automatico

"I tried sending a PM to Stilty for two of his adapters. Does anyone know if he's still around?" He moved a couple years back and afaik he has more or less dropped out of the hobby. The adapters he had worked great but they are probably long gone unless someone on the forum coughs one up. You can usually get by with a standard brass Eta spacer from Raffles Time, Rouhelena etc and have it fitted to a particular movement/case combo by someone handy with a small lathe with a 3 or 4 jaw chuck. I made a few out of brass flat washers and they only cost around $1USD each but it takes an hour or two to cut one to size on my small Sherline lathe. Cutting them to size...that's the catch, it just takes too long and I will not make one unless I absolutely have to Stilty's adapters were cnc machined and iirc they were around $20 each.

"I have done this and it is the hardest operation I have done, and it did not come out perfect!" Agree. "It is almost impossible to drill all 4 holes to meet up with the predrilled holes inside the lugs." True! I successfully drilled all four holes in a blind lug replica DJ a few years ago and have never been able to duplicate it after quite a few tries. Today I drilled out four holes to 1.3mm in a case with smaller holes already drilled all the way through with no trouble. If the holes are already there it is fairly easy except for holes that are predrilled off center. These were predrilled at a slight downhill angle but I lucked out. I use HSS bits and aerosol CRC spray oil (only because I have a case of it). This time the same bit cut all four holes but sometimes the bit dulls and has to be changed before it cuts four holes. As long as it cuts I use it but when it dulls a little I change it out. I have never sharpened a bit this small but I am sure it can be done fairly easily. I have a 20mm diamond coated disc in a battery Dremel and it would probably rough it out and then it could be finished on a sharpening hone etc. I'm just too lazy to try it. Use 'Windex' etc glass cleaner to cool/lubricate the diamond wheel and keep it from loading up with metal.

"...it's a very difficult task to carry out in order to drill exactly to mate with the already drilled internal lug holes." From my experience it is next to impossible. If you get four holes drilled exactly where you want them...it was an accident. The drill bit will walk on the uneven lug and ruin the lug. The bit will break off in the lug. The bit will start correctly then follow the inside hole when it hits it and break if the hole is not exactly parallel and the same size. Many inside drilled holes are drilled at an angle and the bit will break when they hit the angle from the outside. etc, etc. Tips... Have the least amount of drill bit exposed as possible even if it means stopping a few times to extend it as the hole deepens. On no hole (aka 'blind') lugs use a center punch etc to make a dimple where you want to start the holes to keep the bit from walking. Stainless steel will work harden if the bit stops cutting and heats the lug so keep the bit cool and lubricated. Drill the holes in two or three steps, do not try to drill the holes in one run. The case has to be held very securely while drilling...brass jaw vise bolted to the drill press table etc.

Sad to say but there is not much of a fix for a snap on bezel that pops off easily. Either the crystal retaining ring or rotating bezel is out of spec...maybe both. I too have had good luck with Clark's bezel kits but they are out of stock most of the time. They are supplied with a matte finish and have to be polished but it is very easy to do. You might also spend a little extra and get a Clark's 19 crystal to go with it as an out of spec crystal will also cause trouble. The crystal neck on the case should be 28.2mm or very, very close. Prying a bezel off and snapping it on a lot will make it prone to popping off same as turning the bezel a lot without pressing down on it. When you turn the bezel back and forth without pressing down on it, the upward pressure of the tension spring will cause wear on the crystal retaining ring and rotating bezel over time and make it easy to remove.

