Nanuq

Mendota, I hear ya. I was lucky in that I knew there was a Voldemort dial coming sometime within 2 years. So I put together pieces that would take that dial, eventually, and built something I could love (but not respect) in the interim. There's the difference. The MQ dialed version was good enough that walking Waikiki one evening I passed the Ferrari shop and next door is the huge Omega shop. One of the salesmen was just going in and saw me wearing something flashy so he held the door and basically dragged me in. We sat and admired PloProfs and POs and chatted about the coaxial movement and he finally said "is that a Big Crown you're wearing?" I smiled and handed it to him and he thoroughly checked it out. True, it was salty from a day in the ocean so he didn't try the crown. He called the rest of the guys over and they all passed it around, saying they hadn't seen a real one in years (little did they realize they still hadn't). They had the big pads out on the counter and the whole deal. They handed it back gently saying they couldn't believe I'd risk getting it wet, and I said "just because something gets old there's no reason for it to quit working right" and smoothed back my greying hair. They all had a big laugh and we parted friends. They dragged me in so it wasn't technically a violation of forum rules, but the Daz modded MQ dial and hands was easily good enough for them to accept as gen.

Be strong, friend. This happened to me once many years ago and I still wake up screaming. http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/57992-crisis-panic-emergency/

Oh, you THINK you're weeks out. That's what I was still thinking two years into my project.

Roger that. Add $1,000 for a gen bezel, or $300 for a pretty good Phong. $300 for a trit pearl... It never ends. Literally.

@dbane, gorgeous watch but some of the nastiest wrist skin I've ever seen.

Other than Ivan there's another made using the same technique that's not too bad, but it's also $1,000. MQ I think... So try a Big Dazza modded (MQ) $350-level dial and hands, add Adrian's crown and an "okay" insert and it's pretty good. But not an heirloom. Here's how mine looked, it was good enough while I waited for an Ivan dial to come along. Consider a T17 will run well over $500 and a gen crown/tube will be about $450 and you're in almost another Grover for details. FF MkIII insert? Another $300. It adds up.

I was temporarily blinded by hunger and beer fumes

Because I was working with Ziggy helped me finalize my ETA decision. Il Maestro could make a Da Vinci from a tin can, so I knew he could do it right. It was his last project before he retired. Would I do that again? Probably not. $3,000? Yeah that's a good start. Mid $4k gets you a top shelf build on a Yuki band, and then you pick a movement.

English Channel (Anyone remember Firesign Theatre?)

Homer Alaska

Be strong brother, help is here. A few years ago CrazySaleMan came up with an innovative emergency watch solution. Just print one of these two lovely examples, cut it out, tape it and you're stylin' a spanking new Milgauss for a day. The decision to keep the TRL is up to you.

The characteristic profile of a gen 1680 cg is the droop on the underside. Early MBWs get that perfect (and unfortunately do it on the 1665 too) but this one doesn't have it. Not MBW.

The Big Gonzo with a Big Owie.

Courtney

Facelift

Alice

Winter

Scouts

Exactly correct. You get to do this once, so go slow. The eye picks up things the brain doesn't announce, and if the subtle details don't agree, it just feels wrong. Your final product has to feel like it's a coherent, well loved piece from 5 decades ago... whether it was worn a lot or a little. In my case the dial is too pristine, but then again the dial in my 1971 Seadweller is absolutely pristine too. So it can happen.

Yes, the stem height between a 1030 and 2846 is different. IIRC the ETA combo is slightly too tall. ETA: http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_2846 1030: unsure.... I can't remember where I found the numbers? Maybe it matches the spec for the 1530 on ranfft?

Evil

Fast Freddy, that's a beautiful piece and you're welcome to apply for high value sales permission if you'd like to sell it. I suggest you upgrade to (at least) VIP if you want to sell here. Post hidden.

This was the most emotional decision I had to make during the Big Gonzo build. It was, and always will be known as the Great Gonzo Crisis. In the end I chose an ETA 2846 for several reasons. 1030s are getting more scarce by the day, and autowind reversing wheels will only last so long. I intend to use mine in the ocean - a lot - and I cannot justify trashing a 1030 if it leaks. An ETA is durable and easy to replace. So my path chosen, how to make it work? My dial is made on a gen 6538 plate so the feet were wrong. Drilling the ETA base plate is the most elegant solution. The stem height for 2846 vs. 1030 was wrong anyway (too tall) so did I want a spacer? In the end I had Ziggy cut the feet off the dial (please remain calm) and he built a custom movement ring. Then he machined the MQ case to fix the stem height. That's called 100% commitment. A problem arose when I used 1030 spec hands on the ETA. He Who Must Not Be Named had lumed them to exactly match the dial so I needed them. I had one watchmaker attempt to broach them to fit, and he was marginally successful. I wound up sending it to MyManMatt and he did it right. Using gen Tudor gold hands would have been easier if I could have them tinted to match. You'll need a stem adapter to mate a gen 8mm crown to the ETA movement. Now it's together, the movement doesn't move AT ALL in the case, it looks fantastic, keeps perfect time, and it's bulletproof. That's exactly what I wanted. PS: an additional something to consider: http://www.yukiwatch.com/articles/article/7390084/160035.htm

Blessing