lhooq

Amazing shot of that 5512, PS! 1016 on the beach:

I think I marginally prefer the gray dial, but this is really nice, too. But stay away from the one with the wacky white dial!

Much appreciated, justasgood. If I remember correctly, Ubi's second 7032 was built from the DW kit. His infamous 7031 was an NDT, I think!

Seamaster 300:

This is a very interesting idea, though total preservation of the hoops isn't a priority. If I can get it to fit, this endlink would most likely accompany this 7032 for the rest of its days! I have a 605 endlink currently making its way to me. (Talk about a drawn-out, piecemeal, mutt of a build...) I'll take a good look at the 605 and see if it matches up with the expert description in the OP, then proceed from there. Thanks! joerg: As I suspected, Yuki's case (and also Phong's, I think) has similarly inboard lugholes. I REALLY need to hear from marsupilami now!

I suppose this could be an update to my long-running DW 7032: Work-in-progress thread, but brand-new threads seem to get the most response. Prove me right! I should also link to vlydog's thread from the start of the year. This dealt with the same issues as below, but nothing definitive emerged, unfortunately. Since October, I've been living with the rep '358' endlinks that came with my Watch International 7836 bracelet. They're beefier and fill the lugs better than the usual suspects (e.g. '455B' or '280'), but they're not a flush fit. Online sources (i.e. Morgan) indicate that the Homeplates were originally sold with ill-fitting 380s. Introduced many years later alongside Tudor's ETA 7750 chronographs, the 589 endlink was discovered to be a better fit on the earlier bi-compax models. Some more years later, 589 begat the 605, which came with the Pre-Tiger chronograph. Apparently, these are identical to the 589s, but... I'll let our Danish friend explain: Our very own marsupilami had great success with 605s, though his 7031 was from Yuki, not DW. Does this make a difference? Maybe. Probably. I really should've sent him a PM... Thing is, the lughole placement on DW's case is not quite the same as on the gen. Here's a profile shot of the real thing: ... and DW's: If you have a Monte Carlo from Yuki, Phong, or NDT, please post similar photos so we can compare. My, that was quite the introduction. Anyway, this morning I took delivery of the single 589 endlink that I was able to snag for pretty cheap a few weeks ago. How did it fit? The curvature is an excellent match with the lugs, but the internal hoops were too far to the outside. The right picture shows the minimal overlap between hoop and lugholes when the endlink is in place. Not even a partial eclipse! Any ideas on how I can get this endlink to work, short of buying a different case? I don't think bent springbars are going to do it, nor can I see how bending the endlink would make things better. Help!

Strange thing about the mesh bracelet... I absolutely love it, and it gets a lot of respect among the WIS masses. But to Joe Public, the reaction is more along the lines of, "That's... odd..." or, "Oh man, what's up with that band?" I'd be more upset if I didn't remember my own feelings about mesh just a few years ago. Back then, I honestly found them to be tacky and far too blingy--and I hate using the word "bling" in any form! I much preferred subdued watches like the Speedmaster, compared to Omega's 70s monsters. And while I still love my Speedy, I'm just as eager to get my hands on a huge Seamaster 1000m, or a Speedsonic Lobster. Tastes do change!

The Homer returns after a long absence:

Don't forget the hands! Nothing says you mean business like a set of Submariner hands! thl: I don't know if I've ever seen a 5500 Explorer service dial go on sale, but one would definitely perfect your watch.

WOW! Can I send you my 7032 caseback now? My wrist is getting embarrassed by these shallow DW etchings!

Unfortunately, not only are the wheels not interchangeable, but the 3133 date-change runs clockwise.

Speedmaster on Donerix croc:

Best thread title in some time!

Gorgeous, joerg! J: Love the bombe lugs on that one. And if you do win the lottery, I wouldn't mind a personal delivery of pending projects. Daytona sunset:

Thanks, PS, and likewise! I love your scenes of Paris.

Just as he can do whatever the hell he wants, we are likewise entitled -nay, obligated- to shun and shame Mr. Clapton, and question his sanity. ENABLER!!!

Superb build, thl! But if I could make one suggestion... Do consider the new 5500 dial that Yuki started selling earlier this month. It's similar to the Explorer dials that Yuki carried 2 years ago i.e. much better than his more recent stock. The numerals are less puffy and are in the correct places. Also, the ROPE text is smaller and better rendered. Unfortunately, the lume is white, so you would have to relume the hands or the dial. Everything else is perfect; a better dial would put your Explorer over the top.

I am the Master of the Sea... I am the ruler of the Queen's Nay-vee...

I blame John Mayer!

Neither the girl nor the dog is mine, for now... (I have a net.)

LHOOQ en petites vacances! Une femme, un chien, et l'Explorer:

Thanks, urban! To be honest, I always figured that God wore a two-tone Day-Date, and that if you asked him about it, He'd say, "Oh, this? Thanks, but y'know, I'm really not that into watches..." Back to my silly little topic: No fans of the Trainmaster? Pro-master? Sharkmaster?

If those four aren't Photoshopped, I will eat my Explorer frankens, live on the Internet!

Speaking of croc straps, Donerix' custom arrived today:

My Speedy is my favorite watch. For most of the time I've had it, it's been on a brown Hirsch Medici, which is part of the Leonardo series of straps. What's so remarkable about Leonardos is that they're pretty much the only aftermarket curved-end straps that could pass for OEM. Better still, they fit into an Omega 18mm deployant with no modifications. But my dream strap for the Speedy has long been an Omega honey-brown croc--curved, and made specifically for deployants. These are incredibly hard to find, and sell for just under $400. Even worse, they only fit on 16mm deployment clasps so you can add another $230 on top of. >$600 for a strap? No thanks! So I approached donerix in December, and started talking. He finished work in February, but the mail was awful slow. Here's the finished item: