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Questions and thoughts about franken Rolex 116710

bajamaja

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17/10/13
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Hi Mates!

I'm about to start a franken projekt of a Rolex 116710LN. I'm interested in Rolex GMT II 116710LN cause it looks like there is
easier/cheaper to find gen parts for that than a Rolex Sub e.g on Chrono 24.
Is there something I should thinking of before I start this project? Is Noob GMT v8 a good base? What I have been reading is that the movement can be unstable?
I'm going to collect the parts and send it to a "watchmaker" on a forum where I can get the movement served as well at the same time.

I thinking of following parts:

- Gen crystal
- Gen Dial
- Gen bezel assembly and ceramic insert
- Gen Rolex Datewheel
- Gen Rolex Hands

Is there other parts you guys think I should add to the list?

I know there is a lot of question I got, but you are the experts ;)

Cheers and thank you for your time.
 

bajamaja

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Bump: Does anybody know what crown who will fit the rep movement? :)
 

yosimiz

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Dial, dw and hands won't fit to the movement as is.

I know that some here can mod the hands a bit and make some of the hands fit but not all. also once they are modded you cant install them on gen spec movement.
Dial feets also needs to be nmdded to fit the v8 movement, it's not a direct swap. They need to be re-positioned or cut and fixed to the 2836 movmnt.
For DW you can find a nice DW overlay but that's about it.

I have the full set for my GMT franken project and waiting for the upcoming sh3187.. It will be released hopefully within the next few months but who knows..

For now best is to install the gen bezel and crystal on the v8 and call it a day.
You can get the same crown+tube for 116610
 
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Ruprekt

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A quick way to tell a gen bezel assembly (besides the size and shape of the numbers) is look underneath the bezel. The gen has slots milled into the underside, the rep bezel doesn’t.
 
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occb2

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Hi Mates!

I'm about to start a franken projekt of a Rolex 116710LN. I'm interested in Rolex GMT II 116710LN cause it looks like there is
easier/cheaper to find gen parts for that than a Rolex Sub e.g on Chrono 24.
Is there something I should thinking of before I start this project? Is Noob GMT v8 a good base? What I have been reading is that the movement can be unstable?
I'm going to collect the parts and send it to a "watchmaker" on a forum where I can get the movement served as well at the same time.

I thinking of following parts:

- Gen crystal
- Gen Dial
- Gen bezel assembly and ceramic insert
- Gen Rolex Datewheel
- Gen Rolex Hands

Is there other parts you guys think I should add to the list?

I know there is a lot of question I got, but you are the experts ;)

Cheers and thank you for your time.

There is a way to do this. But it is not cheap. You would need to get a SH3135 and have a trusted watchmaker order the 3185 parts and build it up to a SH3185 hybrid. Then you will have to have a custom movement holder made for the watch and then you will have what you are looking for. This way the dial and hands and date wheel will fit.

Other way (cheaper) would be getting a ETA clone with the correct hand stack. Then you have to cut the feet on the real dial and have a watch maker either solder new feet or use dial dots to put the dial on the movement. Then you will have to use rep hands and a layover date wheel. So you will not have a real rolex date wheel or real rolex hands. I do believe that the CHS rep will support real hands but do not quote me on that.

If it were me. I will tell you what I would do. Locate a 116610 3135 case. As long as you do not mind the fact of the jumping hour hand. Build a 3175 our of an SH3135. It cost about $300ish in Rolex parts and you will have a CHS rolex 3175 hybrid. So you will have a fixed GMT hand and quickset date adjustment. The real date wheel will fit as it is the same date wheel as a 3135 and the real rolex dial will fit and the real rolex GMT hands will fit. You will need the real CAR crystal and 116710 crystal ring and bezel. They will fit the 116610 3135 case. You just don't use the clicks. LOl. The crystal ring and bezel on the 116710 handles the 24 clicks of the GMT. Then get a rep 116710 bracelet and you are set. If I had to build one that would by what I would do. I have built a full real 116710LN and a hybrid Yuki 3185 one that was mostly real minus case and some parts of the yuki/rolex hybrid 3185. Hope this helps.
 

KJ2020

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There is one of these for sale in M2M, maybe it would work for you.
 

thewee2536

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22/7/18
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I just got 116710ln noob chs 904l

but it seem crystal sit higher.

if i swap it to gen crystal will it fix this problem
 

jcher

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Hi occb2

Sorry for reviving your post ! I would like to build a hybrid 3175 as I've sourced a GEN dial, GEN Bezel/insert, GEN hands and GEN DW. Do you happen to know which are the Rolex parts to buy you mentioned ?

Thanks in advance!
J.
 

occb2

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Take a 3135 remove the date wheel and take the date plate off. Replace the Intermediate date wheel (3175-670) Replace 12 hour wheel and 24 hour wheel and 24 hour min wheel parts (3175-280-284-260) put the date plate back on. Make sure you line up the pinion on the intermediate date wheel or you will crush it and be SOL. Put on your date wheel. Flip the movement over and remove the stem and then winding bridge that saids 3135 on it and transfer the crown wheel and bearing and screw and replace on the 3175 winding bridge put it back on and put your stem back in. Put dial on the movement. Align midnight snap. Press hands put watch together. LOL. That is it. A proper hand stack either real 3175 or clone 3175. You can save $ leaving the 3135 rep winding bridge but after all that work I would go all out!
 

