UmpaHimself

Saw this when you were putting it together on the homageforum. Came out amazing man, congrats!

While we're at it, is it possible to modify the movement to make it jump from winding to time setting with out the date position in between (when using the crown)? And, is it also possible to remove the hack function?

BTW OP I would love to see how the Yuki case looks. Can you upload some pics, especially of the CGs?

If only I had the pocket change  

It really came out great. I think at this point the only benefits the MBW case has to the new cartel is slimmer lugs and caseback but these updated cases are really great for a nice build at a great price.

The dial looks fantastic btw, great find. Also, I am now sold on the Yuki pearl too. Looks very much like the original pearls where the Ofrei looks like the service pearl. The Ofrei is about $15 less though. $40 is a bit much for a tiny plastic pearl but I guess it's better then a gen pearl for $75+

On March 22, 2016 at 2:26 AM, hologramet said:

There are several suppliers that provide the same dials. I would recommend tonnywatches on instagram.

He was on eBay for a while but looks like he is no longer a registered user.

On March 29, 2016 at 11:09 AM, jackflash said:

Guess I was lucky with my WSO 580s, last ones I bought were a few weeks ago.

If you don't mind the inaccurate open access to the springbars on the Cartel 580s they'll do the job. However, they are an easy tell to spot off the wrist.

I also have purchased WSO 580s in the last few weeks and have no issues with them on my MBWs with the stock springbars or 2mm bars. No modifications was needed to the endlinks either.

2 minutes ago, Sogeha said:

I have started a notebook on movements, which is a work in progress and very embryonic at the moment. However I believe the 2878 has a stem height of 2.5mm and the 2836 is 2.25mm. Both 11.5 linge.

Sorry I can't be more help. Perhaps a sticky with movement specification is something we could think of working on as a group?

That would be super helpful to know what movements are interchangeable as far as height, width, crown height and canon pinion diameter. Unfortunately I have no information that would assist in any way

The bezel should really turn freely in either direction on the vintage models. Some watches I've found to be more so then others. I have heard of a mod to bed the retention ring a bit that sits between the bezel and the crystal retaining ring to add more tension. I've never done it though so I can't really give you more info then that. Some people like to age more then others, there are any number of mods from some basic again to fully frankensteining the watch. Just depends on how deep your wallet is and how perfect a look you are trying to achieve.

What's urgent about it? 

All nice shots but FR really killed this one.

5 hours ago, jackflash said:

I think you'll find there's a groove on the case back rather than the case itself. Pictures would help too.

That's how it is on both of my cartels and my MBWs too.

Nice looking dial

15 hours ago, emameme said:

Guys I have broke the case? this is whats happened when I have tried to remove the cartel's tube:

Oh man! Same thing happened to my cartel with an Athaya tube LOL. I have no idea what to do. I think the tube us glued in so I was thinking about supergluing a hex key in there, letting it sit and then trying to remove it all at once but I have no idea if that will work. I also am thinking that the case may need to be heated to get it out... Sigh

Thanks for the update Mike! Really enjoying my time here.

Yeah, it's the red dial that sells it though. That's why I don't see a huge issue with building a vintage watch. You get the look you love with (hopefully) a movement and case with a ton of life left. As long as you're not trying to sell it as genuine I don't see any issue IMO.

On March 16, 2016 at 0:25 AM, Beone21 said:

What's the best way to do this?

You have to be careful removing the insert. I found the MBW inserts to be very flimsy and they are glued to the bezel. First you have to pop off the bezel using a thin, flat but strong tool like a caseback knife or small flathead screwdriver. Then I would use something like a small razor or x-acto to try and separate the insert from the bezel. Wipe the bezel down and put it in a small cup of bleach for about 5 minutes, remove it, rinse it under water, dab it with a paper towel to dry it (you don't want to wipe it because that may add a strange wiped texture that you can't undo) and inspect the insert. If you like it, you're done. If not, repeat until satisfied. Viola  

28 minutes ago, slay said:

Be warned that RA does poor work and charges a lot of money for that. I made the mistake to blindly trust a few reviews. Can't recommend his work at all.

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic. This is one of the nicest looking case modifications I've seen and I have only heard good things from him. What was your experience?

17 minutes ago, Ueno said:

Looks great, too bad all the MBW's have a low crown position. 

What do you mean by that? 

Oh my goodness 

I was planning on using this method for my gen 1680 dial although now I have decided not to use that dial

http://www.homageforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=1419&sid=6e4bb8917694bf4cb2aef05321cb3b82

I haven't personally done this myself but IMO the best way to go is to clip the existing feet and mount new feet. That way you can remove the dial easily if you ever need to swap it to a different movement or do a repair. In case you do want to use dots, take a look at this vid

I just came across this on eBay and wondering what you guys think. Seller states gen dial but may be refinished since the lume glows. Says the hands glow as well. Pearl is way off but insert looks pretty well aged so that's puzzling to me. The case looks interesting too. The crown guards look great in my humble opinion, very light wear but the chamfered edges look non existent. I'm no expert but it could be a phong case or something. So is this a high end genstein?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLEX-VINTAGE-SUBMARINER-S-STEEL-REF-5512-SOLD-FOR-PARTS-WITH-NO-RESERVE-LOOK/191838659407?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D36332%26meid%3Db7eee8ffcb794fab949b410fc92a9a2e%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D401097357084

I'm glad you went with a phong case. After all those parts the MBW case would have been a major let down. I think it looks great. I wouldn't get hung up on the tiny details of the dial. At least you can use it until you find a better replacement. I would be very happy with that build if I were you though.