Serenity

One other thing to consider is that the Clark plexi has been known to have the cyclops too far to the right when placing it on reps. It was that way when fitting on the old PT cases as well. I changed mine to a Sternkreuz and the cyclops lined up much better with the rep dial. If you don't want to change the dial or reposition the datewheel, that would be something to consider as well.

1 minute ago, carolinaguy99 said:

WSO 580's, MBK bracelet, WSO bezel assembly, gen service insert, clarks crystal, athaya crown/tube, yuki dial/hands. reshaped case, aged dial. voila!

Thanks! I'm planning something similar on my build with a gen 80s dial. Just need to find a gen service insert and maybe a gen crystal as well.

12 minutes ago, carolinaguy99 said:

Another example of what can be done with the new cartel 5513.

 

Very nice! What are the overall specs?

16 minutes ago, tomhorn said:

I would go with TC's hands.

Would those be the "16610 Hands Set V2" option or something else? I've seen TC's hands recommended for 5513 builds while trying to learn about the flat vs rounded choice for different eras of Sub hands.

If you're a member over at the other RWG, I've found this thread to be very helpful when fixing the keyless:

http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=4295

There's also a good tutorial here, but none of the photos seem to load anymore.

Might I ask which particular Sub do you have? (What maker/build?)

Thanks for all the tips in this thread. WSO sent me some flawed endlinks (bad pits in the finish) so I'm waiting for a set of replacements, but hopefully this will be helpful soon....

The insert just arrived, so here is my photo as promised!

It's not properly set in place yet, as I still have to sand the edges just a little so it will fit better. However, even just sitting loosely on the bezel makes things look so much better.

Thanks again to Steve for being so generous!

Grill

Love that spider dial. Can't wait to see it all together!

No worries at all.  After reading his description about his build, it sounds and looks like he really needs it - way more than I do.  That one he has right now is terr-i-ble!  

Yeah, it's the best of a bad bunch, but it was better than nothing at the time. I would have been fine with a stock PT insert had I found one, and Yuki was sold out of his insert at the time, so I gambled on a few of the cheapies on eBay (Clark, Rolesy, Watchman). Lots of variation, even between the same makers. I think this one is a Clark? But even the pearl didn't match the one on a previous one that I had ordered. That's just how it goes sometimes, so I can't wait to get the Yuki to put on it.

The numbering on the third insert looks the best, but that pearl is the wrong style. Personally, I'd go with that one, but fade it out and remove the pearl.

Might I ask what case that is? (ie: Cartel/Silix/whoever?)

Simply put, I'm blown away right now and wasn't expecting this at all. Thanks so much, Steve; I can't express my gratitude enough!

I'm pretty excited to get this for my 1680 and I'll be sure to post a photo when it's done. I also promise to pay it forward and help out anyone if I can in the future too. (And not lurk as much!)

Thanks again!!

No problem.  Do you know how they compare to WSO springbars? The Ebay ones I mentioned have flat tips so I ended up not ordering them. I'm using my Yuki bars for the time being, which actually aren't that bad after all. I think it's just my leather strap that is interfering with how they sit. When they are installed in the watch head alone they look fine.

Honestly, I've never personally had the WSO bars, but I've read that they lose spring tension/strength after a few removals. It might been luck of the draw for those particular bars, but I can't be certain.

The Startime bars have held up very well though, including through many removals as I mess around making leather straps and test fitting them.

How much are the Startime bars? Do you have to have an account to purchase them?  I had read recently that they stopped selling parts to regular people.

Sorry, I completely missed your questions! The Startime bars were around the same price of those eBay ones, if I recall correctly. I had a fellow member here (who has an account) order them for me. Definitely worth the expense!

No worries if I'm not eligible! Best of luck to whoever wins. I was going to share my build somewhere eventually, but I felt inspired to post today.

Very Nice Ghost Insert you have there

It's a super extreme ghost insert...

Beautiful photos. I recently swapped out the Explorer dial from my Silix BC, but seeing these makes me want to switch back...

I'm mostly a lurker here, so I don't anticipate winning (and may not even be eligible)... However, here's what I would use it for:

PT 1680 - Modeled around a 1978/79 build.

I've wanted a 1680 for quite a while, but I could never find the right one. After reading... and reading... I decided to follow the advice of RA and many others who said the Puretime version was the way to go. Unfortunately, this was during the time when PT was completely sold out of 1680s and he didn't know when/if any were going to be offered again. With no other option, I started to collect parts separately over the past six or seven months, which led to a heck of a learning experience...

Last December, I was able to purchase a PT White dial and ordered some hands separately from Raffles. The dial and hands were lightly textured and aged, then placed on a Swiss ETA movement. In March, I was finally able to get a PT case (without insert) from a member at RWI. The crown guards have been reworked and there's still a little more work to be done. I then installed a Sternkrauz crystal, but the original PT retaining ring and bezel won't properly fit on it, so I bought a Clark bezel assembly from another member. This secured the crystal properly, but I want to replace the bezel because it was overly polished.

Athaya's 702 crown was next, which seem to go right on with no trouble... until I cut the stem too short and had to wait another week for a new stem to arrive. Also sourced some gen spec springbars from Startime, which were graciously ordered for me by another member here. During this time, the movement started going erratic, so I replaced it with one from another watch that I purchased.

With no insert, I finally broke down and bought one of the cheap ones with a metal pearl on eBay, but it was too thick and the hole is too big without the pearl. I had to sand down the bottom quite a bit, but it still won't snap in properly. I also work with leather for my other job, so I became interested in learning how to make my own watch straps. Taking cues from B&S and Hodinkee, I made a few minimal stitch leather straps. I'm still learning, but it's a neat experience.

So that leads me to where I am today, with a mostly "complete" 1680 but one that I'm not entirely satisfied with yet. I've assembled and disassembled this watch so many times that I'd love to have something to say "I'm finally done" with it.

Anyway, thanks for reading and here are some photos:

Which bars did you order? I bought some gen spec Startime Supply springbars and they've been working great so far.

Getting back to 007, guess from where this wrist-strap comes ...?

 

FACEBOOK.1.jpg

I would assume it's one of the official Omega straps:

http://www.omegawatches.com/accessories/fine-jewellery/selected-accessories/introduction/nato-straps

It looks more like the Phong version to me. The Athaya 702 has a slightly larger oval on the coronet and less of a "flat" edge around the threaded opening.

Anyone have a copy to share?

The files posted by Deckard1979 in post 230 are still active. (Thanks Deckard!)

Make sure to check what kind of movement is in it, especially if it's one with the basic Asian or clone movements. Sometimes it's cheaper to just buy a new replacement movement than to service the one you have.

Fantastic builds! I hope I can add one to my slowly growing collection this year.