GMF released a GMT 3186 clone movement

[Dissemination]

Conceyted thanks for sharing all this. I'm still convinced that this is the best insert so far, especially with spongebob's magic.

How do you feel about the bracelet that came with it? Is the Jubilee gmf also?

 

[Conceyted]

Lol- yeah I dinged mine up even worse. I was afraid to go at it with sandpaper, but a few minutes of work got it looking good as new. Even matched the grain and everything! KJ2020 gave me the secret recipe, he's just being modest.

So what's the secret recipe? I tried some 0000 steel wool but it's too mild to remove any material before it turns into a pile of dust. . Thanks!

 

[Conceyted]

Conceyted thanks for sharing all this. I'm still convinced that this is the best insert so far, especially with spongebob's magic.

How do you feel about the bracelet that came with it? Is the Jubilee gmf also?

No problem! I have a modded Daytona with arf bracelet and I've had previous other factory bracelets. GMF is decent enough but arf is king. On both bracelets the clasp is visually great but the tactile feel of the clasp is not as good as arf or gen.

The GMF having very tight tolerances at the case to bracelet point causes a bit if binding to occur on the brand new jubilee, but back and forth movement over a few hours is loosening things up just fine.

I ordered the jubilee as GMF as well hoping that they'd be using the same mounting points on both cases. It's similar enough to work, but there's a bit of movement between case and jubilee. The jubilee also uses very different spring bars just like gen and those were not included in the package so I'm having to order some. Gen gmt jubilee springbars won't fit the gmt oyster models due to different pivot diameters, so I've ordered aftermarket 1.5mm thick springbars with 0.9mm pivot for the correct diameters for bracelet and case. For now I'm using some thinner springbars which works but is not ideal.

 

[Conceyted]

The bezel tension rings have been omitted In a few recent purchases of mine as well. It may be a cost cutting move, or it could just be an oversight. You can get them on Ebay. You might as well buy 2, if your bezel is that loose you may need them. My Noob Pepsi did not come with one and I added an Ebay one. Also a recent GMF didn't have one but was OK without it.

These say they are for 5 digit models but fit perfectly in the slight GMF case indent beneath the bezel.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bezel-Tens...4kAAOSw7UBd~aSU:sc:USPSFirstClass!37138!US!-1

It's a nice looking watch. You should be able to fix your case ding. sickopsycho can help, haha.

Thank you! I ordered one of these via eBay last night. Not this seller but probably the same one. I'm glad to hear that will fit. Can you help me confirm that without it you felt some sloppiness and very loose tolerances on the bezel? It's as if I can move the bezel side to side by at least half a mm. When I first got the watch it was even worse but some of the slop came out by pressing things together again. Does this sound fanilar?

 

[Rubberman]

I ordered the jubilee as GMF as well hoping that they'd be using the same mounting points on both cases. It's similar enough to work, but there's a bit of movement between case and jubilee. The jubilee also uses very different spring bars just like gen and those were not included in the package so I'm having to order some. Gen gmt jubilee springbars won't fit the gmt oyster models due to different pivot diameters, so I've ordered aftermarket 1.5mm thick springbars with 0.9mm pivot for the correct diameters for bracelet and case. For now I'm using some thinner springbars which works but is not ideal.

I highly recommend aftermarket spring bars from Everest. Is not cheap but the build quality and size are great. Especially the correct sized tip to give a tight fit without free play unlike most of the aftermarket bars just have their tips too small that leaves free play when you gently pull the SEL away from case.

https://www.everestbands.com/collections/accessories/products/gmt-ceramic-jubilee-1-5mm-spring-bars

I have them on all my Daytonas, Subs and GMTs. Results are more evident on Daytona from Noob.

Cheers!

 

[KJ2020]

So what's the secret recipe? I tried some 0000 steel wool but it's too mild to remove any material before it turns into a pile of dust. . Thanks!

Can you post a closeup of the ding?

 

[KJ2020]

Thank you! I ordered one of these via eBay last night. Not this seller but probably the same one. I'm glad to hear that will fit. Can you help me confirm that without it you felt some sloppiness and very loose tolerances on the bezel? It's as if I can move the bezel side to side by at least half a mm. When I first got the watch it was even worse but some of the slop came out by pressing things together again. Does this sound fanilar?

This should help that issue. It's the best thing you can try on a GMT bezel. Other mods like using floss aren't feasible with the scalloped crystal retaining ring and the 3 pin click ring.

Take extra care not to damage your bezel gasket (hytrel ring), those are essentially not replaceable. Aftermarket ones rarely fit if ever. Also, if it has not come out of the bezel groove I would leave it in there. Every time you pull on it you risk stretching it out.

Rep hytrel rings usually have a stairstep side profile on the inner edge and it matters which way the stairstep is oriented vertically. The GMF gasket goes in with the "top step" down, toward the case. So the fatter width of the gasket will be sitting higher up in the bezel groove with the bezel sitting upright flat on a desk. It's possible your gasket was installed upside down by the factory, this directly affects lateral tightness. You may want to wait til your tension ring arrives to check it again since every bezel removal and replacement introduces risk of damaging the gasket.

 

[KJ2020]

No problem! I have a modded Daytona with arf bracelet and I've had previous other factory bracelets. GMF is decent enough but arf is king. On both bracelets the clasp is visually great but the tactile feel of the clasp is not as good as arf or gen.

The GMF having very tight tolerances at the case to bracelet point causes a bit if binding to occur on the brand new jubilee, but back and forth movement over a few hours is loosening things up just fine.

I ordered the jubilee as GMF as well hoping that they'd be using the same mounting points on both cases. It's similar enough to work, but there's a bit of movement between case and jubilee. The jubilee also uses very different spring bars just like gen and those were not included in the package so I'm having to order some. Gen gmt jubilee springbars won't fit the gmt oyster models due to different pivot diameters, so I've ordered aftermarket 1.5mm thick springbars with 0.9mm pivot for the correct diameters for bracelet and case. For now I'm using some thinner springbars which works but is not ideal.

Some good discussion on swapping oyster and jubilee bracelets around in this thread.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...mt-master-ii-116710-ln-on-jubilee-new-arrival

Excerpt from a link in that thread by a guy who has swapped a lot of gen bracelets around

"I know these combos I've listed are not optimal and there is risk of breakdown with extended use, so definitely use at your own discretion, these are hacks! The combinations I've listed all work and said springbars lie securely in respective lugholes. Having said that, some combinations feel super tight and secure, and others have minimal play... Would I wear one of these hack combos long term, probably not. Personally, I prefer the original versions best, but I enjoy mixing things up."

 

[Conceyted]

I highly recommend aftermarket spring bars from Everest. Is not cheap but the build quality and size are great. Especially the correct sized tip to give a tight fit without free play unlike most of the aftermarket bars just have their tips too small that leaves free play when you gently pull the SEL away from case.

https://www.everestbands.com/collections/accessories/products/gmt-ceramic-jubilee-1-5mm-spring-bars

I have them on all my Daytonas, Subs and GMTs. Results are more evident on Daytona from Noob.

Cheers!

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I second the suggestion on Everest springbars, but in this case the fact that they follow Rolex gen specifications means that they will not work for my needs here. Unfortunately the 126710 GMT jubilee pivots are thicker (1.5mm springbars with 1.2mm pivots) than the 116710 GMT oyster pivots (2.0mm springbars with 0.9mm pivots) Odd, right? But that's what Rolex did to us! So, with that stated, I had to find 1.5mm springbars with 0.9mm pivots, which is only available in aftermarket and not a Rolex standard size that I could find.

I do typically swap the bars out on every rep I buy. I have them on my Daytona and it was a decent improvement. I was considering buying them on the GMF v3 BLNR, but to be honest I was pleasantly surprised by the springbars the watch came with. They're gen spec and appear very similar to gen/everest, so I would bet that there will be little to no improvement by swapping to Everest on the oyster bracelet. Happy to be proven wrong, though, so if someone has done this and saw improvements please let me know!

