Caveman's Watch Forum
Avatar

It's a happy day, a new watch arrived Watch or Accessory Review Another watch from Marc's Dad's estate

Ricky Lee
December 22, 2011 02:57PM
 Registered: April 2005
Posts: 13,736 (2012-06)

I am determined that I shall clear out the backlog before year's end. Not to say that I will photograph and Watch or Accessory Review them all. Oops! I know me limits, and that's beyond them. But I reckon that I can install batteries and clean them up a smidge, no problem.

To that end, I started with this one yesterday morning, over coffee:

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Meet the Submariner clone.

Or to give it's True Name, the Quartz Sportsman 300FT.=100M Super Professional Diver's Watch. {whew! Laughing}

Base metal bezel, SS caseback, 39mm x 45mm x 10mm thick, with 20mm lugs. IOW just the Right Size for a Submariner clone. Wink

The resurrection did not go painlessly. Eek! First problem was that SS caseback...

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Some brassing near the crown, but not too bad. The blotchy "haze" you see is mostly just dirt. It looks much better after a quick scrubbing. (I know, I know! But it simply makes too much sense to clean the watch up before shooting photos. Crazy! Loco! Laughing)

But the real problem was the caseback spanner notches. Note how thin and shallow they are. At first I thought they might be that Abomination of Abominations, a snap-in caseback masquerading as a screwdown. But closer scrutiny told me that, if so, the caseback was non-removable. NO gap whatsoever for the case knife. Indeed, while it's not apparent from the photo, this is one of those rare casebacks which falls slightly sub-flush with respect to the case itself. OK, so it must be a sure 'nough screwdown. But a bit of fiddling with the Jaxa tool tells me that the anvils which work 98% of the time (1.5mm pins) ain't gonna do it. Onto the Sticky Ball.. which is a Fail, too. Eek! Alright, Plan C. I pull out the blade-type anvils for the Jaxa, install them, and.. Voilá! Thumbs up!

Then there's a bit of an "uh oh" moment when I see that there's no caseback gasket. But no problem, I got a million of 'em! Well.. several thousand, anyway. Wink The movement proved to be a Miyota 2000-series.. solid! So I pop the battery out and..

Don't use cheap batteries!
Click HERE for larger photo

..major "Oh crap! Eek!" moment. Yeah, the generic no-name "Silver Cell" had leaked. Frowning There's a reason that cut-rate watch batteries should be avoided, and this is it. Still, sometimes you get lucky, and this one hadn't leaked as bad as some I've seen. So I cleaned everything up as best I could, slipped in a new Energizer #377 and.. WooHOO! Is Happy Day! It lives!

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

The crown is a conventional push-pull. The cyclops actually magnifies to the point where it's a useful aid in reading the date.

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

The bezel is 60-click unidirectional, with a very smooth & easy action. A bit too easy, maybe, as it occasionally gets rotated unintentionally. Oops! Still, it's nicely formed and it sure is pretty. Smile

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Another case where cleaning the watch first would have resulted in a much more presentable photo. Blushing That grunge you see there came right off with a few swipes of the polishing cloth.

Nice thin profile, which is immediately apparent on the wrist. An Alpha Sub, for instance, is basically identical in planform, and "only" 3.2mm thicker. But the difference in feel is huge by comparison!

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Which brings us to the bracelet. Nicely signed clasp, stamped but operates smoothly and feels secure despite the lack of a safety. It is of folded link construction, as are most Jubilees, but this is only obvious on the removable links. The fixed links are ground and brushed on the sides, and appear solid to the casual glance.

Now Marc's Dad's wrist was just under 7" (call it 17.7Cm), so obviously the bracelet was too short for me. However, Marc being a gentleman, scholar, and all-around Good Do-Bee, had bagged up all the spare links. So I dug through the stash and, sure enough, found four spare links. So I slid 'em in, set the fine adjust to "max", doffed the watch and.. Bzzzzzzzt! Not quite. Frowning

So I pour a second cup of coffee, and contemplate the "Close, but no cigar" nature of the universe whilst sipping it. But then I think "You know, it ain't like I've never seen a 2-tone Jubilee before. Crazy! Loco! Perhaps I'm giving up too easily Oops!". So I break out the junk box meticulously cataloged store of spare parts and, yup, there are not one, but two complete 2-tone Jubilees. Cool The first proves incompatible, but the second..

Fake!
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Yes! WIS Honeymoon The links work! Clapping!

The only thing that prevents me from saying they're a perfect match is that the gold portion is a bit darker and "richer" in hue, tending ever so slightly towards rose. Hey, I guess that's to be expected from a R0lex bracelet, even a Genuine Fake one. Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off But the difference is so slight that, if you didn't know it beforehand, you'd never notice. I pronounce the operation a success! Wink

Now that I can actually wear it without fear of losing circulation to me hand, time to check out the lume...

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

Not half bad! Pops great out of the gate and, while the longevity is not world-class, it ain't terrible, either.

So, all in all a spiffy li'l watch. Hey, everyone needs a 2-tone Submariner clone with a Pepsi bezel and plenty of verbiage on the dial! Right? Wink

One things for sure..

Michele Sportsman 2-tone Submariner clone
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..it wears Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr8! WIS Honeymoon

Thanks for readin', y'all, and thanks to you once again Bro. Marc, and to your late father.

Cheers!

-Ricky


"A man, like a watch, is to be valued for his manner of going." - William Penn

Messages In This Thread

It's a happy day, a new watch arrived Watch or Accessory Review Another watch from Marc's Dad's estate Image Attachments URL

 Ricky Lee 263 December 22, 2011 02:57PM

Nice resto, RL Thumbs Up (n/t)

 Nuvolari 37 December 23, 2011 12:06PM

That is great!SmileThumbs up! (n/t)

 IF 50 December 23, 2011 07:44AM

Nice watch there Ricky! I have a Jules Jurgensen that reminds me of that one there....
with the exception that she has a black bezel, and its caseback isnt nearly as hard to get off as that one. It is screw down too...I'll have to post pics......when I get time!!!

 dano0 47 December 23, 2011 07:09AM

Great job bringing that one back to life! (n/t)

 Dre 48 December 22, 2011 11:03PM

Re: It's a happy day, a new watch arrived Watch or Accessory Review Another watch from Marc's Dad's estate
Well done, Ricky! Cheers!

 Magnum 42 December 22, 2011 10:10PM

That looks nice & the lume looks great! Nice resurrection! (n/t)

 Timemiser 68 December 22, 2011 07:57PM

Looking good, RIcky.Thumbs up! (n/t)

 Mark C. 44 December 22, 2011 07:45PM

another fine bit of work- enjoy the reward (n/t)

 Cleans Up 45 December 22, 2011 07:19PM

'Super Professional'...sure makes it sound super-duper! Laughing (n/t)

 MCV 45 December 22, 2011 06:59PM

Nice looking two tone. Thumbs up! (n/t)

 Robmks 53 December 22, 2011 06:24PM


<Back to My Watch Collection>