Leaderboard

Last year (February),as I was just searching infos for my first build, I went on forums asking for some help about drilling lugs with a dremel. It really seemed to be a dead end way but I tried and tried again and today I'm glad to say that YES ... it's possible to drill your watch cases with a dremel. I have never seen a tuto showing how to drill lugs when you live in a city flat and have a dremel but no place for a real drill-press (unless you show your girl/boy friend how to open the main door and leave) so I hope this one could be usefull. So ... let's go to the facts. A few days ago I had to drill the lugs of a 16610 case with non pre-drilled lugs (and a sh...y paperclip bezel construction) so I have made some pics all along the process. I have NO drill-press (I know I could show my better half how to open the main door and leave but ... I'm not ready to do that). So what did I use and how did I do ? My tools : - a punch - my 40$ dremel-like - a 50$ little drill stand (got it on sale on Amazon) - an 43 mm adapter (10$ on ebay) - a cheap (but good) vise - 1mm + 1.3mm HSS drill bits - cutting oil - "The Foundation" (Zac Brwon Band) I choosed a 5027000 Wolcraft drill-stand because it had a toothed rack and a return spring, it could be put in parts and in a card box (altogether with vise, drill bits and cutting oil) in less than 5 minutes. That cardbox goes to the cellar when I dont need those tools while my dremel-like stays in a drawer with all the watch parts and ongoing projects. And if you ever wonder why I use 1mm drill bits AND 1.3mm drill bits : - it's easier (IMHO) to center on the hole you punched if you drill 1mm first then 1.3mm - where I leave (Europe) I can buy 10x1mm HSS drill bits for about 5$ and 1.3mm HSS drill bits I bought on cousins.uk are 5$ each so I really take care of them An now the process (took me about 1 hour). 1 - Open the cardbox and build the drill stand You'd better protect your (kitchen) table because you will use a bunch of cutting oil 2 - Put the 43mm adapter and prepare you drill bits Of course you screw you dremel on the adapter and put a 1mm HSS drill bit ... I forgot to take a specific pic 3 - Punch the watch lugs Note that I had already marked the lugs with an extra-fine permanent pen You'd better punch large enough so that the 1mm drill bit can easily find its place in the hole 4 - Place you watch case in the vice I put some painter tape on the vice to protect the case It's better to place some metal pieces under the lugs so that the case dont go down when you push a little with the drill bit 5 - Place the vice on the drill stand and center the drill bit precisely on the punched hole 6 - Put some oil on the punched hole and drill Don't be stingy with the oil ... there is never too much of it About the speed I used I cannot be precise because my dremel-like has a variator marked from 0 to 5. I worked bteween 1 and 3 so the speed was probably between 7000rpm and 18000rpm. From my very short experience in drilling and depending on the drill bits, I would say that the speed is good when the "steel-dust" comes out easily with some oil while you drill. And do not forget to clean the lug and put some new oil every times it looks like the last PIC here ... about 3 times on every lug. 7 - Now you have drilled all 4 lugs with a 1mm bit, so place the 1.3mm bit on the dremel-like and drill again That part is very easy as you process the same as with the 1mm drill bit. But do not forget about beeing "oily" 8 - Now you have an early-oily 16610 case so just wash it and clean it and it will be just "early" You still have to thin the lugs a little, cut nice chamfers, polish the sides and crownguards and do a nice Rolex brush on the upside of the case, but all this is itty-bitty cause you have done the tough part. Hope this helps. And please leave your comments, questions and advices.

Hello everyone I will present a small review of the last purchase I made at TRUSTY. First of all I would like to thank Andrew from TRUSTY for his patience and his seriousness for the different exchanges we have them to have the MKF version of the SPECTRE (which has been put to his catalog recently). Link : http://www.trustytime.biz/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35_83&products_id=18966&zenid=602e4ba10ed80e25a7dfb1a1a6ff9625 Originally I wanted to take the VS/V6 version of the SPECTRE, but after long search and have browsed many lines of reading on the forums, and by the lack of stock at different TD's I decided to take the MKF version of the SPECTRE. A big thank you also to LAPAVEL and MECH500 who well fed the forums on this choice. That being done, let's move on to serious matters. In this article, we will not talk about the movement that is an A2824-2 with a decoration and that is proven in many of our rep. Regarding polishing, it's just amazing, the claps and bracelet is very close to gen and very heavy. In short, externally speaking, this MKF is the closest to the GEN version. Before wearing it and taking pictures, I placed the bracelet in the ultrasonic bath and the watch was finely cleaned with a small miracle product, the WristCleanWatch Spray produced by VERAET. (with true microfiber drying) Regarding the nato, he went to the washing machine placed in a small net with softener at 30 ° for 30 minutes. After all, it shows a beautiful watch. Note 1 : do not hesitate to come back to me to make this review even more complete to help others make up their minds. Note 2 : All photos taken was made with an iPhone X without retouching. Note 3 : Other photos will come when I will have a little more time. Full specification: Reference : OMG0561 (TRUSTY) Brand : OMEGA Model : Seamaster 007 Spectre Ltd. Edn (Ultimate version) Factory : MKF Movement : Asia 2824-2 with Decorated Rotor & Bridges / Plates like Omega Caliber 8400 (very accurate amplitude 330° +/- 1sec/day) Hack movement : Yes Crystal : Domed, scratch-resistant crystal sapphire with anti-reflective treatment inside with color less (Swiss Grade) Case material : Steel 316F Case diameter : 41mm Case thickness : 15mm Case back : Transparent display case back with detailed engraving (smooth and low domed) Between lugs : 21mm (you can put 22mm straps with curved springs bars) Dial Color : Black Dial with Stick & Numerals Markers with nice grain very close to the gen (Swiss Grade Superlume Applied for the Dial markers) Dial date : No Bezel : Swiss Grade Black Ceramic Bezel (Bi-Directional) smooth and very nice ' clic ‘ , all markers are visibles in all condition light Bracelet : Steel 316F Bracelet with Buckle Deployant (With all correct markings) Claps type : NATO Strap in Gray / Black with Tang Buckle, beautiful and very flexible (With all correct markings) Water resistant : 220 meters (22 bar) tested with dry proof meter Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

Hi, I’ve recently ordered three of the XF V2 Divers: two of them are the 15706 with swiss ETA2836 and a 15707 with ASIAN2836. When I have compared the DWs the three of them are different. Do you know the reason? Which one is the correct font for these watches? They are H and I series. They also are not correctly centered and you can see the upper date. Is it normal? I am a noob on the AP world so your comments will be very welcomed. Just some pics for the comparation Thanks! Enviado desde mi iPad utilizando Tapatalk

Back from the slimming clinic overseas

The leftmost pic of each series shows the H series font. The center one shows the i series font and is in fact the most accurate of the 3 you’ve shown. The rightmost font is the most inaccurate, trying to be an i series but failing miserably. The dw not being centered is a common flaw in the xf diver and it can be aligned. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed JMB is the man when it comes to 1016 cases. That one isnt thaaaaaat bad...the lug holes are the hardest part...enlarging lug holes is slightly easier you can swap the bezel and crystal and nobody will really notice the lug shape of the case... just checked out Trustys page and it looks like the feds gotum...sites down.....damn I am sure you can reach out via email if need be. My JMB + Yuki ... Have another explorer build in the works

That's right. He uses only gen dial plates, my understanding is it's a way to prevent proliferation of dials made using the genuine factory process. Or I can be misremembering conversations I had more than a few years ago... don't take that to the bank but it feels like an accurate memory.

Welcome to the forum, The 1016 was my second rep and my first build and it is an absolutely marvellous build to learn the ropes on due to the relative simplicity of a 3 hander, no date. My 1016 involved a: JMB case Swiss ETA 2824 from a donor movado. Yuki bracelet Yuki Dial Yuki hands This build is honestly not overly difficult as long as you have basic tools and a willingness to learn. I cannot speak for what the current market price of such a build would be at current time though. And now some pics:

I'm not crazy about these V2 cases as they don't allow to carve a correct 1016 case. It's a DJ case really... However, since there are little mods to do to complete a nice looking watch, it's probably the best option for a sweet Explorer on a budget !!! Dial is from Yuki, aged and re-textured, movement is a 2824. Beautiful engravings by JMB ! Very accurate, I love it ! Pictured after is a 1002 with a genuine case set and dial, powered by a 2824. Note the correct T12 domed crystal by Verlux ! It's fitted with Explorer hands to give it a pre-Explorer look. Not to modify the narrow dial central hole, the movement hour cannon was modified to a Rolex specs diameter, and so install Rolex specs hands.