 

[KJ2020]

Unfortunately the 126710 GMT jubilee pivots are thicker (1.5mm springbars with 1.2mm pivots) than the 116710 GMT oyster pivots (2.0mm springbars with 0.9mm pivots) Odd, right? But that's what Rolex did to us!

Many think this was intentional to make it not optimal to put an oyster on a 126710.

 

[sickopsycho]

So what's the secret recipe?

I'd have to check what grit sandpaper I used- but I want to say I started with a 400 and finished with 600. I just took a small piece and folded it over, and went at it with the 400 until the gash was (mostly) gone- then finished it up with the 600, being careful not to get over into the polished side. Finally, I just carefully ran long strokes to match the grain, kind of feathering it into the rest of the side to match it up perfectly. When I get home, I will take an after shot to show you my before and after. It took me a few times to get the grains parallel to the rest, but it wasn't difficult. =) Luckily, it's a brushed finish so there wasn't any polishing involved.

 

[KJ2020]

I'd have to check what grit sandpaper I used- but I want to say I started with a 400 and finished with 600. I just took a small piece and folded it over, and went at it with the 400 until the gash was (mostly) gone- then finished it up with the 600, being careful not to get over into the polished side. Finally, I just carefully ran long strokes to match the grain, kind of feathering it into the rest of the side to match it up perfectly. When I get home, I will take an after shot to show you my before and after. It took me a few times to get the grains parallel to the rest, but it wasn't difficult. =) Luckily, it's a brushed finish so there wasn't any polishing involved.

Well said bro! This ^

 

[Conceyted]

Some good discussion on swapping oyster and jubilee bracelets around in this thread.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...mt-master-ii-116710-ln-on-jubilee-new-arrival

Excerpt from a link in that thread by a guy who has swapped a lot of gen bracelets around

"I know these combos I've listed are not optimal and there is risk of breakdown with extended use, so definitely use at your own discretion, these are hacks! The combinations I've listed all work and said springbars lie securely in respective lugholes. Having said that, some combinations feel super tight and secure, and others have minimal play... Would I wear one of these hack combos long term, probably not. Personally, I prefer the original versions best, but I enjoy mixing things up."

Thank you for sharing. I did a deep dive on the actual diameters of springbars and pivots per bracelet and case for the GMTs. Here's the thread I ended up finding the best info on: https://www.rolexforums.com/showpost.php?p=9394159&postcount=32

 

[KJ2020]

Thank you for sharing. I did a deep dive on the actual diameters of springbars and pivots per bracelet and case for the GMTs. Here's the thread I ended up finding the best info on: https://www.rolexforums.com/showpost.php?p=9394159&postcount=32

That's good info, you should post it on the other thread too if you haven't. Too bad the measurements for 1167xx aren't there

 

[Conceyted]

That's good info, you should post it on the other thread too if you haven't. Too bad the measurements for 1167xx aren't there

I don't own a set of calipers, but I am almost certain 1167xx are 20mm x 2.0mm x 0.90mm for springbars.

 

[KJ2020]

I don't own a set of calipers, but I am almost certain 1167xx are 20mm x 2.0mm x 0.90mm for springbars.

It would be logical for the 1167xx to share the same specs as the 1166xx. Be nice to see it included in a comprehensive post like that one though.

 

[Sh3113r]

This thread.....

This kind of stuff is exactly why I joined!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KJ2020]

Keep in mind these springbar measurements are for gens and it won't necessarily be accurate for reps. There has always been some variation in bracelet specs between factories - there is no standardization for anything - detent placement, SEL shape and thickness, springbar thickness, tip size, even springbar length. VRF Max Sub lugs are 19.9mm apart they and won't take any other factory's bracelet without modification.

 

[RiffRalf]

Do you have any issues with the bezel moving left to right? ..

No bezel issurs here. I asked Li especially about that.

 

[Noleex]

I had the same problem on a noob, the problem was a not proper fitted and bad bezel gasket ring, the strange thing is that the watch was new, so again poor quality on all ends of noob.