6541

Alligoat, thanks so much for the info. I'd be happy to go for a 2892-2 if I knew it would work. I guess the trick is to find a watchmaker who's game. If anyone fits that description, please PM me!

Valty - Michael Young seems to have plenty of hand sets, both aged and not. Completely closed without lume would be better, but that's another story. The dial, on the other hand, might be tricky to find for a 1030/106x.

Nothing about it was cheap However, I am very pleased with how it worked out.

Having finished my 6541 I am left with a complete 6569 case, which was the donor watch. Picture: I was going to sell it, but instead I think I'm going to franken it and give it to my mom. Does anyone have a recipe for this watch? Should I get an ETA 2824-2 even though there's no date window? What about a movement spacer? I'm also looking for someone to do the work for me, I'm not sure if my usual watchmaker would be comfortable putting a non-Rolex movement in a Rolex case. Any advice is appreciated!

Hey Woof! Specs are...gen 1030 movement, NDT case with nice engraving work (which I forgot to photograph before the band went on), dial from JoJo (I'm not sure where he sourced it from, but the aging of the lume dots is custom), hands and bezel insert from Michael Young, gen tropic 16, gen C+I 20mm expanding rivet bracelet. Finishing touches I'm considering are a 7206 bracelet with 80 ends, which I should have gotten in the first place, and perhaps a trip to someone like PBDad for gentle artificial aging.

Thanks Nanuq!!

Special delivery from 1959 (sorry about the iPhone photos): Closer: And a special feature of the band: I'm very pleased with how this all came together. The one niggle is the C+I band - I love the stretch, but the one-size-fits-all endpieces are a bit loose. I may have to find a 7206 with 80 ends. The case and insert (both rep) look a bit new, but I'm thinking I'll just wear it for a while and see how they develop. Many thanks to JoJo and those who participated in 6541 threads on the board!

Thanks Woof! I don't have any pictures, but it sure seems like the NDT case is the way to go. It includes a ring for the movement, which Phong's doesn't appear to offer. There are problems with it, but I do think it's the better of the two by a margin. The stated price is $1200, but I wonder if Natalie would be willing to come down from that.

Okay, making progress! I acquired a Zigmeister-serviced cal. 1030 in a 1958 vintage donor watch... and a (kind of rare) Tropic 16. Hopefully next up is a gen bracelet!

Update: I got my dial in the mail from JoJo and it's great - my lousy scan does NOT do it justice, the color and texture are great. Here's my rep: and here's a gen: Hopefully my next stop is a movement!

Woof - I'll post when I do! I'll probably buy the case last, I prefer to spend money on gen parts first.

LHOOQ: You are completely right. Actually, I hope that if Klingsor sees this he posts - he has the best 6541 franken of all time, and I'm sure he knows a massive amount about the process. As for rep cases, this is one of my areas of intense concern at the moment. Here is a side view of a gen case: The top of the midcase gently swoops down on both sides, but the bottom wavers in the middle - something that the rep Woof showed, for example, doesn't have at all. Before I buy a rep case I'm going to try and see if I can't get better photos from Phong and Natalie before I buy.

Woof: Good to hear! The idea of paying $1500 for rep parts kind of kills me inside...we'll see what happens.

LHOOQ: I have no doubt you are right. I am not going to pursue an MBW case, as it is just all wrong, I don't think there's any way it would take the correct movement, even. I'm pretty sure I'm going with a Phong case, which is supposed to accept all gen parts - he has a complete watch on his site, and I'm pretty sure it has a gen crystal. Has anyone had any success getting Phong to discount his prices? The prices are very high, but his case appears to be head and shoulders above anything else available.

Woof - your case is more correct, I don't think the MBW is really usable, the more I think about it. Here's an image of Phong's case: As you can see, it come with the magnetic case and the back accommodates it. That's the one I'll probably have to buy. Hopefully I can afford all the parts by 2015! Tropic 20: it seems like the going price for a NOS one is ~$300. The other correct crystal is T16, which costs a fortune!