jmb Posted October 24, 2009 Report Posted October 24, 2009 After y'all confirmed my suspicion that my 3.0 mm thick crystal just didn't look right (kind of an understatement) I replaced it with a ofrei generic 2.25mm crystal and put on a new cheap e-Bay (jandkwatches) bezel insert while I was at it. The crystal doesn't have quite as beveled an edge as I'd like but looks OK when not under extreme magnification. Cost of crystal was around $3.00 and the e-Bay insert was $10.40 shipped. It's not perfect but much better than it was and I think this pearl is a perfect candidate for the "epoxy" mod. After the epoxy and a little final polishing and I think I've done about all I can without breaking my self-imposed $60 total project limit. Time to order another one, I guess!
sss Posted October 24, 2009 Report Posted October 24, 2009 After y'all confirmed my suspicion that my 3.0 mm thick crystal just didn't look right (kind of an understatement) I replaced it with a ofrei generic 2.25mm crystal and put on a new cheap e-Bay (jandkwatches) bezel insert while I was at it. The crystal doesn't have quite as beveled an edge as I'd like but looks OK when not under extreme magnification. Cost of crystal was around $3.00 and the e-Bay insert was $10.40 shipped. It's not perfect but much better than it was and I think this pearl is a perfect candidate for the "epoxy" mod. After the epoxy and a little final polishing and I think I've done about all I can without breaking my self-imposed $60 total project limit. Time to order another one, I guess! Want to double your money? That thing is cool as hell!
jmb Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Posted October 24, 2009 You, too, can start with a $32.90 watch and wind up with this! Seriously, this one has some boo-boos in it and isn't really "ready for prime time". I am thinking about buying another and being a bit more careful so if you're still interested in a couple of months I might have one that's a bit more "refined".
lhooq Posted October 24, 2009 Report Posted October 24, 2009 So this is the club I've been hearing about! I always thought you could never go 'too thick' on a Rolex crystal. I just looked at your original thread, and all I can say is, "Yikes! You most definitely can!" Huge improvement with this new crystal. Are you doing any further mods (say, on the crown guards), or does $60 include the cost of your own labor?
highoeyazmuhudee Posted October 24, 2009 Report Posted October 24, 2009 crystal looks good now. build up a noobmariner next
jmb Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Posted October 24, 2009 Thanks, TeeJay! LHOOQ, I know what you mean on crystal height as it seems the vast majority of reviews of lower priced Subs complain that the crystal is too low but I got a bit carried away with the replacement! My "investment" does not reflect any labor - I've been married long enough that I'm getting used to working for free! I have a crown and tube I could install, and if I do that I'll "liposuction" the CG. In all reality, though, I'll probably leave this one where it's at, order another and mod it to death and be a bit more careful. I had originally budgeted $50 which included enough for a new crown and tube but I broke the original crystal when I tried to clamp onto the watch case to drill the lug holes without removing the crystal. Even with padding the vise jaw the crystal shattered when only a slight amount of pressure was applied. Then, when I pressed the crystal back in (the last time) I got lazy and didn't remove the insert. I would have gotten away with it but somehow I "slipped" and the upper die slid off to one side a bit and put a nice crease in the original cheapo sheet-metal insert. So, I learned to remove insert when pressing in a crystal and remove crystal before sticking case in milling vise! I really want to do one with no additional money, only labor. The holes and CG would be all labor (unless I break some drill bits) and I am going to grind a lathe cutter so I can re-shape a crown so if I can accomplish all of this without tearing anything up I should wind up with a Sub that looks like this for under $40 - plus labor! What I need to do is order several of the watches to spread the WU fee and shipping out... My breakdown is: Watch - $32.90 (plus shipping and WU fees) Crystal - $3.00 Insert w/pearl - $10.40 Spring bars - $4.00 Total - $50.30
perry563 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Posted October 24, 2009 Several things I see that you could improve upon.......insert should sit recessed and not above the bezel lip. CG need serious trimming, end links need to fit flush against the case without gaps near the case lugs, and the crown is too big.
freddy333 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Posted October 24, 2009 A Rolex crystal should not look white from the side, but, otherwise, nice job.
jmb Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Posted October 24, 2009 I doubt I could have hit my "price target" with a gen crystal! Next time I'll have to be more careful and not bust the "stock" one... I think I'll probably take this one back apart and thin the CG and work on the bezel some. This is one of the super cheap jobs that had a sheet-metal insert so I will probably need to clamp the bezel into the lathe and deepen the "groove" the insert fits into. :-p
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