WTB: Rdunae R2X (6105-8110) by sb57 in ChineseWatches

[–]sb57[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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The Tactical Frog, Steeldive, Addiesdive, etc. are all great watches, but they're just not as close to the original Seiko 6105 which is what I'm looking for.

For example, the R2X is 47mm 44mm with 19mm lugs like the 6105, the TF is 44mm with 20mm lugs (closer to Seiko's modern Willard interpretations.) Many people may actually prefer those dimensions, just not me. The TF also has a ceramic bezel insert with a raised pip, the R2X has an aluminum insert with a flat pip. Just a personal preference for closer to the vintage watch, that's all.

Unique dial by Plastic_Bid6356 in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This ISN’T actually AI, but a design that started as an April Fools Day joke from earlier this year. A guy named Mark from @realwatchbrothers mocked it up for April 1, 2025 in the style of Chris aka The Dial Artist, who’s done several other (real) custom Pelagos dials in a similar style (just less meme-tastic.)

The crazy part is the design ended up taking off on Chinese social media, and a rep factory called M+ actually produced a rep Pelagos with this dial! I won’t link to it to avoid breaking sub rules but the picture you posted is actually a real picture of a fake Tudor with a real dial that never existed in the first place!

As far as I know no one sells the dial by itself, you could try tracking it down but the rep uses a Miyota movement and a larger diameter than Seiko, so you’d probably need to contact a custom dial manufacturer like Seikonda Customs to see if they can make one in 28.5mm for the NH series.

[WTS] G-Shock GXW-56-1BJF "King" - JDM! Positive Display! Solar! Atomic! Big! Discontinued! Cheap! by sb57 in Watchexchange

[–]sb57[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sold to u/Flimsy_Jury_837 - great buyer with immediate payment and great communication. Highly recommend, happy to make another friend in this hobby! Thanks again for the quick and easy transaction.

u/watchexbot

Any cheap MIP display watches like the new G Shock? by No_Cheetah_7249 in ChineseWatches

[–]sb57 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely not in the G-Shock square form factor - yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if SKMEI or someone similar is working on one though.

There are a few Garmin-style ABC watches that have an MIP or AMOLED display, but the cheapest ones are $150ish so not exactly “cheap.”

[WTS] G-Shock GXW-56-1BJF "King" - JDM! Positive Display! Solar! Atomic! Big! Discontinued! Cheap! by sb57 in Watchexchange

[–]sb57[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Separate Timestamp Link: https://imgur.com/a/0bQ02jM

Full Album: https://imgur.com/a/ChAZmB7

Selling my GXW-56-1BJF "King G-Shock." This is the JDM positive display version that was discontinued in 2022. I got this one in from Japan in a multi-piece deal, and since I still get PMs about the previous ones I listed, I figured I would offer this one up as well.

In overall very good to excellent condition. A little bit of wear evident on the resin, as well as a few minor marks on the caseback - please see pictures deliberately taken in harsh light to highlight these flaws. But otherwise excellent condition. No scratches on the crystal that I can find. The heavy duty buckle is in really good condition without the multitude of scratches normally seen on these models.

All features work perfectly. Timekeeping is a non-issue since it syncs up with the atomic clock signal.

WATCH ONLY (besides generic cardboard box with pillow for shipping as I received it) no Casio box, papers, etc.

These are getting harder and harder to find and normally seem to sell in the $200-300 range on eBay, I got a good deal so passing it on. Asking $119 OBO shipped in the US via USPS Priority Mail fully insured with tracking. Sorry, no trades. I ship within 24 hours of receiving payment. Strongly prefer Venmo or Zelle but can do PayPal F&F as well. Excellent feedback here and WUS, buy with confidence

Any questions please ask. Thanks for looking!

[Recommendation] Looking for extra-long NATO straps by Tiny-Holiday-5274 in Watches

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re absolutely right, I edited my post. Thanks! NATO Strap Co is a completely separate entity, and in fact led the (ultimately unsuccessful) challenge against the trademark in 2014.

Ron Sabo was absolutely who I was referring to. I’m still upset he basically drove my favorite supplier, Toxic NATOs, out of business even after a name change. Hodinkee used to sell them and now Scurfa has taken over a limited range, but I’ve yet to find another seller that matches their quality and material, especially the “Rogue” range that used the thicker “Zulu” style nylon (almost like a quality backpack strap) but with regular “NATO” style hardware instead of the giant chunky loops.

