stilty

Sweet! Nice job. My genuine parts drawer is filling up for my franken-just project, as well as for the upgrade on my franken EX-1. Just waiting for the extra long cannon pinions to get here... been told they shipped last Friday. Need the longer cannon to modify so I can fit genuine hands. See Post on Modified Cannon Pinion

Here Here! Mac only time I use my PC is when I'm at the office and it is work time. Mac=fun time

The caseback sticker has to go. Smooth bezel Datejust is 16200, not 15200. 15200 model is smooth bezel 34mm Date.

I would have to agree that with regular service and maintenance, that would be a non-issue whether it is a genuine Rolex or not. Could you imagine buying a car new off the lot in 1991, driving it everyday, and neglecting servicing! I'm sure if the watch was serviced properly, they would have found the problem, whether it is a defective part, or not properly lubed. For all we know, someone had the watch, opened it up, got their mucky fingerprints all over the movmenent, then tried to clean it, removing the lubricants.

Payment sent for the three I commited to in the original thread. cheers!

I wish I could say the same, but I am pretty sure my brother-in-law would wear that to the bar. At least once! I showed the picture to my sister, and she wants to get him one now for April Fools Day!

Your movement is a three position movement for the date setting function. The problem can be fixed with modification or ordering the proper part from a supply house. I did the mod myself. I don't know what caliber you have in your watch. I modified a 2824-2, but the principle is the same with a 2836-2 as well. check HERE

Borat's guide to watch mods? Too funny.

I was going through an old hard drive looking for some data for my taxes this year and found some pictures of this Franken-King that I built. Sadly, I traded it off and fully regret it now. It was far too small for me to wear, but it sure was a beauty to look at. Gen dial and gen no holes case... so hard to find those parts. Not the highest resolution shots, I don't know what happened to the originals, probably on a memory card somewhere.

Absolute perfection. You either go big, or go home. Good job! I'm still on my quest for my perfect franken... thanks for the motivation. T

Hey Rob, Nice review! And not to rock the boat, but isn't that a copy of a 2836-2? The 2824-2 doesn't have a cover on the hour wheel, and the calendar driving wheel is totally different. That driving wheel is set up for day/date. Cheers, T

That is pretty cool... but if it doesn't work for you, you can always bring in what you want to a sign shop and they can make one for you. They just enter/scan into the computer and it will be cut for you out of vinyl. Set up fee is usually $20-$25 bucks, and then a few bucks for each sticker after that.

And the hands... they look flat, especially from that angle. They should look slightly domed and thin out at the edges.

did send them an email, and got a response. I enquired about a genuine date disc for 3135... quoted me $185.00! I don't know list price of parts, but that seems high. I bought an aftermarket for $40 on the bay, but the printing was poor and I sent it back. Ofrei and Julesborel have them, but I don't know the quality... they are in the $40 range. I've seen one for 3035 on the bay for $100, but that guy is listing crowns for $100, when they go for about $65 new, so he may be high as well. I guess it is a case of supply and demand... and the supply of Gen parts is very limited. thanks for your response.

I second that! I built my dad a Franken just a few years back. He loves it and wears it everyday. Very classy, durable, and not too flashy! Built with genuine parts so I'm not worried about it crapping out. Just as long as he doesn't take it to an AD or other for service and sends it back to me if there is a problem. No worries of someone calling him out as a fake either... can't tell the difference unless you open the case.

Has anyone dealt with PaloAltoMicro.com for Rolex parts?

Anyone see these? Was checking out the zenith site and they have some high rez pics. Quite 'steathly' looking if you ask me!

Cousin's in the UK should be able to help you out. Link

Nice looking watch. I'm considering getting one of these. I had a great rep seamaster a few years back that I traded, and I still regret that trade.

it took some time but a lot of hand work. Basically, I picked up some fine sandpaper from my local jewellers supply store. I cut a very small sliver of a strip, wrapped it around the hour wheel, then clamped down on it with a pin vise. every few turns, I tightened the pin vise, and turned. Eventually I smoothed the part to the desired diameter. The hour wheel was very easy to do as it was made of brass, the cannon was a different story, it was a harder metal. I tried and tried, but it did not smooth down very quickly. I then gently touched around the top of the cannon with a diamond tip bit on the dremel. Very carefully though, as I only needed to remove .01mm of material. After a few strokes, I then took the fine sandpaper to the part with the pin vise and smoothed it out. I will tell you though, I think you only need to modify the hour wheel. It is easy, and I think it is safer than broaching the hour wheel hole to 1.5mm. For the minute hand, I think I will trim off the top of the cannon so it is .97, and then broach the Rolex minute hand to fit the cannon. I am sure that will be the easiest fit. I don't have the broaches or hand holder, but will invest in them now to make the mod for my project. So my conclusion is, smooth down the eta hour wheel to 1.4mm, order a longer cannon pinion than needed, and trim off the top until you are down to .97, then broach the .95 rolex hand to .97. Then broach the genuine second hand from .22 to .25 to fit the eta movement. Just make sure you practice your mods with old parts.

