Possibly interested 1680 need your advice Yes or no...

[Glosstritium]

This is what the description says

1978 Vintage Rolex Submariner 1680 Untouched Creamy Dial Mk2 W Box

About the watch: Great condition Vintage Rolex 1680 Submariner Creamy Dial from 1978 SN: 5xxxxxx. this model came after the Red 1680.

Case and Bracelet: Mint condition case, original 93150 bracelet 580 correct end links, has code VC which is belong to 1978, original insert & bezel.

Dial and hands: Mk2 untouched dial has a great aged creamy patina,original hands.

Movement: Original 1570 Movement keep good time and recently serviced.




His asking 12k is it worth it and its hard to believe its untouched...


Here is also a video of the watch


https://youtu.be/wmXKs3GSk58

[SubMarine]

Case has been very poorly polished.

[Glosstritium]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

Case has been very poorly polished.

Really? Wow looks perfect to me, I don't believe it's untouched but refinished and brought back to original... Just curious what you see poorly polished since im learning

Also did you see the video?

https://youtu.be/wmXKs3GSk58

[1665fan]

Hands are too white

[1665fan]

Service bezel Insert, newer hands, case polished.... far from untouched

[Tom1675]

I don't think the price is crazy. Description has some hyperbole but with some negotiation could be buyable... I think the hands have been replaced but they do sit on the very outside of plausibly correct.

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by SubMarine

Case has been very poorly polished.

Are you referring to the case back which looks like a dome now? I thought those had a flat spot in the middle with flat wide chamfered sides. Not really familiar with Subs…

[TheDude]

Originally Posted by TimeLord2

Are you referring to the case back which looks like a dome now? I thought those had a flat spot in the middle with flat wide chamfered sides. Not really familiar with Subs…

No. Caseback is correct for 1680 and 4 letter subs.

He’s talking about lugs. It’s very nice given the age and misadventures it has probably seen.

This pic looks better but you almost never see them like this. That’s why it’s so hard to visualize when they’re amiss (unless you really know).




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[faimag]

I actually think that the polishing on the case is quite fine. You still have most of the original chamfers, the lugs are adequately thick (bit more uneven than factory), and the crown guards are in decent shape.


I don't know how people can tell with such certainty that dial and hands have been replaced. The dial is still matte tritium, open 6s, so it's certainly period correct. Also, there are numerous examples where the T dials and hands do not age at the same rate (most early 1990s Explorers, subs, and GMTs have whiter hands than dials).

And the price is not crazy either given the current market.

[swish77]

I would pass purely because of the highly inaccurate (wrong) description of the watch. How on earth could you trust a seller who tells you that this 1680 is untouched and all original? In addition to the insert, hands (most likely but not definitively), case refinishing/polish, it appears the date wheel was replaced.

None of these things alone are necessarily bad, as long as the watch was priced accordingly, but the inaccurate description is a big red flag.

[springer]

Originally Posted by faimag

I actually think that the polishing on the case is quite fine. You still have most of the original chamfers, the lugs are adequately thick (bit more uneven than factory), and the crown guards are in decent shape.


I don't know how people can tell with such certainty that dial and hands have been replaced. The dial is still matte tritium, open 6s, so it's certainly period correct. Also, there are numerous examples where the T dials and hands do not age at the same rate (most early 1990s Explorers, subs, and GMTs have whiter hands than dials).

And the price is not crazy either given the current market.

The hands have been changed - not a close match to the dial.

[TimeLord2]

Originally Posted by TheDude

No. Caseback is correct for 1680 and 4 letter subs.

He’s talking about lugs. It’s very nice given the age and misadventures it has probably seen.

This pic looks better but you almost never see them like this. That’s why it’s so hard to visualize when they’re amiss (unless you really know).




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Thank you for the clarification. To my untrained eye the difference is very subtle.

[TheDude]

Someone mentioned the date wheel possibly being replaced... I think they switched from silver to white at some point in production?

I’m not certain though so if this is incorrect I will happily accept the correction.

Either way, you want a silver wheel like the one in the photo I posted.


The lugs are fairly thick but they no longer sit flat at the tips and some of the chamfering gets wonky near the tips. (Also I don’t think these were chamfered cases...)



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[TheDude]

And this is a re-case. Fresh from Rolex and pristine (likely at least 15 years ago but still)




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[Kingface66]

These days you're gonna be incredibly hard-pressed to find a 40-year-old Sub that hasn't been polished, and, more to the point, that is going to satisfy everyone on this forum. People will nitpick no matter what.
Yes, the hands would irk me, and I'd search for a new insert, but the case I could easily live with. (Bear in mind, these photos are VERY close-up, and if your eyes are as old as mine (52 years now) you're gonna be squinting just to make out the chamfers in real life!). I promise, if you get this watch, source some correctly-matched hands, and pop in a new insert and then present it as an "Incoming!" a post here, you will get nothing but congratulations and compliments.

[soicanbefree]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

These days you're gonna be incredibly hard-pressed to find a 40-year-old Sub that hasn't been polished, and, more to the point, that is going to satisfy everyone on this forum. People will nitpick no matter what.
Yes, the hands would irk me, and I'd search for a new insert, but the case I could easily live with. (Bear in mind, these photos are VERY close-up, and if your eyes are as old as mine (52 years now) you're gonna be squinting just to make out the chamfers in real life!). I promise, if you get this watch, source some correctly-matched hands, and pop in a new insert and then present it as an "Incoming!" a post here, you will get nothing but congratulations and compliments.

I mean gone are the days of it only being 200-500 to correct hands and inserts. I could be wrong but my general sense these days is it is best to just find a correct and original piece than to find one like this and try to correct the problem.

Both from a cost and head ache perspective. My 2 cents.

I'm with the other gentlemen. If a seller is dishonest about obvious glaring errors move along. Patience is a virtue in the vintage world.

[Juhuatai]

This is Awadwatches isn’t it? I can tell from the photo style. He’s a terribly deceptive seller. He bought a 1016 from me and it’s now sitting on eBay with extremely flattering photos.

What it looks like




His photos




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[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by soicanbefree

I mean gone are the days of it only being 200-500 to correct hands and inserts. I could be wrong but my general sense these days is it is best to just find a correct and original piece than to find one like this and try to correct the problem.

Both from a cost and head ache perspective. My 2 cents.

I'm with the other gentlemen. If a seller is dishonest about obvious glaring errors move along. Patience is a virtue in the vintage world.

100% agree with you re. deceptive, unscrupulous dealers.

[1665fan]

Outright trickery!!!!

[05carbondrz]

Originally Posted by Juhuatai

This is Awadwatches isn’t it? I can tell from the photo style. He’s a terribly deceptive seller. He bought a 1016 from me and it’s now sitting on eBay with extremely flattering photos.

What it looks like




His photos




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Ahhh the Ol’ Glamour Shots,Dealers favorite.I sold a 1665 Rail Here in the classifieds with 2 distinct marks on the Dial(which I divulged).A couple weeks later it was on a Dealers Site with Glamour shots AND the Hour hand directly covering the worst mark,Dial listed as “like new”.

[Boaters]

Vintage is so complicated you really need to know your stuff, it takes a LOT of learning. If you have little knowledge you should educate yourself before buying. Just some advise from experience. Good Luck.

[springer]

Those original "hand" shots are precious too.

(Keep the hands and fingers out of the photos please.)

[BrazenC5]

Originally Posted by springer

Those original "hand" shots are precious too.



(Keep the hands and fingers out of the photos please.)

I notice you mentioned this in other posts...do hands/fingers distract you from your photo analysis or chirophobia?

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