manodeoro

I'm so sorry ... I forgot to post the pics of my 5513 bezel assembly So here are the Tropic and bezel parts in the order they should come OVER the rehaut of the case : 1 - Tropic 2 - retaining ring 3 - washer (please no comment about the crazy shape guys 😀 I like my bezels really tight) 4 - bezel Here is the bezel mounted over the Tropic And here is the inner diameter of the Tropic ... more or less 28mm So, considering the inner diameter of your rehaut is more or less 28.8mm as you showed here You must forget about reworking your case to the right dimensions. The only way to achieve that would be to do as I did to modd my Silix 6538 case in a gen specs A/6538 : - shave the rehaut of your case on a lathe - build a custom rehaut - press it on the case That was THE way for me as the Silx case, apart from the rehaut, was really good compared to a gen. But your case is 50 to 70% wrong 😉 so forget about reworking it and buy a Cartel watch as @marrickvilleboy wrote and use the case as a start. There's no link IMHO. Just contact the TDs here and ask them for a Cartel 5513 ... then see what they offer, compare the prices and make your choice.

Dead end holes should be filled with some silver solder or "metal" 2 compnents glue. When cooled/dried just file/sand the excess and that's all. I do that every time I drill lugs on a case so that there's no risk of having a springbar stucked in place. Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk

If you ever decide to let that Noob TT go ... my wrist is ready for her. Guys !!! The more I read your posts and the more I'm sorry for not having joined this forum earlier. I joined November 2016, almost an "old man" already and quickly jumped into the build game (the first "watch" I bought was a 6538 case from Silix). It feels like the game was more "have fun" than "show off" some years earlier, with all those cheap reps far from perfect but highly upgradable (is it an english word ? "upgradable" ?). That's why I'm more in 5 digits and earlier, beyond the fact that these models were much more elegant ... I love reworking cases and drilling lugs, engraving, designing and building dials almost "from scratch". You're welcome and WOW !!! I love that caseback ... already uploaded the pic to use it as a template for engravings cause that 3646 could be one of my future build

Some documents about Staybrite and Stainless Steel https://hempel-metals.com/UserFiles/File/The Metallurgical Evolution of Staybrite.pdf https://hempel-metals.com/UserFiles/File/75_Years.pdf EDIT : sorry ... the links dont work ... will try to upload elsewhere EDIT 2 : links OK

In 1652 Axel Ostenstiern (a Swedish politician) wrote that "patience is the daughter of necessity" And as you say in the USA ... "necessity is the mother of invention" So I could say that it all starts with "necessity" 😉 and that I don't have the machines and I don't have big money to send so that people would do those things for me ... so I have to be "patient" and "inventive" But that would be only partially true. I do all that because I like that, finding ways to do things and do these things. And the process of the building (really building I mean ... not paying people to build for me) is as much as important as the final result

thanks Justin ... I still have some work to do on the case, lume the dial and hands and put everything together

One last pic before supper

Hi guys, It's been a long time since my last post on that topic. And now I see that all my pics are gone so I will have to reupload. That build proved to be much more difficult than I thought but today I'm close to finish that watch. I still have some work to do on it but I'm feel I'm really close. So here is a little teaser

I don't have a 5513 case 😕 BUT I have a 5513 bezel assembly 😊 on my A/6538 so I will disassemble, take measurements and post it there. Probably today cause it's Saturday so I have some time. BTW : I'm only 5'7" so "big man" is not really appropriate 😉 though I really prefer that than "shorty" 😂

Well ... as a vintage lover (and an old man) I cannot but agree That said, 1984 was not such a bad year for watches in general and 5513s especially

So not that bad, even if it's still too much for such a case IMHO. I have a bezel assembly from watchman408 (alligoat provided a link some post upper). The insert is definitely not really good but the bezel assembly is OK and works perfectly. If you want to chez before ordering one I can take some pics of the one I have and tell you the dimensions. That way you can check if your case can take such a bezel assembly (I don't think so but ... you never know). What could be interesting is to measure : 1 - exterior diameter of the rehaut on your case 2 - dial opening (inside smallest diameter of the rehaut) on your case 3 - overall diameter on your dial With those infos you can check is your case can take your dial and if it can take, with some lathe work, the aftermarket 5513 bezel assembly.

I can't say if it's my phone or your pic but I really don't see any detail. Could you please put another pic, really close-up and with a better focus ? Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk BTW ... I don't want to be intrusive but would you mind telling us where you bought your case and the range of price ? Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk

What I meant writing « nice and décent » Just some specific parts, like a decent pie-pan dial, that you cant get in Rep ... well, as far as I know Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

Reading what alligoat, automatico and hologramet, all really seasoned members, have written here ... may I suggest you to stop buying so called gen parts (which are in fact aftermarket), put everything aside, read a lot, learn and then go back to the workbench ? It will help you saving money (at least not lise any) and get a nice and decent 5513 at the end of the watch. Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

Let us know how it worked

Those are very high grade IMHO. You can find some cheaper on the bay http://globalaircrafttool.com/25x35hssspecialmetrichandtap.aspx Just check your measurements twice as those taps are never cheap (unless you buy some chinese) so you really want to buy the accurate at first.

If there is a big toolshop in your area you could try to go there with your tube. If they sell taps they will have what is needed for measurement ... or search ebay for a tap thread jauge

Measure the diameter D of the « screw » on the tube and the distance L between 2 threads. If the measurements are ... let’s say ... D=2.5 and L=0.35 then the right tap is, in metric system, M2.5x0.35. Hope this help but ask for more if needed. Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

That was a joke ... refeering to you post here I really like "vintage" Air-Kings ... 14000 and previous models ... first because of their size (my wrist is 6.5) and because they stay "under the radar" even when patinated and shiny. I have only 2 cause I'm really new to that game but I consider strating an AKs collection ... 14000 OOTB and my recent 5500 build here that still need a lot of casework but I already like it. Next one will be a 4499 ... I'm already working both on dial design and case and I'm wondering how I'll do about the crown ... without going to Gen I mean. So that one could be a long-term project Then perhaps an older one, 4499 with second at 6:00, or a two-tone 5507

+ 100 and I must agre ... though you don't like Air-Kings For some time I've been "studying" the technics with a friend who does his own pad printings (no dials and he already said "no" when I asked). Though his equipment is "medium grade" he gets really go results, even with multiple colors projects (I'm 100% certain he could print impressive dials if he only agreed to do). So the more I work with Illustrator and decals, the more I consider pad printing my own dials.

HR did a single dial for me a couple times. Hope they didnt stop doing that. Been pretty happy with them. They still do ... silk screen printing They have "updated" the price, about $110 for custom printing + $49 for dial

Thank you very much That has been my very first build, the one during which I learned almost everything I know now : - reworking case and crownguards - drilling and chamfering lugs - polishing and brushing steel - building dials So, though I have achieved some better builds after that one, it remains my favorite.

@automatico ... what's your problem with Air-Kings ? Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk

To blue the case and get a even color you'll need a jewellery oven or pottery oven to get the right temperature.I have a color/temperature chart somewhere so I'll search for it and post it here. BTW ... may I suppose your cork says "vieillit dans nos chais" ? So you're a French wine fan, congrats !!! Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk

@Nanuq ... here's a little teaser