jmb

You may be right, I couldn't remember.  A lot of the older cases used a smaller than "proper" hole and they had to be drilled...

That is always a possibility when doing any kind of mods to this stuff.  You have to weigh the pros and cons and decide what you can live with.  When you do decide to remove the old tube you can use a small torch or big soldering iron to heat up the area around the tube before removing it.  The heat will help release any adhesive that might have been used when installing the tube.

Although RWI undoubtedly has more activity most of it is trivial and I've always felt that RWG members existed on a higher "technical plane" than those on other fora.  I think the level of knowledge and expertise here is far above the norm.

I don't remember, been a long time since I did anything to an MBW.  A lot of the reps used to use a smaller hole, maybe M2.5, if so it would need to be drilled.  If it is the right size then the hole would need to have a slight countersink drilled and the threads cleaned with a tap.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow watchaholics!

Yeah, they wear nicely!

Very nice, good job.  A Prince Date is probably the best build for a "greenhorn" to tackle as there are rarely any surprises and you learn how things are supposed to fit together.

Maybe next batch I make I'll try to remember to shoot a video.  I usually think about that stuff after I'm already done...

I remember the $hit-storm somebody tried stirring up on RWI and Stone was very gracious and transparent - I would've taught everybody a few new words.  I've collaborated with Stone on numerous projects over the past several years and I always enjoy seeing his creations.  His honesty and attention to detail is beyond reproach.

If folks want a V1 case (let the record show I was not the one who came up with these rev numbers!) I did save back 5 of the 2824 cases for this type of thing but I'll warn you that StoneP has put dibs on two of them...

I agree 100%!  These cases are a great base for building all kinds of stuff.

Well, maybe one watch...

I don't know, if I had a spare Mil laying around it would go toward really cool cars and motorcycles, not a watch!

A bit over the top but kinda cool!

https://newatlas.com/vacheron-constantin-les-cabinotiers-celestia-astronomical-grand-complication/52132

Lookin good!

I bought my wife a gen Tudor Princess and she can't wear it!  I can have it running on the bench for days and it keeps perfect time, and I've even put in a different movement with no luck.  Her Bulova quartz runs flawlessly...

The rubberized block is more "forgiving" as to technique...

Considerably cheaper, thanks!

Bergeon makes a rubberized abrasive block (in three grits) for doing this.  I use the "medium" block and get pretty decent results.

That is often "normal" from my experience.  But, on your case it's magnified by the heavy edge bevel.

Looks like somebody created a "fantasy" by putting  DSSD dial in a Sub case.

Super job!

This batch is the same as the later batches with the larger dial opening.  The spacer is 29.17mm so everybody can use that as a guide but I have to put out the disclaimer that I have not tried a gen movement in the case...

Maybe next time, if I remember, I'll shoot a video of the case on the lathe.

I finally got in some 2824 16200 cases, it was a really long wait as they have been unavailable since about Feb of this year!  Dimensionally these appear to be the same although the machining tolerances were not as tight as older batches.  Progress, right?

I snapped some pics of the steps these go through to make 1016 cases although I forgot to take a pic of the rough machined case before drilling any holes.

I start out with a plain "vintage" style 16200 case

They then spend some time on a little CNC lathe I built and get the tops of the lugs machined to give them a thinner profile.  You notice the burr left side of the lug top.  All of these burrs have to be removed by hand with a file and sanding.

After they come off the lathe they head to the mill where the lug get "ventilated.  I set up on the right, drill hole, rotate case 180 degrees and drill another hole.  When they are all done I set up on the left and repeat the process for the remainder of the holes.

When this is finished I finish de-burring the case, brush the lug tops, and it's ready for either a polished or aged finish.

Here is a comparison between the original and re-shaped cases.

I hope this sheds a little light on the process.

Re-machining is underway and going fairly smoothly.  These cases seem to be identical to the older cases except that tolerances on these cases doesn't seem to be as good as in the past but nothing that can't be fixed with a little filing.  Dial opening will accept the larger 29mm range dials.

If anybody is interested just PM me.

The cases can be "customized" with gen-spec 6020 case tube and/or engraving between the lugs with your choice of year or serial number.  The "nonsense" lug engraving from the factory is lightly laser-etched so you can remove it without too much difficulty.