lhooq

Explorer Overhaul Part 2: 1016 Project 4 Revisited It's not easy being Project 4. Even though more money and more work was poured into it, the Explorer stayed in the shadow of its handsomer and more charismatic brother, the Project 3 Space-Dweller. So, like Avis, it must try harder! But it's apples-and-oranges, really, and I'm not referring to the respective colors of their lume. The Space-Dweller is the overt "vintage" piece with smooth curves and that dome crystal, while the angular, 16203-based Explorer is the more timeless and discreet watch. I love both of these 1016s, and give roughly equal wrist-time to both of them. No, there is no favoritism in my house, and the mere suggestion of such is absurd. Ahem. But I did feel that, while the Space-Dweller was a done deal back in August, there was always room for improvement on Project 4. If you read my OP, I was explicit about the areas I was unhappy with: The high-beat, Sea-Gull movement, which was nonetheless accurate and reliable; and the dial, which was an old-version matte dial from Yuki, refinished by Goin6633. It does seem a bit churlish for me to complain about it, now that decent aftermarket 1016 dials are so hard to find (which is a bit ridiculous--these are not complex dials to make!). Dial by Rolex If rep 1016 dials are hard to find, gen 1016 dials are rarer still. Not counting crappy "refinished" dials and examples with ridiculous Buy-It-Now prices, I think only three 1016 dials showed up for auction between July and December. Thankfully, I managed to get a hold of that last one. And then SEVEN showed up on VRF a week later! Bizarre timing, now I have my dial, and it is nice: Other than the tritium migration -especially at 3 o'clock- the dial is in excellent condition. It's not a service dial, but an early-70s original, as indicated by the slab-serif font for 'ROLEX'. I chose this example for its clean surface and barely yellowed lume. The printing of the frog's foot coronet and ROPE text is actually less distinct than on a lot of rep dials. The SCOC text on the lower half is crisp, but subdued, something that has not been replicated by any aftermarket dial. Those usually go heavy with bold fonts and big serifs (which can also be accurate to certain gens). It's a beautiful dial, and the worst part of this build was having to snip its feet. I wish I had a 1570 for this build like Ubi does, so I could've kept the dial intact. (I also wish I had a 1570 so I could have a 1570!) Movement by Rado Chi's faux Tudor worked great in my Space-Dweller, so I thought I'd do something similar for P4. Here, then, is another ETA 2472, this one extracted from a Rado Purple Horse. Non-hacking, 18000bph, much like a 1560. So much better! There’s still a couple of areas for improvement, though they’re not urgent. I would like to change the hands (on this and the Space-Dweller) to genuine Tudor units, since none of the aftermarket sources seem to be able to get Sub hands right. Maybe in another fifty years? Also, while I’ve been a big fan of the cheap folded-link bracelet rep that came out last year, it falls short on several counts. I suppose this is as much a comfort issue as it is to do with visual accuracy, but I’d like to find a genuine 7836 for this build. But like everything else, they’re not cheap… A couple more beauty shots for the road, then I think I’ll go look at the dial with a loupe for a while! Big thanks to alligoat for his help in sourcing a very big part!

Explorer Overhaul Part 1: Drilling! There's 1016 excitement in the air! In addition to one very high-profile project, my spies tell me that there are at least a couple more vintage Explorer builds in the works. In fact, it's Ubi's Project 1016 thread that inspired me to revisit the Space-Dweller. After completing it back in August, I pretty much considered it a closed book. It's my favorite rep, and I didn't think it needed any more work done. The only upgrade I considered was replacing the Yuki hands with Clarks, and you can see those in the last picture below. (Big improvement.) However, I did note some regret over the 1601's lugholes being left undrilled. Both Justin and I felt they were too close to the edge and put the entire case at risk. Several months ago, I was able to put my Space-Dweller next to a genuine '67 Explorer, and compare them for a few minutes. More than anything else, it was the small lugholes that called my Space-Dweller out. And then I saw Ubi's own 1601, and the four yawning holes perforating its lugs. "Beautiful!" I thought, "...and doable?" I mulled over it a bit, then decided to give it a go. What's the worst that could happen? (Answer: $100-200 to buy a new 1601 case.) Ubi was a huge help (predictably) and provided me with a bunch of macro shots of his lugs. Armed with printouts of these, I took the Space-Dweller to my watchsmith and told him to get to work. Here is the result: It may be hard to see in the pictures, but this was only a partial victory. Like Justin before him, my watch guy was very worried about "coloring over the lines" and destroying the case. He worked on the holes by hand and widened them to just under 1.2mm, falling short of the 1.3mm I'd asked for. Understandable, as you can see how little metal he had to work with on some corners: So, faced with two drillers who could not, in good conscience, drill those holes, I relented. Whoever drilled Ubi's 1601 must have ice-cold blood flowing through his veins! Compromise or not, I'm happy with the improved looks, courtesy of the few tenths of a millimeter in diameter: One final shot of the Space-Dweller, yesterday: Thanks again to ChiMan12 and jmb! But that was just the smaller upgrade of the two I finished this weekend. Stay tuned...

