red Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 The project took about a year to complete. It started off as a Swiss UPO from Trusty. First Mod - Pearl was a little too bulbous, so I pried it off and sanded it down a bit. Looks pretty good in my opinion, so didn't look into the gen bezel. Dial and Hands - Got the dial and hands from Ofrei and off it went to my watchsmith Watch didn't look right even with the gen parts. So the search for a Chief crystal was in the works. Nothing turned up, and could not get in contact with Chief so....gen crystal. Opted for gen crown and tube with the crystal order. My 2 Cents on the Project: Go for it. From start to finish the project was just under 1k. I have a gen PO (42.5) and the difference between the two are negligible. The 42.5 AR is much stronger than the 45, but I think that has to do with the crystal size. The things you must do is the AR. This comes before the dial. The UPO dial isn't that bad when you have a nice crystal that allows you to see it. Crown and tube is also a must. While mine didn't strip in my possession it was enough for my watchsmith to bring it to my attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 Absolutley fantastic thanks for sharing this beautiful PO. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 FrankenBeautyUPO indeed Happy Timekeeping Gran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stolikat Posted April 28, 2010 Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 Wonderful!! Enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted April 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2010 Thanks guys. I was on the hunt for a 196 project and it seemed that getting the watch to 99% was near impossible. I went to the UPO thanks to Lani's pics, and Ubi's advice. The parts are readily available, and the transformation is relatively painless. There isn't a recessed datewheel to deal with, and you get a great watch at half the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eton Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Beautiful! Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSRep Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Thanks guys. I went to the UPO thanks to Lani's pics, and Ubi's advice. Yup you can always count on Lani and Ubi to head you in the right direction. Youve landed up with a FANTASTIC watch there.....Cant wait to get going on a franken UPO Enjoy it in good health! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Congrats. Looks great. Only way to go with the PO other than Gen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted April 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Thanks Eton, your PO turned out nicely as well. I am considering that bezel and dial combo as another project. Thanks dluddy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianSW510 Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Very nice. I'm doing the same build as you, but with a 45mm PO. w/ orange bezel, still missing a few parts though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted May 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 BrainSW - Nice project. I have that combo in a gen 42.5, or I would have done it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krpster Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Very nice! UPO franken project is on my list after I clear off a few lingering projects. Wear it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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