1680 White Dial Question

[marcello pisani]

1665 luminova service dial made also for Comex :

[roro]

To add to the confusion, here's yet another white 1680 dial that is not well documented. It looks alot like a Mark I but look closely at the crown (spikes go outward) and the SCOC alignment. It is probably a Lemerich but does not match the Mark I exactly. No S/N info is given :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolex-Submar...item20ba88a528

[roro]

Ciao Ragazzo,

Good to see you online. Thanks alot for the pic of the Lemerich because I have this exact dial on my 16660 and it has a similar "stardust" effect.

By the way, is this a replacement/service dial or just an example to show the "F"?

Kayvan

[marcello pisani]

the tritium dial for sapphire seadweller I have posted above was on a comex 16660 ;
so this dial is :
1) a replacement for early 16660 produced before 1985 circa ( passage from matte to glossy dials )
2) standard dial for later 16660 and ALL 16600 ( untill Rolex has moved from tritium to lumi ).

[roro]

Thanks for the reply Marcello.

Now back to the initial debate:

Here are more of the infamous open 6 mark IV dials I've spotted on the net. The serials range from 5.39mil to 5.78mil and one even states punched papers putting them all in the 1978 range. Do you see a pattern emerging? :

1. 5398804 serial on e-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLEX-SUBMAR...tem27bce2a4881

2. 5.4mil serial on E-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolex-Submar...item4aae5c0d42

3. Punched papers dated 1978 on Chrono24: http://www.chrono24.fr/rolex/oyster-...esultIndex=138

4. 578... serial from Italy on Chrono24 (The pic is lousy but its the "Mark IV" allright): http://www.chrono24.fr/rolex/rolex-s...ch%2Findex.htm

[Beaumont Miller II]

Which ever way this goes, service dial or not, I applaud everyones input. For me this is what I love about TRF. For those wanting to learn and seeking knowledge this is a great place to meet and discuss Rolex dial, case, movement, or insert minutiae. That this is done in a friendly environment is rare. So a big thanks to those seeking to uncover the mysteries of the 1680 white dials.

[roro]

Originally Posted by Beaumont Miller II

Which ever way this goes, service dial or not, I applaud everyones input. For me this is what I love about TRF. For those wanting to learn and seeking knowledge this is a great place to meet and discuss Rolex dial, case, movement, or insert minutiae. That this is done in a friendly environment is rare. So a big thanks to those seeking to uncover the mysteries of the 1680 white dials.

Agreed 100% and a special thanks to you Beaumont for being so instrumental in creating this mess

That is a significant part of the fun in collecting Rolex (all the subtle details, variations, and anonalies one must learn about and investigate) and its great to have a place to share this crazyness.

I'm going to take the hands and dial off soon to end this mystery but first I want to know how one creates a poll on this site to vote "Service-dial" or "Non-service dial".

[marcello pisani]

Originally Posted by roro

To add to the confusion, here's yet another white 1680 dial that is not well documented. It looks alot like a Mark I but look closely at the crown (spikes go outward) and the SCOC alignment. It is probably a Lemerich but does not match the Mark I exactly. No S/N info is given :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolex-Submar...item20ba88a528

yes it's a Lemrich dial ( in mho very early replacement with tritium ) : the punch in the back is in fact different from the one you have in the mk1.

[roro]

Caro Espertissimo Signore Pisani,

Do you have pics of the backs of any of the three 1680 dials you've posted? Would love to see them.

Kayvan

[buffy]

Hi just want to post and check what mark my dial is.
I can clearly see it’s an mk2 or mk3. But I cannot see the difference between them.

My 1680 is a 5,27 Mill serial.

[buffy]

Originally Posted by buffy

Hi just want to post and check what mark my dial is.
I can clearly see it’s an mk2 or mk3. But I cannot see the difference between them.

My 1680 is a 5,27 Mill serial.

It’s an MK3, crow is not so close to the 12 lumen-marker (Mark 2 is almost touching the marker).

[marcello pisani]

no it's a mk1 ( see the very tiny fonts and the shape of the letters "f" and "t" in the word "feet" ).

[buffy]

Originally Posted by marcello pisani

no it's a mk1 ( see the very tiny fonts and the shape of the letters "f" and "t" in the word "feet" ).

But should not the the Mk1 should have the "L" centered under the crown?

[therolexguy]

Then there's the tritium marked service dial that's actually luminova. Is that the Mark "V" that you were talking about?

