Best rolex vintage 5513 case without modding (helenarou)?

[lamuken]

Hi,
i was thinking about what is the best rolex vintage rep 5513 case without modding?
How do you think about the helenarou case?
L.

 

[capice]

MBW older ones if you can get them, they are rare and expensive, depending on how much you wanna spend... cartel cases are best for modding if you look at rwg.

 

[mnkoshka]

The only advantage of the Helenarou case is that it has correct crown stem hight as it takes the eta 2824. Some people see the lower crown hight on the cartel cases as a dead giveaway. Unfortunately The helenarou case lugs and crown guards are not as meaty and not quite the right shape. I guess it depends on your budget

 

[handherr]

how about the cartel 5513 case. i read, that the dial is very large, hard to find a fitting dial for that, right or wrong?

 

[pompompurin]

In my subjective opinion...

1. MBW = wrong crown / stem / tube height. Stock shape is better than stock Cartel, but they are rare and discontinued
2. Cartel = wrong crown /stem / tube height. Lugs and fat crownguard needs reshaping. Good for budget build
3. Rubyswatch vietnam case = correct crown / stem / tube height because it can take gen movement. Might need some minor lug / CG reshaping. Excellent quality and members/modders on rwg have vouched for them (e.g. rolojack). Some members say it is the same case that is supplied to Phong / MQ
4. Helenarou = correct crown / stem / tube height because it can take gen movement. BUT lugs have uncorrectable weird profiles and they are on the fat side

Conclusion IMO
- on budget = buy cartel
- need accuracy / superfranken with gen movement / have OCD for wrong crown/stem/tube height = buy rubyswatch case

 

[andre_hav]

Sorry, for that question, but I need a link or more information where to buy a cartel case.
Be so kind to help me.

 

[Dino2018]

In my subjective opinion...

1. MBW = wrong crown / stem / tube height. Stock shape is better than stock Cartel, but they are rare and discontinued
2. Cartel = wrong crown /stem / tube height. Lugs and fat crownguard needs reshaping. Good for budget build
3. Rubyswatch vietnam case = correct crown / stem / tube height because it can take gen movement. Might need some minor lug / CG reshaping. Excellent quality and members/modders on rwg have vouched for them (e.g. rolojack). Some members say it is the same case that is supplied to Phong / MQ
4. Helenarou = correct crown / stem / tube height because it can take gen movement. BUT lugs have uncorrectable weird profiles and they are on the fat side

Conclusion IMO
- on budget = buy cartel
- need accuracy / superfranken with gen movement / have OCD for wrong crown/stem/tube height = buy rubyswatch case

Hello pompompurin my hero, I think same as you regarding Ruby's cases, are the best of the lot beside Phong/Jensen/Vintagewatchmaker. I've been seeing and comparing pictures quite a lot and if the latter are the same as Ruby they may be slighty reshaped/modified, I don't think they are exactly the same - but maybe is the light and angle of the pictures.

Hello and welcome lamuken it takes not too much effort to modify a Cartel case and the results are really convincing, using some other parts as the Athaya Crown and WSO bezel plus a Vietnam dial, you can see what you can get… look at my Cartel based 5513:

 

[Dino2018]

how about the cartel 5513 case. i read, that the dial is very large, hard to find a fitting dial for that, right or wrong?

Yes but you can put a Vietnam dial on it, I fabricated a dial spacer and dial feet for the ETA 2824 movement I used and is perfectly centered.

 

[Dino2018]

Sorry, for that question, but I need a link or more information where to buy a cartel case.
Be so kind to help me.

Hello andre_hav "Cartel" 5513 cases are sold as JKF 5513, you can buy them at any TD.

 

[François.Fillon]

Yes but you can put a Vietnam dial on it, I fabricated a dial spacer and dial feet for the ETA 2824 movement I used and is perfectly centered.

Very nice, how do you fix the feet on Vietnam Dial ? With Epoxy ?

