View Single Post
Old 8 November 2011, 02:08 AM   #8
Orchi
Banned
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 2,934
Quote:
Originally Posted by tuonor View Post
My pursuit of a T19 superdome for a birth year sub has become a bit of an (unhealthy) obsession. I'm starting this thread to share a few observations based on my mini-hoard of T19s -- with the caveat that I still haven't found a reliable method for precise identification.

Take a look at the picture below. Two crystals are supposed to be legit superdomes, one a regular dome and two are (most definitely) aftermarket. Can anyone identify all 5 correctly? One caveat -- looking at them side-by-side, I'm not sure every crystal was id'd properly by the sellers. Thus, this exercise arguably involves some guesswork (ie, which crystal was represented as what).

To get things rolling, I'll send a new bond patterned zulu with PVD buckles to the first one to answer correctly (I'll cover US postage or reasonable shipping costs abroad).
Err Buddy...it won't be easy even to guess...
which of those Plexis could be Original Rolex or not...

IF they come in the original Vintage Rolex packing...
mostly they are good n original...
but then again...most NOS Plexis available in the market these days...
are from service replacement stocks...
especially those that come in sealed n labeled plastic packets...
having the Rolex/Tudor prints on them...
(either in RED or Green depending on different production period)
n the T16/T17/T19 n T39...etc etc. are no longer having the "Dome"...
or "Superdome" profiles...

IF they come in loose form without the original Vintage Rolex packing...
it does NOT mean they could likely be aftermarket either...
This is because in the old days...
the Vintage Plexis did come in bundles form of paper tubes or paper rolls...

Then there are those that come in original Vintage Rolex packing...
in the form of sealed GREEN paper envelopes...(having the Rolex label n stamp).
These are the most expensive n difficult ones to obtain...
NOT sure when Rolex introduced...
or when they ceased to use these GREEN paper envelops to ship the early Vintage Plexis...
especially the so called "Dome" or "Superdome" ones...
such as T12/T16/T17/T19/T20/T21/T22/T38/T39...
NOT sure again here...when Rolex had stopped to produce these Plexis...
with "Dome" or "Superdome" profiles...

Logical thinking for Orchi is...they were all SERVICE Replacement stocks...
which was perhaps how so many Plexis ended up eventually...,
being circulated in the Grey markets...
n the networks of service dealers(unauthorized by Rolex)...
NOT sure how that could have happened also...
But Orchi's best guess would be...
these Plexis were sold or "distributed"...
from the "Authorised Service Centres" of Rolex themselves...

Having the above said...the aftermarket ones are easily available...
but what sets the different sources of the aftermarket Plexis apart...
would be quality n whether or not...
they were well made to fit well...

In loose form...even the best aftermarket Plexis could be identified...
up close by making comparisons with the Original Rolex Plexis...
side by side...

Simply put...there exist some "microscopic" differences...LOL!
but once they are fitted to the watch...
the visual differences would cease to be recognized...

Scary eh...? But Orchi digresses...LOL!

Oh btw...back to the quiz...
Err...it would even be tough for Orchi...
to tell from those Plexis in the picture...
which n which is Original or Aftermarket...
Orchi is offline   Reply With Quote