KJ2020

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Hi occb2

Sorry for reviving your post ! I would like to build a hybrid 3175 as I've sourced a GEN dial, GEN Bezel/insert, GEN hands and GEN DW. Do you happen to know which are the Rolex parts to buy you mentioned ?

Thanks in advance!
J.

Keep in mind the 3175 has a fixed GMT hand, that is, it's not independent and is slaved to the hour hand. Of course, you can set a manual offset to GMT time on the GMT hand when you press it, though that's more of a consolation prize on a repaired CHS rep movement than something one would want to do on an expensive Franken. Still an option though.
 

jcher

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occb2 and KJ2020 thanks for taking the time and for your detailed answers!

Maybe I would be better off buying a gen 3186, do you know if it would fit the a3186 case or similar to the hybrid 3175 i would have to source a 116610 3135 one?
 

KJ2020

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There are no clone 3185/6/7 or 3285 movements or cases. Those are fake engravings on ETA parts. It's a 2824 CHS or 2836 ICHS, both are housed in a 2836 case. I cannot say for certain but I highly doubt a gen 3186 will fit in a 2836 case, at least not without some lathe milling.
 

occb2

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occb2 and KJ2020 thanks for taking the time and for your detailed answers!

Maybe I would be better off buying a gen 3186, do you know if it would fit the a3186 case or similar to the hybrid 3175 i would have to source a 116610 3135 one?

Yes and no. The 3175 fits any 3135 case. So if you get a Noob/ARF or any 3135 116710 case the 3175 will fit with out issues. Only thing is you need to press a GMT crystal ring and bezel and not use the clicks for the sub. The GMT crystal will fit perfectly and so will the 78200 band. The GMT and the sub case in the ceramic line are almost identical and both use a 7MM 704 crown. The issue with the 5 dig GMT was the case was different and the CG were different and the crown on a GMT was 6 mm and the sub was 7MM triple lock. No longer since the GMT 116710.

So I would hut for a 116610 3135 case. Get a real 116710 dial and hands. Get the parts to upgrade a real or rep 3135 to a 3175. Put the dial and hands on. I don't understand what KJ2020 was saying. I would set all hands at 12 midnight aligned perfectly. The GMT hand will always show the 24 hour time and you can use the bezel for another time zone as the org. rolex GMT. But you will have CHS and reliability along with quick set where the 3185 and up all have the jumping hour hands you have to click 24 times to change the date and no quick set. If my plate wasn't so full I would had done this right now. I already have the bracelet and the a few case to do this. I have a bunch of movements from a real 3135 to a few VR3135 and a few SH3135. I just need to get a dial and hands. I can tell you one thing. The new BLNR looks amazing. Thought about making one of them. It has just been a crazy year for me and from the look of it it is not going to get better. Just took my mom for a biopsy on her liver and she has cancer. Docs are very optimistic abut I just started a full time job and now I am going to drop it to part time to help her with all the Dr appointments. I will be back to mess around with all my adventures, just need some time.

Also take it from someone who owned a real 116710LN and a real 16700 Pepsi. I never messed with the GMT hand. I had it set to 24 hours 90% of the time. I LOVE the quickset option.

One last thing. I spoke to a TD who I trust. The SH3185 will be coming out after next Chinese New Year. They are trying to get it done faster but it seems like that is what they are shooting for. If that happens then we will have a rolex spec GMT case. Then I would get a real rolex 3185/86 case and have a blast.

Hope this helps.
 

KJ2020

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occb2 Sup bro, what I was saying about the GMT hand is when it and the hour hand are synched, it doesn't have to mean they are at the same time. You can press the GMT hand to midnight +/- GMT offset and press the hour hand to midnight. Then you still have the 3 time zone capability like the modern GMTs have.

This issue came up because a potential fix for the broken CHS movement was to glue the two halves of the GMT wheel together. This would then force the GMT and hour hands to be synched and people weren't happy about that. So I suggested doing what I mentioned above and if people want that it's an easy option to provide. I did it on a DG2813 with no independent GMT hand and it's a neat extra functionality for no extra cost. The same can be done on any GMT (including the 3175) if someone wants that option. Some people actually use GMT time. Pilots for example use it all the time.

BTW I was actually able to repair a CHS movement using the glue trick originally proposed by Tickleshoes. I have one running two weeks now without issue. I also restored the quickset date feature by filing a slot in the mainplate to allow the date corrector to move over to the datewheel like a normal ETA does. The 2824 CHS mainplate has a single hole under the date corrector, not a slot, so it doesn't move position. Then by removing one of the two extra intermediate wheels, you take away the link between crown position 2 and the hour wheel. Add in a manually pressed GMT hand to GMT time (if desired) and you've got the most bang for your buck out of a previously dead movement.

