Mine and My Dad's 1987 GMTs

[jb335]

Thanks so much for sharing. Beautiful watches.

I have a 16750 8.4m as well but not with the cool backstory and history.


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[hdrazor251]

Fun thread to follow. Phillip does amazing work and I’m sure you’ll be very happy with the end result.

[njsteve]

Originally Posted by wilsonpepper

With regard to the bracelet - if this watch is going to be worn everyday as a daily driver, you might reconsider a new bracelet install (of course keeping the original).

You say that the bracelet has 45 degrees of slop in it, and what happens if you are driving the car with your arm out the window, and the bracelet comes apart and falls onto the road while you are traveling 45mph + + (hell 25mph for that matter).

If the watch will be a safe queen, no new bracelet needed, if the watch is going to be worn, a new bracelet is going to save a lot of tears !

Ok, I guess I exaggerated. I grabbed the wife's digital carpentry protractor (when she wasn't looking) and it says this is 25 degrees. Still looks like a lot of slack to me. And the clasp rivet is bent into a double L shape.

I also measured the second bracelet and it is only around 12.5 degrees..

And to be totally forthcoming, the really worn bracelet is actually the one that is off of my well-worn watch. It is the one most in need of attention so I swapped the bands to get it properly repaired since I was sending Dad's watch to Phillip Ridley anyway. Once it returns I will swap the bracelets back to their original respective GMTs, just so they can return to their born-with state.

[wilsonpepper]

No matter which watch has which bracelet, I'm glad that Phillip can repair so that it is usable again !

[TuRo]

Top one has unusual gaps between the links. Usually they munch/meld themselves together at the corners but the gap between the two outer and inner is constant like the bottom one. The bottom blade connector is a disaster waiting to happen as you presumably know - I wouldn't wear it if I was you as the pin is bent and compromised. Easy peasy fix though!

[njsteve]

Phillip Ridley sent some initial disassembly photos today. Here they are in all their nastiness. He said the crystal retaining ring came off with the bezel. I guess this was the reason the bezel was so hard to turn on Dad's watch. I was actually turning the crystal retaining ring and the bezel as one unit due to the crud buildup.

[njsteve]

more photos

[njsteve]

more:

[jatco]

Wow... Some great shots there of what's going on with the watch..!!
From what I can see, the movement is looking in pretty good shape/condition..but the case, tube, crystal etc is in desperate need of work..as the pictures tell.
Should be a great restoration...as seen on many vids...
I'm sure Phillip can make this watch proud again....
Good luck.. and look forward to the process and end result..

[njsteve]

Well, it's only two days after Phillip Ridley sent me those initial photos and he's already finished and awaiting the final performance testing results. It already passed the water test. He was going to ship it tomorrow but we both figured it's safer to ship after New Years so it isn't sitting anywhere too long during the holiday given the crazy weather.

I paid the invoice today and Phillip said he took a bunch of in-process photos and he will send them to me along with captions so I can post them here to let everyone enjoy the microscopic fun, firsthand.

Once I get my Dad's watch back I will then send Phillip my watch to service, which should be a lot easier and less expensive in terms of needed parts. The actual servicing and shipping cost of my Dad's watch was only a small portion of the total invoice due to all the era-correct 16750 parts it needed: main spring and barrel, autowind axle and missing screw, Tritium minute and second hand, crystal, crown, case tube, crystal retaining ring, and upper and lower balance wheel cap jewels. Quite the shopping list! And yes, he sends all the original parts back with the watch.

Now the wait begins for the worn out bracelet to finish up its refurbishment but for the time being, I will swap the bracelet that is on my watch back onto Dad's (it is his original bracelet afterall) and happily wear it.

[TimeLord2]

Thanks for sharing the photos, always interesting and never gets old!