Big thumbs up to Chi and Ubi. This GMT just keeps getting better and better!

My favorite Sub! Looks to be another quality build, Sly.

Just beautiful! I especially love the black standard dials without the red "Daytona".

Friday... YEAAARRRGGH!!! All that exuberance tired me out. See you guys on Monday... But first, a Speedmaster:

Damn, we need a picture of that engraving! That would be the best celebrity caseback since, "...Your Pal Col. Tom Parker".

Once again, my workplace firewall is killing me, as I can't see any of your pictures... Still, it's great to hear the 1570 fit without issue. And, yes, J is a lathe virtuoso! EDIT: Lunch break, and I'm seeing it now. Faaantaastic!!! You might want to shorten that stem, though.

Massive praise, coming from one of my favorite photographers on RWG! Guys, please take a look at the Photo of the Day thread, especially Andei's moonlit (!) winter shot. I can't believe no one else has commented on it! Eton: Thanks, too!

I... think I missed a sales thread somewhere. Damn... ...and congratulations! (But damn...)

Lot of 1016 excitement about these days! Naturally...

Yes, really! It's not a bad rep. It's an ironic, post-modern something or other that challenges our assumptions on brand names and status.

maxman, the Deep Seiko does NOT deserve to be on this thread!

I've always liked the TAG-Heuer Monza--even more than the old Heuer Monza! Looks great with a black dial.

Sorry, I thought you were referring to the markings! However, I still find the dimensions of the DW bezel to be accurate to the gen, based on what I've seen in pictures and on genuine 6239s. The angle at which the photos are taken can make comparison difficult, though, and I can see what you see with regard to a shallower angle on the upper lip. But as Groucho333 would say, "Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?"

Freddy: In my experience with a 7750-powered DW 6239, I've been very impressed by the quality of the case, inside and out. It's a very big step forward, especially when compared to the current DW 6263. However, I think there's still room for improvement, or modification. My biggest issue was with the thickness of the lugs on the crown-side, especially that long "shelf" and bump adjacent to the crown itself. (What alligoat and I refer to as "the tumah".) I realize there were two versions of the 6239, but the DW case has sides that are thicker than either one. Here's the little diagram I made in my writeup, with Stefano-style notations. The inner red line is where I would trim the case, if I could: Secondly, I think it would be a good idea to blunt the lug horns even further, and eliminate those points. Again, the contours are a big improvement over the DW6263 and it's great how the DW6239 has almost no sharp edges, but just a little more would be great... The bezel, other than needing to be opened up to take a gen T21 (on the 7750 version, at least), is excellent and shaped very accurately, in my opinion. In addition to everything freddy noted, check out those serifed 7s! praetor: You posted a picture of the earliest version of the 6239 bezel, so it's not really a good reference of comparison. DW's is a replica of the second 300UPH bezel.

mellus is the one I remember.

That shot makes me reconsider my feelings about silver Tropics! It almost looks like scales, and it looks great with the PN. And the striped, leather NATO is something I've never seen before!

I know that bezel!

LLD. To paraphrase Sergeant Schutlz, "I sell nothing!"

Also, the name "Jeanne".

I've seen better pictures of Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster! To echo everyone else: Amazing, if true. I figured there'd be a bunch of dealers watching those auctions constantly, ready to pounce on any watch with a coronet.

Ubi, could you post a picture of your drawer full of 1560s and 1570s?