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[emoji632] Come a long way...

......and the sun is still up! Love it.

Hi friends ! Followers of my dials thread know I'm working on several project since few weeks. 6538 for a friend, and two Explorers 5500 and 6610 for me. I'm very happy to show you my completed mid 60's 5500 Explorer Super Precision. Gen 1002 case serial 130xxxx with IV64 case back, bezel, and 503 crown. 25-12 plexi. Octo low beat non hacking ETA 2888 (2846) serviced by myself. Vintaged Clark's Tudor hands. True gilt underline glossy dial. Riyi Rivet bracelet. Can I call it a franken ? [emoji6] [emoji632]

The washer does not belong to that movement. Tip! A good watchsmith familiar with rolex, can repair the hair spring, most of the time. Part of their training in the very begining, is to straighten hair springs. My guess is the washer caused the problem. Trust me, nothing gen will fit that movement.

Looks great what are The specs

Here's a side profile shot compared to my phong 6538 (on top): Obviously the "swoop" or tear-drop lug tip of the phong is preferred but there is enough material there to carve out the swoops to be much more accurate. The rehaut of the tonney case is very similar to the phong which is what leads me to believe that the same source provides phong, MQ and now tonney with the same raw mid case blank. Then each seller finishes off the details (like the lug tip swoops) which is why they vary from sample to sample. All other dimensions seem to be the same as phong. Yes, an ETA wil fit any of these cases with the right adapter. Given that the bezel is brass alloy-based, the complete tonney case set for $600 is a great value imo. Phong and MQ charge $300 for a bezel alone. A complete big crown phong case will run you anywhere from $1200-1500 depending on how he feels that day. Upon second look today, I actually think the bezel is better than phongs. (Note that the bezel on my 6538 is a gen service bezel and has a different profile to an original 6538 bezel.) Case back stamp on the tonney case is incorrect "1958" but it's a common tell from other Vietnam cases I've seen floating around the market. I could carve out the lug swoops but this was a impulse project and I just wanted a beater to save wear/tear on my other builds. I will likely part it out at some point, but the genesis of this was R&D. Someone had to take one for the team

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[emoji632]

Inviato dal mio SM-N920C utilizzando Tapatalk

Hahaha... More than 1 road to Rome...

Laser welded/case taken down/ redrilled and tapped/ Mq dial/ 3sets hands/ yuki insert/ yuki pearl / myoung plexi/ 2846 serviced / Hr flat caseback no gen parts .

[emoji632]

My vote goes to@droptopman's gen 5513. But here's one of mine: And another:

Yep it's a 6536/1 from about April, 1958. It was issued to a spec-ops diver and when he died his widow gave it to me. It was beat to hell and took over 20 years and a lot of watchmakers to pull it back from the brink. Tom Nesbitt and George Kajanoff in Seattle, our own Ubiquitous and The Zigmeister, and now my local AD watchmaker all breathed new life into it.

[emoji632]

I love what you've done mate, mine says hi. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk