blackbard

Dont know you, but obviously we have the same taste in tools....

I use a guy on 1960, but I do not tell him they are reps. he wonders how I have so many expensive watches. At this point, though, I would use the suggestions from BobM and i will also come to the GTG when available and share/give away some goodies to my Houston buddies...

If The Zigmeister is not too busy and will take the work, send to him...

Stunning, really! Cant wait till my friend FGD has a dial ready for me.....Any dial for that matter looking at this!

I would do unwaxed nylon. The thread size is visual at best. No way to know for sure because different thread manufacturers label and size differently. Good luck....

Hard to say. There are specialty threads out there that you can pick up on ebay or other specialty thread sources on the web. I havent seen the thread on that strap, so I cannot direct you well.

After looking at the pics, definately machine stitched... Find the thread types, colors and sizes and go for it.

Ok. I'll help you out... Most straps you buy are machine stitched with a lock stitch. Mine of course are hand stitched using the same principle. If you are careful, you can remove the stitching by clipping the stitch carefully in several places. Work slowly, because you can easily mess up your strap. Start removing the stitching carefully a stitch at a time using something like a needle or very small screwdriver to remove the stitches. It will take some time but this is the easy part. Once you have removed the stitching, you will have to find a thread in the same size, gloss, and strength of the top thread which is different from the bottom if they used a lock stitch. The other possibility is that they used a bicycle stitch but you will know this because as soon as you clip the stitch of a lock stitch you can pull a certain length free. With a bicycle or whatever people like to call it these days, you will not have accomplished much because with the bicycle stitch each side is a complete length of thread. So, determine what type of stitch you have and then the type of thread. Next, go find leather needles and begin forcing the needle through the existing holes. Now, one note. If machine stitched, those holes will NOT be kind to you as they will not be large enough to accomodate most leather needles. Also, your needle must be sized correctly for the thread..... Once you begin stitching pay attention to each loop and tighten as you go, otherwise, you will have very uneven stitching and your stitch pattern will be off....Also, if the thread is different colors on the two sides, not pulling tight enough will create a funky look on the bottom and possibly the top. Its your strap, so if you can live with it no problem. The main thing is to take your time, use the appropriate equipment and techniques. It is possible but a lot of work. I'm sure one of us strap makers can help you including myself but it is tedious and often dangerous work.... PM if you have questions. I am happy to help...Other members will chime in. BTW, I re-did an old strap culture strap which I assume was hand stitched and it was very difficult to do because of the age of the piece. I would recommend asking the seller to swap to save time unless you have the tools and patience to do the work. Not too difficult if you have the right stuff and can be rewarding to say you "stitched" your own strap! Again, PM for assistance...

Excellent work! There are always parts we need for this hobby. Thanks for the tutorial.

I appreciate it, but in US. Cousins has them, but I'll post a wanted ad here first before ordering. Thanx again!

Bingo. Thank you FxrAndy! I believe you are correct. I forgot to mention, if I push the crown in, it seems to work better. I will order two stems. Anyone here have any to sell before I order? The Zigmeister, sorry for missing that key piece of info!

I reread your last comments. Very illuminating. I believe I have been removing the stem incorrectly. AND, on top of that, your description of having to push the stem in to tighten the screw sounds familiar. I need to look at those things. On the click issue, the click wheel seems to slip as well, so I thought it might be related to that too...

Thanx The Zigmeister. As far as I can tell, and you are the expert here, these are swiss movements...I did the same as you and replaced the entire keyless with another set and still have the issue. Then, when I had another watch reassembled, it started to display the same characteristic... I'm baffled...Now, after your reply, a little worried....

I have two watches with 6497 movements that seem to jump or miss a gear while winding. I had one watch that did it before, now after a decasing and possible stem change by my watchmaker, both seem to do it now. I completely disassembled and reassembled the keyless works on one thinking that the spring which holds the lever in place was the problem as did my watchmaker. This did not seem to have any positive affect. I now believe that the stems are to blame. What is the effect of having too long a stem? What is the effect of too short a stem? I believe that too short does not allow the "winding gear" (not sure what it is called) to not be fully engaged and it is slipping causing the "jumping" and consequently a clicking sound. If you watch the movement while winding, you can see that the clicker is causing the sound and you can see the main winding gear from the rear slip back a bit. Can the experts chime in? I am now beginning to work on my own pieces and although it is a pleasure, these little things come up. BTW, one of the stems was too long on the gear side and when installed and the crown locked down, it broke so I have learned that you trim the stem on the threaded side? Any advice will help. I will need to order new stems I suppose if this is the issue...

Thanx Hike. Ive been chillin all day....

Good work and write up. Its a good thing you found someone local to work on the piece...

Uh, WOW! I dont feel so bad about the "few" that I have now...

Ok. What about the crystals? I'll pull out my calipers to see if the size is the same. Probably not.......Thanks for the info. Thanks. And I really want one of those GMTs....

I have an old helenarou case with a busted crystal. I also have what I believe is an old DSN case. The DSN has a good AR coated crystal. I do not know how or if the cases can be disassembled so I can use the top part of the DSN case with the bottom part of the helenarou case. Can anyone chime in? Not sure if they are glued, or screwed. I saw Zigg, post parts for sale which match what I want to do so I assume its possible. All help appreciated.

I have one for sale now I was getting ready to list. I also have about 6 dials. I was going to list as a "kit" sterile watch, DSN case and at least one dial. PM if interested before I list...

Take a piece of leather or similar material to protect the lever, get a set of pliers. While holding the leather over the lever, press with the pliers gently to squeeze the lever. it will tighten rather nicely. DO NOT OVER SQUEEZE!

Absolutely amazing!

Its a recent build. I took a chance doing it myself. Need proper case and some lume, and it will be one of my favorites. I'll take pics of it on a very unique suede I made from a Ralph Lauren Blazer....Colors make the face pop...

Yeah, but thats a nice one!

Plenty of sources. Choose based on quality, cost, and look you are after.