nakortheblue Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 my dealer ordered an MBW/MBK 1665 for me in Feb and I finally had time to play with it last weekend. see the markings on it. 5790188 1665 i had previously ordered a clarks t39 and a pmwf bezel insert. also ordered a illumines pearl (lume dots on the invoice) from ofrei but they shipped me dial dots instead... *sigh* so i took out the movement and removed the bezel. the retaining ring came off easily enough using a blade and i could pop off the original crystal with my thumbs. this is where the fun began... i had previously read about mcdj's experience on RG here and i think my experience mirrored his. the clarks crystal was a tight fit and i had to brute force it to fit and i saw the white shavings at the sides of the crystal that mcdj saw. i took awhile but i was more or less fitted in. i think it will require a crystal press to remove... not sure that it will be intact, though. next up was the retaining ring... this was the real nightmare... it wouldn't go in nicely and in the end, i had to use a pair of pliers to clamp it in. i'm happy to report that the crystal did not crack although the retaining ring and the case was somewhat scarred but hey, this is a vintage rep right? right... well, next up was the bezel insert and that was a breeze compared to the crystal and retaining ring, although i must say that the insert seemed to be a tad too large and kept popping out at first. in general, the dimensions of the parts of this MBW/MBK 1665 seems to be smaller than it should be. i kept the mbk pearl and installed it onto the insert since ofrei screwed up my order. well, see below for the finished product. (sorry for the quality, no lightbox...) can i be lazy and shave the CG with cape cod? also, from cat's post here, it seems that the lugholes are 2mm? maybe, i'll get some aftermarket rolex-type springbars to try. which ones do i order from ofrei? ta-dah! i think... update for future MBW/MBK buyers: i had a chat with the dealer (chris, eurotimez) on this and have his permission to quote him on this. bear in mind that i'm not blaming chris for this or anything... i just happened to have ordered during this transition period. i don't want this to become a dealer-flaming thread. from chris: "I mentioned that dealers just offer what the clients wants and I wasn't aware of the 5513/1680 vs the 1680/1680 difference, as I don't mod the watches I just deliver as they come (provided with QC). Also I can get from MBK whatever I want as we have good connection, but you'd have to be specific, if you say get me an MBK 1680 and I get you an MBK 1680, than is it my fault that MBK changed the design that I as a dealer am not aware of. Again I don't disemble the complete watch, and neither do I test every single piece that I ship out if gen-parts fit or not... that is not what I do... I think you'd understand. I asked MBK and I can get if you want 5513 cases 1680 old style... can get whatever you want, if MBK provided MBK has it in stock. I deal directly with the boss so it's no problem." my understanding is that the old style may still be available so newcomers like me may still have a decent chance to get an "original" MBW/MBK vintage rollie. maybe i'll try a 1680 or 5513 next. thanks for looking, R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyd3 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 my dealer ordered an MBW/MBK 1665 for me in Feb and I finally had time to play with it last weekend. see the markings on it. 5790188 1665 i had previously ordered a clarks t39 and a pmwf bezel insert. also ordered a illumines pearl (lume dots on the invoice) from ofrei but they shipped me dial dots instead... *sigh* so i took out the movement and removed the bezel. the retaining ring came off easily enough using a blade and i could pop off the original crystal with my thumbs. this is where the fun began... i had previously read about mcdj's experience on RG here and i think my experience mirrored his. the clarks crystal was a tight fit and i had to brute force it to fit and i saw the white shavings at the sides of the crystal that mcdj saw. i took awhile but i was more or less fitted in. i think it will require a crystal press to remove... not sure that it will be intact, though. next up was the retaining ring... this was the real nightmare... it wouldn't go in nicely and in the end, i had to use a pair of pliers to clamp it in. i'm happy to report that the crystal did not crack although the retaining ring and the case was somewhat scarred but hey, this is a vintage rep right? right... well, next up was the bezel insert and that was a breeze compared to the crystal and retaining ring, although i must say that the insert seemed to be a tad too large and kept popping out at first. in general, the dimensions of the parts of this MBW/MBK 1665 seems to be smaller than it should be. i kept the mbk pearl and installed it onto the insert since ofrei screwed up