Hayst

Before you do.

Okay...I sourced an original movement ring so replaced the Raffles ring and added a better quality Raffles bracelet. The Tudor movement ring has a slightly different angle on the side so it is tighter getting the clamps into place and screwed down. The Raffles bracelet was far better than I was expecting, well put together and crisp and clean...when fitting one of these to a Tudor case all one has to do is follow the top curve of the end pieces with a dremel sanding drum ( carefully ) 'til the end piece fits the case and the spring bars clip in to place, no need to touch the bottom part of the end piece.

The case back on mine has the angled section inside and an open top 4 in the 74000, pretty sure the one listed from India is shonky. The case number between the lugs uses a closed 4. Oh, and the case back has two threads instead of one like Raffles.

We have had a week off from working on the house so my Daughter and I got in to a wee watch project...we put all our spare bits in to a Tudor 74033 case set. I found it interesting that the 74000 Tudor case back fit the Raffles 34mm case, and it seems to have that much needed clearance the Raffles case back lacks...it's a poofteenth...but it is there. I also found with the 74033 case there is slightly less room from the dial to the sapphire crystal...it is tighter on this case, but does fit depending on the height of the second hand.. The Tudor lugs do differ from the Raffles lugs and does require some pissing about with the Raffles Jubilee end links. Please pardon my phone pictures. Raffles Jubilee band Tudor 74033 case set Eta 2824-2 top rated Ebay replacement Tudor hands, quit a bit longer than the Raffles hand set, nicer and glows green under a black light rather than blue like the Raffles Rolex stainless crown ...really not keen on the gold wrapped crowns.

You ask what is next? For the immediately short term I have thrown my job in and am doing up my house, after which we are selling up and moving to Tasmania...I am of an inclination to wander aimlessly up trout streams armed with a fishing rod and expectations, I am also looking forward to hunting deer in those God almighty steep mountains. There are Sapphires to be found and gold to be fossicked. My wife, and our daughter are looking forward to the change from the great flat expanse we have lived in all these years, no more burning to a crisp in summer...and water everywhere, not just in a muddy ditch. And on my wrist through this new adventure will be the watch I have built...not a Rolex, but a watch I can service and maintain myself wherever I should be...as much a part of the grand venture as my Randalls and Brno.

Something of interest, we went to a Melbourne AD yesterday to have them adjust my wife's Tudor...they said she would be without it for three weeks but if she needs a service at any time then the service time in Australia is currently eight months...yes, EIGHT! Apparently there is only one Rolex service centre in Melbourne and it does Australia and New Zealand, the other that was in Sydney was closed during the covid fiasco. It shocked me to learn that the ADs aren't allowed to pull the watches apart, they have to pass them through to the Rolex service centre or void the warranty. There goes my desire to purchase an Explorer.

An update on the Soprod Newton P092 movement for member information. I put a new Top Flight P092 movement into the raffles case on the 4th of February, it was running 6 seconds fast per day but I left it for a month to allow time to settle...then I put it on the timegraph and set it at 1 second a day fast...it has held this and has settled on slightly over 1 second per day fast (gain). I am including this picture for verification...just under 9 seconds in the past 8 days. I am well pleased with the movement which has remained consistent even though I have been laying around feeling miserable for the past 4 days, as I have been incapacitated with gastro,. So apart from my friendship with the toilet bowl there has been very little movement of the watch...it has not varied, still slightly over 1 second a day fast (gain) and doesn't jump around. Screw ETA movements.

I have been watching your builds and like the profile the T21 gives. Unfortunately I work on the local shire and an acrylic crystal would be destroyed almost immediately. ...and wild horses couldn't drag that watch away from my Daughter.

It was interesting for a bit but I shall be changing back to a Raffles 6610 gilt dial tomorrow as I cannot see the time as easily on the brown dial.

Bored, so dropped in a Soprod Newton PO92, a Raffles Tropical dial and a new swiss pendant tube plus gasket. Went for old and knocked about look. I shall put it on the Timegrapher tomorrow. On the plus side I got to utilise the set of Bergeon screwdrivers my girls got me for Christmas...really nice change from the cheap Chinese set I have been using.

Scratch that "and Explorer", it only works on the Tudor case.

Not sure if this will interest anyone but the Raffles Dials Tudor and Explorer cases lend themselves to a double O ring seal on the case back. 28mm on the case back thread and a 30mm on the rear case seal groove...will probably mean nothing but it is easy to feel the second O ring when doing up the case back. When the case back is removed there is no damage to either seal.

Thank you...that was an interesting read.

A question if you will. Has anyone here had occasion to use a Soprod Newton P092 top grade movement...if so, what are your observations?

Thought I would add a picture in bright sunlight...the cement colouring has dulled off the lume nicely and added an ever so slight browning to the dial.