Nightwatch

Revisited to update with pics. Did this a long time ago, the razorblade/Stanley tip worked on the next day like a charm and from there it was easy to work around. The new WSO T19 worked on the first try (pushed carefully down with the thumb) than repressed the holding ring with a plastic bottle cap first. The end result for my intended budget build needs was beyond fantastic and it gets a lot of wristtime. Thanks All:)

Thanks for the encouraging thoughts. There´s no hurry and probably I´ll just have to get used to it.

Hi, if it´s a standard Big Dazza (beautiful watch) it will have a slow beat DG 2813 inside most probably. You can get these from O. Frey (Conus) or Cousins.UK (EU) or from Ebay, nothing to worry about, like $40 shipped. Which stem did break? The one that holds the crown You can get also here: http://rafflestime.com/watch-movement/ About the watchmaker.....does he also do shoes, like shoemaker - double-job?

Just picked up this gen dial and I wonder if some of the Senior members could give me some more information about production Years or batches for this type of Explorer II dial or link me to a dial variations page. I´m somewhat “underwhelmed” by the dial in comparison to the (faulty) rep one of my Noob Explorer II, not sure if I want to mount it. I´m just missing that “Wow”-factor. It´s very nice and clean cut but.... The date-window cutout is fine, so is the lume application and lume. The lettering itself is crisp but somewhat “pale”, skinnier and less glossy compared to the rep dial (and other gen dials on google). The white is very smooth, but it doesn´t shine more than the rep dial either. Lume on the rep is botched, but shine and glow are 99% the same. Are there 16570 service-dials that look like this? or is it just different production Years? The rep is supposed to be an M-serial, 2008 transitional Explorer II. Also looking for general opinions of what You would do: switch it or not? Will there be a difference once mounted? Thanks All for any input:) on to the pics:

Same here, both dial and hands look good to me. According to taste, the dial could even be more vintagized or tropical. With some further irregular relume it could look less precise and more 3d, maybe that´s what You want to achieve. About the hands: once they are set You can carefully bend them a bit upwards or downwards, both with a toothpic and first by slightly carefully depressing around/along the center with the hand setting tool (best imho the rubber pointed one) in the direction it needs to go down or opposite to lift it a bit from the dial. Second hand: the most difficult to set if You are not getting the center right, maybe try to use a loupe to see what´s happening. A little bit of rodico attached to the tip of a toothpic may help to hold it precisely in place to than use the hand setting tool. I had one driving me crazy - it was just the impossible task of trying to fit a 2824 movement hand to a 2813 movement - because I had mixed up 2 packages. As soon as I tried the "real" 2813 hand it went on on the first try:)

To me it also looks You´re just at the beginning of "the hunt" and You may have many Years ahead and down the road to decide on it and find it. If You get it sooner, fine, to get it at age 50 or 55 possibly makes it more "special" or gives it more appeal, just because it will be more than 1/2 a century old - same as You, on the day You first have it on the wrist. Somehow I think the birthwatch "finds You", once You have decided exactly and without any doubt what it will be and are actively searching for it.

2002 GoldenEye Seamaster 300, side-by side with a Noob V5, 2015 release. Just wanted to check how a gen compares with a rep on the pic.

Nice pickups, I really like the gilt one and the crown format on the other. Still a puffy re-lume on the gilt could take it to gorgeous and be much more cost-effective now that it isn´t mounted yet. Longterm it´s the small irregularities, shadows and minor lume differences on each marker and seen through the plexi that make them so attractive to me - instead of each dot being exactly the same to the next like on a modern sub. The white could be kept as is.

She´s a well aged beauty. Congrats on the grail:)

Hi and welcome. Looking forward to some comments/ comparisons to how it was back than.

Hi and welcome to rwg. Just start researching aroud here and You´ll find all the info You need. Have fun

Gorgeous Looking forward to the wristshot thread in the near future. Congrats on a beautiful watch and a significant milestone in watch collecting achieved.

