freddy333

Hmmm..if that is the case & they do match, then I may have to play musical dials with the lizard strapped Venus 6241 and the 3 pre-Daytonas

jdavis - The red numbering is not for me, but I love the rest of that watch.

Here's the formula for the Frankenjust:

Case from rolli on ebay- a really beautiful case for around $190 plus shipping

Dial from Astorlive- $75- this is before I had the temerity to criticize one of their GMT's w/ small date mag- now I'm blocked from buying from them

Gen crown from jewelerstools on ebay- the other guy in Mesa AZ

Date overlay from Luenfat in Hong Kong- now you have to go to www.cubic-works.com/ and hope to get one w/ open 6's and 9's (Closed 6's and 9's is ok for 16200 series)

2836-2 eta movt- this fits in the 16014/13/30 case from the early 80's for the 3035 movt- you have to use a 2824-2 movt to fit in the 16200 series cases which have the 3135

cheap plastic spacer ring and hold down tabs

The 16013 w/ the silver stick dial and the gold fluted bezel actually is the best looking of the two- I have it on a dk brown alligator strap w/ Rolex buckle. I have to get a photo of it, but I'm a miserable failure at photography 101.

I am working on something similar, but with a twist. More in a few days.........

Alli -- WOW!! That 16014 is a stunning piece of work & an excellent choice. I am working on something similar that should be ready for public display in a few days (see previous post above).

Which movement did you use?

Anyone have a suggestion on how to extend the black vertical line a bit higher to match my addition in red

It would be fairly easy to do with a straightedge except that the surface is not flat, it is ribbed or ringed or whatever you want to call it. I would also like to extend the lower end of the '3' by .5mm or so, if that is possible.

Any ideas?

Nice watches everyone. The stainless steel Datejust is my favorite all-around watch. Looks good with suit or sneakers and anywhere in between.

I have a 7" wrist, prefer to wear watches slightly loose & will have something a bit more revealing to add here in a few days.

Slay, are you sure about the Venus having the same subdial spacing as the Valjoux? I was under the impression the Venus subdials were spaced a bit further apart than the Valjoux. I have copies of each, so I will have to get out the micrometer and take some measurements when I have some time.

Too bad Andrew is unable to get the same vintage Daytonas that Honpo is selling (or at least advertising on his site). For about $300 (Honpo's price in US dollars), they are easily the most accurate versions of these watches that I have seen for anywhere near that price. I exchanged a couple of emails with Honpo a few months ago and then, after asking which watches I was interested in, he just vanished. But when I started to hear all the horror stories about him, I guess it was a good thing that he stopped responding.

Have you tried ebay? If you are willing to spend the time to search and read seller histories, you should be able to find what you are looking for there.

I would prefer all steel, but LOVE that (gen) watch!

Say what you want about Rolex sport watches, but these semi-formal vintage watches from the 50's through the 80's epitomize the Rolex mystique for me.

Nice find, Pitimany.

To all who have contributed & followed my 2-part Newman saga, here, at long last, is the first quick and dirty picture of the 1st of the 2 project watches -- The (98% complete -- still need to work out a permanent solution to fix the movement in the case) 6239 Newman Daytona (I will do up proper pictures after I work out the case strap dilemma)

As you can see, I opted to go with the white dial & early steel '300 UNITS' bezel instead of following the original plan that called for a black dial and later (and much more common) '200 UNITS' bezel. Also, after seeing that snazzy 6239 that appeared in the Rolex Special Issue of Watchtime magazine, I decided to make another last-minute change to the specifications & paint the chrono seconds hand cherry red to match the 6239 in the magazine. I spoke with the people at Watchtime & the watch was provided for the feature by Rolex, so I know it is an authentic, albeit rarely seen, variation of the 6239 model series.

The 2nd part of the project, the 6241 Newman

is under construction

Thanks to all who posted photos, tutorials, comments and inspiration along the way. But, most importantly, special thanks go to DW, Ziggy, Tribal, Alligoat and especially Avitt, whose 6263 & 6265 were the catalysts for this project.

New stems must be cut to the correct length for your watch. I use wire cutters, which are similar to pliers except that their jaws are made to cut instead of grip. I would strongly recommend that you cut a bit and then test it with the crown just snugged onto the stem. You will probably need to cut and test several times before hitting the right length. Just be careful not to rush and cut too much off. If you cut it too short, you are out of luck. Once you have it just a bit beyond the right length, you might file the end down to a flat so it screws into the crown easier. You will need a pin vise to tighten it finger-tight. Do not use a tool to tighten it more than that or you will shear the stem off.

If you have the old stem, you can use that as a guide. Just start a little longer and cut a couple of threads at a time until you get it right.

Thanks Avitt. Now that I see how yours are put together, I see why I am having so much trouble with this one. It looks like the movement may have been modified specifically to fit the Flytimer's case, which had a very odd construction. Even still, I am surprised by the amount of variation among these movements, especially the method and location for fixing the movement into the case since this is part of the pillar plate (the core of the movement).

Looking at the movement & case, it seems like it ought to be very easy to fabricate a "Z" shaped piece of metal that locks the movement in & fits comfortably around the case back. And I guess if I had a machine shop with alot of metal stock, it would be. But this is proving, by far, to be the most difficult part of the entire procedure. I may end up having to just wedge a few pieces of folded cardboard in between the non-moving sections of the movement & the case to secure things. The idea well has run dry just as I am about to cross the finish line..