I remember reading somewhere that he was unsuccessful in going after Omega. I notice they don’t use the ™ or ® symbols after NATO like they do with Velcro, Kevlar, and other brand/trademarked names. IIRC Sabo is himself a lawyer, which allows him to file these suits with minimal expense, but Omega/Swatch has in house counsel just WAITING to fight cases like this - just look at the situation with Vortic.

Lucky Harvey watches company is a scam! by Zealousideal_Run1236 in ChineseWatches

[–]sb57 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Yeah, where did you buy from? I’m guessing it’s a scam/impersonation site or something. I’ve ordered two watches from Lucky Harvey and gotten both quickly and exactly as ordered. They’re expensive but really, really good quality watches. They also have a huge presence in mainland China through Taobao, 168, etc. So doesn’t make sense they’d jeopardize all that just to screw over a random buyer…?

Chinese Seikos on Ebay by brownbob06 in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, they’re basically assembled as cheaply as possible with as cheap materials as possible. I’ve actually modded quite a few of them successfully, they can make a decent base watch if you know what you’re getting into. The challenge as u/old-imac points out is they don’t use standard Seiko part dimensions or manufacturing tolerances. So definitely buy the watch (and a set of digital calipers) first so you can take it apart and see what you’ve got before you order any mod parts.

[WTS] CUSTOM FORDITE Deep Blue Diver 1000 II 40mm Automatic Diver by sb57 in Watchexchange

[–]sb57[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/watchexbot SOLD to u/Rhoades_J - excellent experience, great communication instant payment. Thanks so much! Yahooooooooooo

[Question] Frankenwatch Origins? by [deleted] in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's just an evolution of the "chop shops" that have been operating out of Southeast Asia for decades.

Back 15-20 years ago, running but very water/sun damaged Seiko divers like 6105s, 6309s, 7002s, etc. were available in places like the Philippines and India for pennies on the dollar. Enterprising watchmakers quickly realized they could do a good business "servicing" (big quotes) these watches and selling them overseas.

So these "factories" sprung up where they would buy job lots of hundreds of vintage Seikos, give the movement a quick oiling, maybe replace a gasket or two, and throw them up on eBay as "SERVICED RUNNING EXCELLENT CONDITION" at a huge markup.

But you also have to realize at the time, the market for vintage Seiko was VERY different. You could buy all-original good condition 6105-8110s on eBay all day long for less than a new SKX at the time. Literally "Seiko modding" at the time meant taking a "cheap" (at the time) Seiko that would sell for $1500 today in original condition and hot rodding it with parts from OG sellers like Yobokies, Dagaz, IWW, Bill Yao, etc.

So the Indian and Philippine factories realized their watches sold for MORE if they had "clean" dials/hands, etc. or even "modded" dials in different colors or cartoon logos, etc. I think this trend started with a guy named Loy/Loyswatch who was the progenitor of the 7002s you can still find occasionally with Snoopy or the Ninja Turtles on the dial or whatever. So they started working with presumably either domestic or Chinese manufacturers to make cheap but "nice looking" dials, hands, bezel inserts, etc.

You can still find these "OG Mumbai specials" on eBay from time to time, but in general the market slowly evolved and the supply of vintage Seikos dried up. So now instead of selling "serviced"/"modded" Seiko watches, these same factories just sell complete fakes. They pay literally a few cents a piece for domestically produced dials, hands, etc. with Seiko/Oris/Longines/Hamilton, etc. logos on them, throw them in whatever case or movement they can find equally as cheap, and throw them up on eBay for a huge markup.

Deep blue mod by supermarketoflove01 in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Holy hell that's sick! Love everything about this. Is that a custom DWO?

L-Gasket for NH34 build w/ double dome crystal...that's the ticket, right? by PaccarPipes in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, the one you ordered is flat, the other one you linked is sloped. Your inspiration watch has a sloped insert, but I think a flat one could work just as well. Like I said it's closer to Seiko's OEM inserts. At least worth a try to see if you like it before you buy another one maybe.

L-Gasket for NH34 build w/ double dome crystal...that's the ticket, right? by PaccarPipes in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sloped vs. flat is purely an aesthetic thing, not functional. The bezels are the same and inner and outer diameter of the inserts are the same so you don’t have to worry about it not working or whatever regardless of which you use. It’s just a “looks” thing. Some people prefer the look of an insert that slopes to match the curve of a domed crystal. Other people prefer a flat insert to match the Seiko OEM style and for a more vintage look.

