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Virgil Hilts

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Posts posted by Virgil Hilts

  1. Can you PM or email me some more info. I am making a custom watch similar to the one on the left and am looking for someone to do some vintage work.

    Thanks

    PM me with your questions and I'll be glad to give you whatever information I can. VDBroucke, a member here did the work. He's very good.

  2. Here are some pics of my shiny old vintage 6152-1 Pannys. Just got 'em today. Overall, I'm very happy. VDB does fantastic work. The vintagizing (yeah, it's a word now) is top-notch, especially the dials. I love the aged brown on the Luminor. The MM has a Mod. Dep. buckle. And of course, vintage leather straps, nice and thick.

    The movement in the Luminor is a genuine Cortebert with re-engraved bridge. Works great. Runs like a top.

    As for disappointments, I'm a little disappointed with the crown guards not having the "peak" on the inside of the top. The MM crown guard is way too thin. And the font on the display-back bezel is pretty bad, as is the engraving. Hoping to work those out - if anyone has better vintage crown guards, please let me know. And the solid case-back was supposed to be engraved, which I'm sure was just an oversight I'm sure we can sort out.

    I can't recommend VDB highly enough. Bit of a language barrier, but his work is spectacular.

    Hope you enjoy the pics. Comments and suggestions always welcome.

    BothVintagePannys.jpg

    LuminorVintageFront.jpg

    MMVintageFront.jpg

    VintageLuminorMovement.jpg

    mmback.jpg

    ModDep.jpg

  3. Man, I love this place.

    You guys are great.

    Thanks so much for the kind offer, R, but another member has already offered to swap my Cort winding gear for his plain one. I figure we both help each other that way.

    Hopefully, I'll get my VDB MM Destro in the next week or so to hold me over until he works his magic with this one. I'll be sure to take plenty of pics once they arrive.

  4. The project is to build a watch as close as possible to this gen 6152-1. Thought about a 3646, but I'm not really that big a fan. Loves me the gigantic crown guards.

    Faded tobacco dial. Properly aged. Big 'ol plexi. Brevettato display back. Engrave "Rolex" on the bridge. Swap out "Cortebert" winding wheel with plain one.

    Here's the gen:

    6152-1BrownWrist.jpg

    6152-1Closeup.jpg

    Here's a shot to see just how brown the dial is:

    6152-1Brown.jpg

  5. I'm having VDB make me a vintage 6152-1 MM Destro. I'm also starting to dream about a Cortebert/Rollie/Angelus-powered 6152-1 with a tobacco Luminor Panerai Dial and Grail-like vintage accuracy. I'm willing to sell just about every rep I have (except my VJ72 Daytona), or maybe even my Gen Tank Francaise to get it. If anyone's got one they want to sell...

    But most of all, I hope to get MY DAMN GEN 5512 BACK FROM MY WATCH GUY. HE'S HAD IT SIX @#$^% MONTHS.

  6. Ok, here's the deal. If it can be definitively proved that our watches are being made with underage labor, I'm done with the rep game in Asia. We can rationalize all we want, but if the tables were turned, we wouldn't want our children doing those jobs. It really is that cut and dried. I'm not a Pollyanna and I know that the act of one person won't make a difference, but we all have to draw the line somewhere. This is where I draw mine.

    Ken, I think that western retailers want more than just the lowest price. They want the lowest price possible that will allow them to perserve some semblance of a socially responsible reputation. The rub is whether the retailer must actually pursue socially responsible outcomes or if simply marketing social responsibility will do the trick. In other words, does the retailer actually have to do good or can they simply claim that they're doing good? The jury is still out on that issue. I think that you are correct that they will have no concern if someone down the line makes their product with slave child labor provided that it doesn't make it's way back to the retailer's own reputational doorstep.
  7. Freddy,

    Thanks for the good wishes. Very happy with the watches. But that dial is gonna drive me nuts. I've got a regular 6263 DW dial I'll put in there until I can find an exotic I'm happy with. The minutes totalizer isn't resetting to 30 all the way - not a big shock with the MM's. I'll be sending this one to The Zigmeister, too, I suppose. I also have an extra, failed MM for parts...doesn't everyone? :p

    Here's a picture of the donor VJ23 case. It was a vintage Croton Chronomaster which definitely had the VJ23. As you can see, it's asymmetrical. The movement is in the DW and I can't get the case back off right now. If it won't fit in this case, maybe it'll fit in the DW I just picked up. Either way, they're headed to The Great White North.

    oldcase.jpg

    Congratulations on the new addition to your vintage Daytona family.

    Yes, it is a fantasy dial, but the number of members in the International Daytona Club who are actually aware of this (or would be able to recognize your watch for having a fantasy dial) can be counted in the hundreds, at best. So as long as you keep the watch away from TZ, I will not tell anyone if you do not.

    Fantasy dials aside, it looks great to me.

    Some of the DW cases are definitely machined poorly (and I am being kind). But if the movement fits properly into the case & the pushers do not line up, there may be something more serious going on in there. Are you sure you have a Valjoux movement & not a Landron, Lemania or something else that has a symmetrical pusher arrangement? That might explain the pusher alignment problem.

    p.s. I just noticed that your minutes totalizer (subdial at 3) is not reset. Or did you take the pic with the chrono running?

    Thanks CBR!

    Man, I love this place.

    I have a stainless bezel that you can have. Its been sitting in my drawer for nearly two years.

    Send me a PM with address and I will get it off to you.

    CBR

  8. Hey, all.

    Just got the DW Daytona that Porsche356A sold me last week. Thought I'd post a few pics of the collection. The PN dial with the black minute markers is the new one. It's got a MM that's still keeping good time. Whew. The middle one is my baby, a VJ72, non-DW case with Timeman dial and a rally strap with gen buckle. The third one is a VJ23 project that still needs work. My watch repair guy here couldn't get the chrono pushers to line up with the movement. So either he's not that good (which I'm inclined to believe - he didn't even put the right subhands on the thing) or the guy who sold me the watch wasn't truthful about it being a DW case. Either way, it's going to find it's way up to Canada for some Zig love this summer, I hope.

    If anyone has a spare 6239 dial they'd like to sell, please let me know (Tony, I'm looking at you, bro). I also need a stainless tach bezel (or two). I've got a gen Tropic to put in the 6239.

    Also, isn't the black on white minute-marker dial a fantasy dial? I've never seen that on a gen. It's usually white minute-markers on a black background.

    Anyway, enjoy the pics.

    3Daytonas.jpg

    3Daytonas1.jpg

    BlackDaytona.jpg

    6239Daytona.jpg

    6265Daytona.jpg

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