stilty

Fantastic! I love it! Wear it well. What is the movement?

I've been wearing this every day since I finished it. A quick shot from this evening. Franken 16220

Some rehersal pics from yesterday. Zeppelin!

I sent funds for both book and bottle. Slai, did you check chapters? They offer free shipping for the book.

Hi Arch, Yours looks great! It is very hard to get the finish correct. It may just be a fantasy to try and make them.

who is this guy? A troll? that H4 should be fine. it is only 0.25mm taller than the H3. You could always order a set of H3 and H4 to be safe.

Probably the easiest place for you to order would be Julesborel.com. You just need to register, set up an account, and order online. You'll have to call in your CC number to pay. Cannon Pinion - 242/ETA 2500 HT 2.70 Hour Wheel - 255/2600.104 HT 1.76 Fourth Wheel - 227/ETA 2801 H4 HT 5.55 These are for H4, and should be fine for the diamond markers.

they are fairly common parts and your watchmaker problaby has an account with one of the supply houses and can get them. Best to give him the dial to measure the height of the markers and go from there. Probably H3 is what you'll need, but maybe H4 is the diamonds are higher than regular markers.

I'm afraid you will have to change some parts. Unless you get very lucky and the 2824-2 you find is already fitted... but not likely.

The examples you looked at. Were they not 40mm? The gen is 40mm, so if the rep is 36mm, don't buy it.

That isn't a bad price. I've seen some sell for $300. I have a gen in bright silver and in bright champagne. I've created a vector for each number from scanning the genuine discs. All I have left is to complete layout off the numbers so the progression is the same as ETA. Once I am done that, I just have to print test discs to ensure the numbers are perfectly aligned. I also have some blank discs for printing. I had a few made for testings and print samples. The samples I have are from .003" stainless steel. or 0.07mm thick. Perfect thickness for making overlay. Perfect for gluing with less chance of damage. My only roadblock is the finish on the blanks. My goal is to match the beautiful radiant brushed finish of the genuine disc. Very very hard to do! I have about three done now in vary degrees of quality and they have to be done by hand right now. I hope to figure out an option soon. If not, they will all have to be done by hand and it is time consuming, therefore making them expensive. I have to drop off a few blanks to my printer for test printing once my file is complete. Depending on what interest there is, and cost involved, I'll see how many bright brushed silver I'll make. Maybe I'll have some printed in silver painted blanks, and white blanks as well. Offer different options for those that my not want the polished disc. Cost is still being worked out, but I'm sure that printing on white background will be less than $40. The brushed finish will be a lot more due to the labour involved in each disc. I was waiting to post this info as I didnt' want to get people too excited if it can't be pulled off in a cost effective manner. But hey, I've gone this far already, I might as well see who's interested.

I'm not one to give advice when it comes to photos, as I'm far from pro in that area. I'm sure this is an obvious as you already dabble in photography, but a tri-pod is a must-have tool for anyone photographing their watches.

Hi Steve, The cannon pinion, hour wheel and fourth wheel have all been changed to the proper fitting height in order to clear the markers. No need to bend the hands. That is a short cut that should be avoided. When one spends good money on genuine parts, the job should be done right. Unfortunately, the only way you will fit that genuine date disc is if you use a 2892-2 movement.

Yes, it all depends on the quality of parts you buy and who you buy from. A lot also has to do with timing, luck, and how much patience you have, especially with eBay. The DJ I recently completed is in the $850 range. The OP Date that I built for my wife this summer was more, and only because the gen Oyster bracelet is double the price of the jubilee bracelet. This does not include the non tangible costs of research, labour, R&D, etc. Factor that in and the cost goes up even more. Hope this gives you an idea of what to expect for a Franken. The possibilities are endless... as is the price!

Thanks guys for the kind words. The date disc was from eBay. I picked it up for $75. Not cheap, but better than paying $100 for a 3135. I think the one I have is a RSC replacement as the fonts are almost identical to the 3135 disc. The other discs I've seen for the 3055 are larger font with open 6 and 9. I picked one of those up for $10 and will use it for a vintage project down the road. The only problem I had with the gen disc is rubbing against the mainplate when glued directly to the slighly recessed ETA disc. It was an easy fix though. Also a bit of a shame to glue over the Mido disc. The printing is perfect and very high quality. The Mido disc is also a very cool silver, similar to the silver 1570 disc. Oh well. Also, an update on the lume of the dial. It must be quite a thick fill. I charged it under the bathroom light fixture as I brushed my teeth for the dentist recommended 2 minutes before I went to bed. After the two minutes, it was glowing like a torch. Checked it at 7am and it was still glowing strong enough to tell the time.

Thanks! Haha! Probably won't want to sell anytime soon, but I'll keep you in mind if I do! Unfortunately the problem with building these out of all genuine parts is the cost involved. The costs add up quickly and would scare away most collectors.

Thanks guys! I must say it was a pleasure to assemble! I love it when a plan comes together. And Diesel, that other project we discussed is coming together nicely. Hopefully I'll have everything in order in a couple of weeks! Now that is a watch that I'm excited about!