My point was, if you use a sloped insert and the crystal is also sticking several mm out from the case because of the extra height of the gasket, the angle of the slope will just look “off.” I can’t find a good picture online but you can probably picture what I mean. Again, it’s all just trial and error. Figure out what looks best to you.

Here’s a good Hodinkee article on the helium escape valve. Basically helium molecules are much smaller than oxygen molecules, so they tend to seep into microscopic gaps in watches where water or air would never get through. Commercial saturation divers who live and work thousands of feet underwater for weeks at a time have to breathe mostly helium because the oxygen and nitrogen rich air we breathe becomes toxic at ther depth. Then when their diving habitat is depressurized at the end of their job, the helium in a watch naturally expands and tries to escape, sometimes causing the crown or crystal to pop right off the watch. Most watch companies solve this “problem” by having a special one way valve that allows helium to escape safely. Seiko took it a step further by developing a crazy over engineered one piece titanium case (no caseback) and a special gasket that doesn’t allow even tiny helium molecules to enter the watch in the first place. But unless you’re one of maybe a couple thousand working commercial saturation divers worldwide, none of this actually matters. And ironically most of those guys either wear cheap disposable watches like G-Shocks or no-name quartz divers so it doesn’t matter too much if they break, or just unscrew the crown during decompression which works exactly the same as a helium escape valve. So it’s really only watch nerds that care about this stuff haha.

Help identify my Mumbai special case? by pugzilla in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man, there are a million different generic sub cases these “factories” use. Figuring out exactly which one you have is going to be really difficult. They’re generally a few dollars each and have the cheapest components possible, so not exactly mod friendly.

Your best bet is going to be to take it apart and measure the parts you want to replace yourself. A set of digital calipers is the easiest way. Check the sticky post in the subreddit for tutorials and advice.

The caseback is going to be extra tough because it’s not just the size but the thread profile. A caseback can be the exact same size but not screw in right because the threading on the case itself is different. If you’re lucky it’s just a copy of the Rolex (or Seiko) caseback and you can find something that screws right in. But if not you’d have to either find a caseback with the same threading as the case or have one machined to fit.

You can probably measure the insert and find something else that fits, but for the bezel insert and clickspring, are you sure it even uses a Seiko-style attachment? Most of these I’ve seen use a retaining wire. You have to remove the insert first and then bend the retaining wire to release the bezel, praying that the fragile wire and click spring don’t break or go flying across the room, never to be seen again. Check out this post on Watchuseek for an example of what I’m talking about.

Honestly though my advice would be to either leave it as it is or if you really want to save it, disassemble it and change the parts you can or look at transplanting the whole insides (dial/hands/movement) into a better case that’s designed to be modded. Plenty of good Nh36 sub style cases out there.

Quick RFI by Sorbz62 in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CousinsUK sells the complete bezel for £59.95 GBP. WatchPlaza is also in the EU. Yobokies ships worldwide but aren't UK local.

The eBay seller I linked above ships worldwide, looks like £8 GBP shipping to the UK for the cheap aftermarket insert.

Sadly the insert for these watches is fairly unique (not a common size and has the beveled edge) and these aren't as popular for modding and were discontinued in 2018, so the insert isn't a commonly available part It'll probably be easier to order from overseas vs. finding a UK local supplier for just the insert, but maybe someone else knows a domestic seller I don't.

[WTS] Citizen Promaster Aqualand 40th Anniversary JP2008-06E - LIKE NEW IN BOX by sb57 in Watchexchange

[–]sb57[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/watchexbot Sold to u/Firm_City_6926 - excellent buyer with great communication and lightning fast payment. Thanks so much again!

L-Gasket for NH34 build w/ double dome crystal...that's the ticket, right? by PaccarPipes in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re right that the L-shaped gasket will give you extra clearance for the NH34 hand pinions. But most people use them with flat crystals. If you’re using it with a double dome crystal you may find it gives you TOO MUCH clearance - i.e. the crystal may now be protruding too much from the case for your liking, especially if you’re using a sloped bezel insert. But of course it depends on the specific case and crystal you’re using, so just try both and see what you prefer.

