manodeoro

05 - CROWN : I tried to save the crown and repair it with a tiny bit of copper wire ... I like to pretend being MacGyver. It worked but I wasn't 100% certain everything would stay in place so I prefered to change for a crwon and stem I had in my drawer. I'll work again ion that crown later ... just for the fun of it. And if I succeed I'll create a specific thread. 06 - CRYSTAL : The crystal is good enough (samel quality level as the watch) but it has some scratches on the cyclop. One can see them only on macro pics but it bothered me so I dedided to do my best to fix that thing. A good friend of mine told me I should use Cerium Oxide. So I bought some (that's really cheap) and tried that method. All you need is : - Cerium Oxide - small amount of water - some make-up remover pads - elbow grease (wrist grease in fact) Just mix some oxide with water to make a thick paste, moist you pads (unless they will abosrb all the water from the paste), take some of the paste with a pad and rub the crystal, again and again. I did that for minutes, and hours, while watching the news or a movie on TV, listening some cool music, having a sunbath on my terrace, etc ... It's a very looooooong process but ... it works. The scratches didn't disappeared but it's really better ... IMHO I'm not certain that was worthy or usefull but I'm happy. I could go further but I wont cause If I want to get a perfect result I would have to sand the cyclop 800/1200/2000 then repolish with Cerium Oxide. I would be a very long process and I'm not quite certain that the difference would be visible without a magnifying glass. So here is the last close pic of the crystal before I wrapped it in greaseproof paper ... waiting to put it back on the case. 07 - MOVEMENT : The movement seemed to work good and with the new stem/crown assembly it can be set without problem and the date changes between 11PM and 1AM, so everything is OK. Except the date wheel. The police was ... "exotic" could be the right word. So I decided to make a DIY overlay wich could look some more accurate : - designed the DWO on Illustrator/Photoshop - printed it on a very thin photo paper - cut it and fixed it on the datewheel with some double-sided tape - add a "wedge" made from the same photo paper between the dial and the dial spacer fixed with double-sided tape) That's all. Now the police looks less "strange" and the date still changes well between 11PM and 1AM. And here are some pics of the process 08 - DIAL : OMG ... that dial really bothered me The printings were no that bad and "could look" like some 2006 dials but the indexes ... OMG !!! Looking at the indexes I first thought about swapping the minutes hand for a thicker one and the insert for a green one, so that the watch could look like a 50th anniversary LV. But it wouldnt work, the indexes are not even "big iNdexes" and the printings would not be accurate. Then I searched my drawers and found a 16610 dial that "could have" work ... but I had already modded it for an ongoing 16800 Comex project. So I have created a thread here, a WTB asking for a "cheap but decent" 16610 dial. And now here I am, waiting for an nice 16610 dial from a forum's member. 09 - CASE & BRACELET : This morning I woke up in the wee hours so I had some time to work on that watch before SSB (Shave/Shower/Breakfast :smile:). So I put the crystal and gasket baco in the midcase and the insert back on the bezel. Add the caseback and crown, springbars. So here is just a pic of the complete CASE & BRACELET. At the moment I'm waiting for a nice 16610 dial to come so I let the movement and hands in their respective boxes. First just a pic of how it looked ... stubby crownguards, a bracelet more tarnished than brushed and a loosy crown And NOW ... really nice IMHO, despite the very bad light a 5pm I'll take some better pics and wristshots with the movement and new dial cased in ... on next friday if everything goes well.

