Help needed: 1675 vs. 16750 as a daily wearer

[vancity]

Hi guys! First post in the Vintage forum and I'm hoping to get some advice. I want to purchase my first rolex as my next watch and I really love the vintage Pepsi's. I love both the 1675 and 16750 in terms of aesthetics; however, I would like some practical advice.

I want this watch to be my daily wearer (sold my Omega PO, so I'm watchless right now!). Will either of these watches pose a problem if I wear them daily? Is one superior to the other? Excessive maintenance costs? Given then they will be 20-30 yrs of age, will they hold up? I don't plan to use this watch for sporting activities, or strenuous activities.

Any advice?

[greekbum]

I have been wearing my 16750 since new from the early 80's with no issues and it has not been babied. Try and find the nicest example of either 1675 or 16750 you can afford is my advise.Will they hold up? Take care of it and im sure it will

[jwalther]

Agree with the above, just buy the nicest one you can find within your budget. If it's going to be your daily wearer, the non-quickset date movement found in the 1675 will not prove to be a disadvantage to you. Good hunting!

[HL65]

As Nikos said-pick one you can find--the nicest for best price--and treat it right--wear it and enjoy it and either will hold up fine. Rolex made these watches to stand the test of time!!

[theken]

On the wrist, the 1675 and 16750 are virtually the identical.
The quick set date of the 16750 is a very practical advantage.
With vintage sport watches, the condition of the dial and hands have the most impact on the value.
With any vintage Rolex, a pressure test at a Rolex AD or certified watchmaker is suggested unless you have proof that the watch was recently serviced and pressure tested.
Once the original dial and hands are replaced, the value of the watch changes dramatically.
Good luck and enjoy your search.

[Clay]

Have it serviced and wear it...I wear my 33 year old 1665 everyday.....No worries.....

[rustedmetal]

Look for a matte dial 16750......best of both worlds!!

[mike]

Since you ask for practical advise a couple things come to mind.

First is one "superior" to the other.

There are those that would say with it's 3xxx movement the 16750 represents a set up from the slow beat 15xx of the 1675. My own experience tells me either watch will serve it's puepose quite well though one could built the arguement that down the road patrs from the mothership and servicing (again from an RSC) would favor the fast beat example.

Note: a major factor here would, for me, be whether the 16750 had the matt dial (my choice) or the latter gloss with WGs. Consider an RSC service at least at some point might cause the original dial to be lost.

The same can be said for the 1675, but as the reference was never issued with a gloss/WG dial service replacements are matt/Luminova.--Practical but value takes a hit as always.

Second-features.

As a daily wear the absence of a quick-set date on the 1675 isn't as great as it would be on one that might be part of a daily rotation where setting the date can be a slight pain depending where it the month it's "tun" falls.

Perhaps a bit more practical is the consideration whether "hacking" is something you have to have. If so look for a 1675 from the early 70s onward as it's generally condidered this was the timeframe hacking was introduced to the reference.

(I know we can "self-hack" them, but none the less a consideration.)

With either reference condition is always the key and here a couple things come to mind.

The 1675 can vary widely in pricing depending on whether the watch has a gilt dial. enclosed minute track, or any number of things the collector finds attractive (and desirable). Pricing (and wearing concern?) sometimes factors in with a more desirable example.

The 16750 matt is the darling of the collector, but pay close attention to the hands set. For whatever reason these seemed to experience corrosion more than some models.

The advise to find the best example, even if it costs a bit more than you thought, is sage. Many have tried to "save a buck" only to be disappointed down the road.

The advise that the 16750 matt might be the best of both worlds is valid. All the comfort of acryllic with the convenience of a fast beat movement.

Do pay attention to the hand stack. They have a different placement with the hour and 24 hr. hands between the reference. I've seen the wrong stach on the 16750 and while contrary to popular belief it will work it's a big hit.

Either example will serve you well. Good luck and what a great way to enter the wonderfull world of vintage.

[vancity]

Thank you all!

Yes, the 16750 with the matte dial and acrylic crystal is the one that I really like.

Sorry for the newb follow up questions. I love watches, but I'm not the most technical when it comes to movements:
1. Hacking? What exactly is this?
2. Quick set date? Again, what exactly is this?

Thanks!

[vancity]

Follow up q: how difficult is it to source replacement parts for these vintage watches? For example, the 1675 and the earlier 16750 have acrylic crystal and matte dials. If these items need to be replaced, can they (without paying through the nose)? How about bezel inserts? The movement itself?

Cheers.

[mike]

"Hacking" is actually military term. It's the means by which the seconds hand is frozen to allow one to set the seconds hand to the minute hand.

On the 16750 it's simply pulling the ctorn out to the third position where by the seconds will stop allowing you to set the time to the minute with the minute hand.

Early 1675's did not have this feature. While pulling out the crown to set the minute hand the seconds hand continued to move around the dial.

It is possible to "self-hack" early examples (or most any watch with the featue) by simply applying slight back pressure to the crown untill the seconds hand is in synce with a known time source--i.e. Time.gov. Releasing pressure allows the seconds hand to move again. (might take some practice)

It does not hurt the movement, but on some references it's might be wise to allow the watch to run down or have little resurve on the mainspring. If fully would the mainspring might not allow you to do this.

One of my 1675's after service (new mainspring) had to much power. I only gave the spring a couple turns to power the seconds hand to hack. After that I just fully wind the watch--bout 40 to 50 turns.

Manual Panerais are the same way.

The 16750 has a three position crown. Wind, quick-set, and hack.

Quick-set is simply changing the date via the crown in the mid position rather than moving the hands around the dial. The 1675 does not have this feature.

One the GMT series it was introduced on the 16750 (not to be confused with semi-quick set as on the GMT II but that's another thread)

There have been cases of Rolex curtailing service on some older vintage pieces as parts run out (so they say). Sadly the very watches that brought the marque it's fame seems to be more and more shunned by the mothership.

It seems it's fallen to the collector and those that love the old vintage pieces to carry on the rich heritage these references bring to the table.

Have no fear though there are good watchmakers out there that have parts (along with independents) that will keep your watch running for a long time.

The lore of these pieces in large measure stems from the lovely tritium dials that were used. Take your time and get THE BEST you can afford. Service replacement dials, while perhaps necessary in cases where damage has occured, have an impact on the value of the piece. How much depends on the vintage,rarity, etc...

Replacement service dials (much better than re-luming IMO) will follow the last issued dial for the reference.

The 1675 never had a gloss dial with WG surrounds so a service replacement will be matt albiet with luminova.

The 16750 however started with a matt dial, but was changed to a gloss with WGs as Rolex began the move to luxury over tool in the mid 80s.

Replacements for the 16750 are gloss. More impact on value to an original matt version as opposed to one that started as gloss.

Inserts and crystals are the same and will be available for a long time as the 3xxx fast beat 16750 uses a modern movement.

Have no fear of the earlier 15xx 1675 movement. These are rock hard workhorses that have proven themselves time and time again in the harshest conditions on the planet (and off).

[vancity]

Thank you again!

I guess its time to start the hunt!

Mike