"I would have to agree with Pete and Sgtguk, Ebay is not the way to go." +1 If I was going to sell a rolex on eBay I would make sure all rolex signed/trademarked parts were genuine for sure. If there were any aftmkt parts (springbars, gaskets, bracelet screws etc) I would note it on the sales blurb. Full disclosure. One exception could be a refinished dial but it must be on an original rolex dial plate...no Phong, Yuki etc dials because I seriously doubt their Singer, Beyeler etc stamped dial plates are genuine. eBay has a $100 or $200 watch buying/selling limit for me because of so many crooks. You sell a nice rolex watch. All is fine and dandy for a few days. Then the buyer says you 'misrepresented' the watch and files a complaint. Of course eBay sides with the buyer. You give the $$ back. The watch comes back with a worn out auto wind assembly, beat up bezel, and badly corroded caseback. You raise he-ll. The guy says he sent it back because of the bad parts. You can not prove what really happened so you are $crewed. Never sell anything on eBay that you can not afford to give away. Replicas are for replica forums... Say you sell a real nice replica 5513 with a 1520 to someone in town that you do not know very well...with full disclosure of course. They are happy. You are happy. A few months later the guy sells the 5513 to a rolex Groupie as 'all genuine' for a lot of $$. The Groupie takes it to a rolex AD and shows it off. The rolex AD examines it and discovers it has an aftmkt case/dial. The Groupie goes back to the guy he bought it from and wants his $$ back. The guy you sold it to tells the Groupie it was sold to him as 'all genuine' and tells the Groupie to get screwed. The Groupie finds out who the crook bought it from. The Groupie comes to your house wanting help, $$...or revenge.

There is one thing to remember in the swiss Eta vs Asian 21 jewel movement debates... It all depends on the condition of the movement. Anyone who has worked on a lot of swiss Etas and Asian '21 jewelers' can easily tell the difference in quality between the two...the 21 jewelers come in dead last. What makes heroes out of them is when someone gets a dud swiss Eta (dirty and/or worn out) in a watch and compares it with a watch with a properly cared for 21 jeweler that runs fine. The reason why it is easier to replace a 21 jeweler than service it is obvious...they are not worth servicing. When a swiss Eta is properly c/o it will run for years and replacement parts are fairly cheap and always available. Not so with Asian 21 jewelers. They are so cheaply made that time setting parts and date parts are always breaking and autowind problems are fairly common...no supply house stocks parts for them. There is no denying that a good one will run for quite a while and keep pretty good time but the fact remains that they are probably made for $5USD or less each and are not meant to last very long. They are fairly rugged though and will take a beating. Cheapo movements are usually pretty rugged. Anyone remember how tough the early mechanical Timex watches were? I do. Anyone see inside the average Patek, AP, VC? I have. One drop and they are history. They are made to be pretty, not rugged. Here is my take on Asian etaclones (2824/36, 2892 etc)... They are Ok if you want a lower initial cost 'keeper' watch that will accept a swiss Eta when the Asian etaclone goes DOA sooner or later. Swiss Etas will swap out with Asian etaclones but swiss Etas will not swap out with Asian 21 jewelers as the dial feet and hands are different and will not fit. I would never waste time c/o an Asian etaclone if a swiss Eta was handy. Asian etaclone 7750 vs swiss 7750 are another story. I do not want another 7750, swiss or asian. Ever. Why? Work on one and you will see why. Except for the mainplate they look like they were made in a muffler shop...imho. If I wanted an asian chronograph movement, I would go with the Seagull ST19 or the new automatic version of the same. If I wanted a swiss eta 7750 chronograph...I would remember the last one I had and be over it (Hamilton Khaki). I am not much of a mechanical chronograph guy. Eight or ten years ago many replicas had new swiss Etas in them but this is not the case today. Most swiss Eta models will have used or nos movements that have been stored for years and need c/o to run reliably. My guess is very few new/fresh swiss Etas are installed in replicas today (fresh = hermetically sealed in foil packs). I will say this...a properly serviced swiss Eta in a decently sealed replica case with quality case tube/crown etc will last for a looong time. I have a couple swiss Eta 2846 steel DJ from the late 1980s/early 1990s that still run just fine. Bought them out of an ad in USA Today. Everyone (including me) grumbles about the ever increasing prices for swiss Etas but do not say anything about the rise in Asian 21 jeweler prices. I bought a dozen DG 2813 about 10 years ago and they were $8.95USD each...now they are $18 to $25USD. Because they are still so cheap compared to swiss Etas no one complains about a 100%+ rise in prices. It's like the man said: "Yo' pays yo' money and yo' takes yo' choice." There ain't no free lunch. Edit: PeteM... I started my post before you posted yours but screwed around and did not put it up. Looks like we were thinking alike.