About a month ago I spent a 4 days vacation in the South of France. so we paid a visit to my father in law (he's a nice guy ... and has a nice terrace just in front of the sea). I had my 6538 SYL on the wrist and when he saw it he immediatly felt in love with it and we begun to talk watches. He talked to me about an old (and not working) 16610 Rep he had and asked if I could have a look at it, try to fix it and give it a better look. I should have dodged that issue but ... I said "why not" !!! So he searched his drawers and show up the "thing" I'll see below, definitely a cheapie among the cheapies. But a "why not" is really close to a "yes" and my father in law is, as I already said, a really nice guy, so ... "challenge accepted". I put the "watch" in my luggage and took it home and decided to forget about it for a few days. But I had alost made a promise so I had a first close look at it, opened the case and wiped some. Then I begun what was supposed to be just a refurbishment but finished being what I would call a real plastic surgery. So here's the story and I hope you'll like it ... and sorry if I'm too chatty 01 - FIRST DAY - FIRST LOOK : Technically : - the movement seems to work ... when I shake it the seconds hand already begins walking round - the O-rings on the crown are dead and the caseback ring is probably dead too - the stem seems "loosy" fixed on the crown and the watch cant be set - the SELs stay loosy on the case ... and they are ugly (but that's an esthetical remark) Alltogether that watch needs some work but it's not that bad Esthetically : Wow !!! I really dont know if I can save it. - the polished parts look tooooo shiny and more like chrome than polished SS - the "brushed" parts just look mate and "sad" - the crownguards are stubby as bulldog jaws - the dials is ... "something" ... the polices not that bad but the indexes stubby too (but still not big indexes) - the bracelet looks very cheap and has ugly SELs Then I open the case and here is a "nice surpise". The caseback wears some weird engravings : MONARCHPOLFY S.A. GELENA SHITINERAND STAINLESS STEEL 12600 I had already heard and read about those crazy casebacks but I had never seen one in real. A proof, IMHO, that Rep makers can act funny sometimes. Then I look at the case and movement and ... "Sh.t In Your Hand" they said ??? Definitely sh.t in that watch and I'd better beware of rats and cockcroaches cause I could find some there. And as I remove the stem I see what's going weird. The crown is damaged and "falls in parts" And the stem is sealed in one of those ... I'l try to fix that later 02 - CLEAN TEST : That watch is so durty that I fist want to know if it really can be cleaned with the only tools I have, lukewarm water, dish-washing liquid and C-oil. And it works ... there's no more s..t in that Shitinerand caseback and ugly buckle. 03 - BRACELET : As I already said the bracelet looks very cheap : - the brushed parts are not brushed but just mate and sad looking. - the link's sides, that should be polished (if I'm true), are just "rough and ready" - the SELs are ... ugly My first idea is to through that thing in the garbage can ... but the wach is not mine and I "accepted the challenge". So I fist put that bracelet in myd "red grease" for 48 hours, washed it and dried it. Then I have reworked it completely with some sandpaper sheets (grade 600 to 1200), my dremel-like, some red compound and of course a good amount of elbow grease. Below you can look at it, from the first pics "before" to the last "final result" wich is, IMHO, unexpected. At the end I really sort of liked that bracelet and though it's completely wearable. So I wrapped it in some greaseproof paper so it can wait for the rest of the watch. 04 - CASE : What's the difference within an antilop and a bull ? Same difference within the crownguards of a nice 16610 and those on my father-in-law's watch. I think I cant say better. And it's not about modding here ... it's more about sculpture because that case needs some real plastic surgery. So once again I've had to use sandpaper sheets, dremel, compound and elbow grease, plus a complete set of diamond files. I reworked the case with the bezel on because it's a paperclip construction so I didn't take no risk and prefered to just protect it with some painter's tape. Feel free to post you comments but I'm REALLY happy with the result and I think all the efforts and time spent was definitely worthy. Below are the pics, again from "before" to "after" and some taken along the process ... on the final pics the watch I reworked is the one without insert.

Thank you Adrian I understand you were not criticizing my work cause I know what a real nice guy you are (I have not forgotten the help you offered on my 16800 project ... although I have finally decided to do all the work by myself). To be honest I'll probably buy more accurate tools in the future (I'm even looking at lathes on the web) but I will do that ONLY if I continue "playing with watches" ... which is very likely but still not certain. So I will decide this in a few months if I'm still there. At the moment I already had a dremel-like so that was only a 65$ purchase so no risk at all ... only the risk to screw a case About the "more precise way of doing" I'm really eager to learn (sometimes I fell like learning is my main hobby) so if you are ready to share please note that I'm listening attentively (no kidding). Have a good day Charles

