dbane883

While I like bokeh for portrait shot, the depth of field on the olloclip is annoying. The Loupe System seems to allow the iphone to use a smaller aperture I guess. While $500 is still alot, still a whole lot cheaper than getting a Canon Macro lens/iphone adapter combo: https://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraLenses/201524/canon-mpe-65mm-f28-15x-macro-lens/Specs.aspx http://www.vid-atlantic.com/products/encinema-slr-iphone-kit-with-mcam

Excellent!.. are you sure you didnt get the last one mixed up? but to be fair, the depth of field with the olloclips 10x give it a more pronounced boekh compared to the Loupe systems 6x. But given that you wouldve had to zoom in more with the loupe system to get the same field of view and lose some resolution, the Loupe System is the clear winner IMO.

Thats impressive! Looking forward to seeing the side by side comparison with the olloclip. BTW, theres a dust speck on one of the subdial hands

Great job. That Sternkreuz crystal is terrific. Amazing what $12 will buy you.

They were mostly 16610, 16613 and 14720 dials from what I could make out. Nothing overly special IMO

Very cool. Reminds me of one of my favorite movies; "Alone in the Wilderness".. The Story of [censored] Proenneke. http://www.aloneinthewilderness.com/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Funny, I purposely aged the case a little bit to show roughly a coupel decades of light wear. Frankly dont care about being called out.. its a redial and the case is an aftermarket replacement. I have nothing to hide. But yes, the dial is a bit too pristine for sure. But I have never been called out, ever. Just dont hang around WUSs. In fact, I have never seen a vintage Rolex in this city and I've worked in downtown Toronto for 20+ years. However, there are examples of beautifully preserved 38's.. Here Mr. Stahls:

Ok, now she's complete. Just installed a gen tritium pearl: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ok.. it appears to be fixed now

Hey. thats not too bad. Congrats on completing the build. With an insert replacement I think it will be a fine daily wearer.

Put the big crown on a black horween shell cordovan strap I had forgotten about: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed freddy... Once both cases are reworked, very very difficult to choose a clear winner. Given the overall length and gen caseback acceptance (on the off chance I find a gen 6538 caseback on the sidewalk), I chose the phong. But I could very well live with the MQ. Both are excellent. I've never touched a gen 6538 but if I do, I will make sure I have my digital caliper handy Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The crown heights are the same. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Also, note how the sides of the MQ case is nice and straight, where the phong's sides are curved and over polished.. I had to straighten all the sides on the phong case and re-cut the bevels. You gotta ask yourself if you can live with a stock Phong case or go through some heavy case re-shaping issues.

Its a tough call which case is "better" between the two. To be frank, I received two cases from Phong and there were VERY different - both would need alot of work to make them right. The MQ out of the box is very very good, with maybe the exception of the bevels (which is fixable). I think in terms of case shape, the MQ wins... the lug tips have a more pronounced "swoop" that I believe is more desirable... but the gen cases can vary in that department too.. These cases were all finished by hand afterall. Stock Phong on left, MQ on right: No one but you will ever see the casebacks, but the engravings/stamping on the Phong is superior to the MQ (which is only marginally better than cartel reps). But to be honest, the way the insides of the casebacks are milled, both are hugely off. Phong on left, MQ on right. Also, the MQ and Phong casebacks are not interchangeable.. I considered using the Phong caseback with the MQ case, but it would not fit. I presume that the Phong is gen spec so the MQ must use a different thread pattern. Regardless, this was not a deal breaker for me to not use the MQ.. Up to this point, I was in favour of the MQ. But then I measured the overall lugtip-to-lugtip length, the MQ is about 1.5mm shorter than the Phong. However small that is, to me, it makes the lugs seem marginally stubby. This can be somewhat fixed by thinning the lugs a touch, but i think I'd rather have a longer case than a shorter one (dont we all want a longer one?). Sometimes I look at the Phong lugtips and wish it had the beautiful teardrop swoop of the MQ... If I decide to keep the MQ, I may to a swap at some point. But as of right now, I think I will be selling the spare MQ case. I really dont think you can go wrong with either one and both have pros and cons. I dont think one is better than the other. Just comes down to your order of priorities. Dealing with Phong, once you get over the communication barriers, is relatively easy. Dealing with MQ can get a bit dodgy as he uses a "friend's" PP account and he is on the other side of the world and you are exposed to greater risk allegedly. That in itself can be a deal breaker, but all went smoothly for me.

If you own an iphone 6 or 6+, do not download TaT 3.3 update. the new format had me a little puzzled which was annoying enough. Now it crashes if I try to go to any of the subforums.. can only access posts through the feed. very frustrating.

I believe Costco is considered an authorized dealer by the watch brands they carry. There was a lawsuit years ago where Costco sold Omegas for cheap that were acquired through a middleman. Since then I believe Costco deals directly with the watch companies now. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_S.A._v._Costco_Wholesale_Corp.

Thanks boys. I did find the gen tube installation to be a bit tricky. But for those that have ever installed a gen 702 tube, you might know what I mean. M4 taps are actually slightly narrower than 4.0mm: But the tube threads are exactly 4.0 mm: I've tried several different M4 taps and each are the same. Next time, I might try a M4.2 x 0.35 tap. At any rate, I eventually got the tube to seat perfectly despite the roadbump:

I actually have a phong bezel, but I prefer the MQ. I think i like the fact that it's not nickel plated and all the brass is exposed. I may swap the phong bezel on it at some point.

Thanks lnt. Here's what the Phong bevels looked like prior to any case work:

For any vintage Rolex sport watch collector, I believe there are 2 essential watches that should be part of the collection, a meters-first 5513 and its older brother; the venerable 6538 big crown. Having already built my 5513 grail some time ago, I finally committed myself to begin and finish a big crown project that I can enjoy for years to come. First and foremost, I wanted the right dial. The gilt dial i chose was made by the Chuck Norris of dial makers who might be one of 2-3 people left on earth who can make gilt dials in the traditional way using genuine 1030 plates. Movement is a gen 1030 as is the tube and crown. The mid case was a challenge. I finally decided that the Phong case would work best for me, but it's hit and miss what phong delivers you these days. I have dealt with him numerous times in the past couple of years, and it seems that the quality control is not what it used to be. As such, the case required a relatively high degree of reshaping to get it where I wanted. In fact, I had to completely recut the bevels...this is no easy task. The look I was going for was a slightly aged case that looks like it was worn sparingly over the past few decades. While I could have gone for a more weathered dial, I wanted to enjoy the gilt goodness in all its lovely glory. Perhaps down the road I will replace it with a more age-appropriate one, but for now, I enjoy as is. I had a small issue with the sweep hand and the movement which was above my pay grade to fix. My watch smith rectified the issue and I finally got it all together today. In no particular order, I would like make a special thanks to @lionsandtigers, @cc33 and @Nanuq for their input/advice along the way. Specs: Dial/hands: He who will not be mentioned Movement: Gen 1030 midcase/caseback: Phongster Tube: Gen 800-0 Crown: Gen 8mm Brevet Crystal: Gen Tropic 17 superdome Bezel: Minh Quy Bezel insert: Gen "long 5" insert.. still looking for a matching tritium pearl Bracelet: Gen 7206 with 80 endlinks Gen 2mm springbars Now onto the pics: Very difficult to capture, but the gilt and the cellulose lacquer shimmer as it catches the sunlight: Sitting beside it's younger relative: Obligatory wristshot: And on Bulang leather: All photos taken with my iphone 6+ and unedited.

Are you referring to the location of the click spring on the retaining ring?? Seriously?