"I dunno how they would turn a 2813 into a GMT movement, since it's a date only movement." The DG 2812 day/date movement was used in earlier GMT models that had non adjustable 24 hour hands. They did basically the same thing to convert them as was done to Eta day/date movements with non adjustable 24 hour hands. Do not know if 2812 GMT conversions were factory made or 'back room' made. They are reliable as long as the movement is clean and properly oiled to begin with. The swiss Eta 2836/46 non adjustable GMT conversions are dead nuts reliable as long as they are properly c/o. Non adjustable 24 hour hand movements are more realistic to vintage models.

A 2824 might be thin enough. Try a 2824 and if it will work, maybe use a 2824 with the escapement/escape wheel/pallet fork from a 2846 so it runs at 21600 bph.

Drill bit size to tap chart: http://brassmein.com/tech/taps.htm

"But I digress... are you implying that I'd rather ask Yuki to build a custom dial for me instead of buying NDT's piece which is already available and is exactly the part I'd need?" I said it because of cost. Phong is famous for high prices and Yuki is not as bad. Looking back, I should have stayed quiet as I was thinking it was 34mm and not 36mm so I got myself in a mess. I am familiar with 34mm 'explorers' and 36mm scoc explorers but know nothing about the 5504.

"I'll follow your advice and drop an eye on Yuki's site." A dial for your watch will probably be a special order seeing that the case is the same size as a 1018 and not a 5500. The 5504 uses the same crown, cb gasket, and crystal as a 36mm 1018. Yuki might be able to get one made on a 1016 plate and leave the scoc stuff off. It's strange the 36mm DJ has a 6.0mm crown and the 5504, 1018, and 1019 Mg have 5.3mm crowns. crystal...25-21 case tube...24-5300 crown...24-530 cb gskt...29-292-76

I have two older AK (5501 tutone from 1962 and a 1002 AK from 1964) both with ratty refinished dials over original dial plates so I bought two explorer type dials from Yuki and they both look real good...one black/white and one black/gold. I figure as long as I still have the dials/hands that came on the watches they will still be worth good $$ even with 'fake!' dials. Seeing that all AK 5500/5501/5504/5701/1002 are 34mm, dial choice is greatly limited. I am waiting on parts for the two AK so now I am working on an old (1956) tutone manual wind 6422...cal 1210 with original dial and crown with 'rolex oyster' stamped on it. It was so gummed up that I had to soak it in cleaner before I could get it all the way apart. It supposedly had been in a drawer 25+ years before I got it. After they are done, I have an old 6694 with original folded oyster to fix next...ratty refinished dial and all. edit: Looks like I was wrong on the 5504 case size. According to the seller of an AK 5504 on eBay it has a larger case. item # 321199476978. What is the diameter of your 5504 case?

Here is a good deal on clamps but the screws are harder to find and more expensive. I bought some of the clamps and they can be easily shortened or narrowed if needed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOVEMENT-CLAMP-TAB-fr-ETA-2824-2834-2836-6497-6498-7750-/321206536907?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac966cacb

Read 'crown info' sticky at top of rolex area.

"Is there any micro adjustment when positioning a date wheel on a 1570 movement?" Yes. The end of the little spring with the rounded tip on it that locates the calendar disc (proper name = date jumper) has an eccentric screw made on the end. There is a small screwdriver slot in the end of the jumper to adjust the dw up and down a few degrees. Look at a clear picture or a movement and you can see the slot in the date jumper tip.

Maybe call 'em 'Fronkensteen' like in 'Young Frankenstein' 1974. "No, it’s pronounced Fronkensteen.” "After 5pm slip brains through slot in door."

