mazz68 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I am trying to build a MILSUB. I am having trouble finding a 1520 movement in my build budget. Here is my question is there a movement in the same size and BPH that can be accurately substituted? Is there an similar Tudor movement. I understand the Asian movements and some ETAs don't have a slow enough BPH any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Yeh, 1520's aren't cheap. I looked at an Air-King this week, it started out cheap so I kept watching- ended up selling for $960. Add a service to that and you've got a $1100-1200 movement. A 2846-2 is the closest you can come at 21600bph as opposed to the 19800 of the 1520. I shy away from a21j's if you're trying to build a really nice milsub, but some people do OK w/ them at $15-20 each, they're very easily replaced. But a properly serviced 2846-2 should last forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolfire Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 alligoat couldn't have put that any better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 alligoat is correct...I usually try to find a good ETA 24XX...it beats the same as a 1520. There are still plenty around. WIth a milsub you wont have the date window to contend with...IMHO...these movements are the best ones to use for a no-date build... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Sorry noob question Whats a ETA 24XX...? is it the same as a 2846-2 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 You'll actually need an ETA 2824. I used a 1520 from a 5500 Air King for my 5514 project: Not wanting the old 5500 case to go to waste, I retro fit a 2824 to turn it into this little guy: A 2836/2846 is thicker than a 2824; the stem position/height varies between the two by a little less than 1mm. That's enough to keep the stem from lining up center on a 2836 to 1520 case retrofit. A 2824 fits much better in a case meant for a 1520. Conversely, I believe a 2836 fits well for cases intended for a 1570 with date, hence why you can take a caliber 1570 from a 1500 Date and fit it into an MBW case. Only problem is the 2824 has too high of a beat rate; 28800bph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 BTW, the suggestion of which movement to use for your project will largely depend on the case. If you are using a rep case that originally housed an ETA 2836, then aligoat is correct- An ETA 2846 will suit your needs; I've also found that an ETA 2783 is a great movement to use for a no date Sub. If you are using a case intended for a gen 1520, you will need the 2824. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) Sorry noob question Whats a ETA 24XX...? is it the same as a 2846-2 ? it is an older ETA 2450 to 2475, just ensure that it is 11.5 in size...Similar movements were put into older gen Tudor subs. Even though they are a smidge taller than the 2846...you're more concerned about the stem being centered to the stem tube. The 24XX movement might be a tad taller than a 2846, but a dial spacer ring is not used for a 24XX, this makes up for the height difference. Edited January 21, 2011 by ChiMan12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 If the approximately $1k+ 1520 movement cost is too high for your project budget, I would assume the approximately $500+ price of an aftermarket case will be as well, so you are using a standard rep case. In that case, I think Alligoat has it right - the 2846 is what I would use & for the reasons he stated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 No I am going to use a good aftermarket case most likely the one from Yuki. I was just trying to save a little on the movement I want a good movement and wasn't sure what was comparable to the 1520. And thanks to everyone for their extremely knowledgeable input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Would it be safe to say that if I went with a case that was designed for a 1520 movement using a 2824 would allow for an easy change over when I eventually get a 1520 movement? Would I need to change the hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 If you had a case specifically for a 1520 movement, then using an ETA 2824 would be a good retrofit for that case. There are conversion rings out there to make the installation easier, but certainly not absolutely necessary. If you were to ever want to change to a genuine 1520 at a later date, you would need a new set of hands at minimum as the ETA and 1520 have different size pinions. You could re-use the dial between the two, but if you start with a dial for a 1520, you'll need to clip the dial feet off to fit on an ETA; this means that a later installation with a 1520 will still require the dial dots since the dial feet have been removed. Or, you could get another dial for a 1520 to have dial feet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Sounds like it would be a whole lot easier if I just save up and just buy a 1520 save me a lot of work......... Thanks ubiquitous I appreciate your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I have to say... For the watches I've put together using ETA movements paired with dials missing dial feet, etc. Getting date wheels to line up, aligning dials... Every one of them took far more time and effort than putting together a franken with gen dial, movement and hands. Doing an ETA swap usually requires assembling, disassembling, adjusting and re-fitting a few times over to get everything just right. Fitting a genuine 1520 or 1570 is as straight forward as it gets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Ok thats it then save up for a 1520 thanks again everyone............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I have to say... For the watches I've put together using ETA movements paired with dials missing dial feet, etc. Getting date wheels to line up, aligning dials... Every one of them took far more time and effort than putting together a franken with gen dial, movement and hands. Doing an ETA swap usually requires assembling, disassembling, adjusting and re-fitting a few times over to get everything just right. Fitting a genuine 1520 or 1570 is as straight forward as it gets... Ditto that. If you think you can afford the gen movement (& handset), do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 What case out there do you guys think are accurate? All I could find are Yuki and Phong. Any suggestions for anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 I used Phong's case with 1520, gen dial, gen hands... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazz68 Posted January 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well as the project progresses I will post some pictures thanks again to all for the valuable input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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