The thread is linked below if you are interested. It's astonishing how many CHS GMTs the factories are pumping out now, all with the crap 2824 weak link jumping hour spring time bomb. And the new Noob Pepsi is $700! Obviously they know what's coming with the SH3185 and want to maximize sales at gouge me with a pitchfork prices so they can do it all over again next spring. Meanwhile guys are having their CHS movements break the first week. Pretty shameful. No wonder they haven't tried to improve the current CHS movement.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...-why-the-chs-gmt-movements-are-failing/page11
 
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jcher

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Thank you guys for your valuable inputs, I think that I will go towards the hybrid 3175 (or wait a little bit more for that SH3185 ;))

Meantime, the 116710LN noob CHS v9 that I received this Tuesday will go for sale real soon... ! Anyway, I was impressed when comparing the rep ceramic insert to the gen one and same goes for the dial !
 
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occb2

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occb2 Sup bro, what I was saying about the GMT hand is when it and the hour hand are synched, it doesn't have to mean they are at the same time. You can press the GMT hand to midnight +/- GMT offset and press the hour hand to midnight. Then you still have the 3 time zone capability like the modern GMTs have.

This issue came up because a potential fix for the broken CHS movement was to glue the two halves of the GMT wheel together. This would then force the GMT and hour hands to be synched and people weren't happy about that. So I suggested doing what I mentioned above and if people want that it's an easy option to provide. I did it on a DG2813 with no independent GMT hand and it's a neat extra functionality for no extra cost. The same can be done on any GMT (including the 3175) if someone wants that option. Some people actually use GMT time. Pilots for example use it all the time.

BTW I was actually able to repair a CHS movement using the glue trick originally proposed by Tickleshoes. I have one running two weeks now without issue. I also restored the quickset date feature by filing a slot in the mainplate to allow the date corrector to move over to the datewheel like a normal ETA does. The 2824 CHS mainplate has a single hole under the date corrector, not a slot, so it doesn't move position. Then by removing one of the two extra intermediate wheels, you take away the link between crown position 2 and the hour wheel. Add in a manually pressed GMT hand to GMT time (if desired) and you've got the most bang for your buck out of a previously dead movement.

The thread is linked below if you are interested. It's astonishing how many CHS GMTs the factories are pumping out now, all with the crap 2824 weak link jumping hour spring time bomb. And the new Noob Pepsi is $700! Obviously they know what's coming with the SH3185 and want to maximize sales at gouge me with a pitchfork prices so they can do it all over again next spring. Meanwhile guys are having their CHS movements break the first week. Pretty shameful. No wonder they haven't tried to improve the current CHS movement.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...-why-the-chs-gmt-movements-are-failing/page11

Sweet. I hate the time bomb that china did just to make a CHS movement. While the ICH's is such a better movement. Great read and work.
 
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Ulfred55

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Yes and no. The 3175 fits any 3135 case. So if you get a Noob/ARF or any 3135 116710 case the 3175 will fit with out issues. Only thing is you need to press a GMT crystal ring and bezel and not use the clicks for the sub. The GMT crystal will fit perfectly and so will the 78200 band. The GMT and the sub case in the ceramic line are almost identical and both use a 7MM 704 crown. The issue with the 5 dig GMT was the case was different and the CG were different and the crown on a GMT was 6 mm and the sub was 7MM triple lock. No longer since the GMT 116710.

So I would hut for a 116610 3135 case. Get a real 116710 dial and hands. Get the parts to upgrade a real or rep 3135 to a 3175. Put the dial and hands on. I don't understand what KJ2020 was saying. I would set all hands at 12 midnight aligned perfectly. The GMT hand will always show the 24 hour time and you can use the bezel for another time zone as the org. rolex GMT. But you will have CHS and reliability along with quick set where the 3185 and up all have the jumping hour hands you have to click 24 times to change the date and no quick set. If my plate wasn't so full I would had done this right now. I already have the bracelet and the a few case to do this. I have a bunch of movements from a real 3135 to a few VR3135 and a few SH3135. I just need to get a dial and hands. I can tell you one thing. The new BLNR looks amazing. Thought about making one of them. It has just been a crazy year for me and from the look of it it is not going to get better. Just took my mom for a biopsy on her liver and she has cancer. Docs are very optimistic abut I just started a full time job and now I am going to drop it to part time to help her with all the Dr appointments. I will be back to mess around with all my adventures, just need some time.

Also take it from someone who owned a real 116710LN and a real 16700 Pepsi. I never messed with the GMT hand. I had it set to 24 hours 90% of the time. I LOVE the quickset option.

One last thing. I spoke to a TD who I trust. The SH3185 will be coming out after next Chinese New Year. They are trying to get it done faster but it seems like that is what they are shooting for. If that happens then we will have a rolex spec GMT case. Then I would get a real rolex 3185/86 case and have a blast.

Hope this helps.

Which 3135 case would you recommend as the franken base that will accept gen xtal, bezel etc? I already have the ARF bracelet so I was thinking of going with that case.Thank you in advance!
 

occb2

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ARF is nice. The new VRF is good also.