"I'm starting apprenticeship training at a watchmaker." Good luck! If the EU is like the USA there will be plenty of work. Must haves: A BRIGHT! hand held light. Hand held high power map reader/magnifying glass. At least 60 pound pull permanent magnet. Lint roller. Why? To find flipped/lost parts....Ha! (Some 'experts' say to never use a magnet to find watch parts but imho that's BS. What do they think demagnetizers are for?)

http://www.tztoolshop.com/page30.html

"Before you know it you're $4,500 into a frankenwatch that 99% of the public cannot tell from a $500 Raffles build. And you're scared to use the thing because of the investment." +1

First class job! "The entire pearl and lume application are done here in the United States."

"Buy the seller then buy the watch..." While remembering Steve T. Mulholland... The Tissot is not worth much, less if quartz. If quartz, it is worth around $20USD...on a good day. Mechanical maybe $50USD...maybe. The Omega is probably a gold plated snap back, manual wind, with a non wr crown...if so, it is worth around $50/75USD, maybe $100USD to someone walking sideways. Not much of a watch imho, all you are getting is the brand name. If it was screw back with wr crown, it might be worth $100USD. If automatic, maybe $125/150USD. For $120euro ($160USD), I would buy one good watch. "when you see the movements you will see if they are genuine. all the worth is in the movements. Beside these are obviously genuines. low end watches at that." Good advice.

"I'm worried about the old CN problem of the date window being too far to the right." Yep, it sorta stands out. I have a few fairly new DG 2812/13 movements with rlx style font and the dates are 10mm offset like this one. Otoh I have a 16610 from 4 or 5 years back when the DG 4813 first showed up and the date wheel is 9mm offset with proper font. I never took the dial off to see if it had an overlay or what. Someone needs to sent PC a note that the movement is a 4813, not a 2813. The DG 4813 seems to be a good time keeper as long as you are active enough to keep it wound up. Maybe do the Boogaloo a couple times a day... "... my friends would never guess I would wear fake, and now, they are suspicious and it is about the character as well...so twice the damage, not only financial..." One may be skating on thin ice when depending on a fake watch for 'status'. If someone's status drops when caught wearing a genuine watch...well now, that's Ok!

Watches are a disease. The longest I have owned the same watch...41 years. Longest I wore it...5 or 6 days in a row. Last time I wore it...1979. Owned how many of the same model since then?...20 or so. How many watches total since I started?...you would not believe it. How many do I have now?...you would not believe it. How many have I sold?...ditto. Working on them... What is the biggest problem imho?...parts, no doubt about it. What is the main flaw in mechanical watches imho?...hairsprings. Are quartz watches really 'better' than mechanical watches imho?...of course they are. The same question applied to automobiles (because this is what usually happens when discussing mechanical watches): Is a Lexus better than a T model Ford?...of course it is. A modern mechanical watch is just a T model engine in a Lexus body. What have I learned? A watch is a watch. They all go stale in about 7 days.

"What are my options for the case back apart from Yuki?" I see projects as one of two types... Will it pass for genuine inside and out. Very, very hard to accomplish and very expensive. Will it pass for genuine on the outside only. Not nearly as hard to accomplish and fairly affordable. So...assuming you are making an 'outside' watch, you can probably scare up a suitable low buck caseback but it might not be correctly signed inside and might need a little modifying. Same goes for the case between the lugs...wrong reference number/serial number is Ok as long as the bracelet stays on. With a cartel 1655 case, this is 'the case' already. 'outside tell' test = Does it pass at first glance from a few feet away? Not hard to accomplish and a very reasonable/affordable goal. Does it pass an up close eyeball test? Harder but still relatively easy and affordable. Does it pass under a 5X loupe? A lot harder to do. Getting into $$. The IG44 dial will help a lot. Does it pass a 10X loupe test? Very hard to do. Probably need some genuine stuff to pass, especially the dial. Takes mucho $$. A watch that will pass the 'inside and outside' tell test will have a return on investment about the same as an ice sculpture.

"I know nobody will believe me now LOL. But I have been thinking about doing this for about a year." Me too. I cut the crown guards off a replica 16610 lug hole case and was going to make a big crown project with Raffles Time sterile dial etc but never finished it. It was fairly easy to remove the cg and smooth the case out. I can't even find it now...