Ageing my first watch - Tiffany & Co 1680

[Deepseadweller1989]

Received my 1680 from puretime recently. So far, I've softened the edges of the case, roughed up the case/insert, fitted athaya 702 crown and tube, and aged/lacquered the dial. What are your guys thoughts?

 

[nsk2135]

Looks pretty good esp for your first. I’d recommend aging the hands a bit, and maybe try to match the lume between the hands and dial


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[sn95]

Looks great. The more you wear it the more "desk dives" you'll get and the more vintage it'll look but for now the dial looks great.

 

[alligoat]

It's time to work on the crown guards- they definitely need help. Get some pictures of gen 1680s and copy those. Your crown guards need to be straightened up on the inside and slimmed down on the outside. You'll have to uncase the dial and movement, take off the bezel and insert and do some serious metal work- filing, grinding and polishing but it's worth it. Too bad you didn't fix the cgs before you put in the Athaya crown and tube.

You could also drill out the lugholes so gen springbars will fit- I use the #55 drill bit from Snap-On tools. I use a drill press and after you enlarge the lugholes you'll have to do a little more polishing since the metal will pouch up where the drill bit enters the case.

 

[nsk2135]

Here's another example if you'd like to take a look (phong case)

 

[Deepseadweller1989]

Thanks for the guidance guys. So I went away and decided to do a bit more work to my 1680. I've got a Vietnam 1680 dial to go in (quality is amazing), I've straightened up the crown guards on the inside but not slimmed the outside yet, I've taken the bezel insert ageing a bit further with some bleaching/scuffing, it now accepts gen 2mm springbars and has the correct end links. Just waiting on some new hands to go on it now.

 

[Deepseadweller1989]

Taking my time with this one. Your guidance is appreciated guys. Don't what it is about these vintage Rolex watches but I just cant stand the new models anymore. The story behind the design/use of each model is fascinating to me. 'Proper' tool watches that get even better looking with every day use. Does anybody have any experience of installing a gen plexi on a 1680 and is it really worth it?

 

[alligoat]

All you can do is try to install a gen plexi or good aftermarket one- might start with the aftermarket to save a few dollars. A good plexi may or may not fit- all you can do is try. Bezel assembly on these cartel reps may or may not be gen like- sometimes they are and then they go back to the non-gen like assembly- one step forward, two steps back.

 

[nsk2135]

Would recommend a gen plexi. They're expensive, but definitely worth it.