There are several types of dials that have been used with minor differences. As too many reps had it, I´d like to avoid the one with 300m no space (although this is just a personal thing). Definitely take a loupe to the purchase and be nitpicky, it´s an expensive watch and it´s better to worry about the rehaut engraving alignment being 0,1 mm off before the purchase than after. When screwed in the crown on the gen will not be in a horizontal position as on pics. If he´s buying new from an AD he may ask for one that does it or is max 15% off until the first service.

Great choice, I still love looking at mine, just a few more days .... and You can sleep well again:) Congrats

It´s a major undertaking. Good luck

Hi, and I know a guy who has a bridge over in Brooklyn for sale:) Taking the silver dial the logo looks crooked; marker at 9 is off , lume at 11 is off, marker at 3 is crooked, Nr. 12 looks misplaced Here are some gen dials: http://www.chrono24.com/en/search/index.htm?dosearch=true&searchexplain=true&resultview=list&query=Omega+seamaster+dial&sortorder=0&maxAgeInDays=0&watchTypes=Z&SETLANG=en_US&SETCURR=USD Budget dials/ reliable: http://rafflestime.com/watch-dial/ but it really depends what size dial for which movement type You´re looking for.

Hi, it´s a discontinued dial from Yukiwatch, he doesn´t have it anymore like this. Maybe check his other offerings or Tonnywatches on Ebay/ Instagram.

Absolutely stunning watch:)

Dreaming of these 369 dials and subs as well, stunning:) On the other topic, just yesterday was surprised to discover robertmaronwatches is a follower of tonnywatches.

Hi, I´ve tried both silver and gilt hands and the gilt ones are so amazing under different lighting conditions/ reflections in the sun or semi-glare in the dark I never went back. As for period correct the objective often is to re-build it as it left the factory. In real life (and in our case out of budget reasons) I often just jump the step and fit whatever is at hand. This is what a watchmaker in the sixties or seventies/eighties in some remote african location or tropical island would had done: attach the hand/ the crown or the plexi that was available, not the one from the RSC center. Even RSC centers started attaching the thick GMT-hour hand to early 6542 or 1675 GMT-Masters that use the small GMT-hour-hand if serviced. It´s only in modern times that because of the value these pieces are retro-fitted again:) To bring the decal-dials yet to another level they´d need a puffy, creamy relume to give them that depth of 3-D effect. Below 2 samples with silver and with gilt hands, home-relumed with a mixture of acrylic white/raw sienna/yellow ochre and Nescafé/lume powder. Some day these will get the Athaya-crown attached, by now I go with the above philosophy (have the crown, just didn´t want to break the stem and destroy the tube - if it needs drilling and retaping I´m stuck and they just work relentlessly well as they are). What fascinates me about Your project is it opens limitless possibilities for special editions/ tropical vintage pieces... it´s mindblowing:) and silver

Thanks Guys:) About the thickness I read quite a lot but thinking of the AP 15400 reps thickness I don´t quite follow it for this one. It sits low and slim on the wrist. While the 16700 GMT is extremely thin at 11.8 mm and the other 16700´s series are only 12,4mm the 1675 GMT-Master is given with Watch dimensions: Lugs inside opening: 20mm H: 47.5 mm - lug-to-lug W: 40mm bezel only (42mm L side of the bezel to the R edge of the crown) Thickness: 13.75 mm incl. cyclops on acrylic crystal. 12.75mm w/o cyclops from here: http://www.mkmotorsport.com/watches_GMT1675.htm In comparison with the calipers wrapped in paper I get: thickness 14,15mm incl. cyclops on acrylic crystal 13.35mm w/o cyclops at the exact center and 12.95mm if 1 cm to the side. This one has the flat caseback fitted that could even be slimmed down a bit if machined and the 0,5mm are negligible on the wrist and even of. As said the 16700 is visibly sleeker, a real 1675 haven´t tried it out and on pics it´s very close.