I had a similar problem with one of my VJ72's. A couple of things come to mind...

Take a stong loupe, and check the teeth of the imtermediary wheel, and the seconds wheel. These teeth are very fine, and even the smallest amount of grit can cause the chrono to stop.

Avitt -- You called it exactly right. When I viewed the chrono gearing with a loupe, I found a small piece of grit between one of the teeth of the chrono seconds gear, precisely where the gear was getting stuck. Tapping the chrono second hand (gently) with a toothpick was apparently just enough force to push the gear past that point and get it to continue on its journey. I am sure that, eventually, that little piece of grit would have broken or worn down those two teeth. So it is probably lucky that it caused as much calamity as it did, otherwise I probably would not have found it in time (the teeth look fine). After removing the little 'boulder' with a pair of sharp tweezers, everything is meshing together just fine again.

______________

Which brings me to the final remaining problem -- How to fix the movement into the case so it does not flop around?

I have now exhausted every one of the 2 dozen case straps in my collection that fit the V72's case screws.

I have bent, twisted, filed and mangled these tiny bits of metal for a week now and the movement is still flopping around in the case. Nothing I fabricated has worked. Either they do not hold the movement in place or they are in the way of the case back and keep it from fitting or they bend out of shape as soon as I put the case back on the case. It is hard to believe that these seemingly simple case straps are all that is keeping the Newman project from completion.

Avitt or Ziggy -- Any more ideas for case straps?

Ziggy & Avitt -- All of these make sense. I will check & report back.

Right after, a second or two. But the second register definitely ticks over first.

Weird..

What would cause the chrono second hand on a Valjoux 72 to cause the entire movement to stop running when it reaches the 12 position (the hand is definitely NOT coming into contact with anything on the dial side)?

The mainspring is fully wound & the movement has been running perfectly (including the chronograph) for over a week with only the 3 subdial hands installed on the dial. Today, after fitting the remaining minute, hour and chrono seconds hand, all was well until I started the chronograph. It ran fine until the chrono second hand reached 12 and then the hand stopped, twitched for a bit, and then just sat there. Within a second or two of the chrono second hand stopping, the balance came to a stop also. If I either press the upper pusher (to stop the chrono function) or tap the chrono second hand with a toothpick, the balance starts up again and the watch runs.

I just removed the chrono second hand and then restarted the chrono, but it stopped again just after the chrono minute counter (subdial at 3) clicked to the first marker. However, after I stopped and restarted the chrono, the watch and chrono have been running now for about 15 minutes. Though I do not think it will continue to run properly for long.

Again, the chrono seconds hand is NOT coming into contact with ANYTHING on the dial. I have carefully (through my loupe) watched the minute, hour and chrono seconds move around the dial to be sure they were not contacting any of the hour markers or each other, and they are not. Everything looks perfect, but something is definitely binding the chrono seconds hand or something related to the chronograph.

Ziggy or anyone know the cause and cure?

I hate to say it, but that is a common problem and you really only have two choices if you want to fit a bracelet -- enlarge the inside diameter of the hoops inside the end links so there is enough free play and room for the springbar to fit, or enlarge the holes in the lugs.

Well, there may be 1 more option -- scout around for another pair of end links that are shorter or shaped so that the springbars fit further in toward the case. You may need to locate several pairs of end links to find a pair that fits.

I agree with Repaustria. I would be very wary of those cheap taps. Before I finally broke down and spent the money for the proper taps (from Ofrei), I tried a tap set from Sears (good quality), but they didn't have the correct thread pitch so I had to pitch the case and start over (with the Ofrei taps).

vbarrett -- Should I even ask about your shoe collection??

That is quite a haul for 1 day. I have been collecting watches for more than 20 years and have never received more than 1 rep-related package on a given day. But every once in a while the postman does deliver a few packages of parts or tools. In fact, yesterday I received this lot

Which helped me fit some bits onto (the other side of) this

And once the paint dries and the metal dust settles (I can say no more)............

Pug -- Looks excellent so far. How does the date window look from straight on?

Good points all and you are right that one could go on to recreate an exact copy of the Rolex-modified V72, with every single detail replicated exactly. But that is definitely not what I am after. I just want to get the Rolex name in there and cover the most obvious things, which, for me, are the bridge & color of the gears. My Daytona 'bible' describes the gears this way -- 'All the wheels are in pink or gold metal' and the pictures they show to describe them look exactly like the gears that are in the v23. My thinking is that fitting the movement with the Rolex chrono bridge and these gold gears is a reasonable compromise in terms of cost and time and would produce the end result I am after.

I agree that the subdial spacing is not exact. But, to my eye, the subdial spacing on the el cheapo does not look any better than the 7750 version. At least with the 7750 you get a known, reliable movement with a working chrono (with the seconds in the right place). If I were in the market for another modern Daytona, I would get the 7750 powered 16520.

I cannot remember who, but one of the collectors recently had a 7750-based 16520 for sale. Since the 16520 looks almost like the current 116520 (narrower hour markers and secs running at 9 instead of 6), that seems like the one to get. That way, you have an accurate rep with a fully-functional & reliable movement.

But I am happy to report that my secs at 6 116520 is still running fine

Stac -- This should get you going

Good luck and do not forget the pictures when you are done.

Venus/Lemania Inside