Motive is important.

So why TheMilsub and why team up with Greg? 

Two leading reasons: 

• I always want to see my friends' success. 

• I enjoy researching milsubs. 

Greg and I have been friends for a long time, and I've watched him blaze a trail in a good many things, from watchmaking to his interest in milsubs, to the scary feat of buying one at auction (maybe a future blog on this alone). 

I remember when Greg told me he was going to sell "all his shit" and try to buy a milsub at auction. At this point, this was well before I ever thought of owning one. I remember immediately thinking three things:

• This sounds expensive

• How does he know it's all correct?

• Consolidation is healthy

Collecting rule number 1: the more you own, the less you appreciate. Consolidation allows you to appreciate more and jump into bigger ideas. 

Back to "why"… 

Every situation where I have acquired a milsub (3x), the first thing I've done is get it into Greg's hands for service. I work my flights around to include layovers in EWR to get him a watch - it has become part of the adventure. He understands these watches because he's a collector first, and he owns one, and he's probably worked on more of them than anyone outside of Bexley*. 

Bexley was the former UK headquarters and service center of Rolex, located in Bexley, Kent. It is renowned among vintage watch collectors for its unique service polishing, often called the "Bexley edge" (or Bevel, really a chamfer), where service technicians would, in some instances, sharpen the edges of watches during refurbishment.

The uniqueness of the milsub

Let's think about these watches for a moment. Yes, these things are still submariners - at the core, they are pretty much a 5513, but they are unique and have lived very different lives.

Here's just a quick peek into the madness

• Is the dial correct? 

• Have the hands been modified? 

• Have the bars been pulled or are they original (they aren't welded by the way)? 

• Was a bracelet ever installed? 

• How are the caseback engravings? Are they original? 

• Is the caseback correct, or was it swapped at some point? 

• Has there ever been water ingress? 

• Is this a real or reproduction insert (most common issue)? 

• What should you expect to see on the inside of the caseback? 

All of these risky details are exactly why I love these watches. 

My reference 5517 maxi dial recently serviced by Greg

Over the last handful of years, we've both taken a deep dive into these watches. Greg, from a watchmaker's perspective, has focused on authentication attributes and the properties of hands and inserts. I have approached it more from a research perspective, looking at engraving patterns, serial and issue ranges, and collecting public and sometimes non-public information about these watches. During this process, I took a deep dive into their history and became deeply interested in researching and understanding these watches. These are complex things, and it takes a lot of confidence to get one that's right.

So how does all this come together?

I wanted to help Greg showcase his specific skills and thought it would be fun to share some personal stories of what it's like to hunt and research these watches. Each milsub is an adventure; even if it's not yours - every one of them has a story.

We are going to add more stories, videos, and information about these great watches - maybe even add a bit about the Tudor MN; however, the core of my involvement is the simple mission to help a friend and learn more about milsubs. 

One final piece of advice: if you own a milsub, even if you don't plan on having it serviced, it's wise to have a trusted professional replace the gaskets, check the crystal, and perform a pressure test on the watch. Additionally, consider having the hands inspected for cracks and possibly sealed from behind for added protection.

Happy hunting.  

Thanks,

Steve @moorewatches (message me here)

TheMilsub