Revere

Build is as follows: TC case, crown, bezel, crystal, SH3135 movt, JF LV dial, JF LV hands, Preik caseback.

Currently in the in-between phase while I get the rest of my 16800 parts.

Looks pretty good to me!

Very true. Working with MQ can be a pain. I just requested a dial from him and I had to ask twice before he sent me a photo of the actual dial I was getting, he previously sent the stock photo on the website.

It's good to know that the pain may be worth it if the dials are made to that higher standard.

We've all been there: you're working on a dial that costs more than your monthly rent and you sneeze on it, or your dog hair falls on it, or you accidentally spray it with windex. 

Cleaning glossy dials always gives me a headache because I am anal about having blemish-free dials. Using q-tips can be a pain and frequently leaves little dust bits behind. Cleaning up the dust bits that compressed air doesn't whisp away means more q-tips, and the problem spirals...

Enter clean-room swabs which are dust and lint free. I tried these with a sharp point to be able to clean around text and indices:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DVNRB0O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are fairly firm so you can get good tactile feedback on how hard you are pressing. A light dab picks up most dust. Applying a small nothing of your cleaner of choice to the tip and rubbing lightly will work excellently to clean up any grease stains you might have gotten on the dial from fat-fingering it. If you apply too much cleaner and leave a streak, rubbing lightly with a clean swab will clean up the residue.

These and a canless air system really made my assembly life much easier. I thought I would share in case anyone else experiences similar headaches.

38 minutes ago, spen said:

why don't you buy direct from where TC got his or is that beyond your thinking

No need to be snarky on this forum.

TC has not revealed where he gets his parts from, only general areas (e.g. KH dial from UK, Pennsylvania Bezel, Chinese case)

I think Yuki also has a comparison/teardown on the articles/blog section of his site, yukiwatch.com

Anyone who knows enough about the watch to tell that it is too thick will also be able to tell the tapisserie pattern on the dial is non-gen. I would really not worry about the thickness. 

Unscrewing the screws and then tugging on the links slightly ought to do it. 

Possibly a useful thread on this topic:

Does the Venus 175 have the same subdial positioning as the V72?

I'd be thrilled if we got a replacement for tonny. He had good stuff at reasonable prices. It's a shame he went gen-only

I do know that the 5513 and 5512 had several iterations with flat hands. If memory serves 5513s had dials with white gold surrounds on the indices, much like later 16800s, so it could be that the curved hands were introduced around the same time.

I know dbane made a build of an exceptionally rare 5513 that he found some flat hands for in his parts bin. Maybe he will chime in here; I am sure he knows a bit about this.

Direct nuclear strike, lol. 

The big mod I would do to this watch is to make the CGs more rectangular as ebzen did. 

My order of operations on this watch would be:

1. Mod CGs to be more rectangular

2. Replace the hands

3. Replace the dial

4. Center the DW (if you care about this)

CGs and hands are the two things that jump out at me about this watch.

Others may know better but my understanding was that 1680 subs could be outfitted with curved hands at service. Modern subs obviously have 3D hands, but I don't know if it started with the 1680, 16800, 1680000, or 16610...

The 16800 was the last matte dial sub so it could be that curved hands started with that reference.

Those ofrei hands do look good. I order things from them regularly so I'll toss those on the next order and see how they look. I'll also order the ST hands

Mmmmm you're totally right, I concede! Thank you for the nice edited photo comparison.

When mine comes in I'll report back on whether it's one of those "can't really tell on the wrist" things.

1 hour ago, automatico said:

The MQ hands look pretty good, never used them though.

 

ST has good quality hands for 3035/3135 at about $15 a set. 

 

 

Hand installing BS:

Hands are usually damaged during installation by handling them with tweezers and/or by the pressing tool used to mount them.  Many old timers simply pushed them down with tweezers...one slip and you might kill the hand and/or dial.  I try to handle them with Rodico and use a Horotek hand press or pencil type hand press with plastic tips to mount them to prevent damage.  Using a piece of thin clear plastic from a plastic bag etc between the hand and the press tool also helps prevent scratches.  If the hands are mounted level and you still need to raise one slightly (by bending) to prevent contact, cut a piece of paper about 4mm wide and 50mm +/- long and bend it in a 'U' shape to lift the hand, being careful not to crack the luminous filler.  To lower a hand by bending it, use a dowel or pencil hand tool padded with a soft material.  Bending hands slightly for clearance is common.

