HauteHippie

Hahah! That is true... Didn't even dawn on me until now that the B should be C! I'll definitely have to contact DSN and see what his case backs look like!!

What's the case back number on your old school 2893-based 63? I can't remember, were these individually numbered? Mine is B100/500 Also shouldn't the 500 be 1500? How many of these things were made (gen)? Are the newer case backs more accurate?

Maybe there is a gasket inside the tube so you don't feel it. I don't know. But I think we can agree on the technical details, right? Different dial thicknesses has to mean a different spacing of the movement with respect to the case holes (all else being equal). So...... it's still puzzling.

Well it's an unsolved mystery. There is no doubt that the rep and gen dials are different thickness, and if nothing is done to compensate, then the holes won't line up. Maybe you didn't notice it if you never removed the crown from the stem. You can't really see how the stem is aligned unless the crown is removed.... In this case a frankenjust, but with the crown in place you can not see where the stem aligns inside the tube on any watch... A pic just like this is what we need for the franken SA v1 with gen dial.

Is there any chance you could unscrew the crown from the stem and take a picture of the stem alignment in the crown tube? And just in case I've confused everyone (highly likely ), I'm not saying it CANT be done. I'm saying it can't be done properly without some sort of additional spacer somewhere to make up for the difference in thickness between the rep and gen dial + rehaut ring (or with the rep rehaut ring). Maybe the thickness difference is small enough that it can be done with gen dial, gen rehaut ring, and no spacer but then the stem won't be centered in the crown tube and you'll be torquing it when the crown is secured down. So even if it technically "works" (read "looks like it works") without the spacer, using the spacer is still much better for the movement. And because a spacer between the dial and rehaut ring would look bad, and a spacer between the dial and movement would create a gap in the date window (also look bad) and possibly cause problems with fitting the hands on the now shorter posts, the best solution is the rep rehaut ring..... IMO

I did one of these with a 2892 and stilty spacer ring. The Zigmeister did all the necessary hour wheel, canon pin stuff, and it turned out great... I just wish I had taken a pic showing the movement before giving it away.

There's a guy on RG who did his V2 SA and described to me the shimming thing... Others have also tried and couldn't figure out how to make it work. So, it's definitely not straight forward.

V2 SA has reportedly been done, with caveats... 1. Case scratched/dinged in the process of removing the old bezel because it's VERY stubborn. 2. Old bezel trashed and not reusable. So once you head down this road, there is a point of no return. 3. Gen bezel doesn't fit directly as on the V1 because the V2 case is not sized quite the same. So a shim of some sort or a gasket must be used to "fill in" the slack and make the bezel fit securely on the case. Now, I've never seen the watch in person, so I can't say either way... but I really wonder how the bezel "feels" when rotating being rigged with a shim or gasket like this.

Based on this info, I think the gen dial could be installed on mine and look fine from the outside too. But with the slight difference in dial thicknesses between rep and gen, the stem can not be centered in the crown tube with the gen dial installed. And, maybe it's just me, but I don't want an uncentered stem as I don't feel comfortable with the long term consequences to the movement (genuine Breit in mine) of screwing down a crown to a case with a stem that is out of alignment... because then you're essentially "forcing" it in to place.

On either the blue or black, could you show a pic of the side of the case with the crown off and stem installed so we could see how far off center the stem is? With everything else being equal it has to be at least a little off center because I can see a slight difference in depth on the dial side between the blue vs. the white/black... The blue is definitely a little deeper (unless it's an optical illusion) so the white or black gen dials should have an uncentered stem with the stem being a little high. Or if adjustments were made to get the stem centered, what were the adjustments? Thanks.

Well, maybe this will make you feel better: The country already is bankrupt, and still will be in 6 months. I don't think anyone here can advise you on the purchase of a luxury item without any knowledge of your financial situation. But, in general, the economy is just getting started and we have not seen anything yet. The service sector is going to continue to bleed jobs for some time to come. And our government, instead of investing in rebuilding a decimated manufacturing base which could actually help revive our country, is instead going to pursue the precise fiscal and monetary policies that got us here in the first place by ballooning the debt with "feel good" but economically destructive stimulus to the tune of trillions. And as they, once again, inflate their way out of this (or try to) I would expect its effects to show up in consumer goods prices this time - meaning a lower standard of living for everyone, employed or unemployed. The only question, really, is how much lower? If all the overseas dollars finally start making their way home, then god help us. And one really has to wonder what's in it for China to finance the improvement of roads and bridges in the USA. The used car that is affordable today, could very easily be unaffordable in 5 years from now but not because of a robust economy... because of a severely crippled one.

Well, what I can tell you is this... The Zigmeister has checked and double checked for me (at my request) because I was about 95% certain it would work with the V1 and gen tachy ring... But side by side the rep dial/ring is a different thickness that the gen dial/ring. So, as you know, when you insert the dial into the case from the caseback, it will bottom out in the case. And if it doesn't bottom out in the right spot with the movement attached, then the case holes won't line up with the movement. If you think of the dial as nothing more than a spacer for the movement in the case, then if the two dials are of different thicknesses things won't line up both ways. If I were to guess, and it's only a guess, I would bet there is a "wrong" way to get it to work with the gen tachy ring. Perhaps a small spacer between the dial and movement, bend the hands slightly so that they don't rub against the dial, and then live with crown stem and chrono pushers being "close enough".... But the reason I go to The Zigmeister time and time again is to get jobs done correctly. So, that's the situation and my guess as to how maybe it can be "jerry-rigged".

The Good News: Weather forecasts call for lots of sunshine in Chicago tomorrow (1/15). The Bad News: The high will be -1 degree Fahrenheit. Good lord.

Doing it properly shouldn't be called "cheating".

D - Too bad you didn't mention the interest earlier or I would have met up with you at the Hard Assets Investment Conference in S.F. a month or so ago...

Francisco, great write up as always.... How is the graphite powder solution standing up to the test of time thus far on the older movement?

If you have the proper tools, go for it. Read this first... You'll quickly see what is involved in getting a chronograph's dial off.

Post a pic. We will tell you. Oct '08 is most likely V2 though.

AR coated crystals can be pests as they tend to attract dust. Generally I will wash the crystals with warm water and soap and dry them with a lint-free cloth. After the initial cleaning they seem a little better and dust doesn't cling quite as much. But, it is still necessary to use a lens dust blower to get the remaining specs off. Blow the inside of the case as well, and then install the crystal. Then blow off the dial and put it all back together. And after all of this, every now and then a little piece of lint will remain requiring you to disassemble to start over. Dust blowers are available for camera lenses as well as watch parts. Both do the job:

I guess one question would be... does "asia 7750" refer to only one movement? Maybe this one has 3600 bph and 3 jewels.

Welcome aboard! Better late than never. That picture is awesome! I wish I still had my Datejust rep from 1987!! I think it costed $10 bucks, worked for about 6 months, and then I threw it away. Anyhow, you're going to love it here!

All crystals get an ultrasonic cleaning prior to AR coating...

Nice job, Toad! People will have no problem learning something new when the material is entertaining!

Umm, OK.... Apples and oranges though. The V1 dial height is not the same as the gen so once attached to the movement and inside the case, the holes simply don't line up. What is the solution? (1) Shim between the dial and movement? Sure if you can find longer posts for the hands and don't mind an unsightly gap in the date window. (2) Make the dial height correct for the case. I'll take #2 myself. The rep rehaut ring is how to get there. And let's face it, nobody will ever know.