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1990's Fake Rolex rebuild. ISO movement...

ZebraMidge

By ZebraMidge
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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ZebraMidge Member

ZebraMidge

Posted
Posted

Hi All!

I'm hoping to clean-up and repair an attractive but failing fake Rolex I purchased in NYC back in the 1990's .  The movement died and I would like to replace it with as an exact fit as I can find whether it be quartz or automatic.  The movement that came in the watch is marked ...

""TMX
No jewels
Philippines
B7N""

 

I am not finding a B7N anywhere (yet).   Does anyone know what movement is (mostly) the same as the B7N?  Also, I am new to all of this so there may be a thousand movements that fit.??  My watch uses a plastic adapter to fit the movement--not sure how one fits/mates/sizes movements to cases (this one 40mm) , and adapters.  Please point me in the direction I should go.  THANKS!

.z

 

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vinn3 Distinguished Member

vinn3

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, ZebraMidge said:

Hi All!

I'm hoping to clean-up and repair an attractive but failing fake Rolex I purchased in NYC back in the 1990's .  The movement died and I would like to replace it with as an exact fit as I can find whether it be quartz or automatic.  The movement that came in the watch is marked ...

""TMX
No jewels
Philippines
B7N""

 

I am not finding a B7N anywhere (yet).   Does anyone know what movement is (mostly) the same as the B7N?  Also, I am new to all of this so there may be a thousand movements that fit.??  My watch uses a plastic adapter to fit the movement--not sure how one fits/mates/sizes movements to cases (this one 40mm) , and adapters.  Please point me in the direction I should go.  THANKS!

.z

 

   "the direction one should go"  just buy a real rolex.   vin

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AndyHull Distinguished Member

AndyHull

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Posted (edited)

I guess you need to figure out what size the hands are (i.e. the inside diameter where they each attach, and their respective lengths), and where the dial feet are placed relative to the 12 O'clock position and each other, armed with that info, you would be in a better position to search for a suitable movement.

Alternatively let us see a few clear, close up pictures of the current movement, the dial stem and crown and we may be able to make an educated guess as to what might be a suitable replacement.

Edited by AndyHull
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noirrac1j Distinguished Member

noirrac1j

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Thanks for posting! It takes courage to ask for help with any type of knock-off watch, but in my opinion, if you like it, then who cares?!? They all do the same thing: tell time. If you post a picture of the movement, that will go a very long way towards getting you an answer to you request.

 

J

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ZebraMidge Member

ZebraMidge

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RE:  " courage to ask for help...  with knock-off"

Thanks!  The way I see it, even the world's best brain surgeon started with a dead pig! :)  I'm sure not going to crack open Daddy's Rolex before I practice on some "knock-offs" and cheap mechanical movements. :)

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manodeoro WRT Addict

manodeoro

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RE:  " courage to ask for help...  with knock-off"
Thanks!  The way I see it, even the world's best brain surgeon started with a dead pig! :)  I'm sure not going to crack open Daddy's Rolex before I practice on some "knock-offs" and cheap mechanical movements. :)
Hi and welcome,

In my opinion, as noirrac1j wrote, no matter where you got your watch and what it is, as long as it tells time and you love it.
I started working on quartz watches, then cheap automatics (gen and rep) and now on vintage watches and I still wear them all (those I didn't destroy).
The only thing I would say about reps is "never pass them as gen, even to people who know nothing about watches".

One thing you will quickly learn while working on cheap "chinese" automatic movements is that they are often (not always) poorly made so really difficult to service and regulate.
If you want to easily learn to service a movement you'd better buy an Unitas 6497 (about $150) or even a Segull ST36 (6497 clone about $60) as those movements are simple, well designed and well manufactured, plus they are "big" so easy to work on.
You can begin on cheap chinese clones, as I did, but be prepared to kill some before you can service and regulate one.

About the movement in your watch if it's a "canal street" one it could be a 2813 but I'm not certain they were produced in the 90ies.
You could check the overall diameter of the movement (could be a 11.5 lignes) but to do that you will have to remove it from the case, thus remove the stem from the movement, etc ...
So the best is to post some good general and close-up pics here and somebody will help you..
Post some pics of the watch case and dial ... I wonder how a 90ies Rolex rep could look.

Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk

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noirrac1j Distinguished Member

noirrac1j

Posted
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13 minutes ago, manodeoro said:


 "never pass them as gen, even to people who know nothing about watches".

One thing you will quickly learn while working on cheap "chinese" automatic movements is that they are often (not always) poorly made so really difficult to service and regulate.
 

Well said. I've worked on one inexpensive replica Rolex and also a real Rolex 3135. Of course the overall quality was poor, and the fit and finish were rough on the replica. The chinese movements can be worked on, but extra care must be taken as they are fiddly AND flimsy--a frustrating combination.

J

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WatchMaker Super WRT Addict

WatchMaker

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TMX is from the company that makes Timex watches. I'm not that familiar with these but post a picture plus a close up of the ID information (e.g. the B7 might actually be 87).

If this does not provide answers, and in any case sourcing a NOS movement match is not realistic, then no reasom you couldn't source a replacement movement. You'll need to check various things though (movement height, hand sizes ...) and be aware that your dial feet would be unlikely to be in the correct positions for the replacement.

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eezy WRT Addict

eezy

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I reckon some of these replicas are a nice piece of workmanship in their own right, so much so that I do not understand why they don't put their own brand names on them. My stepdaughter has a lovely little Rolex copy with auto movement that was gifted to her.

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JerseyMo Distinguished Member

JerseyMo

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9 hours ago, ZebraMidge said:

RE:  " courage to ask for help...  with knock-off"

Thanks!  The way I see it, even the world's best brain surgeon started with a dead pig! :)

The issue with any fake is that it is piracy and reduces revenue to the rightful owner.  Reduced revenue results in loss of jobs and even increases prices.   I have had to say good bye to many colleagues due to online piracy and file sharing.

As for working on knock offs, you are going to find  them to be challenging to work on due to poor engineering and low quality.

there are plenty of legit watch lots that can be bought for next to nothing to help build skills.

 

 

 

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eezy WRT Addict

eezy

Posted
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8 hours ago, JerseyMo said:

The issue with any fake is that it is piracy and reduces revenue to the rightful owner.  Reduced revenue results in loss of jobs and even increases prices.   I have had to say good bye to many colleagues due to online piracy and file sharing.

As for working on knock offs, you are going to find  them to be challenging to work on due to poor engineering and low quality.

there are plenty of legit watch lots that can be bought for next to nothing to help build skills.

 

 

 

I'm sure you are right that in certain lines of business, counterfeiting robs legitimate companies of revenue. Surely though, nobody is going to deprive Rolex of a sale by buying a 50 quid fake? Not that I'm condoning fakes, it's illegal.

Apart from branding I can't see that it's much different to well known makers copying high end watches.

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JerseyMo Distinguished Member

JerseyMo

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2 hours ago, eezyrider said:

I'm sure you are right that in certain lines of business, counterfeiting robs legitimate companies of revenue. Surely though, nobody is going to deprive Rolex of a sale by buying a 50 quid fake? Not that I'm condoning fakes, it's illegal.

Apart from branding I can't see that it's much different to well known makers copying high end watches.

 the difference is that fakes use the actual name.  that is why it is illegal and that applies to all businesses no matter what they manufacture.    Take for example the sports memorabilia industry, it is froth with counterfeits and fake signatures.  Who gets hurt by this?

Yes the consumers that pay for worthless imitation of goods.  So not just one company but potentially millions of innocent buyers.

It is all or done, how can anyone pick and choose when faking is okay or not?

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JerseyMo Distinguished Member

JerseyMo

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and just add some numbers to the discussion -

The trade in counterfeited goods is worth a whopping $462 billion (£321bn) a year, according to the most recent figures from the OECD and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office, with a 2017 report predicting it could hit an astonishing $2.3 trillion (£1.7 trillion) by 2022. A massive 63% of pirate goods originate in China and American brands are the most faked. We reveal 30 of the world’s most ripped-off brands.

https://www.lovemoney.com/gallerylist/52360/the-worlds-most-counterfeited-brands

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