[marcello pisani]

Originally Posted by buffy

But should not the the Mk1 should have the "L" centered under the crown?

ouucchhh.. you are right !!
it's a mk3 indeed !!

[jdsal]

Originally Posted by marcello pisani

ouucchhh.. you are right !!
it's a mk3 indeed !!

Marcello, in your opionion what dial MK is this one? Serial # 5092XXX

[drainaps]

That's a beautiful watch Frogman. Look at those chamfers! As if it left the factory yesterday afternoon.

Gents I'm looking for a 1680 white to add to the lineup. What Mark would you recommend getting? I am aware that overall state might be more important than dial being from a certain Mark, but let's please have your thoughts.

[Kingair]

Great Thread and info

Thanks gents

HAGWe

[gregorpal]

Intresting post. As far as I knew all dials with the L of Rolex to the left of the coronet were always replacement dials. As usual, I will keep on learning!

[marcello pisani]

Originally Posted by jdsal

Marcello, in your opionion what dial MK is this one? Serial # 5092XXX

ciao Salvatore,
the dial is a mk1 ( Lemrich ) :

[jdsal]

Originally Posted by marcello pisani

ciao Salvatore,
the dial is a mk1 ( Lemrich ) :

Ciao,
Grazie paisano!

[Festina]

are the blue submariner dial made od gold? I saw one with the blue paint damaged and the metal without the paint looks like shining gold ! ,

[R44]

Originally Posted by springer

Here is one more for you to look at and see if you can tell what it is. I'll check back later and post what I know about this dial.

Springer, would it be posdible to tell us more of what you know on this dial? Please ....I've seen it on a number of 1978,79 1680's but doesn't seem to appear on earlier models. The ones I've seen have no trace of any glow / lume apparent.

[Fellini]

Good morning, and thanks to all of you for the most valuable expertise herein. I just acquired a 1680 with this dial here and am currently wondering (after having it under a loupe, on the beautiful shots the chrono24-trusted seller had posted the R and the X were hiding behind the hands) whether this is a) indeed a Lemerich and whether it b) has maybe been repainted?!?

To quote the seller,

"The dial is 100% original and mint tritium from the 1970s,
... so are the hands, perfect match. You can also tell by the
thick porous texture of the indexs."

Reasons for maybe not taking this face-value, my local watchmaker
suggested yesterday:

1. The R and the X both carry paint run down from the bottom
of the letters.

2. The 5 of the "25" has been smeared between straight and curve.

3. The general thickness of the paint.

4. A large dirt particle enshrined into the "1" index probably while
redoing it.

I'd be most happy to keep the watch, but I'd like it to be what it is said to be.
May I ask your advice? Thanks very much in advance!

[Vincent65]

I doubt very much that that dial has been 're-painted' or refinished in any way.

[marcello pisani]

look untouched and in pristine conditions , so please don't worry !!

[Fellini]

Thanks, oh knowledgeable ones, that was a great and most welcome relief for the weekend :))

You wouldn't have an explanation what has made the R and X "bleed" downwards on their respective right err legs? And am I correct in assuming this is a Lemrich Mk I, due to the centered "L" and the genereral appearance?

I may add it finds itself on a single red case with a 2.8 mio. number (and no, the idea of the purchase was not scoring a red dial from dark places and selling again, the idea was having a 1680 daily on my wrist with whatever period dial on it, the stealth factor adding to my joy, which probably is a very stupid move, but still..), now I've noticed this is not the only french fried watch (red beneath white) out there, any idea how these specimens come into existence? Is there a general theory or habit I'm currently not aware of? Thanx again, much appreesh!!

[stevedssd]

Thank you for reviving one of my favourite threads!

Two with much greater knowledge than I have already given you the re-assurance that this is a correct dial in good condition, the R and L look exactly the same as other dials of the same Mark which is indeed a Mk1. As you have already identified, if you have a 2.8m, it would have been a Red originally, not a white. I couldn't agree more about having it as a daily wearer, a great choice

[bluemartinifan]

Couldnt resist. My 5.23 from Andrew Shear. L and crown are positioned like Buffy's 5.27.

[Fellini]

My pleasure! Totally great forum, magnificent people. Real aficionados are indeed the best brand ambassadors - maybe Rolex would do a better job in having you guys design the current lineup of watches. Been to the last two Basel worlds (wrote part of the IWC campaign for some time), those fortresses of tastelessness and pretentiousness make you think twice about loyalty, plus most of the hardware sucks big time (literally ha ha).http://www.rolexforums.com/images/smilies/agree.gif