@Adrian ... that's obvious and my purpose is : 1 - not to compare a dremel, which is a hobbyist tool, with a Proxxon which is a professional or semi professional machine 2 - not to say that any hobbyist with some cheap tools can do as good as a modder (a real one I mean ... not a "so called" or "autoproclamated") But Micky is a modder (if I'm true) who works on watches for customers and have a financial responsability and I am just a hobbyist and I work only on my own watches (or those of some close friends) so if I screw a case nobody loose anything but me. So the 2 logically economical options I have are : 1 - send my watches to modders 2 - buy some "cheap" tools and deal with that And I like to do things by myself so I have choosed (for the moment) the second option. If I ever want (and can afford) a high end build I will ask a very good modder to do the job but at the moment what I REALLY like in this hobby is much more to LEARN technics and BUILD things than to HAVE watches. Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

I really dont know [emoji54] I just bought 1mm drill bits marked HSS Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Thanks Now that case is gone back to whom it belongs ...

Thanks my friend. BTW ... I have created a new thread about drilling lugs with a dremel and a drill stand ... Definitely not for modders but good enough for hobbyists I think.

Here's another tuto from the "City Dweller Series" Some have already read my «Easiest way to drill vintage case lugs for 2mm bars when you’re a city dweller» but today we will go further. I have never seen a tuto showing how to drill lugs if you live in a city flat and have a dremel but no place for a drill-press (unless you show your girl/boy friend how to open the main door and leave) so I hope this one could be usefull. So ... let's go to the facts. A few days ago I had to drill the lugs of a 16610 case with non pre-drilled lugs (and a sh...y paperclip bezel construction) so I have made some pics all along the process. I have NO drill-press (I know I could show my better half how to open the main door and leave but ... I'm not ready to do that). So what did I use and how did I do ? My tools : - a punch - my 40$ dremel-like - a 50$ little drill stand (got it on sale on Amazon) - an 43 mm adapter (10$ on ebay) - a cheap (but good) vise - 1mm + 1.3mm HSS drill bits - cutting oil - "The Foundation" (Zac Brwon Band) I choosed a 5027000 Wolcraft drill-stand because it had a toothed rack and a return spring, it could be put in parts and in a card box (altogether with vise, drill bits and cutting oil) in less than 5 minutes. That cardbox goes to the cellar when I dont need those tools while my dremel-like stays in a drawer with all the watch parts and ongoing projects. And if you ever wonder why I use 1mm drill bits AND 1.3mm drill bits : - it's easier (IMHO) to center on the hole you punched if you drill 1mm first then 1.3mm - where I leave (Europe) I can buy 10x1mm HSS drill bits for about 5$ and 1.3mm HSS drill bits I bought on cousins.uk are 5$ each so I really take care of them An now the process (took me about 1 hour). 1 - Open the cardbox and build the drill stand You'd better protect your (kitchen) table because you will use a bunch of cutting oil 2 - Put the 43mm adapter and prepare you drill bits Of course you screw you dremel on the adapter and put a 1mm HSS drill bit ... I forgot to take a specific pic 3 - Punch the watch lugs Note that I had already marked the lugs with an extra-fine permanent pen You'd better punch large enough so that the 1mm drill bit can easily find its place in the hole 4 - Place you watch case in the vice I put some painter tape on the vice to protect the case It's better to place some metal pieces under the lugs so that the case dont go down when you push a little with the drill bit 5 - Place the vice on the drill stand and center the drill bit precisely on the punched hole 6 - Put some oil on the punched hole and drill Don't be stingy with the oil ... there is never too much of it About the speed I used I cannot be precise because my dremel-like has a variator marked from 0 to 5. I worked bteween 1 and 3 so the speed was probably between 7000rpm and 18000rpm. From my very short experience in drilling and depending on the drill bits, I would say that the speed is good when the "steel-dust" comes out easily with some oil while you drill. And do not forget to clean the lug and put some new oil every times it looks like the last PIC here ... about 3 times on every lug. 7 - Now you have drilled all 4 lugs with a 1mm bit, so place the 1.3mm bit on the dremel-like and drill again That part is very easy as you process the same as with the 1mm drill bit. But do not forget about beeing "oily" 8 - Now you have an early-oily 16610 case so just wash it and clean it and it will be just "early" You still have to thin the lugs a little, cut nice chamfers, polish the sides and crownguards and do a nice Rolex brush on the upside of the case, but all this is itty-bitty cause you have done the tough part. Hope this helps. And please leave your comments, questions and advices.