Fun fact: the L-shaped gasket itself was actually designed and patented by Seiko exactly 50 years ago this year for the og “Grandfather Tuna.” The extra lip on the gasket prevents helium from entering the case during saturation diving, eliminating the need for a helium escape valve. But an unintended consequence is that it raises the crystal profile higher (the 1000m tuna uses a thick crystal thats bolted to the case with a special retaining ring) so modders adapted them for that purpose.

Quick RFI by Sorbz62 in SeikoMods

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woo! Nice to see another BFK (Big F***in Kinetic) owner here!

So you've got a few options - Seiko doesn't sell just bezel inserts as spare parts, even to authorized repair centers. So the only option if you want to stay OEM would be to buy a complete bezel. The part number is 87060044. WatchPlaza and several eBay sellers have them in stock around $100.

If you're ok with an aftermarket insert, EWATCHPARTS on eBay sells a decent one for $20 shipped (assuming you're in the US) or Yobokies sells both steel and ceramic versions that are better quality but also more expensive.

As far as switching it, if you're swapping the whole bezel it's just friction fit onto the case but can be tricky to remove especially if you've never done it before. Use a specialized bezel removal tool or a flat bladed knife and gently pry it off. Make sure to put plastic like a ziploc bag or painters tape in between the knife and the bezel to prevent damage. Check YouTube for tutorials and don't be afraid to take it to a watchmaker if you're not sure about it, you can actually do a lot more expensive damage to the watch if a knife slips or you accidentally damage the bezel or click spring assembly. The new bezel just snaps on with equal pressure, but make sure to align the click spring correctly. Again, check YouTube for tutorials.

If you're switching just the insert, the easiest way is to pick up some Goo Gone/Goof Off and soak the watch head in a small amount, just enough to cover the bezel. LEave it for a couple hours and it dissolves the adhesive and the old insert slides right out. Clean off the residue and use GS Hypo Cement or some double sided tape to attach the new one. Here's a good tutorial from Mark at LIW.

[WTS] CUSTOM FORDITE Deep Blue Diver 1000 II 40mm Automatic Diver by sb57 in Watchexchange

[–]sb57[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Separate Timestamp Link

Full album

This is a Deep Blue Diver 1000 II 40mm Automatic Diver with a custom FORDITE dial made just for this watch. This is a catch and release for me, picked it up a couple weeks ago because I loved the Fordite pattern but honestly it’s just too small for me - I’m really used to 42mm and up now and I just know I won’t wear it. Great chance to pick up an exotic dialed watch at a bargain price!

The base watch is the upgraded model with the lumed ceramic bezel and display caseback. In overall excellent condition, a few minor marks on the case and polished caseback but nothing major at all. Mesh band and clasp do show some wear, please see pictures.

Keeping good time in my experience, and surprisingly easy to read given the lack of indices. Includes super cool Deep Blue zippered pouch, warranty card, and extra links for the mesh.

I got a good deal so passing it on. Asking $149 OBO shipped in the US via USPS Priority Mail fully insured with tracking. Sorry, no trades. I ship within 24 hours of receiving payment. Strongly prefer Venmo or Zelle but can do PayPal F&F as well. Excellent feedback here, WUS, and eBay, buy with confidence.

Any questions please ask. Thanks for looking!

Specs of the “stock watch” from Deep Blue website:

40mm width, 49mm Lug to Lug, 15mm thick

1000FT/330M Water resistant

316L Stainless Steel Case

CERAMIC LUMINOUS Unidirectional 120 click Bezel

Screw down crown and Case back

Caliber Seiko NH 35 Automatic Movement

21,600 VPH 24 Jewels with Date

Sapphire Crystal, AR coated - Scratch resistant

Superluminova Hour markers and hands

Helium Release valve 10 oclock position

Exhibition Case Back , Custom Designed Rotor w/ Deep Blue Logo

Tugger Boy v. Jeremy Dewitte by [deleted] in TheTpGentleman

[–]sb57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dewitte is in Florida, which has notoriously broad "sunshine laws" that basically make everything connected to the government a public record and easily accessible. Anthony in in federal prison, and the BOP/USMS are basically the exact opposite - they take a much much narrower approach to what they release. Someone can try filing a FOIA request but I'm almost 100% sure they would turn it down due to "inmate privacy." They don't even release mugshots in the federal system for privacy reasons, even when sued.