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Old 28 August 2016, 12:57 AM   #1
SearChart
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Icon17 Servicing a Submariner 1680 - A lot of pictures!

Hi TRF,

I started on the first non 3135 Rolex last week, a Submariner 1680 with caliber 1575. Pretty exciting to service some vintage!

It was pretty banged up and already polished a few times, I did the best I could to make it look somewhat good again and I am pretty happy with the result.









Funny that there is no 1575 stamped bridge available.





Fake center gear vs a genuine one, notice the difference in finishing.



Adjusting the endshake (the amount of space that a gear has between the two ruby bearings)



Regulating



Automatic module







Time to polish



















I hope you all enjoyed the pictures, I definitely enjoyed working on this watch
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Old 28 August 2016, 12:58 AM   #2
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Impressive
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Old 28 August 2016, 12:59 AM   #3
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Thank you! Amazing stuff!
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:02 AM   #4
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That's amazing. There's something satisfying about seeing a beaten up bracelet being transformed to looking brand new again
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:05 AM   #5
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Amazing thread! Thanks for all the pictures.
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:10 AM   #6
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Looks great!
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:15 AM   #7
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Wow that's a great job Bas, thanks for sharing. Just curious what's the total time spent for a service like this?
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:14 AM   #8
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Looks good Bas. Did you polish the crystal or replace it? Some of those look pretty deep. Dial looked great though.


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Old 28 August 2016, 01:16 AM   #9
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You da man Bas.
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:27 AM   #10
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WOW very cool, amazing photos! Thanks for sharing
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:30 AM   #11
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I cringe everytime I see someone holding a dial, especially the satin/matte dials with their bare fingers. If oil from your skin gets onto that dial, how would you get it out/off?

Otherwise, cool.
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:35 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bdex75 View Post
Looks good Bas. Did you polish the crystal or replace it? Some of those look pretty deep. Dial looked great though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I replaced it

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Wow that's a great job Bas, thanks for sharing. Just curious what's the total time spent for a service like this?
I spent a two working days on this one, taking it slow

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I cringe everytime I see someone holding a dial, especially the satin/matte dials with their bare fingers. If oil from your skin gets onto that dial, how would you get it out/off?

Otherwise, cool.
I was wearing protective fingercondoms. No way I could damage it, I am very careful with those vintage dials.
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Rolex uses rare elves to polish the platinum. They have a union deal and make like $90 per hour and get time and half on weekends.
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Old 28 August 2016, 06:07 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SearChart View Post
I replaced it



I spent a two working days on this one, taking it slow



I was wearing protective fingercondoms. No way I could damage it, I am very careful with those vintage dials.
Indeed you are!

Bravo!
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Old 1 September 2016, 02:31 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cht View Post
I cringe everytime I see someone holding a dial, especially the satin/matte dials with their bare fingers. If oil from your skin gets onto that dial, how would you get it out/off?

Otherwise, cool.
Huh? bare fingers?
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:32 AM   #15
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Thank you for sharing!
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:33 AM   #16
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Bas for president. Great work, excellent pics
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:34 AM   #17
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Outstanding!
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:40 AM   #18
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Amazing job.
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:50 AM   #19
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Amazing!
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:53 AM   #20
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Such a beautiful watch! Well done
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:57 AM   #21
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Excellent Bas. Looks new again. Thank you for sharing it.
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Old 28 August 2016, 01:58 AM   #22
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Fantastic...!
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Old 28 August 2016, 02:02 AM   #23
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Fantastic job and amazing results
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Old 28 August 2016, 02:04 AM   #24
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Looked a perfect job thanks for picture!!
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Old 28 August 2016, 02:34 AM   #25
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What a fabulous result - thanks for sharing - very satisfying!
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Old 28 August 2016, 02:34 AM   #26
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Nice restoration. Thanks for sharing the cool photos of the innards.
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Old 28 August 2016, 02:37 AM   #27
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Thanks for the images. Anything that was a surprise to you while servicing a 1680?
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Old 28 August 2016, 02:38 AM   #28
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Quote:
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Thanks for the images. Anything that was a surprise to you while servicing a 1680?
The movement is a lot harder than say a 3135, simply because anything could be damaged or messed up in these movements.
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Rolex uses rare elves to polish the platinum. They have a union deal and make like $90 per hour and get time and half on weekends.
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Old 28 August 2016, 03:00 AM   #29
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Quote:
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The movement is a lot harder than say a 3135, simply because anything could be damaged or messed up in these movements.
I see. Thanks. :)

The fake center gear you have an image of; have you at some point in time found this inside a 1680 (or 1575 movmt.)? If so, that's disturbing.
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Old 28 August 2016, 07:45 AM   #30
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I see. Thanks. :)

The fake center gear you have an image of; have you at some point in time found this inside a 1680 (or 1575 movmt.)? If so, that's disturbing.
No, my teacher gave me this as a comparison, he found this in a 1575. I did however find a fake escape wheel in a 5513 non serif I'm currently working on. This is quite common, people service these watches at independent watchmakers without a parts account, so that's what happens.
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