Hi @SSTEEL I finally bought a dremel like and a simple drill stand and it's usefull to drill cases, but I'd like to know how it went with your Proxxon drillstand and compound table. It could be very kind if you write a review of theese tools.

Hi@Dlf [emoji3] how is your A/6538 going ? BTW ... I'l working on a twin project for myself so I have some questions about the crystal [emoji39] As you put a "standard" bezel assembly I suppose you reworked the rehaut, which is far too large on the Silix, but how will you deal with the crystal ? Inside diameter of the Silix rehaut is too large the rework enough to put a T19 so which crystal will you use ? Or did you grind all the upper part of the case and welded a custom rehaut ? Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Received that one yesterday ... a cheapie Daytona but a really nice one IMHO

Thanks again[mention=34236]altesporsche[/mention] I used that sharpie trick (silver + red + black) to refurbish my 20+ years old PRT-50. I KNOW that it's a quartz but I love it. Next week I'll do my DSSD D-Blue Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Hi [mention=34236]altesporsche[/mention] Would you put some pics of your case there ... and share your contact in Hanoi if you dont mind [emoji39] Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

There's not only Reps ... There's not only mechanics. Sometimes you meet a quartz gen and you love it. Thus l'm glad to present to you, coming out of the drawer and freshly refurbished, my Casio Pro-Trek PRT-50 (year 1997). Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Pressure tester is in my DIY list and probably a timegrapher

I wont dive with such a watch [emoji23] Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

If you can show us the bezel construction an confirm if the crystal pops off or not when releasing the bezel (seen something about that problem on RWI). Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Hi@Revere ... it seems we're working on very close projects. 6429 ... 16800 ... what else ? [emoji3] I achieved a 16800 Comex (1984 year glossy dial) for my son last month but it was a very low budget (though I was happy enough with the result). Now I'm waiting for the JF16610LN release to build one for myself ... probably an early model so a matte dial. Hope you will post some pics of your 16800 "work in progress" [emoji6] Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Sanding the engravement on rehaut is a 10 minutes work ... very easy. Drilling the lugs ?... All you need is a 30$ "dremel kike", a 50$ drill stand, a 15$ adapter and a 10$ st of 1.2mm HS drill bits ... 105$ altogether. So get an old cheapie or a canal street, ruin it while training, then get your nice 16610 and drill the lugs yourself. Just get your 93150 bracelet and endlinks before drilling so you can drill in the right position. Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Black is Back Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

NOPE ... or unsure You have to set TIME (not date) : - counterclockwise >>> 3035 - clock wise >>> 3135 And to be completely certain you have to check the engravement @6 ... So could you please ask your friend ? I suppose when the PO writes "Wings on SEL" he refers to the "wings" of the endlinks If the only differences between a 16800 case and a 16610 case proved to be only : - the height of the rehaut - the "Rolex ..." engravement on the rehaut - the drilled lugs then I would consider that, albeit QueTip clear-cut opinion, that the JF16610LN could be a good start watch for a 16800 build (not Franken of course). @QueTip ... You said everything is wrong on a JF16610 case for such a build I'm not tying to argue with you ... I am just here to learn about watches So could you please explain us what is definitely so wrong (besides the rehaut height, the engravement and the non-drilled lugs) ?

Thanks for the feedback ... I'll ask Ken to quote me the lumework. About the 6249 dial rarity I would say YES !!! That watch was, as far as I know, sort of a stripped handwind 34mm Explorer I. I'll use that one as a start watch ... or probably it's twin sister because since I received it I really enjoy wearing it. I'll have to rework the cade and bezel and pop the cyclop off. I'm still trying to source a correct (an affordable) handset but it seems very difficult to get baton hands the same lenght and width as Commando hands. So if anybody has an idea just fell free to PM me [emoji16] Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Today is D-BLUE day Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

I had a 6538 and a 5513 left together in a drawer. I wonder what they did but here's what I found this morning. Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk

Kent did a wonderfull job and considering the quality $142.50 is a very fair price IMHO. Do you know if he works on rep dials ? I have a DIY 6249 Commando dial and I'm quite certain my skills are far to low to lume that one correctly. Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk Stupid me I think, cause Whoopy dials are REPs ... aren't they ? Envoyé de mon XT1068 en utilisant Tapatalk