wannashmooze 6 Posted March 14, 2018 Hi all, so I'm looking to start a project vintage sub and have ben reading all about using a "cartel" submariner as a starting point... Can anyone point me in the direction of said rep or TD who may stock them? I can't seem to find any references to cartel factory in any TD website. Thanks in advance for any help! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J!m 289 Posted March 15, 2018 The first question is: "What is your budget?" Although the Cartel cases are much better now that they used to be, for the best accuracy (particularly if you do not plan to reshape the case yourself) is found in more expensive cases. Each piece of the project must be chosen carefully. When I do a build (for Rolex anyway) I decide not only on a model, but also a year of production, and collect all the gen photos I can, and then look for rep parts that most closely match those gen parts of that era. It can take years to complete a watch this way, but the results are above and beyond any "off the shelf" rep could ever be. Inevitably, I end up using a lot of gen parts because the rep ones don't look and/or function as the originals do. My 5512 for example. That has about $3500 invested in it, and I'm considering another case change. Dial, movement, crown and bracelet are all gen and age correct. I think it's important for you to understand that "the best rep" comes at significant cost. Some can tolerate "close enough" and that's great. I, unfortunately, am not one of those people... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repmaster1234 49 Posted March 19, 2018 On 3/13/2018 at 23:07, wannashmooze said: Hi all, so I'm looking to start a project vintage sub and have ben reading all about using a "cartel" submariner as a starting point... Can anyone point me in the direction of said rep or TD who may stock them? I can't seem to find any references to cartel factory in any TD website. Thanks in advance for any help! Great decision... vintage Rolex builds are definitely one of the most fun things you can do related to this hobby. What J!m said is excellent advice, although to answer your question check out MR (Marvelous Replica). They always have great deals on vintage submariners. I think it's $100 right now for all models with a DG2813 movement. Since you're just starting out, this is an excellent base for a project. Much of the simple modifications you'll probably be interested in you can do at home for free with basic tools, such as case and lug reshaping, crystal replacement ($5 from Clark on Ebay), reluming of the dial and hands and even creating a gilt dial yourself for certain models. I have tutorials on the last two things I mentioned. If you'd like further guidance, I'd be happy to help as I'm sure one of our resident experts in the field - @NCRich - would be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,744 Posted March 19, 2018 On 3/13/2018 at 23:07, wannashmooze said: Hi all, so I'm looking to start a project vintage sub and have ben reading all about using a "cartel" submariner as a starting point... Can anyone point me in the direction of said rep or TD who may stock them? I can't seem to find any references to cartel factory in any TD website. Thanks in advance for any help! Any dealer can get them. Just ask for a JK factory sub. Marvellous Replica has the best price. You can email them at [email protected]. Here is a tutorial All you need to know about modding that Cartel sub Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wannashmooze 6 Posted April 3, 2018 Wow thanks for the great advice... i have some basic tools at home so reshaping, luming, crystal replacement and drilling are all things I can try out. I’l keep y’all posted ok the goings on! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunnyStarSystem 7,537 Posted April 3, 2018 Good luck and definitely post your progress, those types of threads are greatly appreciated here and fascinating as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
