spazthecat

Hi, I have a rep with some really silly engravings between the lugs and I'd like to remove them. Is that something that is reasonable to do with a dremmel and various grades of sandpaper to clean it up? Thanks, Andy

Excellent! I really didn't want to do another sub build. I've got enough of those. I appreciate the feedback, Andy

Hi, I came across an ETA 2873 for cheap and was trying to decide what to build with it. I'm most interested in another vintage Explorer but had some concerns that this movement would fit. I stripped off all of the date change stuff and dial spacer and I think it will work but I wanted a second opinion about the height of the stem in the crown tube. The picture below is the 2873 in a JMB case. It's a tad off center but I think it would work OK. Agree? Or, is it too off center. Thanks, Andy

Very cool gesture for an excellent dial!

Hi, Finally had time to get some pictures. So, first picture is the movement with holder: Second picture is the gap between the dial and movement holder: Look normal? Or should it be flush with the back of the dial? Thanks, Andy

Timely post. I was just thinking the same thing. I started collecting reps (and microbrands) with the thought they would satisfy my need to buy gen but at a MUCH lower price. I also have built a number of replicas, an exercise that I found to be way more satisfying than purchasing a complete watch. But, I still can't get past the desire for the gen versions of the reps I've purchased. The quality of them is darn good for a rep but there still are little imperfections that bug the crap out of me. So, at this point I'm thinking of selling of all but a couple of my favorites and picking up a gen Tudor Blackbay. --Andy

Hi, Sorry for the lack of pics. I can do that next week when I'm back home. Otherwise movement holder is described in my 2nd post above. You can also see a reasonable picture of it here: http://helenarou.com/6538-homage-connery-bond-sub-watch-with-eta-2836-elabore-65382836.html Thanks, Andy

I thought the movement holder that comes with the case didn't need tabs? It's tall, almost as tall as the case. And, it has tabs that fit into notches at 6 and 12 on the case. It was my understanding pressure from the case back pushing against the movement holder keeps it securely in place. Sorry for not including pictures. I'm out of town at the moment. Thanks, Andy

Hi, Just a quick question about the movement holder used in the Helenarou 6538 case. Should the back of the dial sit flush against the movement holder? I have an ETA 2846 that I'm using for this case and it just doesn't want to sit down far enough in the holder that the dial back is flush. There's like a 2 mm gap so before I try to force it down or dremmel out a bit of the movement holder I thought I'd see if anyone else had the same issue. Thanks, Andy

I was thinking of adding more texture also. But, not sure how a little spray matte varnish will look. I need to find an old dial to test with.

Just curious, but who did the relume? Did you have it relumed in white rather than yellow/off-white? I was considering getting mine re-lumed as the existing lume, is really weak.

Wonderful job! I just might have to buy another case. Now, you just need to find time to get that printer up and running so we have a new source for dials:)

Looks great! I've been thinking about getting that one now that the noob LMPOs are in short supply. I think you may have helped make up my mind.

Hey thanks. That would be awesome! I'll keep that in mind and you might hear from me after the first of the year. Thanks, Andy

I did not. I kind of put it aside and was going to revisit it this winter when I have fewer outdoor projects and things to do. Thanks for the suggestions! --Andy

Thanks for the reply!

Hi, That's the price from a local AD that does the work in house. They don't send it out to Rolex. Just seems to be the going rate in my area. I checked another local watchmaker and the cost was within $100 of that.... I'd love to find a good local person that could do it for less. Thanks, Andy

Hi All, Thanks for the replies. Good discussion. So, now the real question, which one do I buy next:) 1. TC Sub 2. Blackbay (red) 3. Liquid Metal PO (just because most of my watches look like Submariners)

So, I have a gen Rolex Explorer II and I picked it up from having it serviced. The cost of the service was $1100. Nothing out of the ordinary, just case refinishing and movement service. Which, only cost $650 in 2008 when I had it done last at the same AD… But, that’s beside the point. The cost of the service got me seriously thinking about if buying gen watches is really worth it. I know no one but me can answer that question, but the more I think about it, the crazier it seems to spend between $3000 and $10,000 on a watch (I personally won’t go north of $5000) and then have to pay that kind of money to have a normal service. If I had say, 5 gen watches, that’s a lot of $$ just to maintain them. The reps I’ve seen are pretty decent. The good ones are good enough that I think 99% of the population won’t know the difference. Plus, if it dies, I’m skilled enough to repair it or just buy a new movement. Which will come in WAY under the cost of a Rolex service. And, I kind of like working on watches. Something I wouldn't think of doing on a gen Rolex. That brings me to the title of my post. I’m really considering forgetting the idea of buying gen watches and just doing reps or building them myself. Anyone else feel the same way? Opinions? Thanks, Andy

Thanks for the replies. The dial "shelf" sounds like a fun project if I had the tools to machine something like that. I wish I had the skills and equipment to do stuff like that. I was unaware of the Raffles dial. I didn't notice that on their web site when I had looked before. Thanks for suggesting that. I'll have to check and see if they have a no date version. --Andy

Hi, So, I'm contemplating the Tudor Ranger. I really like it but I don't care for the 34mm size. So, I was considering putting a Ranger together using a 36mm rep Datejust case and Yuki dial. I know it's not accurate but I like that size and the more normal 20mm lugs a lot better. My question is, regarding how the dial will fit in that case. The Tudor Ranger dial from Yuki is 1mm smaller than the Explorer dials normally used in those cases. So, is that 1mm too much a difference? Thanks, Andy

Very nice! Is that the stock crystal? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi, I'm thinking about buying a 5517 to mod. Nothing major planned right now beyond just a basic aging of case, dial, and hands. Who would you buy a 5517 rep from? I had it narrowed down to: 1. Perfect clones 2. Trusty time 3. Puretime Asia Thanks Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi, Is $200 cheap? I’ve seen plenty of posts on various watch forums that state $200 is excessive and a more reasonable price for such a job is in the $125 range. That’s mostly what I’m basing my question on. If $200 is the acceptable fair market value for such a service, then I'm now properly informed. I’m pretty proud that I was able to take a broken movement, dis-assemble it, clean it, replace the obviously broken parts, lubricate it, re-assemble it and have it actually start up and work (took about 24 hours or so of my time to learn it). All without any formal or prior training. And, I really enjoyed doing it. Does that make a me a professional watch maker? Absolutely not. But, I do think it gives me at least a little appreciation of what it takes to properly perform basic watch service. And, yes, in the situation, $200 plus is too expensive for me. It’s a $25 movement that I spent $10 in parts on to get it working and is at this point not used in any watch that I wear on a regular basis. I could buy a brand new ETA 2824/2836 for the price it will cost me to have this one serviced. So, I was asking here and thought I might find a forum member who does this sort of thing on the side. Or even, just point me in a direction to look and try to fix it myself. —Andy

Hi, Thanks. Yes, I did read through that thread. There isn't a regulating screw on this movement. So, it's a little different. At present I have the lever that controls the beat (the isochronal lever??) where it was originally. It is farthest away from the center of the watch. The regulating lever is also positioned farthest away from the center of the watch right up next to the lever that controls the beat rate. That should be the slowest setting, correct? At this point, it's my understanding that there is something else that would need addressed, like me doing a poor job of getting the movement clean, it needs de-magnetized (just thought of that this morning), or there is something wrong with another part of the watch like the hairspring itself or the main spring. Thanks, Andy