 

[Dino2018]

Very nice, how do you fix the feet on Vietnam Dial ? With Epoxy ?

Thank you! Actually I used a Loctite glue but you can either use epoxy, is quite easy. The most delicate part is to correctly center the pins but that's all.

 

[François.Fillon]

i will try this way, what do you use for the feet ?

Thanks !

 

[handherr]

Yes but you can put a Vietnam dial on it, I fabricated a dial spacer and dial feet for the ETA 2824 movement I used and is perfectly centered.

Great informations, thank you!!!

But i'm still confused. I read, that the diameter of for example yuki dial or other gen like dials have a 26mm diameter and the dial of the jkf 5513 is 29mm. So the new dial would get cut, wrong?

Where to get that dial spacer? Could you please psot the link to the dial?

 

[KJ2020]

In my subjective opinion...

Conclusion IMO
- on budget = buy cartel
- need accuracy / superfranken with gen movement / have OCD for wrong crown/stem/tube height = buy rubyswatch case

Where can a Ruby's case be purchased - Google search not finding it.

 

[pompompurin]

Where can a Ruby's case be purchased - Google search not finding it.

http://rubyswatch.com/
they have an email somewhere there

 

[pompompurin]

Oh yeah and also... IMO, a better alternative to cartel 5513 is the BP vintage 5513 (which is lesser known). Apparently from what i have gathered, the BP's mid-case is the same as cartel... BUT the BP vintage has the following advantages:
1. The BP vintage 5513 has WAY better-looking hands (I got OCD for hands). Cartel 5513's hour hand screams fake to me
2. The BP insert looks prettier to me. Cartel insert font doesn't look like any of the gen inserts, but the BP insert looks more like a gen service insert with thin font

IMO, the hands alone is worth considering a BP vintage 5513 over a cartel 5513. I can't stand ugly sub hands - instant tell to me

you can find out more about BP vintage here:
http://www.trustytime.biz/index.php?...43dcd51ef7c501
(please note that the website is for your reference only because trustytime is not a TD in RWI. However, any of RWI's TDs can source a BP vintage for you)

 

[handherr]

Hello pompompurin my hero, I think same as you regarding Ruby's cases, are the best of the lot beside Phong/Jensen/Vintagewatchmaker. I've been seeing and comparing pictures quite a lot and if the latter are the same as Ruby they may be slighty reshaped/modified, I don't think they are exactly the same - but maybe is the light and angle of the pictures.

Hello and welcome lamuken it takes not too much effort to modify a Cartel case and the results are really convincing, using some other parts as the Athaya Crown and WSO bezel plus a Vietnam dial, you can see what you can get… look at my Cartel based 5513:

Hi, is it easy to change the crown to an Athaya Crown?
Everybody is writing about WSO parts (bezel), is there a link to wso?
thank you!

 

[Dino2018]

i will try this way, what do you use for the feet ?

Thanks !

Is a thin metal wire, the thinnest one I could purchase in the shop. However you can buy at Otto Frei proper cooper dial feet to soldier over the dial back.

 

[Dino2018]

Great informations, thank you!!!

But i'm still confused. I read, that the diameter of for example yuki dial or other gen like dials have a 26mm diameter and the dial of the jkf 5513 is 29mm. So the new dial would get cut, wrong?

Where to get that dial spacer? Could you please psot the link to the dial?

As is smaller it fits however you have to properly attach it to the movement because does not get fixed by the case inner sides.

I bought that spacer at rafflesdials.com

 

[Dino2018]

Hi, is it easy to change the crown to an Athaya Crown?
Everybody is writing about WSO parts (bezel), is there a link to wso?
thank you!

You must use its own tube, comes as a kit both crown and tube for $35.00.

WSO stands for Wholesale Outlet 990, it is an eBay seller: http://www.ebaystores.com/WHOLESALEOUTLET990