fidhle007

Ok, so the top one is newer. Called it. D-serial is about the era I'm talking about, when they changed the bezels. The gen bezel absolutely will not fit a Sean ring as it's almost a half-millimeter too small. You need a gen, or gen-spec ring. I'll try my gen bezels (I have an old one and a new one, shallow and deep teeth) on the TC when it gets here and do some comparison shots with the new rep bezel I've found. Hopefully that can clear up all the questions!

But the dial on the top one is older, so that is possible... Get me a better picture of the top one, aka one that's not washed out and we'll talk.

The bottom one.

I beg to differ. I see plenty of shallow-toothed, lughole subs in the wild but non-holed subs are much fewer and further between. When I do see them, the first thing that always tips me off is the bezel, it just stands out and is very unique, even from a distance.

Ah, I didn't notice a difference in thickness last I looked. I will have a TC sub in my hands in the next week or so, I'll compare it to my Sean build.

This is exactly what my Sean build is. The rehaut engraving came out half-way into the M-series run so there are both engraved and non-engraved Ms out there.

Why don't you build an M? Seeing as that's what your case will say... :-)

The lugs on the sean case are the same if not thinner then the TC so I'm not sure where that puts the TC... The Sean bezel is almost dead on for the M-series and up except for the diameter thing. It's damn close though, the bezel I sanded for my sean bezel fit right into my gen bezel from somewhere around M or Z-serial. I have an old 16610 bezel with the shallow teeth like the TC comes with and that one takes a much larger insert. They both require a gen or gen spec crystal ring though, the Sean ring is too small.

It might be ok for the earlier ones, but if you have a big V serial number glaring out from under the crystal that's going to be a pretty big tell!

You guys should think about addressing the bezel ring too. The TC bezel is accurate for the older style sub but the new ones are different. A guy came into my shop with a gen V-serial the other day and the modern bezel really stands out. The best option is Gen, obviously, but the Sean bezel is a good option too. I think have a source on a great looking rep bezel too (almost identical to gen) but I only have one right now. I'll get some more soon...

Oops, I read "Sean," not "StarTime." The 2836 should fit in the 16800 case.

The 2836 is too thick for the Sean case, you need a 2824 or 2892 to line up the stem.

They're almost identical, save for the markings.

That watch on the left is the SA3135 example, yes?

Here's a little evening shot update: I ordered a 93150 bracelet from PureTime and with some modification it's not bad at all... Let me know what you think!

And that is EXACTLY what I love about it. I build these watches in appreciation of the precision machines they are and when something is sloppy or shoddy it drives me effing batty! I wouldn't bother using something that's not 3135-based (maybe a 2892) in a sean case and I'd ALWAYS use a gen dial.

It is better, but only marginally. To most people they would look the same but having handled both I can tell you the Sean case is a tiny bit better. There's a fit and finish, especially inside the case, that the TC doesn't have. Not that the TC is at all bad, it's fantastic! The Sean case is just a little more fantastic... The 3135 will be a little sloppy in the TC case but it will fit. The case is milled to accept a roughly gen-sized movement and a larger rep dial and TC's movement ring fits the 2824 into this space perfectly. The issue comes when trying to fit the TC guts into a case ACTUALLY made for a gen movement and dial like the Sean case or one of the sterile options. It can be done but both the dial and movement ring will have to be milled down to fit. Not an easy task unless you have the right tools. If you don't feel like milling a dial you could always glue a gen dial to a modified TC ring and call it a day. The nice part about this option is that it still uses the backwards screws like a gen movement and feels very secure...

Swap in an SA3135 and you've described my sean case build. You have the same opinion I do, Sean case for gen or gen-sized dial and movement, TC case for great-looking rep stuff.

Beautiful watch, nice work!

That explains why I had to shave my lugs down. I think the CGs are a little stubby compared to the gen case too but I solved that by shaving the outsides of them ever so slightly. Isn't the gasket groove mainly in the retainer?

They're an aftermarket parts supplier that doesn't like the rep world. A few of us have accounts but if we get caught we lose our access. If you'd like more info, PM me.

I hate to be the fly in the ointment but that looks EXACTLY like the cases from you-know-who... Can you get some good pics of the CGs and Lugs? That's where I'll be able to see the difference. As for the bezel, I have two: one for a modern 16610 which is on my Sean case

Thanks for posting the pictures of that bezel! I always thought one of my gen bezels was from a 16800 but after seeing yours I'm now convinced its an old 16610. I do have a bezel that looks a lot like yours but I know it's not gen. Have you decided on a case yet? Do you need me to shape one up for you?

I'd just get some decent aftermarket lumi hands, you can usually find them in a few different colors to match your dial.

Got it, I'll respond tomorrow when I have a minute to collect my thoughts! Here's a few more shots for the heck of it! Here's the TC movement ring milled down to fit a genuine-size case, note how the rolex-style screws he supplies work great! Here's a couple of pictures of my twin subs, the other being my SA3135-powered