Well, finally got around to assembling this project. Everything you see is Genuine Rolex with the exception of the sweeping second hand and the springbars (which you can't really see). Of course, the movement is not Rolex, but ETA 12892. The same movement I used in my wife's OP Date. I love these movements. The manual wind is so smooth and effortless. As is the time setting. The sweep of the second hand is also very very smooth! Gen. Rolex 16220 case with gen bezel, crystal and crown. Date Disc is genuine 3055 with smaller closed fonts very similar to 3135. Most of the 3055 have larger sized open fonts. Dial is genuine as are the hour and minute hands. The dial is a newer style, probably late 2005 early 2006? Silver but the stick markers are Super-Luminova filled. The hands are SL filled as well and match the dial nicely. This sucker really glows at night! It is a stunning dial in real life, but I must admit it is probably the weakest link to the watch. Why? The dial is too modern for this age of case and bracelet, but I wanted a dial I could read at night... so I can live with it. If anyone were to call it out, which I highly doubt, I'll just tell them I had the dial exchanged. Bracelet is genuine jubilee. Here are some pics of the finished project: A couple of wrist shots: Here are a couple shots of the movement being test fit in case and checked for stem alignment. I like to use a service stem that sticks out so it is easier to see if everything lines up and is in plane. and another.... perfect alignment! And a shot of the genuine 3055 date disc. These are relatively inexpensive when you can find them and the date progression matches the ETA. It is not the ideal watch for myself, but I'll keep it until I get bored. I'm really starting to love the vintage Datejusts and have my thoughts on a 16014 with tuxedo dial and prefer the oyster bracelet. But I must admit, this would be a great watch to wear to a formal or semi-formal event.

Good luck hacking up that 2892-A2. Don't expect any help from my corner. I was going to send you the order numbers for the required parts you would need, but you obviously don't need my help. You seem to have everything under control. btw. you are still missing the point.

@ Watchbuff. I don't think attacking one of the most respected member here is very cool. I believe that the majority of us on this board support and respect those who mod themselves, build their own frankens, etc. We like to offer help, advice, and tips we have learned along the way. The Zigmeister is one of the most knowledgable members and is always available for advice and help. He is very supportive of those who are willing to learn. He has posted and responded to new findings, movement reviews, pretty much everything. There have been too many people who have been ripped off by those that claim they can do proper work. No one here has a problem with you learning, and posting your results, asking questions, and seeking advise. I think the point you are missing is that modding and building for other members is the problem. I don't care if you say you haven't had a complaint "yet". If the work is not done properly, it is guaranteed that there will be problems down the road. Building for yourself and learning from your mistakes is one thing, building for others and having THEM learn and pay for your mistakes is another.

Congrats! It is the best thing ever! I love being a Dad! Our daughter will celebrate her first birthday on Dec. 25. We have our first scan appointment on Dec. 21 for our second!

The DJ is rated to 100m, so if the case is assembled properly, all will achieve that rating. But if shortcuts are made, I wouldn't even wear it while washing my hands. The 2892-A2 is a good choice, but they are expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. Here are a couple of shots of perfect stem alignment with the Eta 12892 installed in a 16220 case. I'm still working on finishing this, and hope to have it done by the weekend. I only have a couple hours a week if I'm lucky to work on it. The 12892 is the uncle of the 2892-A2. Same thickness, just larger diameter. It is hard to shoot with the camera and may not look perfect in the pictures, but trust me, it is perfectly aligned. There will be no binding issues. The crown will screw down as it should and seal up with the gasket. Winding will be smooth, as with date and time setting. Side view shot. It is hard to get the angle right to show that the stem is aligned properly. Here is a shot from the 6 o'clock lug. And finally, a shot of the movement installed. This is the same movement I used in my wife's OP Date. I've got a few that I picked up for future projects. Also, I never do work for others, even though I've been asked. Even though I feel my skills are adequate to take on such a task, For one, I don't even have enough time to finish my own watches, and two, I do not service or tear down movements with enough skill to offer that to a potential customer. I do have every movement I use fully serviced by my local watchmaker before I assemble the watch. The cost and waiting time would not make it feasible to offer building watches for others. Why do I get each movement serviced? If one is spending that much money on genuine parts, a fresh movement is the only way to go. I want at least 5 years of trouble free service out of my watch if I am going to spend that kind of money on parts. Also, even if you buy a movement from ofrei or anywhere else, most are surplus movements. Unless vacuum sealed direct from ETA, then they definately need a service before use.

LOL :laugh: Thanks! I needed that this afternoon!

I guess that is an option and will work, but will lead to problems down the road. Is the gasket still in the tube? Filing out tube may lead to leaking. You should advise your customers to keep it away from water. And also advise them to not screw and unscrew the crown too much. Those tubes are thin enough already, and filing them down will just make them thinner and weaker, and they will eventually break off the case.

That is a very sharp looking dial case combo! BTW, that is a tuxedo dial, not linen dial, regardless, it looks great! But I also have to agree, for the minor amount of extra work and cost involved, changing the cannon pinion, hour wheel, and fourth wheel is a no brainer. Do things right the first time, and you will avoid problems down the road, especially when working on other peoples watches. Those parts are very easy to obtain, and are available in many different heights. I think you would need a fitting height of 3 if I remember correctly for the 2824-2. That sounds interesting. How did you solve the stem alignment issues? I'm really curious as I find that even using the Noob or Luenfat overlays are tricky and space between dial and movement must be kept to the extreme minumum in order to allow for an acceptable stem alignment. Those Noob and Luenfat overlays are only 0.07mm thick. The gen and wholesale discs are between 0.17 and 0.19 thick. Add in a 0.05mm layer of epoxy and it seems the space between the dial and movement would definately be cause for stem alignment issues. I would love to know how you do it? When I was using 2824-2's, I could never fit an overlay thicker than a rep overlay as it would always rub against the back of the dial, or not operate properly. If I added a spacer between 2824-2 and dial, then the stem would not align and eventually snap. From my experience, the only way one can use a gen, or wholesale date disc as an overlay, is with the thinner 2892 movement. Then there are no stem alignment issues. Perfect alignment, no binding, easily screwed in, and waterproof.