Ronin

Thanks, this is great info. I have some aftermarket 1.8mm bars on it now and it is a bit sloppy. I will try the taper/grease trick with gen bars.

Bump on achieving the the perfect Black Hole effect? Is there an off the shelf AR coating regular people can purchase. Since we are only talking about the underside of the cyclops seems like it would be easy to DIY?

Does anyone know what the correct spring bars should be for a Genuine 6251H Jubilee with 55 endlinks on a Genuine 1675. I went to swap between an Oyster with the 2mm Spring Bars (same ones used on Subs 1680, etc) and the spring bars are too thick to slide through the hollow mid links of the 6251. It is as if it needs 1.8mm bars but the 1.8's that I have do not 'fill out' to edge of the lug holes a bit to short. Thanks!

If it keeps falling off you might want to try crimping the tip of seconds hand shaft in a pin-vice. Just a tiny bit, be careful not to deform it too much.

LOL, I lost a $20 bet to Pugwash when the first iPad came out. I bet it would flop, boy was I wrong... I met up with Ubiquitous a few months ago. Rocking some amazing Frankens! What happened to Freddy333? I haven't seen anything from him since I have resurfaced. What about By-Tor?

A friend is chemical engineer, and I asked this question a few years ago. The answer went something like this: Radium half-lives every 25 years vs Tritium which IIRC is 12.5. Depending on how much lume is used (A lot in Pocket Watches) and how old it is, is what matters. For example a Radium "Hand Set" from a 1955 Sub would be on it's 3rd half-life, with it's 4th coming up in 2030... Given it is a Hand Set, the amount is small, and is probably no worse than handling Asbestos (or Vintage Brake Pad's!). I think treating OLD Radium like Asbestos would be a good analog. It is generally harmless unless ingested or inhaled. Don't stir it up. If it is sealed in the watch, there is otherwise not enough ionizing power to hurt you. The scatter back Body Scanners at the Airport are probably worse for your health or a chest X-Ray...

After poking around the internet, it seems the Ceramic's use the same 25-295 XXX crystals... ~perhaps. This would mean that a crystal from a pre-ceramic 16710 would fit a 116710. Hmmmmm. The difference being the AR. I am noticing suffix of "C" "AR" C1 C2 etc. Anyone know "a guy" that can confirm that. In many ways it makes sense. I can't see Rolex re-tooling for a Crystal change. Other then the outer case dimensions changing and Bezel, it makes sense that a lot of parts like crystals and even dial sizes would go unchanged throughout the decades.

GOLD!!!! ...or should I sal GILT 🙂

Thanks. If I find anything else I will let you know also.

I would Message admin's, but I my mailbox is full and my Platinum membership has expired. When attempting to RE-UP I am getting the following error message: You are only allowed to purchase one of this product, and you have already done so. Can an admin help me out here, but keep in mind I can not send PM's. Also, is there a difference between VIP & Platinum for PM/Inbox size? (PS: I have been Platinum for the last decade! Wow! I'm old now... 😄 )

Amazing as always!

Anyone have the correct part number for the crystal on GMT 111670->Current that features the correct AR on the cyclops? The rep crystals still do not quite 'black hole' the date, but rather 'blue tint AR' it. Some years ago Freddy333 was the first to do this mod. I tried searching for that post unsuccessfully. Also it look like Clarks is selling an AR version. Anyone know if it has the correct clear AR or blue AR? and again Part#? Thanks!

Awesome guys! Many thanks. I will keep you posted on progress once I start the service.

Anyone have "quality" links or material for servicing the 15xx moments? The blurry crap on YouTube is pretty bad. An old school WebSite/Forum post would be nice showing a service as well. Also, in search of oiling chart. (admittedly, have NOT searched that yet).

I tried searching the forum for Ziggy CHS, Zigmeister, etc... He did the original analysis, and these 3135 clones are basically the same, ETA mods. IIRC, is is a major kludge to what would have been a "DAY"/DATE mechanism. Those gears are simply not meant for the stress. They were meant for the "slow" process that is a date change via the date change CAM, and not the modification to the movement. Mods: Anyone know where/how to pull up Rob's old posts? I don't see him as searchable in the member list either. 😞

FYI, my movement imploded despite following instructions. In order to change the date you have to spin the jumping hour hand. I let mine run-down for about a week so I had to advance 5 date changes. I got to the right date, then proceeded to set the time. Bam! Hour hand is no longer tracking/setting normally. I am sending it back to the factory with the help of Andrew. Fingers crossed it makes it back and forth. At $700+ after shipping this is a downer and hell of a gamble. Going forward, my advice with this movement is as follows: 1. Just set it, and leave it on a winder if you can. 2. If the date is more than day a two off, maybe let it sit for a month, and put a reminder on your calendar to put into your wearing rotation at that time. (I actually do this with my GEN Non-Quick-Set Rolex 1575's, if the date is significantly off my more than a week, I just set a reminder and wait a month) 3. Avoid using the jumping hours, and for changing the date within a couple of days, just go old school, non-quick-set, and slowly/gently spin ALL hands until you get to the correct date/time. For those who have been here long enough, remember when Ziggy did an expose on the CHS movement? Same basic issues.

That would be great Champagnesky! Can an you tell us or even PM the Phong alternative?

Thinking back, no, never cracked a crystal. I tend to stick with, Gen, Clark, Sternkruz...

I do the similar PVC/deep press method but also do the following right before pressing: 1: Throw the case in the freezer overnight (contract) 2: Throw the Bezel retaining ring on a Mr. Coffee hot plate for 3-10 minutes. (expand) 3: Pull the case out of the freezer and being careful not to burn yourself -Tweezer/pliers- set and press the ring. It usually cools fast enough so as not to melt the crystal which has a melting temp over 130’C/266’F I did this on my last Superdome MBK 1665. And for a stubborn 1655 24h Bezel

Very Nice!

Ugly