Current best Vintage Rep on the market for modding?

[MyTwoPence]

What is the current best 'base' for a vintage modding project to age the watch myself?

I've been looking at a GMT currently, but I don't know the watch enough (let alone the old ones) to conclude whether it is actually good or not. It seems to me that as they're slightly less popular, not as much work goes into making them perfect, as with the V9 Sub for example.

Could anyone point me in the right direction please?

 

[Revolper]

How does the popularity relate to the effort needed to make them perfect?

 

[MyTwoPence]

How does the popularity relate to the effort needed to make them perfect?

More popular = more sales = more $ if improved

 

[Revolper]

Ok. I thought you were referring to the modders work.

cheers

 

[MyTwoPence]

Ok. I thought you were referring to the modders work.

cheers

No, apologies. I meant that the factories will put more time into perfecting a rep if it will sell a lot

 

[369mafia]

This is a good question and I will answer it with a question to you. How accurate to gen do you want it to look? This will determine how much modding you want or need to do to a watch. Most watches look passable at 5 ft away.

The datejust is one that is pretty passable, it may be my ignorance to the fine nuances of each DJ Ref but to me a crystal swap with the right cycleops mag and you have something that is pretty passable

Most vintage reps that look awesome are due to the result of heavy modification where a watch is bought from a TD and most parts are swapped ( dial , crystal, bezel , insert, hands, crown etc)

The factories dont spend alot of time on the vintage models any more. All their efforts are put into making the modern reps and it really shows with some of the super reps that they put out with the finishing, fit and details....however they still manage to still miss something that is a tell and a replacement part is needed

So really its comes down to how close to gen will make you happy

 

[MyTwoPence]

This is a good question and I will answer it with a question to you. How accurate to gen do you want it to look? This will determine how much modding you want or need to do to a watch. Most watches look passable at 5 ft away.

The datejust is one that is pretty passable, it may be my ignorance to the fine nuances of each DJ Ref but to me a crystal swap with the right cycleops mag and you have something that is pretty passable

Most vintage reps that look awesome are due to the result of heavy modification where a watch is bought from a TD and most parts are swapped ( dial , crystal, bezel , insert, hands, crown etc)

The factories dont spend alot of time on the vintage models any more. All their efforts are put into making the modern reps and it really shows with some of the super reps that they put out with the finishing, fit and details....however they still manage to still miss something that is a tell and a replacement part is needed

So really its comes down to how close to gen will make you happy

Honestly, I was hoping to do as little modding in terms of actual part replacement as possible. I was going to go over the 'ageing' thread and do things like paint the dial, age the lume, scruff the watch up a bit, bleach the bezel etc etc.

I'm presuming based on your response that if I want something close in that regard, there's little chance unless I spend a decent chunk of change on new parts?

 

[369mafia]

Then I suggest you take a look at this site. They offer "hand made watches"

They look great in the pics and all is really needed is aging of the case bezel and bracelet and you would be pretty good.

I dont have experience with this site so do your research I believe they are a TD on one of the rep sites but I dont know of anyone that has purchased one of these

https://ts-station.cn/goods.php?ProId=23550

 

[superspark69]

Then I suggest you take a look at this site. They offer "hand made watches"

They look great in the pics and all is really needed is aging of the case bezel and bracelet and you would be pretty good.

I dont have experience with this site so do your research I believe they are a TD on one of the rep sites but I dont know of anyone that has purchased one of these

https://ts-station.cn/goods.php?ProId=23550

Would be good to hear if anyone has any experience with this site.

 

[bobandshawn]

Cartel 5513 to start you on your modding quest...

B

 

[RepPossessed]

Then I suggest you take a look at this site. They offer "hand made watches"

They look great in the pics and all is really needed is aging of the case bezel and bracelet and you would be pretty good.

I dont have experience with this site so do your research I believe they are a TD on one of the rep sites but I dont know of anyone that has purchased one of these

https://ts-station.cn/goods.php?ProId=23550

Its not handmade

Thats poor.. its just a BP with a modified dial, it still has a host of inaccuracies, and it costs double

 

[tanith]

don't have experience with ts-watch, but regarding their handmades..

i was recently looking at their "handmade vintagized" 6610
one of the pics shows a macro shot of the dial
i'm certainly no expert, but it almost looks like the dial shows some pixelated jpeg artifacting?
i don't know if they literally print their dials with a pic from google search and a printer, but it doesn't seem worth the quoted price