ubiquitous Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Since I decided to keep my newest 4th gen PO, I figured I would turn it into a test bed for mods. The first, and biggest flaw on this watch (in my eyes) was not only the bezel insert/pearl, but the bezel itself. I decided to start with this particular item as if my proposed solution was a flop, there would be no sense for me in moving forward any further; it was the show stopper. So, I took a small risk and ventured forth with some gen parts: I contemplated maybe not opening the small blister pack, but decided to press forth anyways... Nice pearl! Old rep bezel: Comparing the gen bezel and insert with rep bezel and my modified pearl: Case sans bezel: THICK crystal: And with a tiny bit of effort, it's on: Nice, precision cut teeth: And the next step to follow? More to come... Cheers, R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Nice.... Looks like you had to relieve that inside edge a bit, but it looks very good. It's unusual to be able to easily order so many gen replacement parts for a nice watch like this...You can get the dial, hands, bezel, crown, tube, HE valve, bracelet end links, clasp... Looking forward to seeing where this one goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Sweet Ubi; a great start. Thanks for the wonderful step by step pictorial as always. Can't wait for the next installment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I've got at least 3 or 4 steps to go... All spread out, but soon to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDorian Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I think you can get the correct raised logo for the dial from Silix, at least I remember seeing an article about that. What movement do you have in the watch? A gen ETA 2892-A2 seems to go under $200 these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 The Omega logo on the dial is step 3 or 4 on my agenda... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Looking good R. The ultimate Bezel mod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Couple more pics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplehd Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Beautiful. I was thinking about parting with my 42 (since i just modded my UPO), but maybe, just maybe, I might grab a gen bezel and dial and mod the hell out of my 42. Wear it well Ubi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Fantastic! Is this thru Ofrei ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayward Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Good work Ubi! How did you manage to source the parts so quickly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Splendid post and great work Ubi. I will be tracking this transformation keep us posted. Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Pugs! Long time no see. Get tired of twitter mate? Gee that bezel makes a big diference when you see it side by side with the old one. Nice work ubi. Watching with interest. Col. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmarin.72 Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Keep it coming Ubi and i will follow!!! Gen dial/hands and bezel is the next step for me also,since i have already replaced that awful rep crown with a gen. Stupid question but...i guess the bezel fitted without any kind of mod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 The bezel makes for a huge difference in the way it looks. The rep bezel, now that I look at it, has the outer rim a littled too angled/sloped towards the coin edge serrations; the gen is less pronounced in this sense and is a bit flatter. Of course, the teeth are nice and crisp, which also makes for a big difference. The new bezel feels nice and tight with a very sharp click when turned. Fitting was pretty straight forward; I'm unclear as to whether there are different variations of this watch out there, as some people I spoke with said their's would not fit properly, while I know of at least one other member who has the gen bezel installed. So it could be hit or miss... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Ubi, are these mods the sort of thing I should do on my 42mm when it arrives? Pugs! Long time no see. Get tired of twitter mate? Not yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casanile Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Amazing work! This is definitely the first step to do. The pearl ( on po's and SMP's too) is The flaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 This is definitely the first step to do. The pearl ( on po's and SMP's too) is The flaw. Indeed. Everything's pretty much downhill from here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docblackrock Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Nice work mate.. At a guess... Step 2 is Chief AR for the crystal " 3 is a black ETA 28xx datewheel " 4 is a gen dial (bye bye pumpkin, hello white numerals) " 5 is the crown/tube swapout and finally... " 6 is to marine epoxy up the HeV No sense in half-measures R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HaloArchive Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Im guessing 2: Gen hands 3: Gen dial or, omega fix 4: DW 5: Crown/Tube 6: Gen HEV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Yessir... Gen hands, datewheel and dial are in the immediate future. In the long term... Maybe AR, crown/tube and clasp or bracelet, etc. Gotta keep the overall cost in check, as it would be easy to encroach on the cost of gen (thus defeating the purpose of building); with the short term mods completed, I should be at around $680 including the cost of the watch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Price is the reason why I ultimately bailed on this project...several times. Adding everything that I wanted to do put me in the neighborhood of a used gen. Curious...does your 4th gen have a metal or plastic movement ring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Price and cost factor definitely plays a big role in building vs. buying gen. This is primarily why I decided to go with the Planet Ocean and not, say a 2254.50. While I love the black dial SMP300, the cost to buy a pre-owned gen is sometimes as low as $900 to $1500 for that model. It would be easy to approach that level of parts cost once you factor in the old closed factory case, gen dial, hands, bezel/insert, crown, tube etc. As for this particular example- It's got the plastic ring and the 2824. I may have a metal ring that will work with some case clamps, however... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 If it's like my 4th gen (or Paul's 5th gen) then you may find that it doesn't have a groove to accept case clamps. I had to mod my case by cutting a couple of carefully placed slots for the clamps: There wasn't enough space under the case back for the anti-magnetic shield, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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