You have to replace the fourth wheel, cannon pinion, and hour wheel. It is extra work, but I have had to do this with a 2824-2 as well. I had to order a hand fitting height taller to work on a datejust. For the 2892, the ideal fitting height is 3, but you have to order them for a 2893-2.

If you are planning on using the date, the stem will not line up with a 2836-2 in a modern case for 3135. I haven't tried in a 3035 case, but have heard they fit. I've used 2824-2 in 3135 case, as well as a 2834-2 (removed date function) in a 3135 15200 case for a franken-king. Right now I am using a custom size 12.5''' 2892 movement from ETA for a franken-just. you will need a spacer between dial and movement in order to align the stem though, as the movement is thinner. The bonus is, the extra room you have between the dial and movement will allow for a genuine datewheel overlay.

You can order them from Ofrei as well. You will need to know what length as they come in various lengths. Anywhere from .94mm to 2.04mm. You will have to measure your cannon pinion to find out what length of hour wheel you need. You can go HERE to see the data sheet for the movement and it will also list all the fitting heights. I did some measurements for my Franken-just and I will need fitting height 3. They are not listed on this chart, but that set is available for 2893-2 movements. I have them on order and am just waiting for them to come in. I also ordered height 5 in the cannon as I plan on modifying it to fit gen hands. hope this helps.

Well, I was bored and had some spare parts laying around and figured I would try a little experiment. I used an old cannon pinion and hour wheel from an old 2834-2 movement. I also have a set of genuine rolex hands that I picked up cheap. They are scratched and scuffed and non usuable. They are also yellow gold so will not work with my project. First off, here is a shot of the hour wheel. Original on the left, and modified on the right. Original diameter is 1.50mm. I modified the hour wheel to a 1.40mm diameter. This is to fit a genuine hour hand which comes with a 1.40mm hole size. Next is the cannon pinion. This is from a 2834-2, so it is too tall for the 2824-2 anyway. Notice the top of the cannon is smaller in diameter than the rest of the cannon? This measures .90mm. The rest of the cannon measures .97mm Here is original cannon pinion on the left, and modified on the right. I smoothed the modified at the top until it was .95mm in diameter. This is to fit a genuine Rolex minute hand that comes with .95mm hole. So far so good! I installed the modified parts in my modified 2824-2 movement. See post on my modified 2824-2 movement as this is now a two position non-date movement. Also notice the modified 'enlargement ring' from an eta 2834-2 movement. I am using an old dial that I picked up on the bay, I figured I could use it at the time, but it is far too scratched, and missing luminova fill. It is now used for test fitting. I installed the hour hand. It Fits! Notice how the hand is slightly domed, and not flat or bevelled like rep hands. You can see it thin out on the edges. Very nice hands! Too bad I can't use them for the final project. Here is a shot from the top. Notice how the tip of the hour wheel nearly touches the tip of the dial marker? I never noticed this before. Funny how you notice different things when working with genuine parts. The rep hour hand I have is too short now that I compare. Next, I installed the minute hand. It Fits as well! It is hard to tell from this picture, but the minute hand is slightly domed as well. Here is a shot from the top. Again, these are not the parts that I am going to use for finished watch. These are only for test fitting and reference. They are too damaged for use, but they work great for testing! The only hand that I was not able to fit is the second hand. The fourth wheel on my 2824-2 is .25mm, and the hole size for the genuine second hand is .22mm. Not a big deal as that should be easy enough to broach when the time comes. Now if I can only find a mint set of genuine hands in white gold that are domed! So hard to find those hands. They are the only parts holding me back from finishing my franken EX-1. One other note, the lume on these genuine hands is awesome. Obviously SL. I charged them up last night and set them on the night stand when I went to bed. They were still glowing (faintly, but still noticeable) in the morning when I got up. It was still dark out and they were still glowing after 8 hours. I had my genuine dial out as well for comparison and they match perfectly. Too bad the hands are in yellow gold. Anyway, I would have to say my experiment worked! If you are looking at fitting genuine hands to your rep or franken, this is one option for you. One step away from completing my ultimate franken project! As always, your feedback or comments are welcome. Cheers.