e30m3

Hmm, mine wasn’t convex from factory - it’s supposed to be?

That pesky line in the midlink doesn't have to stick around. Took 5 mins with a Dremel and a 600-grit wheel. Blast the line down (being careful not to go too far), then block sand wet with something flat, 800 grit-ish. Finally, use the medium grit Sandflex bar to get back to the Folex finish. Done. Too bad the rest of the bracelet still sucks.

Right, sorry for the delay there. Misiekped had to uh... Fix a movement problem that may or may not have been created by me. Also I'm aware of the scratches on the crown side from hasty sanding - just been too lazy to take it back down and address.

It's funny you should chime in, Bart, because yours was the ONE thread I could find when I searched the GS part number on Google! It's the reason I wrote "uncommon" instead of "unique!" Will do - misiekped's got the watch at the moment but I'll take some side shots as soon as I get it back! It's what I arrived at after we'd been talking GS - found it in their catalog. It's nice to have, particularly if your case neck is a little narrow (which was the case here). I looked at it and the CWP side by side from every angle imaginable, and couldn't see the difference for the life of me. Except for the angle that included my credit card.

That’s where I got this one. I recommend Sead.

After months of working on it (but mostly just being busy or lazy or both), I think I'm finally done with my first build. I wanted to share pics because I haven't seen this crystal used yet - from what I can tell, it's GS's version of the Tropic 19 "super dome." And it was $10.60. I compare it to the $96 CWP crystal in another thread that I can't be bothered to find now. I'd love to know what I'm missing, if anything, but they look practically identical to me. But I'm new at this - if you can spot otherwise, please chime in. Anyway: Cartel 5513 case: lowered lug height, adjusted CG's, added slight chamfering based on gen images, drilled lugs to fit OE bars, refinished. GS PA-462 19M crystal Athaya 703 crown and tube Athaya pearl, aged lume Clark bezel assembly, aged insert (it's ever so slightly blued, hard to get from the pics) ETA 2846 serviced by misiekped keeping excellent time Deleted date position in keyless HR custom aged dial (he says he matched his gen) HR 2.0mm spring bars, polished ends JK hands (aged lume) So, the tried and true, for the most part. With giant thanks to jackflash and automatico for dealing with my nonstop questions. I have WSO endlinks for the cartel bracelet, but the famous line in the mid-link pisses me off too much to install it.

Interesting. I've been looking at that one, and the XS 303.472 (which will likely be too big ID). BUT... I went through the GS crystals I bought before ordering the CWP, and one of them - I believe the PA 462-19M - is damn near identical to the CWP, but with a smaller ID (fits like a glove). (Like an idiot, I may have mixed the envelopes up between that and a 462-20A, but I'm pretty sure this is the 19M.) Haven't seen too many posts about that part number (just one, actually, but without pictures). I'll try and post some pics once I get it installed today, but at $10.50, it's pretty damn promising. Here's a crappy comparison picture in the meantime (the CWP still has the protective plastic on, but note the beginning of the dome is the same, and the curvature is at least really close (maybe even the same).

In my limited time posting (long time member) I swear I’ve yet to receive an unhelpful response on rwg. It really is uncommon - particularly in the forum world. You’re all much appreciated. I’ll seek to return the knowledge in time. Great place for sure. On the crystal, I hate to concede, but you guys are right. Rather than break it, I’ll sell this one to someone who has a 5513 with correct neck diameter. (Uh, that’s about 28.2mm for anyone listening!) And I’ll buy one of the Sternkreuz crystals. I actually bought a couple of weird GS crystals before ordering the CWP in hopes they’d work (but I think the OD is too big). Is there a SK crystal that mimics the “super dome” T19? I’m only aware of the “dome” ones and I’d love to find a super dome.

Thanks for those - I did search and swear I found two of them... Thing is, they discuss fitment of the bezel assembly to the crystal - what I'm looking for is a neat trick in attaching the crystal to the case itself - a micro-spacer of some sort or something?

Cartel 5513. CWP T19 just came, but there's about. .08 - .1mm of play between the crystal and the neck of the cartel case. The CWP crystal just drops right on. Fear is, I go to put the Clark bezel assembly on, and it cracks the ($94 shipped ) crystal. Anyone have a trick for this situation? I get 28.12mm on the case neck, and I believe it should be 28.2mm, which adds up. What about installing with crystal adhesive, then putting the bezel stuff on when it's dry? Danke.

Yeah, I noticed both of those points, too. I'm happy with it. Will post some pics once I (finally) get it installed.

Thanks guys. Seems I was overthinking it! DVNE, did you age that bezel? If so, mind sharing your method?

I'm doing a 5513 and want the lume on the bezel pip to match the "aged" look of the hands and dial, so I bought a Clark bezel assembly and an Athaya lume pip. I popped the pearl out of the Clark insert, which came out with metal "basket" and lume pip together. How do I separate the two in order to install the Athaya pip into the Clark "basket" after I fill the Athaya pip with lume? I can't find a good tutorial online. Thanks!

Worked perfectly, thanks!

I’ve been polishing - it’s starting to look good, but I can’t seem to get these machining marks to go. See them on the teeth? They look like lathe marks. Keep on polishing until they disappear?

Thanks (as usual). I'm just going to go to town with a cotton wheel and some Dialux - just polish the crap out of it? What about the inside of the "teeth," do you recommend getting it in there too? Or try to keep the "machined" look? Ref: https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/43zep132/1979-rolex-5513-with-mk-iii-maxi-dial-and-box-and-purchase-papers-A39

Hi, Just received my unpolished Clark 5513 bezel assembly and have a couple of questions: 1. It's unpolished - I was just going to hit it with Dialux Vert until it got shiny, but thought to check if this was all wrong and there was some special way of recreating the "factory" finish (although I'm sure any real 5513 will have been so polished with time by now that it's not really relevant). 2. To install, do I take apart the bezel assembly into its individual parts and push over the crystal one-by-one? Or press the whole damn thing on (very carefully) as one assembly? Thanks.

Thanks guys. I’m realizing that the question may be irrelevant anyway; is the latest JF 16610 even offered with anything but an SH3135?

Anyone have a side shot of both? Is the difference noticeable enough to use the less reliable 3135 clone? Even a verbal (okay, textual) idea of the difference would be great. I'd rather use a tried and true ETA (I have a NOS 2824 sitting in the drawer here) as this watch is for a non-watch-nerd friend, but if people are going to be calling him out right and left, I'll do the 3135 clone. Oh, this would be a 16610. Thoughts (other than "Crown height isn't your biggest issue - the abcdefghijklm......") I know it's not a perfect watch - just asking about crown height only.

...Sort of, anyway. Emailed Helenarou saying I wanted an aged version of the 5513 feet first dial he offered, and with no "puffy" lume. MK at Helenarou said that he'd try and match a lume of my choosing for an upcharge of US $25. I sent some links and frankly, he nailed it. The lume isn't puffy anymore, either (he matched the thickness of his gen, per my request). Here are some pics, with the caveat that there's no natural light in here (so the color appears lighter and brighter than it is in person):

For the US-based people, I went with these "Sandflex" bars from amazon. The medium worked fantastically. I recommend starting from the inside of the lug so as not to ruin whatever chamfer you may have.

Circlip it was - thanks. Completely missed that. Yeah, it’s junk. Just got curious enough to start unscrewing.

I think it's a DG 21j something or other...

I got an ETA 2846 for my 5513 project - how much of the date stuff should I be pulling off (if any)? I don't like the idea of having more parts than I need in the watch so I was going to at least take the date wheel itself out. Is that advisable?

Perfect, thanks!