Serial doesn’t match up

[er1cw]

Hi guys,

I bought 1680 from a trusted dealer 3 years ago. Today I tried to send in the watch for servicing at my local RSC and I was told that the serial number doesn’t match up with the reference number!

How can it be? Did I just bought a dud or could RSC made a mistake in their database??

[saxo3]

Unlikely that RSC is wrong, where is your RSC?
What is the serial number (first digits)?

[er1cw]

Originally Posted by saxo3

Unlikely that RSC is wrong, where is your RSC?
What is the serial number (first digits)?

Singapore, serial starts with 2.4 mil

Bought it from a CONUS seller. Do you think I still can find recourse after 3 years?

[Old Expat Beast]

Serial is right for that timeframe when the model was available. Do they mean that serial was originally alloted to a different model? Serial and model ref # should both be visible on the case, so are they saying its a fake case?

[er1cw]

You are right. They claim the case is fake.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by er1cw

Singapore, serial starts with 2.4 mil

Which 1680 dial variant? 2.4 mil is possible.
Edit: ok, I see your fake case answer only now.

[Old Expat Beast]

Do you have any pics of the case, and close ups of the engraving?

[Pilot1985]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about this stressful situation for you. I got into a similar subject with a Kermit.

Is your 1680 a Red Sub and they said it was a white Sub? Or didn’t wanted to say which reference it was?

I guess you have contacted the seller it would be interesting to hear what he says about it.

Rolex do makes mistakes but if we get to the point that we believe more the seller than a database from the brand we can unleash a horrible monster. My opinion only.

Hope it ends well for you!

Edit: Just updated and saw about the fake case

[er1cw]

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by er1cw

Hopefully one of the vintage experts can help with this.

[Old Expat Beast]

Is it this one with service dial? https://www.rolexforums.com/showpost...&postcount=254

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by er1cw

I'm comparing this to other similar 1969/1970 year 1680 red submariners and don't really see anything particularly wrong with the serial, comparing fonts, size etc. That era had many hand engravings so the numbers were far from perfect. I can't fault this to my best knowledge. I'll let the others chime in.

[1665fan]

That’s bad news….pic of the other side engravings might help also

[Richard Carver]

Have you contacted the seller?

[77T]

Sympathetic to the sinking feeling you must have after hearing the report from Singapore RSC. Hoping it is resolved by them returning the watch so you can send to a trusted vintage watchmaker on TRF. That is best way to know what’s what.

If you’d like to see some of the threads about replica 1680 cases previously discussed on TRF, I googled it:

https://www.google.com/search?q=fake...iw=375&bih=747

The thing that catches my eye on your case is the larger “upper bowl” in the S’s; the lower bowl is usually the larger one.

So seems to look different from the photo’s of genuine midcases. But I am only sharing in the spirit of community.

Sadly, there are shops offering “replacement aftermarket” 1680 cases for watchmakers and jewelers. I don’t believe I can post a link to the replica websites. Perhaps google, Rolex 1680 case engraving. You will see what I mean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[mbc]

Good luck OP -- here's a link to useful articles regarding typefaces. The "2"s also look a little too curved into the base of the number at the "_", but hard to tell from the picture. Let's see the other side when you have a moment.

https://perezcope.com/2018/07/05/the...er-engravings/

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vint...44011-s10.html

[er1cw]

Thank guys for all the resources. Contacted the seller and he is fairly certain that watch is 100% genuine.

Anyway I will try to bring the watch into RSC again and hopefully it was a reading error in the first place.

[linesiders]

Post more and better photos. Fonts are a little sloppier than I would like and I do not like the orientation. Full serial allows more individual font data. Sloppy CAN be OK, sloppy can also be a problem and there is enough there to put on the brakes.

Need REF and Caseback stamp and Full Serial.

[pereztroika]

Engravings are most certainly fake. Check the A of Stainless Steel. It should have a flat top.



https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/...k-iv-dial-7380


Also, if you post a picture of the full number, I can check with my database and tell you to which Rolex reference the case number belongs too.


Cheers
Jose

[1665fan]

Originally Posted by pereztroika

Engravings are most certainly fake. Check the A of Stainless Steel. It should have a flat top.



https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/...k-iv-dial-7380


Also, if you post a picture of the full number, I can check with my database and tell you to which Rolex reference the case number belongs too.


Cheers
Jose

Good call…..rsc was right it’s fake or restamped….so who sold you this beauty?????

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by pereztroika

Engravings are most certainly fake. Check the A of Stainless Steel. It should have a flat top.



https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/...k-iv-dial-7380


Also, if you post a picture of the full number, I can check with my database and tell you to which Rolex reference the case number belongs too.


Cheers
Jose

We shouldn't just jump to conclusions with that. Here's another one - similar era - pointy A. I have seen quite a few pointy A examples with starting 2 serial.

We need to see more. I think the upper / lower bowl of the 'S' as 77T mentioned is more suspicious.

[MrGoat]

Edit- didn’t realize there was three different watches pictured in this thread.

[MrChamfers]

Originally Posted by 1665fan

Good call…..rsc was right it’s fake or restamped….so who sold you this beauty?????

The engravings were done by hand of course and varied wildly over the years.

I think some of the examples posted on websites as gospel are just generalizations not a guarantee.

[1665fan]

Originally Posted by alwayshere

We shouldn't just jump to conclusions with that. Here's another one - similar era - pointy A. I have seen quite a few pointy A examples with starting 2 serial.

We need to see more. I think the upper / lower bowl of the 'S' as 77T mentioned is more suspicious.

This A looks flat like the legit one to me………..re engraved at best…..

[pereztroika]

Originally Posted by alwayshere

We shouldn't just jump to conclusions with that. Here's another one - similar era - pointy A. I have seen quite a few pointy A examples with starting 2 serial.

We need to see more. I think the upper / lower bowl of the 'S' as 77T mentioned is more suspicious.

This one uses the other typeface but the A has still a flat top. Check the shape of the S as well. Terrible! As said, if the guy provides the full case number, it would be easier.

Cheers
Jose

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by pereztroika

This one uses the other typeface but the A has still a flat top. Check the shape of the S as well. Terrible! As said, if the guy provides the full case number, it would be easier.

Cheers
Jose

You guys must have much better eyesight than me but "flat" A in my example is so minor, if any. Very different to the example that you provided earlier where the flat top is obvious. Appreciating the different typesetting of course.

here's another one...really.... flat top? i'm not 100% convinced the A is the gospel tell but you guys are the experts.



Btw, not saying OP's case is genuine - i'm sure there are doubts given all the responses. As I said earlier, the S is more obvious to me now that 77T raised it.

[baumare]

Just toke a photo of my serial 2.922.xxx and the A is pointy...

IMG_9453 2.jpg

[RolexGonz]

My 71 GMT has a pointed A too…

[springer]

Here are a few pics from my library of GMT and Submariner photos with the "pointed A" found in the STAINLESS STEEL stamping. Since I owned each of these watches in the past, I have no doubt they are genuine. I'm sure there are many other "pointed A" examples out there to be found if one looks hard enough.

[pereztroika]

The typeface with the pointy A is a different one. You can also tell by the different shape of the S. This style appears to have been introduced around case number 2.7 million.

Cheers
Jose