Mendota Explorer

Nice! I love the red text on the dial and the red tip on the seconds hand. Very sharp looking! Who did the seconds hand mod?

With a gen ETA movement can you hurt it by taking the watch off and swirling it in your palm a few times? I do this every night before I go to bed and again when I wake up in the morning.

Wow. Talk about taking franken projects to the max! Very cool.

^ True. I think it has to do with the orientation of the threads on both the crown and the tube and how they align, as well as how much compression there is on the o-rings. Over time the o-rings will compress and you'll get slightly more rotation on that last turn, which could help line it up a bit or push it farther out of alignment if it used to be aligned. So even if it is aligned now it may not be a few years from now as those o-rings wear. MD2020 lined mine up perfectly when he installed my gen crown on my PT 1680. I had no effing clue how he did it and he told me at the time it was just a little bonus he liked to do. It makes me wonder if he even did anything at all and if it wasn't just luck of the draw with the threads lining up like that. Or maybe he did something with the tube to unscrew it or screw it in tighter. I'll never know. It screws in like butter, though, so that's good.

Thanks fellas. So it sounds like it's not worth it to buy that kit and you are better off just getting the Phong case and the bezel. Got it. Maybe this is blasphemy, but how is Athaya's V2 crown for these types of franken builds? I know it is fantastic for the budget oriented builds that many of us take on, but how about for these frankens? My gut is saying it's better to go gen but I just thought I would ask. Has Michael Young produced the gen spec hands and does he have them readily available? Another member was trying to organize a group buy for a long hour handset for the DG2813 and it was going to require new tooling and various hoops, plus minimum quantities. Are the 6538 hands a different story? Thanks for the insights. I'm a long way away from taking on something like this, but I'm trying to do my homework and legwork now so that I can jump in when I am ready and/or pounce on a good deal on a part along the way if I find something that would work.

So he sent a gen 1601 case over to Phong to redrill the lug holes? Or did he buy a Phong case and have him redo the holes?

Cool. Yours looks fantastic. The gen 1601 case shape must be better and more closely resembles the 1016 case then the rep Datejust cases, is that correct? There is a thread on here right now where the member had to go hardcore on the rep case to get the lugs and overall shape to match. The end result is gorgeous, but if the gen case solves that issue then that's a heck of a lot easier!

Was this a gen 1601 case you used or a rep 1601? How about Alligoat's?

With respect to the 6538 big crown items he sells, which are the ones worth getting? I know his case and bezel assembly are great. Are the insert, crown or dial any good? He has a complete kit for sale that isn't much more than the price of buying just the case and bezel separately.

That's pretty cool. please share more info!

That's funny!

I'm going to say the Pepsi GMT. The bezel teeth are too rounded in my opinion, and the crown guards look too narrow and pointed. Am I right? How funny will it be if that's a gen? LOL, I'll feel like a dope. Great collection, by the way.

Here's my fear. I am starting off with doing a budget oriented 6538 build to get my hands dirty and have fun with learning how to do aging, learning to take the watch apart, tinker with parts, etc. Eventually, however, and maybe that won't be for a while, I plan to go for a more advanced Franken build using a gen 1030 movement from a donor watch. That's my dream. In order to do that, I want to use gen-spec parts for everything and do it right. So far, it sounds like Phong can be trusted for his case, his bezel assembly, and I'll have to figure out what to do about the crown, hands, and dial. This bait and switch business really concerns me, no doubt about it. Does he have photos that you look at for the dial or how does that process work? Here's another question - someone mentioned there a couple of people who will make dials but they have to be on a genuine dial plate? Does that mean you can use any genuine vintage dial for a 1030 movement and they will create a 6538 dial for you? Or does that mean it has to be an old, damaged 6538 dial and they will restore it?

Are you serious? Does he really bait and switch like that? That's awful. There's no way I'd work with him if he really does that. Sounds like Phong might be a better person to work with then. Hmmmmm.

She is indeed. Great health so far. My wife's uncle and grandfather are both veterinarians and have provided her care for her whole life. She's really got a lot of zest left in her. It will be a sad, sad day when the inevitable comes. My wife has had her since she was only 9 weeks old.

No way. My Sadie is turning 14 in October and she could be identical twins with yours. Uncanny!

Does anyone have any updates regarding this? It's been quiet for a while.

Does the MQ or Phong case come with a bezel or do you have to get one separately? Nanuq, which crystal reference number did you use for these? The profile is perfect. I'm not a fan of the superdome look.

Holy Toledo, those are nice. They look just like the genuine bezels. What do these run?

I have owned my own business for 10.5 years, so I completely understand the demands of being self employed, working odd hours on demand to satisfy a client, as well as the rewards it offers. I am also grappling with a life changing decision, as I was just offered a position to join a very well respected bank in my area to do what I have been doing on my own. I just can't imagine going back to working for someone else, though, especially doing the same thing I do now. In the end, you have to do what is right for you, but just keep in mind that you have ultimate flexibility right now. Once you start working for someone else, you are on their time clock. Also, this hobby is fun because it's a hobby. We love watches and learning about them. Do you really want to spend every day of the week, working retail, standing on your feet behind a glass counter, catering to all of the tire kickers and lookie-loos who have no intention to buy? Then, how many watches do you have to sell to even make any money? Seems crazy to me to close down your successful business to go work retail. Retail, and you don't even own the store. Managing the store? I can understand that...

Why not do both? Maybe you can just do some work with the AD on a part-time basis. Another thought is maybe you can fulfill the same desire for watches by buying and selling gens. Go to trade shows and auctions where a lot of the vintage dealers go, buy a piece or two, and sell them. Do it enough times and you can have a fun and rewarding little side enterprise. You can sell parts and components, too.

So awesome! Last time I was in Mexico my wife and I walked down to the beach and we watched a female sea turtle lay her eggs, bury them, and then drag her exhausted ass back out to sea. It was incredible. The next two nights we got to help release freshly hatched babies into the sea. The resorts down in Cancun will dig up the eggs, incubate them, and then release the babies at night to help increase the odds of survival. These little guys are so tiny and fit in your palm, and then grow into those giants.

I'd like to get the 1680 sub guide if possible, and the Daytona .pdf. Is there a good way to get it?

That watch is so gorgeous. They just don't make them like they used to anymore. Wait a minute, Nanuq does!

Which is a better overall quality replacement - Clark or Sternkreuz?