Need some assitance on a GMT II 16710

[Mr_Pacman]

Hey gang,

I'm a regular over at TZ and WUS, but haven't really had much reason to post here in the past, as I haven't really owned any Rolex watches (I have owned quite a few Tudors....).

I'm looking at buying a used Rolex GMT II 16710.

This is a face to face deal, but the problem is, the seller lives in a small town about 5 hours away from the closest Rolex AD and any other major city.

I have seen this watch in person (my work takes me to this small town).

Here are the details on the watch:

* Rolex GMT II, "D" serial #

* Has the box and warranty papers only. No manuals or green hangtag

* The warranty papers are "perforated" and the serial number on the papers matches the # on the case of the watch.

* There is a country code of 888 before the serial #, which indicates the watch is from Hong Kong. The dealer section on the warranty papers show that the watch was bought in Macau. The current owner bought it used, from a big jewelery store in Los Angeles that sells lots of used watches. (not sure of the name)

* I have played around with the watch. When I unscrew the crown to the 2nd position and turn the crown, the hour hand moves (not the GMT hand) and if I keep turning the hour hand, it advances the date. If I turn the crown the opposite way, the hour hand turns backwards, the date DOES NOT turn backwards. There is no "quickset" date.

The seller has had this watch listed on craigslist and Kijiji for a very long time (6 months). I suspect nobody wants to travel all that way to buy the watch. He's now at a point where he will sell the watch for $3400. It's in near mint condition and rarely worn. This is obviously a good deal. For what it's worth, when he had the watch listed for $5,000 6 months ago, I offered him $4,000 and he turned it down. This tells me that he thinks the watch is real (a scammer wouldn't turn down 4k) but I'm trying to make sure that he wasn't scammed when he bought it from the store in LA.

I know the best way to buy these watches is to have the caseback opened to see the movement, but this really isn't an option for me as the seller is not interested in driving to the AD.

From what I have read, the fake 16710's out there use a modified ETA GMT movement that only moves the GMT hand if you turn the crown one direction, and then changes the date when you move the hand the opposite direction.

Do you know of any 16710's out there, that mimic the 3185 characteristics (no quickset date, hour hand moves instead of GMT hand)?

Are there fake perforated papers matching serial #'s on the case?

The one interesting thing, is the warranty section on the papers looks like it was put through a laser printer to fill out the information instead of being "stamped" and written in pen. The Jeweller and date are printed. Have you ever seen this before?

Finally, when you fold up the warranty papers into the little square, there is a small, white rectangular sticker on the top left and right. One little sticker has 16710 and the other sticker has the serial number. I recall seeing this exact set of 2 stickers on my Tudor chronograph and hydronaut.

What are your thoughts on this deal?

Based on the information available, would this be a high risk transaction?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
James

[Rolex116520]

Everything sounds good , except the quickset . A D-reg GMT2 should have quickset date feature

[Mr_Pacman]

Originally Posted by Rolex116520

Everything sounds good , except the quickset . A D-reg GMT2 should have quickset date feature

Thanks for the reply. By "quickset", do you mean turning the crown in the 2nd position should advance the date only?

If so, this watch is a concern, as the 2nd position advances the hour hand, which then turns the date after midnight.

Thanks
James

[gqllc]

Hey James,
When you turn the crown clockwise which way do the hands turn as if you were setting the time? My GMTIIc does not have a quickset and I change the date by turning the hour hand only...it jumps 1 hour at a time

[gqllc]

The GMT II traded the quickset date for the jump hour hand..

If you want a quickset date you need to find a 16700..........
__________________

[gqllc]

http://rolexforums.com/showthread.ph...t=GMT+quickset

[Rolex116520]

Originally Posted by Mr_Pacman

Thanks for the reply. By "quickset", do you mean turning the crown in the 2nd position should advance the date only?

If so, this watch is a concern, as the 2nd position advances the hour hand, which then turns the date after midnight.

Thanks
James

No , I meant that if the watch has a 3185 movement , which it should have in a D series ( 2005 ) it should turn the date back and forth when setting the GMT.
PS: did you notice the hands stacking sequence ? Usually a tell tale of " other GMT's "

[Rolex116520]

Originally Posted by gqllc

Hey James,
When you turn the crown clockwise which way do the hands turn as if you were setting the time? My GMTIIc does not have a quickset and I change the date by turning the hour hand only...it jumps 1 hour at a time

That is what I meant by the "quickset" and the date will turn back with it too .
Trying to explain by words isn't always easy .

[Mr_Pacman]

Originally Posted by gqllc

Hey James,
When you turn the crown clockwise which way do the hands turn as if you were setting the time? My GMTIIc does not have a quickset and I change the date by turning the hour hand only...it jumps 1 hour at a time

I'm quite sure the time moved forward, when I turned the crown clockwise (assuming I'm looking at the crown from the side, and turning it to the right).

[Mr_Pacman]

Originally Posted by Rolex116520

No , I meant that if the watch has a 3185 movement , which it should have in a D series ( 2005 ) it should turn the date back and forth when setting the GMT.
PS: did you notice the hands stacking sequence ? Usually a tell tale of " other GMT's "

I made a note of it. From the bottom to the top:

Hour hand, red GMT, minutes, seconds

I do know there are some fakes that have the correct order of hands..........

[gqllc]

Most replicas the hands move counterclockwise when you turn the crown clockwise. The Rolex in question is the opposite. The hands should move clockwise when you turn the crown clockwise. I am pretty sure though the date IS suppose to go forward and backwards not just forwards.

[gqllc]

Originally Posted by Mr_Pacman

I made a note of it. From the bottom to the top:

Hour hand, red GMT, minutes, seconds

I do know there are some fakes that have the correct order of hands..........

you are right some replicas have CHS or correct hand stack

[Mr_Pacman]

All signs are pointing to it being real. I'll think on it for a few days and let you know what I decide.

Thanks for all of the help.

James

[Mr_Pacman]

Here are a few more details:

I called the owner,

The date code on the clasp is OP1

The date does turn back and forth when you move the hour hand.

I forget to mention before, when I checked the serial/model #.......the model has a "T" after the 16710 between the lugs.

Is this "T" normal for a "D" serial #?

Any thoughts? I'm really close to buying this, as it seems like it's the real deal, but just need to make sure the odds are in my favor.

Thanks
James

[Rolex116520]

T is correct .

[335ic]

i have a d serial and i removed my bracelet and it has "MA" before the bracelet code on the end link, is that accurate?