ubiquitous Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 A few months back, I put up my beloved modified WM9 16610 for trade, to which I struck a fantastic deal with a fellow forum member to exchange his V1 EL100 3717 for my Sub. I had no idea how great the 3717 Flieger was until I finally got my hands on it- I really didn't know what I was missing until I saw it with my own eyes Here's how this beauty looked upon arrival: Well, it wasn't long before my fidgety side got the better of me, and I hadn't had the watch but a day before I tore into it to swap date wheels. A decision I would soon regret. In my rush to get this mod done, I ended up fudging up the keyless works. In an oversight, I had forgotten the golden rule with 7750's; always release in the winding position! Feeling gutted and digusted with myself, I packed the parts away and figured a good night's sleep was needed before figuring out what to do from that point. The next day, I had vented my frustrations to two very good pals of mine- kruzer00 and lanikai. Both had stepped forward, without hesitation and offered me a grand solution that helped kick start my project into high gear- A Swiss 7750 and a chief AR'd crystal. This was my lucky day. In the matter of a few hours, I had a plan set before me, and the next thing to do was to coordinate the work. Having had bad luck with the movement, and considering that I had some other items I wanted addressed anyways, I scheduled some time for my watch to visit the official Canadian spa for a make over. The work to be done: -Install Swiss 7750 -Exchange white day/date wheels with black -Modify hands to fit Swiss movement -Install AR'd crystal -Relume dial and hands A few weeks had passed, and to my delight, I had a parcel in the mailbox today Here's what my reborn Flieger looks like now: On an HKTan: And on bracelet: The differences in pics may appear subtle, but I can assure that the transformation is amazing in person. My wife was just marvelling over how the crystal has completely vanished thanks to the AR! Huge thanks to 3 extraordinary gentlemen- W, R and RG. You guys have made me a very, VERY happy Ubi! No better way to kick off the weekend! Thanks for looking, R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchlover1 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 VERY NICE!!!! I need to add one of these to my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
its_urabus Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 OMG... that is just amazing... If i could go back in time, and buy a V1, I would in a heart beat... wear her well sir. she is a sexy beast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 A fitting ending to a wonderful story. The watch looks fantastic R. Your projects seem to turn around so quickly... do you live in a tree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pollux1 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 An absolute beauty R, I wish you health to enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Great watch and mods, enjoy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Awesome. I have a piece at the spa as we speak!! He does work wonders that RG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Thanks, gang! I have to say; I have not been this excited about a watch in a while! I just can't stop looking at it... Chief's AR is simply incredible. I am curious, however as to how other members care for their AR coating. Do I need microfiber towels for wiping the crystal? Since I've been primarily into Rolex watches that have no AR, I'm not sure if certain precautions need to be made to preserve the integrity of the coating My only other experience has been the faux or lite AR, which simply doesn't compare... I'm very thankful that we have such talented members on the forum... Folks like Chief and ZZ that take ordinary reps to the next level and beyond... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asf Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 oh boy thats pretty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest asim Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 it's just one of the best ever timepieces ever created. hands down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capice Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 simply beautiful Ubi, I can't wait to get mine(ordered a few days ago)...........may I ask how you adjusted the hands to fit the swiss? I am in the proces of doing the same on an old one of mine......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff g Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Beautiful. EL's 3717 is the ONE. The double AR is unreal. Wear it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tutima Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Wow...Awesome looking 3717... Now it is modded...Can I have it back...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standready11 Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Looks amazing! Congrats! Doesn't even look like there is a crystal on it. Nice work. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Community! Without it, we'd be in a world of replica hurtin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Really nice Ubi. I need to figure out how to get the bracelet off of mine and redress it a little. On the AR, just use common sense. Don't use anything abrasive, but no special cloths are needed. Spit and T-shirt to clean the crystal works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted October 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Next step- Gen dial... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhitesox Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 ubi you're friggin killing me today with these IWC's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelizer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Great shots of the gen dial ubi! You really captured the texture of the surface... Might have to get me one of those dials to complete my modded v1 as well...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cronsell Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Beautiful watch! I used to have one, swapped the day/date, got AR, then sold it! So stupid, I loved that watch! So I bought one from Concepta with gen movement and have a dial and hands on order for his next round of gen dials and hands. I noticed your second and minute hand aren't bent and they aren't on my new one either...is this a variation in the gen, or are they all bent towards the dial on the gen? My older 3717 had bent hands, that's why I'm asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Probably just my pics, but the min and center seconds on mine were bent at the tips (to eliminate parallax errors). I love the 3717... One of my favorite watches for certain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Yep one of my favorites, and with Chief AR and all the rest i would say better than the 4k gen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 I was very, very, very close to just buying the gen, Andy Thankfully, gen parts came up before I had to go that route I suppose that if I did go with the gen watch, I'd have to give the crystal the chief treatment! Kind of hard to accept anything else after experiencing his AR... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelizer Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 So ubi, when will we see this awesome piece with the gen dial and hands installed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now