not as easy to match them up. Sometmes genuine watches do not match either. I bought a new GMT in May 1991 and did not wear it but left it in the box (I bought it at dealer cost to resell). A couple years later I looked at it and the hands were still white but the dial markers had turned yellow. Some posters on TZ etc say sunlight and/or moisture fades the markers but this was not what happened here, maybe it was bad tritium mix, who knows? The watch came out of the AD's safe and had never been on display or in sunlight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveb Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Thanks for all that information automatico!!! I've found a site that has some 5500 cases (Air King Explorer) and other sites that have 5500 re-dials. I understand that the rolex movement for the 5500's was a 1530 movement. As I don't have the money for a genuine movement just yet, what would be the eqivalent Eta? And most importantly would it fit the case? I like the idea of building one of these older models up but don't want to buy up all the parts then find I can't put it together... Any thoughts? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 This was built around a "roling" 16200... The guy claimed the crystal was gen, but it was not. Nevertheless $150 or so for gen case, tube and bezel aint bad... Picked up a crystal elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 "I've found a site that has some 5500 cases (Air King Explorer) and other sites that have 5500 re-dials. I understand that the rolex movement for the 5500's was a 1530 movement. As I don't have the money for a genuine movement just yet, what would be the eqivalent Eta? And most importantly would it fit the case?" The 5500 Air Kings are just as cool as the 1016 and an added bonus is there are not near as many of them. The main differences are the 34mm case, 19mm bracelet, and not being a chronometer. No date chronometer watches with the 1570 use the same case as the 5500 AK except for the case numbers...same crowns, crystals, and bezels too. An Eta 2846 (21600 bph) may work but I never put an Eta in a 5500 case to see how it fits. An Eta 2451 might work too. They are easy to find and do not cost much. http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi...wk&ETA_2451 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveb Posted March 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Great looking watch chieftang It makes me want one even more... Thanks again automatico. I guess I'll start with the cheaper movement and see if that fits!!! I found this previous post by UncleJay that also mentions a 2846 in a 5500 case: http://www.rwg.cc/members/Rolex-Tudor-ETA-...mp;hl=5500+case I've tried searching to see if he went through with the build but I can't find anything. I'll try and PM him to find out. Thanks again, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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