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This old thing??? [emoji2]

5510 counts?

Someone said 6538?

I've made some progress on this build so I thought I'd update the thread. As nice as the Vietnam dial is for this watch, its typographic style resembles the later 1960s text in the 7928, which is subtly different from the earlier Submariners. The only thing to do is print your own dial, so that's what I did. The text on this one is lifted straight from a front-on pic of a gen dial. It's interesting to note that there's some variation in the text and especially the exact position of the two text blocks in different examples of the 7922 and 7924. After a while of looking at gens I realized that the text on the Tudor subs isn't negative relief gilt, it's printed-on gold ink. Similar to how some Rolex gilt dials have the depth or chronometer information printed on later, Tudor seems to have done this with all of the text, probably a cost saving measure. For my dial, I let the brass surface show through on the chapter ring and swiss text, and covered the middle area with a thin layer of gold paint. The result is pretty interesting; in some light the Tudor rose and calligraphic logo jumps out in bright gold, and at other angles the inner text disappears almost completely and the chapter ring shimmers instead. I'm really happy with that result. The lume on the other hand.. I need to get better. I also replaced the hands with the closest things I could find to the 50s flat style hands. Still not perfect but much improved. I've saved many pics of gen 50s Tudor subs and about 75% of them are found with a later service bezel insert with serifs and hash marks, so I went with the awesome, recent fat font insert produced by slay. I'm pausing to enjoy it for a while now, but still in the works for this watch: -Fleurier 390 movement -dial gold electroplated rather than brass relief, with better lume work -case engravings to make this a crossout 6538 case with the correct range serial number -gen Tudor hands, although this one is more like wishful thinking Any other ideas? Thanks for looking, and thanks to several people in particular who have really helped me with this project: @Bart Cordell @Alan72 @hologramet @JSebWC @slay

May all your wishes come true!

"The one we can't pronounce his name" lol... honestly the secrecy surrounding this guy is a little much. I think everyone should have access to a gilt dial with the correct typography. Thanks for your help Bart, I couldn't have gotten this result without your posts and tips. Thanks for the lume advice Joey. Right now I want to take a break but eventually I'm sure more dials are in the works. You mentioned pictures of gens taken in the 1950s.. I've barely been able to find any of these vintage pictures. It's a topic that interests me, since they give insight into how these watches looked in a nearly new condition, how they were worn, etc. I might start a thread about it some time. Anyway, is my lume a bit too yellow? I always lume in lamp light and the lume seems too grey and dull so I add some yellow paint, then when I get out in sunlight it seems I went overboard.. Also in this pic you can see what I mean a bit that the brass chapter ring is perhaps a bit too dark compared to the gens.

Hey guys ... look what I got under the tree

Buzz scored this Christmas!

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I just bought this baby...

I was graciously donated a couple of dials to continue practicing lume work - a 1680 and 6538. The 1680 is a standard Cartel dial, relumed with a creamy offwhite tone. Of particular note, studying gen dials, it appears the lume should be fairly flat with only a slight pillowing. I’ve tried to capture that aesthetic here. In addition the hands were aged in Pacific Ocean saltwater with a touch of organic apple cider vinegar. The 6538 is a faux gilt dial. Again, studying dial examples, the lume pillows but isn’t overly chunky. In this instance I experimented with a two tone line process. First applying a thin layer of lighter lume then adding a dollop of darker shade in the middle. Unfortunately I didn’t contrast quite enough. Next go around I’ll sharpen the difference. Like the first, the hands were aged in a custom crafted solution of Pacific saltwater and organic ACV. Enjoy! @xpanzer88x

A more tricky build than I anticipated this one. Finding a case with the correct back was a problem. I ended up buying one from MQ, which was a big disappointment. Quality was poor and badly finished. It needed quite a bit of work to get into an acceptable shape. I won’t be be making any further purchases from MQ as the service was as poor as the case too. Nuff said. On to the build specs: MQ 94010 case - lugs reshaped, lugs drilled to accept gen-spec spring bars. Added an O-Ring seal to the case back. MQ‘s poorly fitted crown and tube replaced with Athaya’s 702 set. MQ‘s bezel spring, a flimsy bit of foil, replaced. MQ‘s bezel insert replaced with a Yuki insert and Athaya pearl. Custom HR dial and hand set, great service from HR btw. Relumed and aged. GS PA 462-66 crystal ETA 2770 movement, the same spec as the Tudor branded ETA 2776. Added a Yuki Tudor branded rotor. B&S Siena leather strap. Think that’s about it! Let it Snow...

Happy New Year, bros!

A couple of mine. One tropical dial and one HR build. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Breitling Bullhead for today

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Thanks for the info Joey. Your lume there looks perfect, I have no idea how you painted that so neatly. Perhaps the decal paper I'm using is too delicate, but I found that even the microset solution coated on the dial to begin was causing the decal to bleed and weaken, or maybe it's just my imagination. Compared side by side to one of my Vietnam dials, the brass did not look yellow enough. But now that I have a dial done and cased up, I feel like it looks pretty convincing. I did something a little crazy on this one. I noticed that my dial was fading and somehow moisture was getting under the acrylic coating and leaving little silvering marks. I found earlier that the oil from my fingers would deepen the black of the dial, so I decided to try giving the dial a very light coat of leather oil with a q tip just before installing it. The oil coating made the black really shine and totally masked all the little imperfections. I have no idea how it will hold up, but as it stands now I'm pretty amazed that I saved this one. My luming still needs improvement but overall I think this looks alright. I've gained a ton of respect for the people who make the Vietnam dials... I think they are quite a bargain really.

6538 today... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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