Pugwash Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Love the Seamaster 300 mate, fantastic looking watch woo! Going to get it done up by bienne? This was the message I was replying to when RWG was upgraded. I'll answer it again. I think getting a watch like that restored would be a travesty. Mechanical watches track the progress of time, and sometimes the years will age the dial and hands distinctly. Reversing this ageing would be a crime as it would be removing part of the history that has brought the watch to where it is today. Sure, service the movement and replace interior parts, but under no circumstance should the dial and hands be cleaned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 The crown will be taken care of eventually... AR as well. That is... If I decide to keep it for the long term Crown and tube are trivial jobs. AR is the reason I don't wear my new 42mm as much as I would otherwise. If I had decent AR, I'd be compelled to get gen hands on it. It's just a shame when I look at it next to my UPO with AR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 I had contemplated the idea of restoring my vintage SM300 at one time, but have come to enjoy the watch as-is; heavy patina, bezel cracks and all. While I wouldn't mind having a minty fresh example, I think the character of this one puts it in a completely different league. I would love to know the things it's seen in it's time, or where it's been, what it's experienced. I feel almost ashamed that it spends most of it's time confined in my watch box. I'm not in any huge rush to have the AR or crown/tube done for some reason. I've been enjoying it on the wrist, and though I know these two upgrades will only enhance the watch and my enjoyment further, I want to live with it incomplete for now; the changes made to date have been kind of a blur, and I don't think I've fully appreciated the mods in the same manner as if they were done slowly, and over time. I'll likely just wait until I've grown tired of the watch, and partake in those changes then. It will give me something further to look forward to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notloc08 Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 I'm thinking about doing something similar. I think I am only going to do the dial/hands and get a gen crystal. The AR on the gen is a color/colors that I haven't seen any aftermarket replicate. It almost has a shade of purple/pink that I think is a major characteristic of the watch. Although Chiefs might be a better AR coating for actually doing the job, I almost feel like its not right to do to a PO. Maybe that's something to consider if you ever decide to go through with the AR. I love what you have done here, any regrets? Right now I really can't decide if I should just save up for a gen or spend about 700 (including the base watch) on a really great rep then get a gen later on when I am out of college. A question I have is (and I am sure you are biased but humor me) do you think its worth it to spend $222 dollars on a gen dial or have Vac relume my dial for $120? I am getting gen hands no matter what which is why I am leaning towards buying a gen dial so the lume will match perfectly, along with the other bonuses that you have talked about earlier. Does the gen dial appear more black and less gray than the old dial? It appears so in the pictures but I didn't know if it was just me. Thanks for the help, and great job again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 I think the main thing to keep in mind is the total cost of the project. It's very easy to escalate into gen territory if you're not careful. I have $1100-ish into the watch as it stands; not too terribly bad, but I really don't want to put much more into it. However, I do feel that the gen bezel is a necessity to the watch, and to me, there was no point in moving forward if the bezel couldn't be done as the stock rep bezel is just junk. With that in mind, I would absolutely do the gen dial and hands along with the bezel as having the matching set makes for a complete package. Regarding the dial, there are small but significant character details in the gen dial that the rep dial simply doesn't match. Texture, color, marker shape, etc. etc. Makes a huge difference once you see the two compared in hand and uncased. Regarding AR; my personal pref is chief as his coating is nothing short of amazing. I would rather forego the tinted color for the clarity alone, but chief's AR is far more durable as well. Omega's AR is susceptible to surface scratching from simply wearing the watch under a cuff. Many a gen owner will end up stripping the coating off, and in some cases, that is the AD's recommended fix as well. So personally, if I'm going to have AR on the watch, I'd prefer it to last. Having first hand experience with chief's AR, I know what to expect and can count on it for longevity. If I bought gen, I'd consider having that redone with chief AR as well. It makes a huge difference, and factory AR on many of the gens will seem so inferior once you've seen chief's in person. And so far, no regrets with the project at all. I mainly wanted to see how far one could take the 4th generation in terms of modification. It's one of the tamer projects I've done, and the ease of which made things almost a little too simple. Still fun... But not much of a challenge... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimster Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 R, That lume shot got me wondering - I wonder how the lume still is on my.........well you know the watch: Old skool lume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 And so far, no regrets with the project at all. I mainly wanted to see how far one could take the 4th generation in terms of modification. It's one of the tamer projects I've done, and the ease of which made things almost a little too simple. Still fun... But not much of a challenge... Simple enough for me to do on mine. If I had AR on it, I'd love it more. I'd say that's possibly the most important mod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 That's a great SM300, Jim! But you know I dig the 14755 even more Pugs- I agree. The AR is definitely a must. Soon... I think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimster Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 R, The 14755 is a true classic. If you ever need a bezel insert for one, I have duplicated it. The true test of accuracy was that one of my 14755 sold at Antiquorum with the insert. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2009 Jim, Would your insert work on a 165.014? I think my odds of finding one of those wiould be a bit better than ever sourcing a 14755 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenD Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 So - just curious - what did all those parts cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 So - just curious - what did all those parts cost? Here's a breakdown on cost: Omega 2201.50 PO 4th Gen Donor $280 Bezel (genuine) $190 Hands (genuine) $60 Dial (genuine) $222 Datewheel (2892) $30 Bracelet (genuine) $300 Total: $1,082 Watch is now with a new owner and home... Cheers! //ubi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvn Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 Very nice work Ubi. It is about 1/2 of the cost my gen purchased last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianSW510 Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 The price sounds about right. I'm building a franken PO w/ gen bracelet and everything else. Should be done within a week. Orange / Orange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 I love it but there are expenses....what is the poor mans mod on this? I have a 4th gen PO 42mm myself..unmodded and I have already put a strap on it so bracelet is not needed (save som money there) I guess some gen parts are less vital than others...in your opinion what is the most important gen mod you did? A. dial + datawheel ? B. Beezel + Dial ? or are all genuine parts truly needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 Hmmm... In my opinion, I'd say that bezel, dial, hands and datewheel are a must for doing one of these. If you do one, you kinda have to do them all to balance it out. If you don't need to do the bracelet, then that will knock a good portion of cost off the total. Of course, the other nice aspect to building is that you don't have to buy all the parts at once. Pick up a dial here, a set of hands there... And later on, get ahold of the bezel... Spread it out. Plus, it makes the building process more fun. While it's great to have everything come together all at once, it also takes the fun out of anticipating the next move... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 Hmmm... In my opinion, I'd say that bezel, dial, hands and datewheel are a must for doing one of these. If you do one, you kinda have to do them all to balance it out. If you don't need to do the bracelet, then that will knock a good portion of cost off the total. Of course, the other nice aspect to building is that you don't have to buy all the parts at once. Pick up a dial here, a set of hands there... And later on, get ahold of the bezel... Spread it out. Plus, it makes the building process more fun. While it's great to have everything come together all at once, it also takes the fun out of anticipating the next move... mmmmmmmmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSRep Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Master Ubi, i totally hate your super cool watches and modding abilities The UPO looks stunning!! Whoever the new owner is sure has a great watch. I am dying to mod a UPO - just waiting for news on the new 42mm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 OSR- I am curious to see the new 42mm as well. Not sure that I'll be doing another, but it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the 4th generation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 @Gunnar: I think the most important mods would be the bezel insert and 2 x AR. The bracelet on my 4th gen (traded it years ago) was really poor quality too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Oh, that's true. The rep 4th gen bracelet is pretty crummy. I had forgotten about that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Hey Guys - Thought I'd off my $.02. I am the proud new owner of Ubi's PO. I had built the same exact watch earlier (last year) and ended up selling it. Horrible mistake. So, I bought Ubi's and started where I left off. If you want to defer the costs Ubi's suggestion is very valid. I purchased the Bezel first. Enjoyed it for a while, then bought the Dial Hands and Date Wheel. Enjoyed them for a while, then I changed the Crown and Tube (aesthetically not very important as it is mostly unnoticeable, but different never-the-less), and then traded out the bracelet for a Gen unit. Then I made the mistake of selling it. I then bought Ubi's and the only mod I had to do to his was change out the Crown and Tube. Also, luckily, prior to the purchase of Ubi's watch, I reserved a spot in Chiefs current AR run for another watch, but upon this purchase I decided to send the crystal out for the AR treatment. Now I am just patiently waiting to get the crystal back. It always takes too long, of course, in my opinion 1 days is too long...I am kinda impatient when waiting for things... I'll post some pics when it get's back together... DB2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katerchen Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Just saw this today... CONGRATS on that beautiful built n gorgeous shots You just build "a classic" - i always liked the smaller 42 PO more than the bigger brother. Wore the 45 at an AD 1 time, wanted to convince me to buy no way - too chunky for me. Wear that piece well! With crown mod and AR this would be indistinguishable! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted July 23, 2010 Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 I just finished finishing Ubi's final Goals - Gen Crown and Tube and Chief's AR Coating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Looks great, db! The crystal really makes a huge difference! Congrats and enjoy Cheers! //ubi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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