Watchmeister

Ubi- Looks great and very nice pics. Wear that one well. It would be cool to see a touch of vintagizing.

Great project! Congratulations. Did you have to make a custom movement ring to fit the movement and were there any issues aligning the stem with the case tube. I have always wondered about adding a gen movement.

Holy cow! That is a fabulous project and well worth the effort. Wear it well.

Here is an old case 5513. This one has gen dial, insert, crown, tube, bracelet usual case mods and was done in the less than $1000 area. The minute you start moving into the Vietnam platform you are talking a lot more money. I made the choice to stick with the MBW old case platform and ETA movement (since there is no date on that watch) rather than being into the watch for $2,000 plus - especially in light of the decline in the prices of gens. The only issue with the MBW cases is that they will require case work. But half the fun of the MBW's is that you start with the base watch and add gen parts as you can afford it. 5513 gen dials can be had at excellent prices if you are patient, etc.

Great start to a fun project. Crystal looks great. Looking forward to additional pics as the project moves forward.

FGD- Congrats on your new addition. And it came out beautifully. Wear that one well. ATB- Kruz

"Run Forest Run" Seriously, stay away from there. That is one of the reasons why you are here.

Holy cow! I just found this thread. Congrats on the holy grail both to you and all the great folks who helped you achieve it. Glad to hear it is not a safe queen. That one should be worn with pride. On a different note - We all owe you a great amount of gratitude for all of your tireless efforts to advance all of our vintage projects. Your time and generosity is unparalleled. I cannot think of a more deserving person for a wonderful project. I know I am gushing but in this case it is wholly deserved. Most importantly, wear that work of art well!

There are 3-4 different versions of baseball hats that come up regularly of which 1-2 are reps and then 2-3 different versions of the Yacht Challenge caps which are all legitl and IMHO much better made. One even comes with the obligatory jacket clip (it is white though). Watch out for the blue fake with the way too long "duck bill". And the best place is ebay to buy them. They come up in the various forms all the time. I once bought a $1400 rain jacket for $140. I would also recommend expanding the search to worldwide.

Loving that watch and I always enjoy your pics. I couldn't agree more with you on the strap. I think of the tunnel strap as a more elegant version of the original rubber strap - same shape but in beautifully finished leather and without the silly logos. I am currently using that strap with my 03 and love that as well. Nothing like "dressing up" an older watch. I also find the tunnel strap to be one of the most comfortable. Here is a pic on a white dial. Needless to say, I would kill for that watch. Congrats again on a fabulous gen. Someday...I will join your select club.

I am partial to the 61 (118 dial with solid caseback) and the 82 (Amerigo Vespucci). My favorite automatic but I don't think there is a rep is definitely the 093 Power Reserve.

Typical, I watch carefully for a day or two and no one notices. Then I go away for a day and voila. Although I am indifferent as to which way the threads goes - tritium only or tritium and "tritiumized" lume I am just glad to see people posting their watches. So many folks have spent so much time building these one-offs it is a shame not to post them.

No that PVD was done years ago by a prior member - Finepics. At the time it was state of the art but now there are a number of folks offering even better versions.

If you are doing it by hand you have no worries on the crystal. I have never damaged a crystal using a dremel either but someone else will have to comment. I do remember that sapphire is next to diamond in terms of hardness so I can't imagine that would hurt it either.

I thought it would be interesting to see the various true Tritium dial PAM's owned by forum members. I will go first. Please add whatever you have as well. PAM 23: PAM 170 PAM 03 PAM Pre-V 09 Hoping to add two more in 2009. I do hope others will add their watches.

I vote for the 1663 Great White. All the reds have the red way off (among other things). But the best part of the MBW's is you can add gen parts as you feel like it.

My 28 T is still months away but I am a classicist with PVD. PAV, baby!

Two in the house and two on the way:

E- Great collection. I am loving that 233.

Give me a shout tomorrow in the office and I will fill you in - you noob you.

The 3717 is a great one as well. That is probably the IWC I wear most often for work. Couldn't find any pics though. If you do that one you have to invest in either a good croc or two button BP'esque strap though as Asim did above.

Here are a few: GST Chrono (ti) - 40mm. Very elegant and small on the wrist. Good every day wear but you have to like ti. 2006 Cousteau - 44mm. Bigger both in terms of diameter and depth - more weekend wear as it has rubber strap. Classic Ingenieur - 42mm. IMHO, very elegant but a little boring. Looks great with a suit though. The other two you might consider are the classic Pilot 3717 and the Slevin. Pilot looks great on leather and croc straps. Slevin stays on a bracelet. My 2 cents.

t- Congrats on our business success. We can wait for as long as it takes. After all, the movements have been hanging around for 50 years...

If you are talking about gens, the answer is that all auto pam's have a sandwich crystal with a whole in the bottom layer and the cyclops glued to the top level of the crystal. It improves magnification and allows for better hand clearance. If you are referring to reps most of the current ones which are labeled "ultimate crystal" or just "ultimate" are sandwich crystals as well. Magnification is obviously not as good as gen but it is an improvement over the one layer construction.

Batons. I am hoping to build my first franken SA to complete my franken triumvirate - ti chrono avenger, black steel skyland and the SA. Most importantly, great watch. Loving the pics.