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Diver Dave

GMT Master thoughts... advice sought.

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Diver Dave

Looking at putting my old Gen GMTs on the shelf and wearing a Rep to work. I work with Zulu time constantly (flight plans and weather) and having 2 time zones is essential. The old GMT's that I have (two of them, one solid gold and one two-tone) are the earlier ones without an independently settable 24 hour hand, IE they are not the "GMT 2" watches. The use of these watches is a bit cryptic, as the only thing you can change is the bezel. Their use depends on counter-intuitively (to most people) setting the watch itself to GMT and using the bezel to set whatever local time you happen to be in. That works well for pilots flying regularly across multiple time zones, but not as well for someone like me flying only domestic runs and wanting local time on the main watch. So I'm considering a good quality rep GMT as a work-watch.

 

I'm briefed on the hand-stack issue, any other movement or case considerations to offer before I hit up Mary to go look for one for me? And since I absolutely hate sapphire crystals on Rolex watches, any observations on vintage GMT Reps available with acrylic crystals?

 

And if anyone happens to have one laying unloved, M2M deals are always in fashion. NCRich? Anyone?

Edited by Diver Dave

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Sealdoggy

I'm in the market for a GMT also, so I'll be watching with interest on this one, good luck Dave

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NCRich

I've only got mine at the moment. The 1675 rep is not a very good representation of the real deal. It requires a good deal of parts and modification to get within a mile of the real thing. You would need someone like yodog to build you one, specifically to your specifications if you want it to be relatively watertight and look the part. The 21j version of the movement is the best one for several reasons.

 

edit: you would need a clark bezel and plexi to get it watertight. Its not that expensive to do. The watch itself is $125ish from MR, the plexi, bezel assembly, and insert are $100ish. After that it is just artwork.

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NCRich

This one is mine:

 

pTv4s1F.jpg

 

It has a Yuki gilt dial ($100ish) and a $30 small gmt hand. So all told that runs $350 in parts. I tested it to 3 atms and it passed.

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Diver Dave

This one is mine:

 

pTv4s1F.jpg

 

It has a Yuki gilt dial ($100ish) and a $30 small gmt hand. So all told that runs $350 in parts. I tested it to 3 atms and it passed.

 

 

That's a nice sample, Rich. I don't mind the watch-smithing work either. I hope you don't mind if I pick your brain privately via PM a littl as I get further into this.

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Diver Dave

Not sure if of interest:

http://www.rwg.bz/bo...howtopic=131141

 

 

Thanks, but no. I'll be wanting something a bot more vintage. Appreciate the suggestion though.

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jdog

As others have said the vintage pieces need a lot of work. Biggest issue the have is the lack of proper crown guards. The vintage builds have the correct hand stack via eta or 21j but unlike the gen you can set the gmt hand independently. I have managed to freeze this hand as per gen on a few builds and it functions as per the gen. At minimum you would need these parts to create a decent GMT. Better dial and hands, crystal, clarks bezel assembly, correct non-hooked 2 insert and a flat case back from raffles. Gunfire about $250 in parts on top of the base watch. If you can get a old 1655 explorer mid case then you're in good shape as it has better guards to work with. And if you're getting all the other parts, you won't be using the guts anyway and can sell to recoup some costs.

 

Old case with the better guards.

EA850560-631A-4C16-99D3-260154BF7793_zpsqzhq67fx.jpg

 

 

 

Edited by jdog

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Diver Dave

As others have said the vintage pieces need a lot of work. Biggest issue the have is the lack of proper crown guards. The vintage builds have the correct hand stack via eta or 21j but unlike the gen you can set the gmt hand independently. I have managed to freeze this hand as per gen on a few builds and it functions as per the gen. At minimum you would need these parts to create a decent GMT. Better dial and hands, crystal, clarks bezel assembly, correct non-hooked 2 insert and a flat case back from raffles. Gunfire about $250 in parts on top of the base watch. If you can get a old 1655 explorer mid case then you're in good shape as it has better guards to work with. And if you're getting all the other parts, you won't be using the guts anyway and can sell to recoup some costs.

 

Old case with the better guards.

 

 

 

Good advice, and thanks. I was hoping you would chime in.

 

As far as how the 24 hour hand works, for practical use the original frozen hands (linked to the 12 hour hands) isn't as practical as the new style, so I'll be keeping that.

 

I need to make a run to CT for some other reasons, we should have a lunch at one of the diners there and play with watches.