my order. well, see below for the finished product. (sorry for the quality, no lightbox...) can i be lazy and shave the CG with cape cod? also, from cat's post here, it seems that the lugholes are 2mm? maybe, i'll get some aftermarket rolex-type springbars to try. which ones do i order from ofrei? ta-dah! i think... thanks for looking, R I don't think using pliers as a press is such at good idea. You can fashion almost any size press you need out of PVC pipe and a small work bench vice. I would take some pics of the setup, but my 1680 is away for repairs. A "friend" buggered the keyless works. Things like that seem to be happening a lot lately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 @nakortheblue, Welcome to the club. You definitly need the Ofrei pearl which makes a huge difference to the looks of your MBW Could you show us some closer pics of the retaining ring and the bezel washer ? Does your bezel turn like it should be or do you have to use a lot of force to get it turned. Are there any pics of the movement , because as i'm told a MBW comes with a gen ETA movement. By the wat to shave the crownguards you need more then a CapeCod Carpe Diem Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakortheblue Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 happily cuong from ofrei replied to say they will ship the pearl... the pmwf bezel washer did not fit and was a little larger than the mbk one. the bezel turns when i push it down otherwise it is quite difficult. i don't think that it should be able to move freely as this is a dive watch that needs to keep the time spent underwater otherwise any small force will change the pearl position. incidentally, i had a gen 14060m which also required to be pushed down before being able to turn it easily. i spoke to a rep at the service center and he said that is the way it was built. i guess it is for the aforementioned reason. @nakortheblue, Welcome to the club. You definitly need the Ofrei pearl which makes a huge difference to the looks of your MBW Could you show us some closer pics of the retaining ring and the bezel washer ? Does your bezel turn like it should be or do you have to use a lot of force to get it turned. Are there any pics of the movement , because as i'm told a MBW comes with a gen ETA movement. By the wat to shave the crownguards you need more then a CapeCod Carpe Diem Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakortheblue Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 i didn't think so either but it was past midnight and i was getting a tad frustrated. (i have limited time for my amateur watchmaking endeavors as i have a 9mo son who likes to go to bed late...) i have a case/crystal press but didn't think to use it. on hindsight, it was a good idea as i might have killed some of the nylon dies. I don't think using pliers as a press is such at good idea. You can fashion almost any size press you need out of PVC pipe and a small work bench vice. I would take some pics of the setup, but my 1680 is away for repairs. A "friend" buggered the keyless works. Things like that seem to be happening a lot lately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 Yes the bezel should turn freely when you push it down. The flat metal ring you got from PMWF isn't a bezel washer. As Freddy wrote in one of his post it should be placed between the insert and the bezel. I didn't use the flat metal ring because my insert kept popping out. Carpe Diem, Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakortheblue Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 yup, it's the pmwf flat metal ring that did not fit. the mbk one did, though. Yes the bezel should turn freely when you push it down. The flat metal ring you got from PMWF isn't a bezel washer. As Freddy wrote in one of his post it should be placed between the insert and the bezel. I didn't use the flat metal ring because my insert kept popping out. Carpe Diem, Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakortheblue Posted March 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 updated with a note and quote from the dealer for the benefit of future mbw/mbk buyers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 That's clear. At least Chris took the time to dig in to it to find an answer. Buttom line per model there are serveral MBW/MBK cases you can choose from ( if available ). If i would like to have antoher 1680 i would prefer the "old" style. Carpe Diem Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alannewnew Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 hi,I am interested of your double red can you offer me your price as my email tansg2013@yahoo.com.hk I am really interested buyer here,thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 This post is almost 4 years old.<br /><br />Sent with my XperiaZ using tapatalk 2<br /><br /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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