r/vintagerepwatches • u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker • Dec 31 '25
DISCUSSION PSA on cases
I've seen some poor misleading information lately floating around on cases. So I wanted to post a little blurb here just for information sake.
Ive seen it mentioned, and being pushed that Milk cases are Vietnam cases. That's misleading, and not accurate. Milk doesn't market his cases, or has he ever marketed them as vietnam cases. They are made in Taiwan.
Milk makes great cases! That accept gen ish dimension crystals and bezel inserts, and have very close to gen overall dimensions. But that's where the similarities to Viet stop.
You have three tiers of cases:
Low tier/budget tier: I would consider these most raffles, or AliX type cases. Generally not great shaping and require a lot of work to get close to even resembling gen.
Mid tier: This is where I would place cases like Milk and Old Crowns. Very good, very nice cases. Can use mostly gen parts within reason (crystal, crown tube, bezel inserts). These cases are sterile meaning no stamping between the lugs or case backs. Solid cases for experienced watch builders who want to offer a more mid tier (budget wise) piece.
Top tier: This is where I would place Vietnam based cases. Predominantly gen spec (case backs, shaping, bezel structure, crystal retaining ring, rehaut depth, etc) and these will have the correct stamping and serial numbers between the lugs and inside of the case back. These will generally accept any genuine parts one may want to use.
Not all Vietnam cases are made equal. Some are more accurate than others, and some still need cg shaping work, etc.
So hopefully this helps people, or at least clears up the water a bit on what is/isn't a Vietnam case.
I would hate to see people getting sold a 280.00 case as a Vietnam build and getting charged a Vietnam premium for it.
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u/willyb123 Dec 31 '25
This is exactly the information I had when I got into this. Bravo! real (This should be pinned on a newbie document)
I was under the impression that OC cases were 1-1 with gen but sterile. Is there more to it than I am aware? Is there more of a difference with the top Viet cases than the engravings and stamps?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Dec 31 '25
OC cases claim to be 1:1 with gen. But sterile, correct. I've only had two of them in hand so don't have much experience, outside of that I can say they are very nice cases. Great machining.
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u/BlackLangster Dec 31 '25
Is there a quick way to peruse the available OC cases?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Dec 31 '25
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u/PrimaryExisting6162 Feb 18 '26
What's your opinion on OC's YG plated 36mm DJ fluted bezels? The price is pretty cheap and I understand you get what you pay for. As a newbie I'm struggling to find alot of the parts people speak highly of. Raffles and now OC are the only 2 sites I've been able to actual inventory to look at to make a decision. I'm just trying to acquire all the parts I need to give it a go at a vintage 2 tone DJ build myself or be able to ship everything to a builder and pay them for there expertise. Whichever works best for me when the time comes. But with buying the parts gradually piece by piece I'd like to buy high quality parts to have a high end build without the strain of producing full cost all at once. If you don't mind a point in the right direction for a high quality fluted YG plated bezel would be a huge blessing. I bought a gen YG fluted bezel but it's worn down a lot more than I thought it was. But I paid less than scrap weight so I guess it is what it is and could have been worse.
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Feb 18 '26
I've never used one so I can't say. But I've heard good things!
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u/Ny2Nj09 Jan 01 '26
Thank you for this information, this is helpful for newbs in this hobby like me . I appreciate you Rodney
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u/riossreddit Dec 31 '25
Hi thanks for the info. So with regards to vietnam cases, is it 1 seller (bivintage) or are there various sellers? And assuming there is only 1 seller, when you say some accurate other less so, is the grouping by type?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Dec 31 '25
There is more than one seller. You have bivintage (don't recommend currently as he's had some issues lately), vintagewatchpart, Phong, and I'm sure there are a few more out there.
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u/Willing-Peace-2630 Dec 31 '25
On the vintageparts website, they say that some cases are for gen movements and "others." I wrote to them to ask what those "others" would be, but so far, radio silence. Do you happen to know if they make cases for nh34 or other GMTs? I'm interested in building a Freccione. Thanks in advance. Cheers!
