jmb

On mine (the Tudor Chrono I built) there are two "tabs" that are screwed to the movement that fit into a groove in the case. I'll see if I have a pic...

+1 on andy. The screw attaching the "faux" bridge on the one I received was loose when I checked it so I removed but my rotor was tight, though. I removed the fake piece and the mounting for the balance is just a cantilever. If they do make this where it's one piece and attaches solidly at both ends then I would think it a plus. I suppose that with a dab of JB Weld...

Thanks, andy!

Andy, looks nice! Just out of curiosity, what is the width of the case, not counting the crown? The Prince Date rep I bought has a width of about 34mm and the crystal is about 28.15mm. I wonder if a gen dial might fit this case a bit better, I've been watching a couple on flea-bay...

If I ever get Corel Draw figured out I may try this. I recently bought an Alps thermal transfer printer with this type of thing in mind... Anybody have a super macro shot of a gen Great White Rail dial?

Back to my favorite...

Although I haven't used it on watch dials maybe check into some of the Testors sprays like Dull-Kote (sp?), etc. These are made to spray over finished plastic models. When building military models you need a glossy surface for decals to adhere to properly so you spray on a top coat when finished to dull it out. Very gentle compound as it has to be nice to enamels, decals, plastic, etc...

Crap, R! Does Kurt live on the edge of some sort of horological black hole/Bermuda Triangle sort of thing!? Those who know of the Postal issues involved with this project have to wonder...

Glad it got there without another Postal mishap! It looks good on ya, enjoy...

Just looking at the pic Mr. Goat posted makes me think there might be enough "meat" on the edge of a "standard" rep Sub bezel to re-machine with notches instead of scallops. I may try this next week as I now have a small rotary/indexing fixture for my mill. Could somebody verify the number of these "notched and their width/depth? From the picture it looks like there are 72?

If you have a conical point edge finder you should be able to get your mill/drill spindle centered close enough over the tube hole to be able to use a standard end mill cutter to do the counterbore.

I just use a drill bit that's just a bit larger than the hole to provide a bit of countersink. If you want to drop down with a square shouldered hole then that is considered a counterbore which I suppose would work as well depeding on the tube. Use whichever method matches up with the tube you are installing...

Works fine for me. Maybe you need to update your Java client?

I dunno, I kinda like the box...

A Modded Rep Lathe! I don't really know if it would be a rep of anything but some machine tools sure look like reps.

Well, if you think it would work I s'pose I can brew up one and see what happens.

The cheap Chinese lathes leave a bit to be desired "out of the box", but with a few mods can work rather well. And, we are all about modding, right? I have modified mine with a quick-change tool post, a variable speed 2 hp DC motor and controller, and beefed up the compound mounting plate.

K, is the ring I turned for your "project" the same as gen? I thought it was an MBW...

Thanks, Andy. Not sure where you are at but I think Harbor Freight has a small 7 x 10 lathe on sale right now which would be about the right size for making small parts like this. Someday I'm going to get one of those and do a CNC conversion on it...

Knurling is cheap and easy. Remember, Tudor is the Rolex "budget" line...

Isn't that how the old cheapo reps were made, plated brass? At least that's what I've read... I wonder if electroless nickel followed by buffing to the point where some of the brass shines through would produce the effect you are describing

Red, thanks again for the movement and hands, it made the project a "walk-in-the-park" compared to what kind of grief I normally encounter! Nanuk, it would be an interesting project if I had a pattern and the proper material...

Just finished!!!

The last detail, other than possible insert bleaching, needed on the Maxi No-Date experiment was to ditch the plastic movement spacer and come up with a suitable alternative. Since this was a no-name case of dubious heritage I knew nothing would probably be available "off the shelf" so a few measurements and sketch later the chips started flying. I chose aluminum to machine the spacer from as I'm basically lazy and I didn't have any brass laying around. A scrap was first turned to the correct OD and a hole drilled through: A boring bar was attached to the lathe and the drilled hole was then bored to the proper ID to accept the ETA 2836 movement: After measuring the case as best I could I figured (guessed) that the ring should be about .070 thick. I then beveled the edge of the work with a file and sliced off a .070 thick chunk: I then de-burred the piece and tested it in the case with a dial blank. I was hoping that my "guess" would result in the edge being about in the middle of the "groove" and that's about where it would up so I was happy: I then used a round file to put a "notch" to provide clearance for the stem: I dropped in the movement/dial assembly and then inserted the ring. It fit nicely! I then installed the retaining tabs and the job was finished without incident (for a change). Job finished - the Maxi markers just sort of jump out at ya... The re-shaped CGs look a lot better than "stock". This is one detail I can't figure a good reason for the factory not getting right. It would be so easy... I'm happy!!! This little beater has had a long and interesting journey.

Thanks, Jack. It probably would have looked a lot more "correct" if I would have left the original markers on the dial, but that wasn't the point of this exercise as this was a continuation of a learning experience. I really like the easy to read dial and this will likely become my daily beater/shop watch.