Many times hands will not fit (oem and aftmkt) and need to be broached or closed.  This is relatively easy to do but requires a steady hand, a few simple tools, and some practice so I will skip it because I bore everyone enough as it is.  

Good eye, thanks for the lead! These are *substantially* cheaper. MQ quoted me about 500 EUR for 16800 dial and hands. The ST hands look to be about the same quality as the MQ. If they turn out to be a little bad, I will order the MQ hands.

I will also post photos of the ST hands when they arrive so others can compare later.

ST can be a pain to order from but I have an account: If anyone wants to jump in on an order, PM me - I don't know if that's allowed on this forum so apologies in advance if that isn't allowed! 

The rehaut does not look very bad to me. I plan on using the JF LV for a 16800 build (fully aware of the non-gen aspect of the case structure, don't really mind though).

Here is a QC pic for a watch I rejected; the engravings on the rehaut are offset, but it is a straight-on shot that IMO demonstrates the rehaut is not that wokky at all.

Does anyone know how the MQ hands are?

Here is a photo; they look good to me but curious about anyone that has used them

4 hours ago, GWP123 said:

Thanks for the analysis!   I think I found out whats going on with the 12 indices...it isn't the right not being straight, but its the alignment with the boxes of the grande tapisarie dial. The left indices covers the boxes pretty flush, the right indices shows some boxes on the right. Check out the pic. Do you think I could do better ? Or are they all like this you think? 

Also, I'm being told this is 10mm, only .2 away from the gen thickness...but it sure looks a lot thicker in the pics...hmm..thoughts?

 

I just looked at mine; a little boxes are showing on the left side of mine. You really can't tell unless you hold it right up to your eyes. I am kind of anal about these sorts of "defects," so if I can't tell, I think you are safe!

I think the thickness is just fine. You caught me on a day where I wore mine, and I took a photo (attached). I am very happy with the thickness of the watch. 

1 minute ago, watchme22 said:

Clark are good but nowhere near gen, for a datejust they're fine but not a sub. I'd spend a little money and try to get the real deal.

Try a WANTED advert, I'm sure there's some around here...

You're likely right. I'm hopeful there's an alternative but if there isn't then I'll go gen.

6 minutes ago, watchme22 said:

For which movement?

Sorry, forgot to include that. For a cal 3135

Hi all,

I'm working on a 16800 build using the JF LV as a base. It'll be a fun project to wear around, even if the rehaut is a little deep and the case is a hair off.

Any suggestions on hands? Clarks seem to be the reference for these builds but they don't look great. The seconds hand in particular looks a hair cheap on Clarks hands. 

Thank you!

Change in pattern is definitely normal, it's not a "gen" tapisserie so the pattern can look a little funny. That's a macro shot, it'll look far better in person.

Anyways,

that dial looks pretty good. the rest of the watch is fine as well. The 12" indices are a little closer at the top than at the bottom, but that is extremely minute, and likely not worth rejecting QC for. Up to you.

If you are looking to put together a good build you might want to spring for the phong (J&W) bezel. With the amount of work you are putting into converting a V72, I would not skimp on a bezel, dial, or hands. 

IMO, dial, hands and bezel are the primary defining factors of a watch's "user experience." Case follows shortly from there.

On 5/12/2017 at 3:19 PM, GWP123 said:

 

Just ordered from Angus!  He said the thickness is now 10mm? so only .2mm off? So that should be pretty good. I asked that they ensure the logo and indices are straight and aligned, as you recommended. so looking forward to soon joining the AP fan club!

Nice! post pics when you get it, I'm not sure what the rules are on asking for QC pic verification on RWG but happy to help via PM if you would like it

13 hours ago, Ezio said:

Just curious show some pics of your build 

 

and Also i could have interest In the 1030 if it is  

Here you are. I probably won't get rid of the 1030, even if I decide to replace the movement with a contemporary one. I'm sorry. I recommend hunting online incessantly and asking any watchmaker friends you may have.