Watchmeister

The case is fit for the Aussie offering on Ebay for 1:1 double screw pins which he sells for $22 a pair but I may check into a discount for a large number and add that to the price of the case. A possibility depending on how the first project goes. We have had the CNC person look at a Jimmy as a precursor to the Pre-V and he said he could do it. But the Pre-V will be the first project for sure.

Wolf- No guts, no glory. We will have to see how it turns out. That is why we are experimenting with a spare case.

I wouldn't go that far but I have a pair of cases back from the OEM coater and a certain well-known watch smith around here has agreed to play around with mine to see what we can do over the next couple of weeks. It is tricky because there is a fine line between years of wear (and that beautiful sheen) and no coating. The basic case itself still has a few hurdles before we are good to go.

I know what I would do. And with a little bit of luck it will all become clear relatively shortly. Stay tuned for a couple of pieces that will rock your socks off (I hope). The dream - proper Pre-V case set with proper OEM vintaged PVD. Experiments with the PVD are going on as we speak and you know the story on the cases - moving as fast as we can.

Your watchmaker will. It has to have enough thickness to properly fit the movement into the slots in the case and fit the dial flush against the top of the midcase. Oh, and it also has to provide for the proper height so that the pinion shaft(s) are long enough to hold the hands. If you are using a FGD dial use his lower dial or get the depth from someone else who has one.

Please bear in mind that T has purposely elected to keep the forum up and running while fixing the little bugs rather than taking it down. I suspect you would prefer to deal with the glitches rather than sitting in the dark.

I would go with the newer dial. Pre-V is not that old - 13-14 years old. That aging looks more like it should come on a true radium vintage - not tritium. I have several A tritium dials and they are typically still yellow with some occasional browning. The hands are always whiter as Panerai has always painted the the underside of the hands white.On the dial finish I would go with a matte spray. Someone else suggested one. Ziggy has a good one. On the back plate the original Pre-V dials were one piece (at least a white one I had for a while before deciding to sell it). So the back plate should be whatever thickness is required to fit into the case and give you proper pinion/hand height. In terms of attaching the dial I would suggest gluing the back plate to the dial and using the normal movement tape (can't remember what is called) to attach the dial to the movement. My 2 cents.

Kai- All beautiful watches but are you really down to that few? Loving that Snowflake.

I am always in favor of diversifying. It took 3 years for the Daytona. Give it another 3 years and I may be the proud owner of another one of his masterpieces. It may take a while but I am not going anywhere. By the way, please give my best to Mrs. Ubi.

Shows what I know.

No need to be jealous. If this whole thing works we will get the group buy going once I have a price. If it doesn't I will have a very expensive prototype.

Update: Case is back from Ziggy. Bezel has been further amended to lower the crystal a tad. Lugs have been drilled out to accept gen double screws. Interior of the case has been modified to take the 6497 with FGD dial. Case tube has been added but folks can easily replace it for whatever crown they are using. Last step before going to CNC shop is making sure Jakob case back fits. It is on the way to me now. CNC shop will make a prototype for final inspection and then... We are getting closer. Interior case mod - how cool is that.

Yup, very simply the best.

Actually the opposite. We have been good friends for years. I have even had the good fortune to visit with both him and his better half (and she is the better half). Needless to say there was shock and awe the first time we ever got together. He opens a case and there are 20 or so pristeen beauties. I had a few with me that day and we actually swapped a couple. The rest is history.

If I hold my breath. It is wearable but I will keep my eye out for a link or two.

Couple more shots:

Thanks for everyone's kind words. When this one came back from Ziggy I was ecstatic. Still can't figure out how he managed to fix the bracelet so nicely.

Almost a year ago I managed to convince Ubi to part with one of the 16520 twins. Of course it was impeccable. But then I came upon a pair of gen chrono pushers which was a must to go with the gen crown, bezel and crystal. And here is the upgraded piece. As always, big thanks to Ubi for parting with it and Rob for adding those pushers. My dynamic duo: Loving those pushers:

Stunning work guys! Great to see that you made it out of Stay Brite.

Remember this one: Well off it went to Ziggy for proper restoration: movement rebuilt, bracelet reassembled and no touching of the external aesthetics. The watch hadn't been serviced in quite a while and so when Ziggy opened it he found a bone dry movement with a touch of rust and the crystal gasket having not only flattened but actually partially melted. In truth the watch was in excellent condition for an untouched 45 year old watch. We did add a new crystal but the old one and original gaskets lay safely put to the side. The reassembly of the bracelet was also a work of art. Of course big thanks to a long time forum member for allowing me to to purchase his original watch he bought so many years ago. This one will have a good home with the new proud owner. Collar matching cuffs And the obligatory wrist shot:

As far as I am concerned there is only one model which started my love for Breits: By the way I will bet money my gen is cheaper than a number of the Frankens.

Well here is the one I sold. Beautiful watch but that rounded crown was a complete pain in the neck to deal with.

Very pretty. Wear that one well.

Somebody made them in ti a couple of years ago but no one was able to get them.