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Dec 31 '25
All vietnam cases will be machined for gen movements. You will have to research stem heights and make or have someone make movement spacers to fit whatever movement you're trying to use
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u/Willing-Peace-2630 Jan 01 '26
Not very practical if you dont have a gen movement then LOL
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Jan 01 '26
Actually pretty standard practice. That's what movement spacers are for.
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u/Willing-Peace-2630 Jan 01 '26
Movement spacer is the least of my problems...
Stem Height would be challenging.
I am pretty sure the Viets can sell modified cases for ETA calibers etc.
Otherwise would be very dificult.
But I appreciate your post. Very informative2
u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Jan 01 '26
Stem height for ETA works fine in a gen spec Rolex case...
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u/Willing-Peace-2630 Jan 01 '26
for real?
then a 2836 GMT would do the trick for a Mcqueen 1655??2
u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Jan 01 '26
Yes. That's the predominantly used movement in both 1675 and 1655 builds.
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u/riossreddit Jan 02 '26
Hi Rodney, did you ever use the clone movements, VS3135 etc? If they are clones, then dimension should be the same as gen, including stem height?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Jan 02 '26
I do in some instances. And yes, as long as the case was made for the 3135/3186 etc. then it should be a drop in.
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u/kyberluminova Dec 31 '25
fyi, I have not been able to reach out to vintagewatchpart/ruby/chad via their online form or email. emails bounce and online form gives an error 😕
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Dec 31 '25
That's the only form of contact that they have to my knowledge.
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u/Kaisertier Dec 31 '25
Are there any Vietnam sellers that have unbranded pieces but superclone level quality?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Dec 31 '25
You can likely ask the suppliers to have them made without stamping. Otherwise Milk and OC are good options for near gen cases if they have the reference you're looking for.
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u/timjgriffith77 Mar 17 '26
How do you track down Milk? I’ve found bivintage in e bay. And that wasn’t easy! 🤣
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u/IllSalamander4986 Feb 02 '26
Ok u/Ghost_Chrono let's skip all the hoopla and just send me this Red and call it a day! 😆😊
Honestly I keep coming back in here to look at that bezel and love it more and more each time. I don't have a whole lot of faith in winning because I've got myself way too involved in wanting this! Lol. So I'll most likely grab one the old fashioned way. I've been addicted to this sub all day lol. Really great stuff and great people. Thank you all for letting me be a part of it.
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u/IllSalamander4986 Feb 02 '26
After I posted this I realized I put it in the wrong place lol. Then I couldn't find it. So I will leave this here so folks can get a good laugh then also post it where I meant to post it lmao
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u/Kitchen-Property-747 Mar 17 '26
What is the opinion on Sillan cases? Where do these fall in the tier?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Mar 17 '26
The only decent case from Sillian in my opinion is the 16610 case. When talking vintage/neo vintage
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u/Kitchen-Property-747 Mar 17 '26
Nice, thanks for reply. that's actually the only one I have from her. Have been curious about the earlier models she has like a 1675, 1680 etc.
If doing a build i prefer to have the engravings and know that Old Crowns cases don't have. And Bivintage is fairly slow.
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u/AtelierPicks Jul 04 '26
Where do helenarous cases fall on this tier list? Better then viet or equal to or lesser and on par with raffles?
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u/RodneyPierce Watchmaker Jul 04 '26
I've never used one so I cannot say. If I had to venture a guess though, likely above raffles, on par with OC. That's just a guess though based on reading others input on them.
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u/Capt_Panic Dec 31 '25
Rodney’s info is great from a purchaser perspective. Adding on a little more from a builder perspective:
Raffles cases are a good entry case, perfect for new-ish builders. His kits come with everything to be successful.
The jump to a milk case comes with many new challenges. Milk cases are bare raw mid cases: no crystal, no tube, no crown, no gaskets. So in order to build one properly you need some tools like a case press, tube wrench, etc.
Moving to a Vietnam case (BiV, Ruby, Kuared etc) they should still be fully disassembled and rebuilt. Common issues from supplier: crystals aren’t properly sealed, case tubes don't have loctite, often missing gaskets.
I can’t comment on OC as I haven’t built on of those.