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Cartel 1675 Cases vs. Vietnam Gen-Spec Cases : A Photo Comparison

yodog

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Hello boys, girls, men who turn into women, and vice versa -

I have gotten a lot of questions regarding case choices for my favorite watch, the Rolex 1675. Most of these questions are along the lines of, "whats the best base for a 1675 build?" or "is the Cartel 1675 the best watch to start with?

Yes and no - as with everything in rep world, the budget is the most important.

Many of the modders do amazing work with the infamous Cartel 1675 case - tripdog, ncrich, myself, etc. The crownguards on the case can be shaped pretty well into a rudimentary PCG, or a stubbier SCG. For the money, it is absolutely THE best, unless you can acquire the old 1655 cases with longer crownguards.

Custom builds on a Cartel case are drastically easier vs Gen Spec - movement rings are plentiful, dial opening is perfect, crown tube height exact.

However - if budget is not a concern, a Vietnam/Phong gen spec case is miles closer to gen. And yes, I've compared them in person with a gen buddys 70s GMT.

Why so?

- Overall profile. It is much thinner on the wrist. A now out of stock RT caseback makes it a bit better, but still profile is wrong. No matter how much reworking of the case you do, the structural dimensions are incorrect.
- Crownguard shape. The Cartel CGs slope downwards from the inner to the outer. Gen SCG cases have CGs that extend straight out. For PCG or Eagles Beak, you can achieve a close look with modding a Cartel, but not exact.
- Dial depth. This is the biggest problem with Cartel cases. The dial sits too low inside the case, giving the dial a "sunken" look. Compare the pics - youll see that the dial on my Vietnam case sits very close to the crystal. Again, its a construction difference between the two.
- Crown size. Gen is 5.3mm, Cartel is 6mm. Wrong. Nuff said.

Cons you ask on using a Vietnam case?

- Impossible to find a movement ring to fit an ETA movement. I make my own out of brass rings, rudimentary, but works.
- Dg3804 movements dont fit. Period.
- Dial, dial spacer, movement, all need to be fine tuned to work properly. Remember, this case is made to fit a Rolex 15xx, not an ETA movement. Car guys, its like putting a Honda motor into a BMW chassis.


My consensus? Again, back to budget. If money is no issue, go gen spec. But for 150 for a cartel 21J plus mods - it is the perfect candidate.

Pics below! And no, neither of them are for sale [emoji106]
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cpd2186

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Are they for sale???????

Great write up! Very cool to see the differences and a beautiful build as usual!!! Thanks for the contribution!!

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pompompurin

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thank you for the comparison pics and write-up! the difference is quite big between the two

what movements can fit inside the gen-spec case that isn't gen? ETA 2893?
 

yodog

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On your wrist, not so big difference. Side by side and differences pointed out? Yes.

Nothing besides a Rolex Caliber 1575 or 1570 will fit inside. ETAs can be modified to fit. Mine, the tropical dial, has a modified ETA 2846 low beat ticking inside.

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pompompurin

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On your wrist, not so big difference. Side by side and differences pointed out? Yes.

Nothing besides a Rolex Caliber 1575 or 1570 will fit inside. ETAs can be modified to fit. Mine, the tropical dial, has a modified ETA 2846 low beat ticking inside.

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damn that will add a of of $$$$ to the vietnam case build - if gen movement is the only way

looking at the spec sheet on ranfft, i think not even an eta slim 2893 would fit inside the vietnamnese case because of stem height - even if the 2893 can be modified to lowbeat. I really wanted to build a GMT master but this is a major setback for my ocd
 
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yodog

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?? I just said I have an ETA in my case. They do fit but a custom spacer is required

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yodog

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My buddies Gen 1675 for reference. Notice ths rehaut depth.
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pompompurin

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?? I just said I have an ETA in my case. They do fit but a custom spacer is required

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sorry they both looked very tropical to me because i was under the sun with my laptop and that confused me. now i see what you mean

but i am VERY intrigued in how you managed to do it - I gotta buy rings from you when I start this project potentially!
the 2846 stem height is as low as 2836-2? this makes it difficult as hell to fit inside a slim case with proper crown/stem/tube height
 

irvin

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Learnt something new again, very interesting !

