dbane883

Classic LV material is not leather...It's painted canvas.

@Nanuq is not "people". We are not sure what he is.

1.25mm

Guys, as some have alluded already, getting a CNC shop to cut a rough blank is one thing, perfecting the details is another. The process to make a case accurately requires both CNC as well as traditional machining/turning. For example, the backside of a 6538 case has a little "lip" around the case back seal area. This part is turned and polished smooth whereas the rest of the underside is essentially "carved" out in with thousands of concentric rings for lack of a better word. After the initial prototype is made, there will be tweeking required to achieved the anal specs we are aiming for. The fit and finish is another issue. Also, any vintage case will have changed dimensions somewhat unless it is NOS. so some work will be required to adjust for that fact once it's scanned and the vectors are cleaned. Further, there needs to be an adjustment made for slight metal loss from satin finishes and side flank polishing. Also, cutting the inside grooves for the movement screws, dial aperture, etc are another issue that I doubt CNC alone can cut properly. I would think 10-20 separate prototypes will have to be made before the raw/unfinished case is acceptable. Which will obviously blow the initial $1-2k budget out of the water. I haven't even got to the caseback yet. Casebacks are punched/forged. A unique die will have to be made for that as casebacks cannot/should not be cnc'd. Likewise for the caseback stamping. I think it's a better approach to send someone to the bowels of Vietnam to find the source of the phong cases and try to get them to make a bunch of raw 5513/6538/1675 cases with a few tweeks. If prefer to get a raw case that has not been polished at all and drill lugholes myself and finish the sides/bevels. I'm on holiday now but these are my initial thoughts.

Has anyone seen this?: http://www.ginault.com/a-watchmaking-blog/rolex-submariner-project.html

Inserts cans fade for a number of reasons. Even the back side. It's not just from sun/UV exposure. Not saying it wasnt bleached, but I'd like to see a known bleached example (rep or gen) where one gets that shade of fuchsia. It's a pretty rare colour.

So far so good. The problem (one of many) with these is that the stem is proprietary. If you break it, there is no other known stem that will work. I acquired a LF SubC last year and extracted the movement from it. I think the newer Noob subs has this movement as an option but not 100% certain

As some of you know, I have worked on a few TC 16610 cases over the years for a few folks . But I am by no means an expert on sapphire subs and all the dial variants of the 16610. But here is something I put together for my son using leftover parts that have accumulated over the years. Been meaning to do this for over a year and finally getting around to it now. I will say it. TC cases, especially the recent ones, kinda suck right out of the box. Here is an example of how poor the satin finish is on the lug tops. Not sure how he's getting them finished, but looks like a crude metal brush if you ask me. TC on the right, and after I re-satin on the left: There are other issues like uneven lug thicknesses and a weird raised platform area under the crystal gasket. Overall fit and finish has definitely changed over the years. Some will say it's blasphemy to criticize TC, but it's the truth. I had some issues fitting a SA3135v2 movement into the case. While the SA3135 accepts a gen dial, it's marginally too narrow such that the movement holding screws don't quite grab the inside grooves: I will have to make up some tabs of some sort so it fits securely. I also tried a gen 3135 movement and it too fits a bit loose. The screws just barely hold it to the case. So it shows that the inside of the TC case is not machined consistently. Perhaps other TC examples have no issues but the one I'm using definitely is off. But after I reshaped the case, added lugholes and bevels and some CG work, here is the finished gift. Gen dial, hands, crown/tube, crystal, insert. I have still not grown out of my aversion to sapphire crystals with cyclops. As such I've used a gen no-date crystal which kinda gives it a sea dweller look. Anyhow I prefer it this way. I also had some issues with the bezel. It would not turn when installed. I removed the friction washer and it spins fine but is now a tad loose. I will have to sand down the washer as it appears to be a tad thick. Not sure how long the SA3135 will last, but this is for my son and I'll be happy if it lasts a year or two. Just need to figure out this damn movement holder issue.

Interestingly enough, Mayors called me this morning to let me know that they just received a bronze BB. So it's in stock now.

Insert is not for a plexi sub (unless it's aftermarkt). Looks to me like it's for a 16610. And that is not a 5513 dial. Shame about the caseback.

PCG 5513

What can I say. Fat fingers.

indeed. Look at that insert!

No... as the bracelet is worn over 40 decades, the top portion of the endlink wears out and effectively get "shorter".. so to prevent the gap that developes between the endlink curvature and the rounded portion of the mid-case, the endlink can be squeezed so they dont rattle around. it results in the top of the endlink now rubbing on a lower portion of the inside of the lugs.. This is how/why the lug engravings get worn out over time. This wear can be reduced by placing a bit of clear tape between the lugs. When brand new, the endlinks would typically fit quite well when adjusted properly:

isn't the 7205 19mm?

I dont think they are tapered, just poorly polished.. I asked him to NOT polish it and further, I asked him to NOT apply any bevels... but maybe this is the way they come from vietnam, where I suspect his factory is. Also, the lughole locations can be somewhat inconsistent. I'd actually prefer a raw case with no holes, no bevels, no satin and I would finish it myself. Regardless, this is most likely the last phong project so I will just bear it out. Not a bad idea, except this is an early 60's 5512 with PCG.

Your spec list says you used a 7205 bracelet. Is that right??

As I've mentioned before, dealing with Phong can be a frustrating experience. I asked him to see what he has in the way of a 5512 case and he said he has a good example and asked for a serial to engrave. I asked several times to send me pics prior to shipping and 3 days later I receive a DHL package. I open it up and immediately sense that something is off. Maybe it's just me, but do these lugholes look a tad large to you?? My gen 5512 case on bottom, phong on top: Seriously Phong?? Are you blind? After exchanging 10 emails where he continues to claim the holes are gen spec (1.25mm), he finally agrees to replace it. I am sending him a proper 1.25mm bit so he can compare to the 1.4-1.5mm he obviously used. This isn't the first time I've had to exchange cases. Sometimes one has to do this 2-3 times cause he can be a dumbass. So much easier if he just sends QC pics first, but he rarely does. But overall, his cases are still the best IMO though (when he gets it right) .

What movement does this use? Sellita SW200?

Definitely the faux rivet bracelet is the highlight for me. Despite the fact that the domed xtal harkens back to the golden age of divers, it's distortion on the edges are too distracting. The old acrylic plexis only distorted the dial when viewed at an angle. But straight on, the dial should be completely undistorted. Not sure I'm a fan of the gradient dial, but could be a winner in the metal. But compared to say the Black Bay, this wins hands down.