JohnG

If this is the latest version, you can't swap bezels. And The Zigmeister says ETA swaps are not worth the money given the quality of the Asian. I read it a while ago, but that is what he said.

Contact Julia at watchgallery88@gmail.com - as I recall it was $30 or $35, plus shipping. I have had limited experience with her but what I have had has been good. I know a couple of other guys who have used her, no problems, but use at your own risk. She is still somewhat of an unknown quantity. Does accept PayPal though, so there's that. Good luck and POST PICS if you do straps!!!!

I was GENTLE. But the sapphire is less likely to scratch than the stainless case in any event. But don't worry, not a scratch on it after my photo session, after all the waiting to have this combo in my hands I am not going to spoil it now!

I think the strap was $70 and the clasp was about $30 or $35 plus shipping. Well worth the price for a totally unique piece.

Yes, let's see the money shot!

Looks a LOT better than MY first attempt! I was told for my next attempt to use an oiler (movement oiler) to apply the lume, it is easier to put it where you want it. I am going to practice on a coke can, going over the fine print, same ideas as your flier. Keep at it, I plan to, no reason we can't learn to do it as well as anyone, it simply takes patience, experience and the right tools! Cheers!

Thanks guys!!!! @P4GTR, I put it VERY VERY GENTLY onto that rock, don't doubt that!!! And I will take a pic of the engraving (it is burned in actually) in the next few days, I am BEAT now, but soon, I promise!

I posted these pics in the strap section but thought the Breitling guys would like to see it too... Back in March I had an idea that has taken more than six months to see to fruition, but here it is.... As most here know, the ProII bracelet is too thin on this rep. I did not want to spend $500 on a gen bracelet so I started to look at straps but none of them excited me. Then I imagined a leather strap using the beautiful Ocean Racer deployant clasp. As I searched and searched, I did find one person at TZ who had done this combination with a black strap on a black-dialed SA. I found a dealer in GZ (non-board approved) willing to sell me the impeccable replica of this clasp WITHOUT the rubber. I then had the clasp shipped to Bo at Gorilla Straps and the wait began.... The first strap arrived too short unfortunately. Instead of 16.5cm it was 15.5cm and the adjustment on this strap is minimal so it was just too tight. Bo said send it back and off it went.... This past week it finally arrived and this time it is PERFECT. Bo even engraved the underside of the strap with the Breitling logo on one side and "1884" on the other side. He is a true perfectionist. On to the pics:

It fades pretty quickly but then sort of plateaus off. In the dark, once your eyes adjust, it is perfectly visible long after charging. I will check it tonight if I remember, try to time it and give you a more precise answer tomorrow. After initial charging it is much much brighter than any reps or homages I have, if that is any help...

Its not a rep and I don't think its even a homage, strictly speaking, but I thought some might enjoy it anyway... I won this one on eBay for 37.95 Euros plus 12 Euros shipping to Spain, I thought it was a good deal, most sell for more, but yesterday I did a search of closed auctions, and last week one auction ended and NO ONE BID! Opening bid is .02 Euros! Could have been mine for 12.02 Euros!!! So if anyone wants one, with patience you can get one for next to nothing. Anyway, some specs: casesize 46mm; thickness 12 mm; stainless steel 20 atm (200 METER) water resistant quartz movement hardened mineral glass screw down case back luminous hands and indexes (very good lume) high quality diver Strap Macuraflex (the strap is nice) The build quality if REALLY nice, I am impressed with the watch for the money, great deal, nice size, not ridiculous but big, what I am used to now. The bezel is tight, neat design, seriously fat coinage, bezel partially recessed into case, nice deep rehault and crystal seems to be very thick. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the lug design but I do, it looks good. The strap is a little stiff, but not too much, for me just right. It also has lots of "tail" even on my 7 3/4" wrist, which I like. You could get this on over a wetsuit no problem and since I go spear fishing once in a while, this one is coming with me. This would make a great every day beater, a REAL beater, the one that you wear when mixing concrete or laying bricks. And on to the pics!

So I am finding out. And here I thought it was a technical problem. I would normally say something ostensibly witty at this point but I would probably vanish altogether, so I will just go back to posting in the homage threads.

Thanks and post pics when it arrives!

I don't think so! I have hardly been around here lately!

I forgot this question! VERY.

verdigris - using ammonia and salt, will see if I like it, but don't want bright green, more of a blue-green that is not too loud, and then I will try ferric nitrate - this will give a light brown (dark straw) to dark brown, depending application... that is the theory anyway. More pics tomorrow....

Playing around with the sandwich Cali dial that is going into the Illinois Radiomir, not sure if this is how it will end up, going to play with various finishes (both on dial and base plate) before I decide, this is the finish I gave it today:

Thanks guys! It is going to take me some time to figure it all out, but using search in the forums you find all the info you need! Yes! The hands (openings) are a little large, but I think I can use a punch to make them a little smaller. The hour hand will require the most work, which is better, because if there is much deformation of the opening it will be hidden by the minute hand, which is ALMOST perfect, literally a hair large. No seconds, will probably use a cool sandwich cali dial that I got from Getat and stripped down to the brass....

Project #1 was my stealth mini Fiddy. I got a couple of donor vintage pocket watches not long ago and this past week a watch came from Getat that will be canibalized. I realized that by the time you bought the case, dial, hands, and strap, you have paid for a whole watch, so I got a whole one and ordered it with another gun-metal movement which will go into another future project... So, the first movement I am using is the 1918 Illinois which is losing only 13 seconds per day. I pulled the movement, not difficult at all, comes out through the front, but the stem stays in the case, then you must remove the crown and the stem comes out from the inside - I will have to figure out how to adapt this system to the rad case - so that the stem doesnt drop out. Anyway, I will figure it out, but I at least put the movement into the rad case to see how it looks behind the display back. This will sit about 1mm lower when the rim is shaved so the movement goes all the way in.... Here are some pics: Illinois pocket watch: Getat 47mm to be canibalized: Disassembly of Illinois: Disassembly of Rad: Bezel pulled from Rad: In goes the Illinois: Super Sexeh: I will update this thread as I advance with the project. Tomorrow I would like to shave that lip, then do some work on the dial, and then get age the strap. Gonna have to start thinking about how to adapt the stem.... hmmmm...

Great, I like the rubber, and yes, I think the lume would look good a little darker - in the RG thread (Fleed's wasn't it?) he did some pretty dark lume, yes, try with actual powder, I am going to use a soft pencil to get the powder - that is pretty dark. Then I will do some experimenting before I actually lume to see how dark various proportions actually look before luming the dial.... Thanks! Look all you want!

Very very nice - but we need MORE PICS. I would like to see more of this watch. And on the lume - I am unclear, is it actual grey LUME? If so, how did you do it, I am aware of one technique that involves mixing graphite powder into the lume, is this what you did? Anyway, looks sweet, post more pics tomorrow. Thank you Dems, that means a lot to me.

Identify totallly. That said, I tend to be a little obsessive about things, and my friends and girlfriend especially just views this as one more obsession. I concede (even to her) that it is, but SO WHAT? Like you say, I am frugal, don't spend a lot of money, even on this hobby, I just have to be careful about talking about it all the time, she REALLY doesn't care. I will say that buying her a nice rep Hermes H-hour helped smooth things over....

They are out there but you have to scour the internet - and eBay. Did you post this question on WUS? Because I saw an almost identical question there yesterday or the day before.

It is gen or at least the balance assembly is. If the rest of the movement is clone, it would be the first time I have heard of them putting genuine balances on clones.