BP Re-Releases 5-Digit Submariners with VR3135

[haze3715]

If you don't like it you can easily brush the mid link, believe me (it was the first time for me) the polished part came off like a butter with scotch brite, you just have to be careful to make fairly straight and fast movements, maybe do some tests on a cheap bracelet before...

Thanks! Yes I have brushed Oysterflex end links before. A steady hand and a guide to keep the sanding block straight made it easy.

I am really interested to see how PCLs look on my 5 digit watches! This thing is in the mail!!!

 

[haze3715]

Here some pics update, with brushed bracelet and insert changed, i used a Horlogear one, with a little patience (ten minutes) I managed to reduce enough bit to get it inside the bezel, following one of the many tips of the mythical @KJ2020
What I didn't understand even reading all the pages and if the hands are fine, but I don't mean the size but the color too..

Must say you did quite a nice job brushing your oyster bracelet!

Checking recent QCs from other dealer’s, BP has recently shipped all brushed bracelets recently. I guess we were the lucky ones!

 

[Testone72]

Must say you did quite a nice job brushing your oyster bracelet!

Checking recent QCs from other dealer’s, BP has recently shipped all brushed bracelets recently. I guess we were the lucky ones!

Thank you, at first I was hesitant, then I tried to remove some scratches on a cheap bracelet and I saw that it worked

 

[NewDawn]

Hi everyone, I’ve been using this site for a while now, researching and making sure I’m not asking daft questions (so this is my first post). I’ve been going through this thread and the ARF thread about their 5digit Subs. I have a gen 16610LV which I am trying replicate, basically to see how good reps really are with a view to buying other reps. From my research, IMPO, the ARF rep looks to be a very good case/dial/insert but the dial wheel is pretty poor. I can live with the lume issues on ARF. No one will see it at night. With no experience of sourcing/replacing a date wheel, is this an easy task? Thank you, Gen in pic.

 

[Blitza]

Hi everyone, I’ve been using this site for a while now, researching and making sure I’m not asking daft questions (so this is my first post). I’ve been going through this thread and the ARF thread about their 5digit Subs. I have a gen 16610LV which I am trying replicate, basically to see how good reps really are with a view to buying other reps. From my research, IMPO, the ARF rep looks to be a very good case/dial/insert but the dial wheel is pretty poor. I can live with the lume issues on ARF. No one will see it at night. With no experience of sourcing/replacing a date wheel, is this an easy task? Thank you, Gen in pic.

Wouldnt risk it man.
You need to take the movement out, take the hands off and dial.
Than the datewheel, all with the risk of messing up the keyless or damaging anything else.
Good thing to practice on a nh35 mod to begin with for example

 

[NewDawn]

Wouldnt risk it man.
You need to take the movement out, take the hands off and dial.
Than the datewheel, all with the risk of messing up the keyless or damaging anything else.
Good thing to practice on a nh35 mod to begin with for example

Thanks for the reply. I don’t intend to do it myself, I would need to find someone on the forum with the skills, I just wondered if this is a typical mod? As to my eye, with a gen, the ARF looks pretty good, it’s just the date wheel that lets it down. Even to the untrained eye, it’s not a good quality part.

 

[bowtiefanatc]

Hi everyone, I’ve been using this site for a while now, researching and making sure I’m not asking daft questions (so this is my first post). I’ve been going through this thread and the ARF thread about their 5digit Subs. I have a gen 16610LV which I am trying replicate, basically to see how good reps really are with a view to buying other reps. From my research, IMPO, the ARF rep looks to be a very good case/dial/insert but the dial wheel is pretty poor. I can live with the lume issues on ARF. No one will see it at night. With no experience of sourcing/replacing a date wheel, is this an easy task? Thank you, Gen in pic.

Swapping the DW is really easy if you know what you’re doing.

 

[NewDawn]

Swapping the DW is really easy if you know what you’re doing.

Excellent. That’s my next task then. Find a suitable DW and someone to fit it. Back to the search bar…. Unless there are any recommendations?

 

[bowtiefanatc]

Excellent. That’s my next task then. Find a suitable DW and someone to fit it. Back to the search bar…. Unless there are any recommendations?

You can go with a rep Datewheel or a Gen since it’s going into a VR3135.

 

[NewDawn]

You can go with a rep Datewheel or a Gen since it’s going into a VR3135.

Thanks again BTF does it matter if the movement is a sh3135 or a vr3135? I think the ARF uses a sh but that may have been updated now. I think I’ll be using Ryan at intime for this, so will of course check with him. I’m hoping this rep comes out well as I have a little old gen AirKing too and would like to get the current rep AirKing as that looks a very good rep.

 

[bowtiefanatc]

Thanks again BTF does it matter if the movement is a sh3135 or a vr3135? I think the ARF uses a sh but that may have been updated now. I think I’ll be using Ryan at intime for this, so will of course check with him. I’m hoping this rep comes out well as I have a little old gen AirKing too and would like to get the current rep AirKing as that looks a very good rep.

As long as it’s not the old ETA decorated as a 3135 it should work.

 

[watcher009]

81 pages and no one says that the dial is not the right one for this series of 16610, the M series of 2008.
This dial was used on the last generation of 16610 in 2011, on the so-called “random serial” then on the 116610 from 2010 to 2016.

What is wrong with the dial?

 

[Chatonlesgaz]

What is wrong with the dial?

The dial is not the right one for this 2008 M series.
This dial was used on the last generation of 16610 in 2011, on the so-called “random serial” then on the 116610 from 2010 to 2016.

 

[watcher009]

The dial is not the right one for this 2008 M series.
This dial was used on the last generation of 16610 in 2011, on the so-called “random serial” then on the 116610 from 2010 to 2016.

Can you please elaborate a little and indicate what the flaws are. I have no idea what the differences are between 2008 M series and 2011 16610 and what makes BP a 2008 M series rep. Curious to learn. Thank you

 

[bowtiefanatc]

I’m guessing he’s discussing that the case is an M serial but an LV model which would not be a correct combination.

If you did an LN then it wouldn’t be an issue.

 

[Chatonlesgaz]

Can you please elaborate a little and indicate what the flaws are. I have no idea what the differences are between 2008 M series and 2011 16610 and what makes BP a 2008 M series rep. Curious to learn. Thank you

The serial number on these BP 16610 series ends with M.
The letter M on a Rolex serial number corresponds to a model manufactured in 2008.
The dial with the "F" away from the "T" on the "1000 ft" indication is not a 2008 dial.
This dial was used on the last generation of 16610 in 2011, on the so-called “random serial” then on the 116610 from 2010 to 2016.
The dial is not correct on this series of BP 16610

 

[Chatonlesgaz]

I’m guessing he’s discussing that the case is an M serial but an LV model which would not be a correct combination.

If you did an LN then it wouldn’t be an issue.

Neither LV nor LN is the right combination with this dial

 

[bowtiefanatc]

Another reason why I just build my own these days.

 

[haze3715]

well my 16610LV finally made it's way to me complete with PCLs and polished center-link clasp.

I posted above that I GL this watch in full acknowledgement that BP put the wrong bracelet (with PCLs) on this watch.

Upon closer inspection, it looks like the sides of the bracelet are also missing the vertical brushing... looks like some of these BP sub bracelets either
i) skipped the brushing stage at the factory, or
ii) 16613 center links got mixed into 16610 bracelet production and the supplier said fuck it, ship 'em anyways, it's worth a post or two on RWI, lol.

Here's a pic of the watch and bracelet pulled apart:


Yes, the clasp is brushed in the photo - it originally came polished like the rest of the bracelet. It looks so hilariously wrong I had to break out the sanding blocks right away (120 medium). I should have snapped a before photo to share. Oh well.

PCLs on a Kermit - does it "work"? I personally love PCLs on my Daytona's and 6-digit GMTs, but this doesn't match the 5-digit Sub as a toolwatch. So the bracelet will be receiving the same brushing treatment when I have time later this week.

MILKY RING WARNING:




Another BP surprise - perhaps you spotted it earlier, a nice milky ring around the edge of the crystal. Earlier photos on this thread feature a decent stock crystal, but it seems like some from the most recent batch have a nice milky ring around the edge of the crystal.

I've checked other recent QCs - BP LNs and LVs are affected - some come with fully brushed bracelets, some with PCLs.

Is there a fix for this? Crystal swap? Or gasket swap?

So all in all I haven't really hit it off with the BP Kermit the way I did with the BP 16710. @bowtiefanatc you hit the nail on the head:

Ahhhhh leave it to BP to get you 80% of the way there and then strand you lol!

 

[Soxxgo2]

well my 16610LV finally made it's way to me complete with PCLs and polished center-link clasp.

I posted above that I GL this watch in full acknowledgement that BP put the wrong bracelet (with PCLs) on this watch.

Upon closer inspection, it looks like the sides of the bracelet are also missing the vertical brushing... looks like some of these BP sub bracelets either
i) skipped the brushing stage at the factory, or
ii) 16613 center links got mixed into 16610 bracelet production and the supplier said fuck it, ship 'em anyways, it's worth a post or two on RWI, lol.

Here's a pic of the watch and bracelet pulled apart:


Yes, the clasp is brushed in the photo - it originally came polished like the rest of the bracelet. It looks so hilariously wrong I had to break out the sanding blocks right away (120 medium). I should have snapped a before photo to share. Oh well.

PCLs on a Kermit - does it "work"? I personally love PCLs on my Daytona's and 6-digit GMTs, but this doesn't match the 5-digit Sub as a toolwatch. So the bracelet will be receiving the same brushing treatment when I have time later this week.

MILKY RING WARNING:




Another BP surprise - perhaps you spotted it earlier, a nice milky ring around the edge of the crystal. Earlier photos on this thread feature a decent stock crystal, but it seems like some from the most recent batch have a nice milky ring around the edge of the crystal.

I've checked other recent QCs - BP LNs and LVs are affected - some come with fully brushed bracelets, some with PCLs.

Is there a fix for this? Crystal swap? Or gasket swap?

So all in all I haven't really hit it off with the BP Kermit the way I did with the BP 16710. @bowtiefanatc you hit the nail on the head:

Did you get qc pics showing the center links polish? That’s so funny. It probably was meant for a two tone that never got plated.