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Vintage Replica Rolex Submariner 1680 |
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Written by Richard Brown
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Page 1 of 4
This is one of By-Tor's classic reviews: he looks in-depth at a replica vintage Submariner model 1680, and shows it in direct comparison to a genuine Submariner. This is a MUST READ for any fans of vintage watches. It's amazing how accurate the replicas are becoming. References to "MBW" are to a high-quality replica watch dealer that sells some of the most accurate repliacs on the market. MBW (Maria's Best Watch) is famed, but difficult to get ahold of. His/her (we're really not sure which) pieces are semi-rare and probably the best known "brand" of replicas. Again thanks to By-Tor for allowing me to reprint his original article, posted on The Replica Collector.
Originally posted Dec 2005. Last updated July 2006
This review was originally just a pictorial, but it has finally developed to an extensive review of the MBW "vintage" Submariner. I linked lots of articles in this post so newbies could easier dive into the exciting deep sea of vintages. So you could consider this post as some sort of "introduction", mini-FAQ and reference guide. I highly recommend you to check the reviews and articles that I've linked in the end of this post.
This, in my latest update (July 2006) I wanted to clear up a few things about these watches, and look at them more objectively. There's a lot of hype and false exceptations around the MBW Rolexes. Many people think they're "perfect" or "indistinguishable from a gen", which simply isn't true. I suspect people have put them on pedestal because they're more expensive - and because for some unknown reason very few dealers have access to them. I have learned from guys like Ziggy to never believe the hype, just try to examine the cold, hard facts objectively. And as I did more research I became more informed about the subject. I'm still far from an expert but I'm always willing to learn more. To be honest Submariner doesn't really interest me (personally) that much anymore, but because it's such an icon in the replica community I find the subject fascinating.
There are plenty of nice vintage rep models of the sports Rolexes (some even very nice) but the Watchmaster/MBW 1680 and vintage SeaDwellers are in the league of their own. This review is more concentrated on them, and especially on the "red" 1680 model.
Very common question among the new members is: "What is a MBW?"
MBW means "Maria's Best Watch". Besides "Maria" there have been other dealers, such as WatchMaster, Luckyyy and George who have sold these exact same watches. Thus calling them all "MBW" is misleading, but it has become the commonly used "general term" among the members. I think it's a good term, because it makes identifying them easier for everyone.
The two "bread and butter" MBW models are 1680 (that is available in both red and white SUBMARINER font), and SeaDweller 1665 (available in "double red" and with white dial print). The DRSD (The Double Sea Dweller) is one of the most sought after genuine watches among the Rolex collectors, and their prices have skyrocketed in the past 10 years. Another standard MBW models are the GMT Master I (very inaccurate, uses Submariner case and crystal) and Milgauss. There are also modern "MBW" watches available. The reason I used quotation marks is because this subject is so large that it would require another review altogether.
If you're more interested in Sea Dweller you might want to check HERE Randy's awesome white 1665 MBW. Some might argue that if you want extreme accuracy it's better base watch than 1680 in many ways. MBW 1665 is also the only replica SeaDweller that has a thick case and crystal like the genuine. All other reps are basically just "tweaked" Submariners without cyclops.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 August 2006 )
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