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Thread: Watchmaster 16550 - White Dial, something doesnt look right ?

  1. #1
    Journeyman recaptured's Avatar
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    Watchmaster 16550 - White Dial, something doesnt look right ?

    Hey,
    I have seen this 16550 sit at Watchmaster since the start of the year :

    https://www.watchmaster.com/en/rolex...ode=S44ZNT2UTV

    It looks a nice watch but something just does not look right with the dial. I would expect the surrounds to be white gold instead of black for a 1987 watch, and the dial looks sparkling white for a watch nearly 35 years old, I would have expected it to look a little more aged. Am I being too careful here, or am I right, has the dial been replaced with a service dial, or an aftermarket dial during its life ? I did drop watchmaster an email to ask, and they told me the dial is 100% original to the watch.

    Cheers
    Stu

  2. #2
    Journeyman
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    That looks like a correct 16550 with an over-enthusiastic polishing job.

    I'd have thought they'd have refilled the bezel numbers before putting that up for sale.

  3. #3
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    Thanks ! Yes filling in the bezel markers doesn’t seem like an overly big job and would have made it look a lot nicer.

  4. #4
    Master
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    Agree, they are usually cream colour, some of them almost yellowy cream

  5. #5
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    Yeah that’s what I thought. After this long of time I wouldn’t think the dial would be as white ?

  6. #6
    Grand Master Andyg's Avatar
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    There are numerous dial variations on the 16550, perhaps more than any other Rolex.

    Dials can be polar, white, creme. The creme dials are normally “Rail” but not all. Hands and index’s surrounds can black or white gold. There are even differences in Swiss making on the bottom. Most have a hyphen, but not all.

    The Bezel needs work, but it is totally correct for that watch.

    These are cracking watches and shares the same movement as the Fat Lady.

    I have a couple. A creme dial none hyphen (with later bezel) and a black rail dial (with original dial).

    url=https://postimg.cc/WFg8RZP1][/url]

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
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  7. #7
    Journeyman recaptured's Avatar
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    Thanks Andy. So was the cream dial actually an option to buy ? I was under the impression that it was only a white dial and black dial which was available to purchase and due to a manufacturing defect on the white dials, with age they turned cream ?

  8. #8
    You are correct, when new it was only black and white, but within a short production time there are multiple different dial types / manufactures.

    Early white dials (Rail with WG surrounds) went cream, early black dials often have spider-web cracking.

    Later dials (and service replacement) are more similar to the white and black tritium found in the subsequent 16570 successor - where the plots tend to change colour, but the dials are more stable.

  9. #9
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    Ah now that makes more sense. Hence why the white gold surrounds and rail dials always command such a premium over the black painted surrounds on white dial (none cream). Thank you for your insights, most helpful.

  10. #10
    Grand Master Andyg's Avatar
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    Without wishing to bore you senseless you might find this of Interest. https://forums.timezone.com/index.ph...=6730805&rid=0

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
    Friedrich Nietzsche


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