fidhle007

What are you having done to it?

The case is a great base for a lughole watch but it is not without it's flaws. IMHO it's a bit "heavy" aka the lugs and crown guards are on the thick side and perhaps a little short. With a 703 crown this wasn't really a visual issue for me, especially since the crown height is correct. This is something that an experienced modder could probably mill down but that was outside of the scope of this project. I "softened" the top edge of the lugs with a fine file to give them a slimmer appearance which seemed to help. The insides of the lugs are very nicely machined and it's easy to fit a rep bracelet and still have perfect SEL fit. Eventually I want to find a decent 95130 bracelet for this as it's intended to be an early sub, (albeit with a "SWISS MADE" Superluminova dial) so for now I wear it on a nato and love it. The shallow teeth on the WO bezel and the faded, flat-four insert all contribute to the overall "modern vintage" aesthetic that I was going for.

After building THIS über-franken I found myself with two gen dials and two SA3135 movements so I went to work and built another. It's a StarTime case, WO bezel, Clark crystal and hands and gen dial, crown, insert and crystal gasket. This contains the weaker of my two SA3135s but it's still keeping close enough time to be used as a daily driver. I've loved lughole cases all my life and while this case is no where near as perfect as the ETASwiss or TC cases, it's damn good and makes me smile when I look at it! Here's a few snaps of it: And for heck of it, one of my über-franken doing what it does best: running strong! Thanks for looking! ~Brendan

I find this really hard to believe, did you actually measure them with a caliper or are you just eyeballing it? It's a difference of less then half a millimeter but it's enough. Unless you've tried to fit a TC dial in a gen or ETASwiss case you may not see that it's too big. I think you're confusing the TC dial and the ETASwiss dial. Current ETASwiss dials have proper diameter and gen feet positioning but no superlume, TC dials have the typical rep diameter, ETA feet and superlume. It's all about tradeoffs...

The TC Dial DOES NOT have gen feet positioning nor is it the smaller gen diameter. This is bad news for those of us wanting a rep dial for our gen-dimensioned cases but it's good news for the TC case as it means it can take a larger rep dial like the WM9 cases in the past. This gives much fruit to the argument that it is indeed a WM9 V4 case...

I just reviewed the photos of the Elabore 2824 and it does indeed have the better shock protection (I forget what it's called.) Granted, every 2892 I've seen has this as well but at least it's nice to know it would be a step up from the 2824 I have now while still being a direct swap...

So even though it has to pass the more stringent timing standards it's not a better movement internally at all? Wouldn't there be better quality control on an Elabore movement coming from a trusted seller then a "Swiss ETA" coming from a chinese watch factory?

My question remains though, if they're both Elabore grade (which all 2892s should be at minimum as I understand it) is the 2892 still a better movement?

I have a 2824-powerd Planet Ocean that is in need of some serious help and I've decided that rather then send it out for service perhaps it's time for an upgraded powerplant. I've read that ALL 2892 movements were Elabore grade and above and I've just found a seller on Ebay who's selling Elabore grade 2824 movements as well. The 2824 is about $50 more but it's a direct swap so my question is this: which one would you use and why? Thanks! Brendan

The only reason one should spend the extra to buy a gen is if they don't want to or can't do all the work themselves. If you're capable and enjoy it, building your own watch is a satisfaction that's hard to match...

Fantastic job! This is the direction I wanted to go with my über-franken but dismayed with not being able to find a 3135 for less then $2200 I went with the SA3135 instead. Your build is superb and those parts prices are amazing, nice work all around!

I don't know for sure about the TC dial diameter, I should have one on hand soon enough and I will report back when I have it. I can guarantee you the feet will not line up though... If it does work, that's a very good option for those who already have Sean cases and are looking for internals.

I thought the SA3135 dial was too big?

I popped my gen insert out the other day and it looks like I did file it, I forgot I did. It's barely enough to remove the paint though but it is smaller then the flat-four insert...

http://soundcloud.com/brendan-carey-block

I've been playing violin for nearly 18 years at this point but I've been DJing and producing for almost half that time and I figured I'd share with you lovely folks what happens when those two worlds cross over! Here's my SoundCloud account, give my music a listen and let me know what you think! http://soundcloud.com/brendan-carey-block Thanks! Brendan

Haha, awesome! That doesn't look very accurate but I love the resourcefulness of it! It actually looks like my first canal st rep now... :-)

I broke a StarTime tube but that was on purpose, I wanted to see how strong it was. It's strong enough but nothing I'd write home about.

It's definitely an improvement over the noob, you'll be happy for sure! The stampings on the clasp are on par with that of the ETASwiss one but the bracelet itself is miles better.

Looks good! What have you done to the Sead case so far?

I was dead set on building a sean case watch with a 3135 until I built one with an SA3135 and lined it up next to my Noob sub for a photo shoot. There really wasn't THAT much difference between them and for the additional cost of a 3135 I could be buying a gen. Sure, my parts cost was spread out but isn't that what credit cards are for...? :-)

OK, I think I've got it now! It looks like lug holes existed as late as Y-Serial and SELs appeared as early as early as A-Serial but I've seen 580s on A-Serial watches too, which definitely had "Swiss Made" dials.

Did was there any crossover between the 580 endlinks and the "Swiss Made" dials? Early P serial maybe? A serial?

I've seen it in the gen world but it's rare. You have to have the perfect combo of early 2000s stuff or find a watch that's had it's bracelet upgraded. Any details on where I can find these options?

I'm just curious...