Hi to all (hi David )
this is my first thread here.
My name is Federico, and i'd want show, to you, my project.
All started in summer 2009.
The idea was there for long time, but just the meeting with some friends who love Panerai allowed me to give life to this project.
I have since decided to realize a tribute to some people I loved.
hence the idea of creating a watch that had special features.
The idea then was to create a watch that could fit into a movement whose date of manufacture could be the year of birth of one of my dear.
I started from scratch, I had not idea about anything.
I tried to organize my work in stages for immediate feedback on the feasibility of the project.
The first step to do would have been realizing a vitual project.
Already in the past i tried to realize cases and dials using Cad program, but the results were orrible and so I dropped.
This time something new has heppend, may be enthusiasm of my friends towards this my initiative.
Approch was different. The first thing to do was get a CAD.
I have an iMac and the only free cad was Rhino3D.
It 's a cad very versatile and easy to use.
Before starting I should have know how I could have retrieved the pieces on the market.
The first thing I did was talking to Comazzi. He seems to be the only one in Italy who builds watch cases.
But his prices were not so indifferent.
Invest too much money on a project of which I didn't know the outcome was a thing i didn't want to do.
The next step was to search some resource on Internet.
I discovered taht there were sundry people around the word who made watch cases...
After a reserch I was able to find Radiomir cases at a rigth price.
The costruction of teh case forced me to change my original target.
The first idea was to realize a Radiomir chrono csae with single botton, but now the only possibility I have it is a movement with no complications .
The right size of the movement were those of UNITAS.
When I recived first case, I discovered that there were 2 sizes of moviments that I might have put , one of 36,6mm and the other one of 38.10mm...
Different sizes = more chances.
The intention was not to replicate a Panerai. Even just changing the dial would be too little.
There were a lot of movemets of 38.10 mm in size produced between 1900 and 1950.
In particular american movements.
So i decided starting to research movements that i might use for realizing my project.
At that moment everything was clear.
case;
movement;
dial;
hand set;
strap;
wood box;
The first step is find cases.
Find the cases wasn't an easy undertaking.
Once I found them the hardest thing to do was creat a prototype as close as possible to the original.
Was necessary to have proper measures of size to accommodate the movement.
and also to have the possibility to visualize the real effect of the dail, colors, ect..so as to be as faithful as possible to reality CAD realize was not so easy. Radiomir case is not exactly regular from a geometrical point of view.
Eventually I was great and i did it. I was able to reproduce everthing.
Dial.
This is the stage most interesting but most complicate as well.
I repeatedly tried to paint my dial, but the results were not exactly exciting.
but this time I had to force something groped.
the first attempts are as follows.
these attempts were not interesting as well.
The idea was to start work slowly supported by the aid of friends Club Panerai.
And so it was.
from this first series of dials, some of them have been more successful than others.
After a series of changes made, according to several requests, forum user gave a turn to the whole.
his advice have been essential for change.
From his advise dial 3882 was born, but mostly thanks to his advice was born the way of drawing the other dials.
while the development of 3882 was progressing, another quadrant began arousing the interest of friends of the forum, 1895.
From this dial all its evolutions were born .
Again trends and advice on building a real dail has been crucial.
Indeed in this case a large contribution was given by the quadrants that should have achieved the dial.
their support has been crucial in shaping the dail, and its limits of realization.
quadrants will be printed, but luminova will be applied by hand.
sorry, i think this post is really very big. i apologize.
Some photos of my watches: Tempoarnea Manifattura Fiorillo