[njsteve]

Phillip Ridley sent me some of the updated photos with captions. Enjoy:

[njsteve]

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[njsteve]

some more

[njsteve]

extra some more

[njsteve]

More extra more

[njsteve]

Additional extra more

[njsteve]

Phillip had indicated that the fluted bezel ring itself was not flat and would not lock onto the crystal retaining ring properly. He said that once installed, it was not rotating due to the prior damage and my choice was to replace it with another bezel ring or live with it being set in one position and non-rotatable. I want it correct, so he located another bezel ring and it is on its way to him. He also mentioned that the red/blue insert was a service replacement due to the blue backside. So I am sending him the original red-back bezel from my watch to install on Dad's watch. RSC removed it from my watch during its first service in 2001 and sent it back to me. I couldn't imagine a better place for it than on my Dad's watch.

[jatco]

This is so awesome...! Great photos of the work being done.
I've been watching many a YouTubes of watchmakers doing restoration work..and this is one of the best...IMO. The detail work, parts noted and replaced, ie the bezel. I love the workmanship. This is soo cool.

[njsteve]

BTW, sorry that the colors look so oversaturated on the bezel insert. For some reason every time I reduce the size of the photos to fit the upload specs, the colors get way oversaturated for some reason.

[jatco]

Originally Posted by njsteve

BTW, sorry that the colors look so oversaturated on the bezel insert. For some reason every time I reduce the size of the photos to fit the upload specs, the colors get way oversaturated for some reason.

Not to worry about that at all.. The fact that you were able to post all this info, pics etal.. is a testament to your passion .. Kudos to you..and the Ridley crew !

[hdrazor251]

Excellent pics. You were fortunate that the RSC sent your bezel insert back to you. I don’t think they’ll do that anymore.

[njsteve]

They now charge you extra if you want certain parts back. They wont return hands though. When I originally sent the watch to RSC NY, they were adamant about doing things I did not want, that would have ruined the originality. Like refusing to resuse the existing hands and refusing to return them once the service was done. At that point I refused their estimate and told them to return the watch untouched, to me.

Back in 2001, they automatically returned your parts to you without having to ask for them.

[jatco]

Originally Posted by njsteve

They now charge you extra if you want certain parts back. They wont return hands though. When I originally sent the watch to RSC NY, they were adamant about doing things I did not want, that would have ruined the originality. Like refusing to resuse the existing hands and refusing to return them once the service was done. At that point I refused their estimate and told them to return the watch untouched, to me.

Back in 2001, they automatically returned your parts to you without having to ask for them.

I haven't had any dealings with an RCS, except for once, in Denmark way back and only for an adjustment on the linkage to my Jubilee, so it surprises me in a way that they would not want to service a watch to its original state vs replacing most if not all parts with new. That's why it's great to find certain talent to do restorative work ...

[njsteve]

From my limited experience with the NY RSC in 2001, 2010 and last month, they have really changed in terms of what they will return.

In 2001 they returned everything they took off the watch: all four hands and the bezel insert.

In 2010 they refused to do any polishing on the bracelet whatsoever but offered to replace it and not return my original one.

in 2022, they gave me a list of things that needed to be done. One of them was to replace the hands and they refused to reuse the originals. They offered to replace the bracelet. I had to ask several times whether I would get the original parts back. Finally, after telling them it was a vintage, original owner watch and a future family heirloom, they offered to return the hands and bracelet but I would have to pay a fee to have that "privilege" granted to me. The fee was several hundred dollars. They also refused to provide any information as to whether there were any markings inside the back cover to indicate if it had been serviced before. Their terse response was "It as never been serviced by a Rolex Service Center." They absolutely refused to provide any photos of the back or movement.

And yes, I am more than happy with my experience with Phillip Ridley who really seems to enjoy working on these old timepieces.

[swaini3]

Very nice for a watchmaker to send photos of work in progress. Professional, including the comments etc.

[TimeLord2]

Very cool pictures of the process, thanks for sharing!

[njsteve]

Received Dad's 16750 back from Phillip Ridley today. Looks great! Here's some photos. He sent all the old parts back too. Very satisfied with the results. I have to say, I am so amazed at how tiny the parts are. It truly is a miracle of manufacturing that anything that small can be made so precisely and function so perfectly. It is simply astounding.

[njsteve]

And it looks like it is only 3 seconds off from my watch. I synchronized them before I sent it off the him. How's that for a coincidence? (Dad's watch on the left)

[njsteve]

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