kbiz

nevermind you're right it is a disk: Application of the Cote-de-Geneve is accomplished using a machine fitted with a wooden (or in some cases plastic) lap. The lap

ok I'll find one... I make a lot of my own toolings for my metal lathe and upright mill... if I had to guess I'd say it's not a disk but a little fly cutter... I can make that pattern on large plate stock using a fly cutter on my mill with a holder angled very slightly...

@fxrandy you wouldn't have a picture of this cutting disk would you?? I always thought it looked like a tiny fly cutter had been used...

is that really what it's called?? pearlage? what tool do you use??

what's the right tooling for real CotesDeGeneves?? Being I have an upright mill it wouldn't be hard for me...

what the heck is pearlage??

same size as your DSN crystal... in fact thats the best choice on the market right now...

So I bought an ultimate Fiddy from the Cartel for a vintage project I'm working on... while taking a break, I decided to lap the main bridge plate to see if there's any hope of significantly improving the look of the decorated A6497. I think there is... I don't know if anyone already tried this trick, but I think it's going to go very well. Reworking the beveling along all the edges and inside jewel's cylinders and mounting holes and I plan on a light surface plating of black chrome in the cast engravings which done lightly will show up only gray... then after lapping away any over chroming, I'll spin the plates on the lathe and give them the proper star-burst brushed pattern... followed by a surface plating of nickle. I think it's going to look a million times better... Here are some pics after lapping down to 1200 grit sandpaper...

So as many know I've been working on and pursuing the perfect Gen like crystal for autos... as of right now, the best, by a very long shot, is the Ultimate crystal from the Cartel but only the most recent version as there's now been 3 generations of Ultimate crystals from the cartel... and by cartel I mean only Josh and Andrew as other ultimates I've seen are not the same... however the AR is not perfect... it's better than most but that's not what this is about I was hoping that the new auto crystals by DSN would be the answer... they're one piece and not sandwich construction. I originally thought they had a glued in cyclops that might be removable so that I could lap down the thickness and eliminate the "Holo" ring that plagues DSN's latest and greatest. Unfortunately it turns out that somehow DSN has truly created a 1 piece crystal... as in not only is the hole CNC ground into sapphire, but in fact the cyclops itself is actually ground out of the sapphire... it's amazing but the tolerances or the process he uses leaves far too much edge on the cyclops or is ground too deep... either way DSN's 1 piece crystal is not the answer I was looking for... though it can be easily AR coated by Chief or any other AR coater if the AR bothers you more than the cyclops Halo. I also decided to test the Cartel Ultimate crystal for heat and to see if I could remove the cyclops from the body of what I thought was a sandwich constructed crystal.... however, I found that the crystal was able to withstand a massive amount of heat without and adhesive fogging or burning... in fact I tested it all the way until its destruction. That's right, I destroyed an ultimate crystal in the name of science!! My findings are not what I was expecting. I no longer believe that the ultimate crystal is a sandwich construction as I was able to heat the entire crystal and cyclops with a blowtorch until it was starting to glow a bit... and there is still no discoloration or signs of lamination of any kind... other than burnt AR So my thought is that an ultimate crystal may be able to be sent to Chief and have its AR redone... it also means that the ultimate crystal may very well be a true one piece just like DSN's but with much higher tolerances... So maybe I'll have to pull one of my ultimate crystals off a watch and see if I can get some Chief AR on there... we'll see Some of my cyclops collection DSN's latest one piece after super heating to destroy any glue... and none was to be found Destroyed latest ultimate crystal... no lamination to be found after super heating Destroyed latest ultimate crystal... no lamination to be found after super heating Destroyed latest ultimate crystal... no lamination of the cyclops to be found after super heating

first thing to do is take the CG off and see if you can set it properly... if so then the stem needs to be adjusted so the crown doesn't hit the CG...

Maybe I'm best to send it to you...

Anyone know a good way to remove PVD or DLC without sanding?? I Have a Gen Panerai bezel that was either DLC'd or PVD'd and I'd like to remove it... I was thinking with heat as there's no pearl or anything that would be damaged... Any help would be great

As for the cyclops you can use DSN's latest crystal... Oncyte has that on his 029 usually visible in his sig

That's a very limited supply of 2893s so if you're going to do it you should do it sooner than later...

yes looks like repro... the pics I've seen of the stamped dials were much more shallow and had more surface distortion...

just the case set... looks like it maybe comes with the crown too

or you could just send it out to an anodizer

hobby... I didn't buy all these tools just for watches though... with a metal lathe and an upright mill you can make ANYTHING... I'm a non practicing mechanical engineer who went back to school for sculpture... ran outta money and have been in sales for the last 10 years

many Gen Ti watches are anodized for durability... which they usually go for dark charcoal... As for the Dark Ti... I've had 6 Gen pam Ti cases and even more Gen Ti CGs... none have been that dark... don't get me wrong I like the look but it's not how the Ti would naturally oxidize... the Ti will reach it's darkest level within a month at the most... in Seattle it'll usually take a day

All the machinery is mine... and I do all my own work... two of the coolest tools in the world are the metal lathe and upright mill... you can make anything with them... along with the crap load of set-ups you need Whenever you use heavy machinery you will destroy something from time to time... I have yet to damage a case though. The important thing is holding the parts properly, as in the right vise, clamps and hold downs... the amount of force exerted when machining is way higher than it seems. As for the time... well I don't rush it... sometimes I only do one part and take say 15 minutes to finish it... other times I'll spend a couple hours. I'm pretty proficient so it doesn't take me a million years... I took a jewelry making class in college and I learned the right way to work small pieces with files, etc. I worked mainly on sterling silver and learned to solder properly as well... All in all, this project took longer because of the Ti case which was far more rounded than Gen cases and the low profile bezel from DSN didn't want to fit the old cartel case... so I had to take it on and off about 6 times. As for working with Ti it wasn't harder at all... Ti is just like working aluminum. Many people think Ti is "Harder" than other materials when in actuality it's much softer... just like aluminum... in fact, Ti is most often alloyed with aluminum. Ti is stronger than most metals but not to abrasion.... stronger as in it will bend further and than steel say and still spring back. SS is much more durable for a watch, however, Ti is super light... in fact this 089 feels like a third the weight of my 089 on the wrist.

Yes that's an upright mill... the only way to make a perfect fit with a CG...

You can also check out my 088 build for more pics of case building, etc. Super Ultimate Fully Modded Franken Pam 088

Yes sir... only thing I won't do is lume sausage dials...

only a projectologist would truly place the process over the end result absolutely!! I regard super frankens far higher than Gens... they're far more rare and require a Zen level of patience when collecting parts and building...

As I'd posted before, I'd been trying to source a Gen 089 Dial for about a year and a half... Finally the dial came in and the project could begin. Equipment List: Old School Cartel Case re-milled for perfect fitment with CG Case fully reshaped and brushed to match Gen Ultimate Crystal Gen Dial Gen Hands Leo date wheel modded for sunken date wheel fix Gen Ti CG Gen Ti spring loaded crown Custom Ti crown tube Low Profile Ti Bezel On to the pics: Case was hand filed and reshaped before being brushed... a gen Ti case was used as a reference and matched. Measuring and calculating before machining is a must!! Machining the case to ensure exact fitment with Gen Ti CG Sunken date wheel fix Comparison between rep and Gen dial... there is no comparison Hands mounted after DW alignment is perfected Finished product A matching pair... my Super Ultimate Fully Modded Franken Pam 088 and his evil cousin the 089 Two of my all time favorite GMTs...