 

Fortunately I have two Gen 1675's for CG comparisons when modifying, which ought to make things easier to figure out. I'll wear one up if you want to get together.

 

 

Dave

Edited by Diver Dave

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Stewart

I know you wouldn't wear a noob sub to time a deep sea dive, but you will trust a rep to accurately time flight plans?

 

Maybe an Astron GMT. It would be way more accurate than any gen Rolex anyway.

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narikaa

Timing a flight with a wristwatch (whaddya fly Sopwiths?)

 

an extra time zone to deal with, See if the local infants school will guest you for half a day and teach you to add/subtract :giggle:

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Diver Dave

I know you wouldn't wear a noob sub to time a deep sea dive, but you will trust a rep to accurately time flight plans?

 

 

 

 

Sure. It's a pretty benign environment. Sitting in the met office doing a flight plan and reading the weather sequences which are given in Zulu and trying to figure out (a) where you are and (b) what's the zulu offset there and (a) waking up in the middle of the night in a strange hotel room in god knows what timezone and wondering how much more sleep you can get.

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jdog

As others have said the vintage pieces need a lot of work. Biggest issue the have is the lack of proper crown guards. The vintage builds have the correct hand stack via eta or 21j but unlike the gen you can set the gmt hand independently. I have managed to freeze this hand as per gen on a few builds and it functions as per the gen. At minimum you would need these parts to create a decent GMT. Better dial and hands, crystal, clarks bezel assembly, correct non-hooked 2 insert and a flat case back from raffles. Gunfire about $250 in parts on top of the base watch. If you can get a old 1655 explorer mid case then you're in good shape as it has better guards to work with. And if you're getting all the other parts, you won't be using the guts anyway and can sell to recoup some costs.

 

Old case with the better guards.

 

 

 

Good advice, and thanks. I was hoping you would chime in.

 

As far as how the 24 hour hand works, for practical use the original frozen hands (linked to the 12 hour hands) isn't as practical as the new style, so I'll be keeping that.

 

I need to make a run to CT for some other reasons, we should have a lunch at one of the diners there and play with watches.

 

Fortunately I have two Gen 1675's for CG comparisons when modifying, which ought to make things easier to figure out. I'll wear one up if you want to get together.

 

 

Dave

Sounds good Dave. Lets plan something for when the weather's a bit more consistent :)

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Diver Dave

Timing a flight with a wristwatch (whaddya fly Sopwiths?)

 

an extra time zone to deal with, See if the local infants school will guest you for half a day and teach you to add/subtract :giggle:

 

 

In the fighter I'm using my old Sub to time fuel burn. The drop tanks aren't gauged and you need to watch to see when the empty lights for them come on and compare that to when they SHOULD have come on, and ditto the rear auxiliary tank. If they don't empty on schedule you have a problem. After engine start it's 42 minutes to drop tank MT light, 11 more to aft aux tank MT light, 7 more before the main fuel gauge comes off the peg, and only then do you have gauged fuel. And then you have a whopping 22 minutes before flame-out. The bezel has worked for the last 22 years of this and it's gonna work tomorrow.

 

In the 310 it's for timing the aux tank transfer times to make sure you switch when needed.

 

In the "big shiny jet" it is "Submariner off and GMT on". Everything is based on GMT, and when crossing multiple time zones multiple times a day, it's not always as easy as you think. Bearing in mind a mate that managed to arrive precisely on time, a day off, in China, when he screwed up his international date line calculation. We live and die by Zulu for the flying part of the day, and by local when it's agreeing to meet the crew for dinner. So dual time works. I'm just a bit tired of always having my old GMT hands frozen to the 12 hour hand and not being able to split them, thus the interest in a project.

Edited by Diver Dave

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GenTLe

Zulu time:

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Diver Dave

Zulu time:

 

 

I'll take two. Where do I order them?

 

:boobies:

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porschespeedster

Mary may be able to find them for you.

Shipping can be a problem though

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Diver Dave

Mary may be able to find them for you.

Shipping can be a problem though

 

 

She's been my go-to, and has shipped and adjusted things very reliably. Taking about 10 days to CONUS from her.

 

 

Thanks as always!

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NCRich

Cartel version of this is back in stock. Got one in the air. Cheap as chips.

 

HYA4Uzx.png

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Diver Dave

Cartel version of this is back in stock. Got one in the air. Cheap as chips.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Rich. Time to place and order.

 

Dave

 

.

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