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NEW! 1675 GMT case set offering from Raffles.

EnryDJ36

In search of perfection
5/11/23
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thank you very much for the input! i ordered it alongside with a super dome for my 5513. Lets see how they compare to clarks.
Would you say the quality is on pair?
In my opinion they are not very different, for me there is not much difference on acrylic glass. I found the Clarks to be excellent as an alternative to the original for the sapphire on my Datejust.
Among other things, the glass I told you fits well on the Raffles case and when pressing the bezel ring it didn't give me any breakage problems, something that reading on the forum in some cases Clarck acrylic had caused. I hope it meets your expectations as it did for me 👍
 

deadaglev

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There can be huge differences.
Clarity, sharpness of the cyclops and all the edges, is the shape close to gen, how the cyclops magnifies, not just how much but what happens when you tilt the watch, distortion of the crystal, is there enough space for the hands, is the crystal durable, is the construction watertight at the end?
There is a reason people buy the gen crystals for absurd amounts of money:)
I was not able to find a crystal that ticks all the boxes yet. But i have not tried many, mostly because it is impossible to find sufficient information about all the options out there.
I had one member that told me ofrei has a good one. But shipping for a 12 dollar crystal to Germany is 66 dollars…
 

Singapore9

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Have a look for Verlux crystals, I believe they also made them for the Rolex factory and I have a 25-125 Cyclops for my GEN 9411 and it looks identical
 

deadaglev

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Have a look for Verlux crystals, I believe they also made them for the Rolex factory and I have a 25-125 Cyclops for my GEN 9411 and it looks identical
I actually can't find anything :) do you have a link or some more info about it maybe?
 

EnryDJ36

In search of perfection
5/11/23
70
122
33
Italy
There can be huge differences.
Clarity, sharpness of the cyclops and all the edges, is the shape close to gen, how the cyclops magnifies, not just how much but what happens when you tilt the watch, distortion of the crystal, is there enough space for the hands, is the crystal durable, is the construction watertight at the end?
There is a reason people buy the gen crystals for absurd amounts of money:)
I was not able to find a crystal that ticks all the boxes yet. But i have not tried many, mostly because it is impossible to find sufficient information about all the options out there.
I had one member that told me ofrei has a good one. But shipping for a 12 dollar crystal to Germany is 66 dollars…
Of course, I still see big differences on sapphire crystals and in any case in this case the Clarck is one of those that comes closest to the original with sensible prices. For the acrylic crystal that I showed you I don't see many differences from the Gen, magnification, distortion, height and space for hands are perfect. Spending all the money the sellers ask for a plastic crystal just because it is Rolex branded seems like a waste of money to me, I prefer to spend more on an original Eta movement like I did but these are personal opinions. 😉 As for the waterproof, I can tell you that the watertightness offered by a plastic crystal without a gasket, whether Gen or aftermarket, will never be like that of a sapphire glass with its Hytrel gasket. In fact, the original GMT 1675 was only guaranteed up to 50 m.
 

Singapore9

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Last edited:

Danza1813

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Anyone got any insight on the Raffles 27.3 dial vs the Yuki dial? Is the extra cost for the yuki dial worth it?
 

deadaglev

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Try the seller "sabaec" on Ebay, I think he ships all over the world, the crystal is 25.116 the same as the original at a very low cost
Got mine today.
I have to say, the quality is really rather nice. Although while being a bit better that the clarks in that regard, this plexi has a wrong chamfer/edgeprofile as well...
Its a shame because the cyclops is very nice. Why is everyone getting this part wrong?
There must be someone that does it correctly:)
 
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deadaglev

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Thanks for sharing, the difference is pretty big.

I wonder if that’s something that could be sanded or turned to the correct profile.
i tried that but was not successful. I could not get the plexi to be clear and sharp at the end. Maybe i used the wrong tools.
 
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Danza1813

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i tried that but was not successful. I could not get the plexi to be clear and sharp at the end. Maybe i used the wrong tools.
Is there room to take some of the height of the rep crystals away from the bottom side, when installed this will move the stepped edge closer to the inner edge of the bezel insert and essentially hiding it? May increase the magnification level on the cyclops too?
 
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deadaglev

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I am not so sure if that is the issue here.
My bezel assembly might be a bit to low because it’s a hybrid made from clarks and BP parts (not ideal) and the insert has been flattened by the previous owner. That’s why the top of the insert sits so low.
I had this thought too but there could be an issue with hands clearance.
In the end, the chamfer is still a lot less pronounced than it should be.
 

deadaglev

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The plexi that comes with the raffles case has this area done right btw.
Sadly the cyclops is at the completely incorrect position.
Same with the Sternkreuz i tried.
 

EnryDJ36

In search of perfection
5/11/23
70
122
33
Italy
Is there room to take some of the height of the rep crystals away from the bottom side, when installed this will move the stepped edge closer to the inner edge of the bezel insert and essentially hiding it? May increase the magnification level on the cyclops too?
Better not to sand the lower part because it will change the magnification even if only slightly but the main thing is that the space for the hands would be reduced
 
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EnryDJ36

In search of perfection
5/11/23
70
122
33
Italy
Got mine today.
I have to say, the quality is really rather nice. Although while being a bit better that the clarks in that regard, this plexi has a wrong chamfer/edgeprofile as well...
Its a shame because the cyclops is very nice. Why is everyone getting this part wrong?
There must be someone that does it correctly:)
I'll tell you there is a difference in the edge profile, but compared to the Clarck, Raffles and Sternkreutz the magnification is correct, there are no distortions or aberrations, it mounts correctly and you pay 23 times less than the original! I wouldn't dwell too much on a difference of less than half a millimeter in bevel. I have seen photos of replicas where there were much worse differences from the original. As I repeat, the crystal can pass and the time you want to waste some money you buy the original but I prefer to spend it on a good movement, a Gen like bezel assembly or a Gen insert or a very high quality aftermarket and I assure you that the 20 and the 22 on the insert that do not follow the curvature of the glass like almost all aftermarket inserts, to my eye they are much worse, or not? ;)
 
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