I get PM'd this question so often I thought I'd start a thread on it. First off, I don't do cheap crap reps or try to save a buck or two on cost. Do it right once, and it'll last longer. There's plenty of low cost 16613's on the dealers sites you can buy if you want cheap. Purplish dials, wrong date fonts, etc. If that doesn't bug you then you can stop reading right here and go spend your money.
Hands down the best 16613 is the WM9, but we all know how rare and expensive that can be. That said, they pop up every once in a great while on the sales forums. If you really want a good rep, be patient and keep a sharp eye out. Alternatively, the MBW is a very good choice, and a lower price too. Beyond that, the only real alternative for this watch is to build one. First step in this process is to set aside your sanity and a sizable chunk of your cash flow. WM9 and MBW side by side. Can you tell which is which?
The biggest problem here is the bracelet. Reg (Narikaa) used to be able to get the MBW tt bracelet, but apparently that's not available any more. So you can try to source a tt bracelet through one of a few dealers who can get a wrapped version by itself. Trial and error with more than a few dealers will get you a result. Probably....
The elusive MBW bracelet.
I'd go with a TC case for the base of a 16613 build since it's gen construction and basically the best one available since the Sean case went away. You may have to contend with SEL fitment issues (loose or tight) because of a non TC tt bracelet.
The bezel is another sticking point. Apparently a WSO bezel from eBay may work, although it can be tricky to get it on a non WSO retainer. Or you can try to source a gen bezel off eBay or TRF. Get in line for that one..... They don't come up often and when they do they are gone fast.
If you're not dissuaded from trying a 16613 build yet, your either very determined or need therapy. (getting laid may help as well) In the end if you can stand the bumps in the road you will be rewarded with something like this. Gen parts galore here, but the investment was ridiculous. More of a "could I do it" than "should I do it" deal.
In my opinion it's less stressful to go with the new 116613 from BP. (It also involves much less financial sodomy) Overall it's a good solid watch, and can be built to a pretty high standard with a bit of work. If you're a fan of the black and gold version of the 116613, then life is much easier. The blue version has a major flaw in the blurple dial. It has a weird purple tinge to it that although it's kind of cool looking, is completely wrong. The remedy for this is the WM9 tt blue dial. Fortunately both BK and TC both have these dials for sale. But as always, there's a hitch. The WM9 dial doesn't fit, it's too big. Sooo... Make it fit! My way of doing this is low tech and simple. The stock BP dial is 1.09" in diameter. (pictures below) I used a wooden dowel and a bit of hot glue to secure the dial to a cordless drill. I used a fine emery board and slowly sanded down the diameter of the WM9 dial until it was exactly the right size. The center and edges of the dial may lose a bit of color but it's minimal and a blue sharpie plus a steady hand fixed that perfectly. Mounting the BP markers on the WM9 dial is pretty straight forward. The holes in the dial need to be enlarged to fit the BP pins. I secured the markers from the back with jewelers epoxy.
You can either live with the pale gold lettering on the bezel or do a gold paint mod. I chose the latter and got a much more gen like look.
Also, the BP's seem to suffer from the hands being a bit weaker lume than the markers. A very thin coat of white paint on the back side of the hands evens it out completely. Now the lume looks even and much more gen like.
Here's the end result. So far.....
Sent from my iCrap
Hands down the best 16613 is the WM9, but we all know how rare and expensive that can be. That said, they pop up every once in a great while on the sales forums. If you really want a good rep, be patient and keep a sharp eye out. Alternatively, the MBW is a very good choice, and a lower price too. Beyond that, the only real alternative for this watch is to build one. First step in this process is to set aside your sanity and a sizable chunk of your cash flow. WM9 and MBW side by side. Can you tell which is which?
The biggest problem here is the bracelet. Reg (Narikaa) used to be able to get the MBW tt bracelet, but apparently that's not available any more. So you can try to source a tt bracelet through one of a few dealers who can get a wrapped version by itself. Trial and error with more than a few dealers will get you a result. Probably....
The elusive MBW bracelet.
I'd go with a TC case for the base of a 16613 build since it's gen construction and basically the best one available since the Sean case went away. You may have to contend with SEL fitment issues (loose or tight) because of a non TC tt bracelet.
The bezel is another sticking point. Apparently a WSO bezel from eBay may work, although it can be tricky to get it on a non WSO retainer. Or you can try to source a gen bezel off eBay or TRF. Get in line for that one..... They don't come up often and when they do they are gone fast.
If you're not dissuaded from trying a 16613 build yet, your either very determined or need therapy. (getting laid may help as well) In the end if you can stand the bumps in the road you will be rewarded with something like this. Gen parts galore here, but the investment was ridiculous. More of a "could I do it" than "should I do it" deal.
In my opinion it's less stressful to go with the new 116613 from BP. (It also involves much less financial sodomy) Overall it's a good solid watch, and can be built to a pretty high standard with a bit of work. If you're a fan of the black and gold version of the 116613, then life is much easier. The blue version has a major flaw in the blurple dial. It has a weird purple tinge to it that although it's kind of cool looking, is completely wrong. The remedy for this is the WM9 tt blue dial. Fortunately both BK and TC both have these dials for sale. But as always, there's a hitch. The WM9 dial doesn't fit, it's too big. Sooo... Make it fit! My way of doing this is low tech and simple. The stock BP dial is 1.09" in diameter. (pictures below) I used a wooden dowel and a bit of hot glue to secure the dial to a cordless drill. I used a fine emery board and slowly sanded down the diameter of the WM9 dial until it was exactly the right size. The center and edges of the dial may lose a bit of color but it's minimal and a blue sharpie plus a steady hand fixed that perfectly. Mounting the BP markers on the WM9 dial is pretty straight forward. The holes in the dial need to be enlarged to fit the BP pins. I secured the markers from the back with jewelers epoxy.
You can either live with the pale gold lettering on the bezel or do a gold paint mod. I chose the latter and got a much more gen like look.
Also, the BP's seem to suffer from the hands being a bit weaker lume than the markers. A very thin coat of white paint on the back side of the hands evens it out completely. Now the lume looks even and much more gen like.
Here's the end result. So far.....
Sent from my iCrap
