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Mendota Explorer

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Everything posted by Mendota Explorer

  1. Mendota Explorer
    ^ Same here. That 6200 is unbelievable. So I've been emailing with Michelle at Silix. The base watch I want is in stock but no dice on the rivet. She said it's not available from that mfr and my only option is to purchase one separately and she will include it in the package. I think it's $35 for the rivet. From what everyone has said, the rivet she gets is a real piece of sh*t right? Am I safe in assuming that I should NOT spend any extra money on that POS rivet and instead just hold out for a Yuki? I'd hate to waste $35 if it is so bad that I won't even use it. In the meantime, a nice handmade leather band could work well for it. I'm thinking something like this strap.
  2. Mendota Explorer
    Enjoy it! I wear mine everyday.
  3. Mendota Explorer
    LOL, good one!
  4. Mendota Explorer
    For me, I view it this way - there are car collectors who enjoy building and tinkering. They will purchase a base auto that needs a lot of restoration work or is missing many components. Others will start literally from scratch and acquire every component, nut, and bolt individually. During the process some stick to only vintage components from that specific era, while others will try to seek out vintage parts but may end up using aftermarket parts that were built to the exact specifications of the original vintage part. In the end, when everyone is done assembling their autos, is any one of them less of a Ford Mustang, or Model A, or Corvette Stingray than the others? No, of course not. Can they be sold or shown in an auto show as a vintage model XYZ car? Yes and no. They probably can't be shown in a purist auto show, and they need to be fully disclosed as what they are and the parts list needs to be included with the auto when/if it is sold, but still there is just as much enjoyment driving it and owning it. For all intents and purposes, it is a model XYZ car. Building a vintage watch from parts is the same thing, in my opinion. In the end, when it is all said and done, the same rules above apply with regards to full disclosure and the parts list, but if everything is either gen or built to gen specifications, then the watch is a gen watch or a genenstein.
  5. Mendota Explorer
    You are reading my mind! I would love to have both. Actually, I want more than one big crown. I have a few open pillows in my watchbox that need to be filled.
  6. Mendota Explorer
    Here in the States, Western Union charges us between $10 to $25 depending on which method of transfer you want to use. Then your own bank or credit card may charge additional fees. It's not free by any means, at least for us.
  7. Mendota Explorer
    Great info. Thanks cc! His prices for service work and repairs seem incredible compared to what people are posting over on TRF. I think if I owned a gen I'd work with him and just use a very safe and reliable shipping method both ways. Since he's big in both worlds, does that mean he could be supportive of franken and genken builds and could be a resource for parts, as well as service work for a completed build?
  8. Mendota Explorer
    I went over to Michael Young's site - classic watch parts - and he doesn't mention hands at all. How do you guys buy hands from him? Do you just email him and tell him what you are looking for? He's a very respected vintage gen repair and restoration guy. Is it OK to say I am looking for a long hour hand for an ETA movement or is it better to say I am looking for a long hour hand with gen spec and then have it broached like you mentioned on HF? Who does the broaching?
  9. Mendota Explorer
    I keep staring at this one. This is such a nice build. Way to go!
  10. Mendota Explorer
    Here's a thought I have had for a while. Please correct me if I am wrong about this theory. Let's say a watch is from 1968 and the owner wears it regularly. Some days he will be out in the sun all day long, but during this time the watch will be moving and not always in the direct, full sun. That means your arm is also exposed just sitting there. Other days it will be shady, or the owner could be inside and it won't be exposed to sun at all. So over the course of 46 years, how many actual hours of full on, direct blazing/torching sun has this insert actually had? I bet not many. Most of the exposure is probably angled. What if you take the same insert, but put it on a wooden block or something that won't blow away, and place it out on your deck? Now the insert will be fully exposed, and directly exposed for continuous sun 12 hours a day or whatever the case may be, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. My guess is you can achieve more fading over the course of 12 months using nonstop direct exposure than you can over decades of occasional, indirect exposure.
  11. Mendota Explorer
    Actually, I think dbane is right. The Comex is a different black ink printed on top of the white rectangle. Here are two macro pics of a gen Comex 16610 dial for sale on VRF and VRM, taken from an angle so you can see the contrast. That being said, were ALL of their dials printed the same way from the 1960s through today? I don't know.
  12. Mendota Explorer
    Ooh. I don't see it but that's OK. It's too soon for me, anyway. If only it were a year from now...
  13. Mendota Explorer
    Wow. Those photos are amazing! That last one really shows the contrast between the gilt and the black, and then the printed text.
  14. Mendota Explorer
    How cool would that be if you could do this yourself?
  15. Mendota Explorer
    Looking good!
  16. Mendota Explorer
    Looks awesome. Beautiful piece! He really does a great job. Seems like we all need to contact him at some point.
  17. Mendota Explorer
    Very nice build. Beautiful. He really does a nice job with these. Enjoy it!
  18. Mendota Explorer
    What kind of work did you have to do to the Minh bracelet? After you did all of it, is it acceptable compared to the Yuki?
  19. Mendota Explorer
    Ezio, any brand of bicycle chain dry lube will work. You might have different brand names over there, but any will work. Cycling is huge over there so I'm 100% certain you will find some. Your store on base might have some, or next time you are in town just stop into any bike shop and pick up some.
  20. Mendota Explorer
    Wow! That's amazing. So your dial guy does this?
  21. Mendota Explorer
    Gorgeous!
  22. Mendota Explorer
    Nanuq, that's a very nice looking build. I'd be very happy with that one. Joey, that's really cool. So do you lume over it then? Is this something you can assist other members with?
  23. Mendota Explorer
    So much to think about. That special, super duper dial is for all intents and purposes a gen dial. I mean it is on a gen plate and it is redone/refinished using gen techniques by an artisan who only works with gen parts for vintage gen owners. It's a gen dial. That said, if you ever sell it you have to fully disclose its provenance, but still - it's like a guy who rebuilds parts for a Corvette Stingray using the original parts as the starting point and refinishes them. At the end of the day it's gen. The Minh one posted above looks fantastic and for $300 I'd be very happy with it. I can see how over time, as you are assembling a gen watch from parts, the only real option will eventually be that super duper gen-process dial. Really, it has to be when you are working at that level. For this Silix build, though, I'm literally operating in the little league, nay T-ball league of parts. If I can do nice things with the stock Silix dial or that upgraded one I will be happy for this initial foray.
  24. Mendota Explorer
    Here's Ken's newer gilt 6538 dial with the good lume. Much better than the old version that was a baby poop, yellow-greenish color. Here's the Helenarou dial. You have to ask for it to be printed with the Rolex markings. I can't get an image so this is a link, sadly. http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-91375717912793_2255_53723389
  25. Mendota Explorer
    WOW!! cc33, that is incredible. How did you do that with the dial? Which dial did you use? That isn't the stock Silix, doctored up, is it?
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