Inspired by a report about the conversion of an Omega Seamaster 300 Rep to an Omega Seamaster 300 SuperFranken (Gen but Case) I first came to high-end Reps. Before that, I had bought an Omega Seamaster Chrono (Quartz) and a Rolex DSSD (automatic with 2813 movement) during my 2013 and 2014 vacations in Istanbul at the local Grand Bazaar. Both watches belong to the "must not have" category, I simply didn't know much about high-end reps at that time. Only through the reports of some users I gradually came to realize that there are really well-made replicas in addition to the watches in AAA quality. When studying the report on the construction of the Seamaster 300 SuperFranken, I was impressed at one point in particular, namely that an original movement was also used here for the build. I was not aware until then that occasionally original movements are offered second-hand. I would have rather expected that defective watches are repaired and heavily aged watches are refurbished.
However, I bought a 5514 Comex (I just loved the look of this watch) and a 116610 LN Noob v7 with SA3135 movement from a dealer in China. I expected quite a bit of quality from the Noob, after all the Noob Submariners were described as "closest to the original". After a few weeks, I had both in my hands. I was happy. I was happy until I saw the first authentic Rolex 116610 LN in comparison. The glass of the Noob was simply a disaster compared to the glass of the Rolex. And also the bezel insert could not stand up to a comparison. The insert of the Rolex was deep black while the insert of the Noob was rather anthracite. It was clear to me that the Noob needs to be improvement. And since I was by now an avid reader of the forum here, I followed the advice of many and sent the watch to a rep friendly watchmaker, who serviced the movement and also proofed the watches water resistancy.
In the meantime, I also studied the parts market here and kept finding exciting parts that could take my Noob to the next level and I also saw parts from vintage Submariners that inspired me to build a vintage Submariner. Besides that, I also searched eBay for used Rolex parts and found them there too. So I found there a "Zubmariner" dial with SL luminous material and a Gen Spec Case for a 5-digit Submariner. Soon after, and from that moment on it was clear to me that I wanted a "Gen but Case" Submariner, I was also able to buy a used Gen calibre 3135 on eBay at a price that I felt was still reasonable. Gradually I got all the parts together to have my own build made from it, however the result was not perfect in my opinion yet. So I searched further, found more exciting Gen parts (Rolex calibre 3035, Tritium dial for a Ref. 16800, various inserts, Rolex bezel ring for Submariner etc.), so that I could gradually build a "Gen but case" Ref. 16800, a "Gen but case" 16610 LN, a SuperFranken Rolesium YM Ref. 16622 and a SuperFranken GMT Master Ref. 1675. Currently, I still have a GMT Master II Ref. 16710, a "Gen but Case" 16803 LB and a Franken 116520 with white dial and white RubberB in progress, as well as the transition of my Noob v7 to a SuperFranken with Gen cal. 3135. With this, my need for Rolex Sporties should be satisfied as true to the original as possible. If I now start a new project, it should be something special, for example a 116610 extra black, where the case, hands, luminous points and more will be very black. Or a perfect Paul Newman Daytona.
make the journey so much better