Is The MBW Rolex 6538 "James Bond" The Best of this Model Out There?

[comex]

The pictures of the MBW 6538 look awesome but someone in another post feels that perhaps because of the name/hype, that the MBW is a little overpriced.

I'm looking for the most bang for my $'s and would appreciate hearing about any decent/accurate/quality alternatives before I pull the trigger..

Thanks,

Konrad

Edited June 2, 2009 by comex

[alligoat]

Options for the 6538 are somewhat slim.

The economy option starts with the Silix watches with the chinese movements. Around $100, maybe less.

Next is the watches with the eta clones- vintage no crown guard subs- Silix again, Paul, Josh and Andrew all have them.

These are OK, but not as accurate as say the MBW. With some modding they can be fine- few people really know what a no cg "Bond" sub looks like anyway!

MBW is really mid-range- don't know if you get a real swiss eta or a clone- but that's the rep industry as a whole, not any specific dealer- althought Eurotimez does guarantee you will get a 'swiss' if you pay the extra cartage. This watch is definitely a step above the low cost options, IMO.

Finally, there are the pricey NDTrading and Jewelry and Watch models- these can run over a couple of thousand dollars and are powered by a gen Rolex movement- typically taken from a less expensive older donor watch.

[freddy333]

Alligoat covered almost everything, so I will just add that the main obstacle to creating an (accurate) 6538 is locating the 8mm Brevet crown, which will likely cost as much (if not more) than all of the other parts. An alternative would be to shift down to the 6536, which is similar to the '38, but uses a standard (& much less expensive) 6mm Twinlock or Brevet crown

[therolexrep]

Alligoat covered almost everything, so I will just add that the main obstacle to creating an (accurate) 6538 is locating the 8mm Brevet crown, which will likely cost as much (if not more) than all of the other parts. An alternative would be to shift down to the 6536, which is similar to the '38, but uses a standard (& much less expensive) 6mm Twinlock or Brevet crown

Sorry but the gen 6536 case (unlike the 6536/1) was thick like the 6538 and had the big brevet crown as well

6536/1 thin case for small brevet crown is not offered by ndtrade so u still need to get the big brevet crown

the ndtrade rep big brevet crown have 3 teeth too many so it aint worth the cash

the ones getting the 5508 ndtrade case will realise that the caseback is for 6536/6538 and not 5508

Edit: MBW 6538 is very inaccurate regards bezel, crown... and forget abot the cwp or gen bezel

Edited June 3, 2009 by therolexrep

[comex]

Thanks guys..OK I pass..Yeah, the initial factor has worn off after doing some more comparisons to the real deal. The MBW would have to be heavily modded to the point of why bother..

It would be very cool if a project similar to the MKII "Project Kingston" could be done here..and start with the basic MBW case..

Edited June 3, 2009 by comex

[freddy333]

Sorry but the gen 6536 case (unlike the 6536/1) was thick like the 6538 and had the big brevet crown as well

Can I ask what your source for this is? To the best of my knowledge, the difference between the 6536 & 6536/1 is that the latter's 1030 is chronometer-rated. Case dimensions for both are the same - 37mm diameter, 13mm thick (6538 is 38mm diameter, 15mm thick).

[alligoat]

I'm with you on this Freddy. Small crown on the 6536 and 6536-1 which later were replaced by the 5508. Big crowns on the 6538 and 5510. WR on 6536 and 5508 of 100m, 200m on the 6538 and 5510.

Here's an article:

http://www.bjsonline.com/watches/articles/0018_1.shtml

BTW, Comex, I read about the Kingston project just a couple of weeks ago- sold out on pre-sales. Looks like a cool watch. But I still think the MBW 6538 is a cool watch in it's own right, sure it's got some flaws, but with an eta it ought to be a really cool beater and reliable. And few people know what a James Bond sub is anyway.

[therolexrep]

in http://www.bjsonline.com/watches/articles/0018_1.shtml as referred to above it also states "The ref. 6536/1 also had a chronometer rated movenent, Cal 1030, 25 jewels, adjusted to temperature and 5 positions(without "-1" has a non-chronometer movement). The dial was a black gloss, gilt print, with deph in silver, and also note the case was not as thick as the Ref 6536 which it had replaced."

check http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=30759 (might need to register to see it) where it says;

6536 - Launched in 1955. Upgrade of the 6205 model. Depth rated to 100m (330 ft) with the 8mm crown. No crown guard and no depth rating on dial. Submariner printed on dial. First time use of the Mercedes hands. Movement upgraded to the non-chronometer 1030 with 25 Jewels. Updated in 1956. Depth rated to 100m (330 ft) with a 8mm crown. No crown guard however depth rating now printed on dial (white). Submariner also printed on dial. Non-Chronometer 1030 movement. First time Bezel contained markers for first 15 minutes.

6536/1 - Launched in 1956. Depth rated to 100m (330 ft) with a 8mm crown. No crown guard with depth rating printed on dial (white). Model name also present on dial. Chronometer 1030 movement with 25 Jewels. Bezel with markers for first 15 minutes. Triangle on Bezel painted red.

Also note the 5508 different caseback here http://mob.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost.../ti-439421/s-0/

nice site by the way

[alligoat]

I think the 8mm crown on the 6536 is misinformation- just like the 16800 coming out in 1982 w/ an 8mm crown- we all know it was a 7mm crown, Part#24-703. That little write-up on TRF was interesting, but we don't even know where it came from. I just don't put any stock in it. If you look at the pic posted on Strong's blurb of the 6536 with the T-17 dome, you'll see the crown with a bar under the Rolex crown- not Brevet- looks like a standard 6mm to me. And of course, if the 6536 had an 8mm crown, it would stand to reason it would have a 200m depth rating, not 100m.

[freddy333]

I have never seen a 6536 or 6536/1 with an 8mm crown. And since both models contained the same base 1030 movement, I cannot see any reason for fitting a thicker case.

[Marble]

There is no 6536 with an 8mm crown, but there is a difference between ref: 6536 and 6536/1. Case and rehaut if I remember it right.