Now I understood tripdog's mentioning about just catching the feel when building the 1675 on a cartel case and don't expect anything close to gen.

Thanks for sharing the wonderful comparison. That tropical gilt dial is very beautiful.
 

yodog

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sorry they both looked very tropical to me because i was under the sun with my laptop and that confused me. now i see what you mean

but i am VERY intrigued in how you managed to do it - I gotta buy rings from you when I start this project potentially!
the 2846 stem height is as low as 2836-2? this makes it difficult as hell to fit inside a slim case with proper crown/stem/tube height
Their not premade rings... i take measurements AFTER the dial and mvmt is sitting inside - then cut and fashion a tension ring. As you can imagine, there are so many variances that can differ from watch to watch, how thick the dial spacer is, what kind of gmt wheel spacer you use.... so many things to take into account for it to work perfectly. Spacer too thin? Gmt wont work, or minute pinion wont engage, date will get stuck. Spacer to wide? Gmt wheel will pop off and render gmt hand useless. Movement ring not tight enough? Movement will move when you pull crown, or dial will shift. I feel like I am a masochist sometimes for the things I do [emoji1]

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Retina

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Their not premade rings... i take measurements AFTER the dial and mvmt is sitting inside - then cut and fashion a tension ring. As you can imagine, there are so many variances that can differ from watch to watch, how thick the dial spacer is, what kind of gmt wheel spacer you use.... so many things to take into account for it to work perfectly. Spacer too thin? Gmt wont work, or minute pinion wont engage, date will get stuck. Spacer to wide? Gmt wheel will pop off and render gmt hand useless. Movement ring not tight enough? Movement will move when you pull crown, or dial will shift. I feel like I am a masochist sometimes for the things I do [emoji1]

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I get that [emoji23]

Great work as always mate! Nice comparisons.


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dovla

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Nice write up mate, this was the info I was looking for when I started looking into the 1675 builds.

I was happy with cartel build from you at the begging but that sunken dial was driving me nuts, that's why at the end I went gen spec case.

The dial comes so much more alive, and thinner profile feels so much nicer on the hand.

You probably know this beast :)

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8a0e5f919eafe12324e2c037ac47ea92.jpg
 

yodog

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Nice write up mate, this was the info I was looking for when I started looking into the 1675 builds.

I was happy with cartel build from you at the begging but that sunken dial was driving me nuts, that's why at the end I went gen spec case.

The dial comes so much more alive, and thinner profile feels so much nicer on the hand.

You probably know this beast :)

e024ee83291818da2f13a8b453624666.jpg


8a0e5f919eafe12324e2c037ac47ea92.jpg
[emoji106] [emoji1]

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Drummania

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Can't unsee these comparison pics...Giving up my plans for cartel-based 1675 in 3...2...1...
 

pompompurin

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Their not premade rings... i take measurements AFTER the dial and mvmt is sitting inside - then cut and fashion a tension ring. As you can imagine, there are so many variances that can differ from watch to watch, how thick the dial spacer is, what kind of gmt wheel spacer you use.... so many things to take into account for it to work perfectly. Spacer too thin? Gmt wont work, or minute pinion wont engage, date will get stuck. Spacer to wide? Gmt wheel will pop off and render gmt hand useless. Movement ring not tight enough? Movement will move when you pull crown, or dial will shift. I feel like I am a masochist sometimes for the things I do
emoji1.png


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haha I appreciate the level of attention to detail and OCD!

Can't unsee these comparison pics...Giving up my plans for cartel-based 1675 in 3...2...1...

same thoughts here, that's why I haven't bought or built a rep vintage GMT Master yet
 

yodog

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Can't unsee these comparison pics...Giving up my plans for cartel-based 1675 in 3...2...1...
Again, the Cartels are good for the money. Gen spec cases cost substanially more, fir just the mid case alone. Its up to the individual if you want as close to gen as possible or just wearing for fun

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Drummania

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Again, the Cartels are good for the money. Gen spec cases cost substanially more, fir just the mid case alone. Its up to the individual if you want as close to gen as possible or just wearing for fun

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Absolutely agree.. it's just that I happen to have a thing for thinner watches.

BTW: will you be able to write a similar post for 1680 cases?
 

interaktiv

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Nice comparison, thank you!


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