TeeJay Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 A while back, I considered getting this Daytona as a dial-donor for a Newman project. Thanks to a very generous gesture by jcmiro, I now have that watch on my wrist Now, I'm not under any illusions as to the accuracy of this watch, but I am enjoying wearing it, and I think it will provide a good base for future projects The watch arrived in an identical manner to how it appeared in the dealer photo, so, why is the watch being worn on a leather strap? Well, the obvious answer is because that's how Paul Newman wore his exotic, and good enough for him, is good enough for me. Additionally this strap was a present from my mother in law for just such a watch, but, there is another reason... The clasp on the factory-installed bracelet seemed to be having issues closing securely, and given the modern style of the endlinks and polished mid-links, I switched the bracelet to the bracelet from my DateJust (which again, went immediately on a leather strap, as that was how another actor wore the watch). This new bracelet combo was more aesthetically pleasing and accurate to what an original exotic dial would have been on, but, the union was not to last... The watch felt top heavy on my wrist, and I realized that the watch would indeed require the leather strap to support it properly. I decided to put off the swap over till after a shower (gotta do that flood test ) but midway through the shower, a springbar came free, and the watch wound up on the shower floor Fortunately, there was no damage to either the watch or the tiles (to be honest, I'd've been more annoyed at a cracked tile) and the watch indeed survived immersion (including under a faucet on full force) without flooding or fogging. After getting dressed, I put the watch onto the leather strap, and found it much more comfortable Now, as I'm sure y'all know, I've never been a stickler for accuracy or detail. As long as it had a dial, hands, and told the time, that tended to be good enough for me (see my Plastic Sub as proof of this ) and with the previous Daytona I owned (still do own it, I just can't find it anywhere ) the subdials not functioning as a chronograph didn't bother me too much. This time round, however, I am finding it frustrating that the dials do not represent the true function of the watch. While I am determined to own a Newman-Spec Daytona with functional chronos, this watch, will not be that project... There's no point in me red-tinting the second track and matte-varnishing the dial all the time the movement itself can't match the functions. What I will do, however, is use this case for a Tudor build of some nature, as the case itself is nicely put together and finished, and deserves to be put to good use (either something 7750-powered, or even a 7032-based build) Of course, I shall continue to wear the watch in it's present state, as I do like how it looks, and very much appreciate the gesture which allowed me to own it One thing I would suggest to anyone purchassing this watch and keeping the factory dial and movement in place, would be to matte-varnish the dial. The gloss finish of the concentric subdials reflects light terribly, which not only makes the subdials difficult to read at a glance, but can even make the main hands difficult to read That would be my one real gripe about the watch, as ease of readability is my foremost consideration with a watch, not fidelity of replication, but as mentioned above, the functionality of the watch is what is stopping me from performing the dial mod. I'd certainly recommend the watch to anyone who was considering an exotic Daytona, and wanted to get a feel for one, before spending more for a more accurate version, or even the considerably more expensive option of franken-building one, as it does give a good aproximation of the style. And of course, anyone who is happy with the Day/Date/24 hour function of the subdials, well, this watch is for you Anyone requiring functional chronos, well, there are quartz versions available, which might make a suitable dial/movement transplant to this case I guess it just depends on what you're personally looking for in the watch... Thanks for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hey....to each his own! You could wear and build whatever you want.......as long as you're happy wiith it......and I'm happy for you Teej! Not everyone is a Freddie or an Ubi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 It's actually looks pretty good on the wrist! Good mini review TeeJay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hey....to each his own! You could wear and build whatever you want.......as long as you're happy wiith it......and I'm happy for you Teej! Not everyone is a Freddie or an Ubi! Thanks, F, and absolutely, to each his own The funny thing, is if the movement had a functioning chrono, then I could ignore all the other flaws. We had a family friend round when the parcel arrived, and she thought it was really nice. Turns out she even used to sell reps herself at one point, which I never knew, but she was impressed with the sound of the rotor I guess that qualifies it as a pussy magnet Although I still want to do some kind of quartz Tudor chrono project, I think this case would be best suited to housing one of these badboys It's actually looks pretty good on the wrist! Good mini review TeeJay! Thanks, amigo, it is a nice watch to wear, the issue is with me for wanting functional chrono, rather than just accepting the watch for 'what it is' I definitely think it's better suited to leather straps than a bracelet for comfort (I also tried my Tropic-style strap, but it still felt top heavy) and am surprised that there aren't more people wearing their exotics on the straps Newman-style, but as above, to each his own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 What a good deal. I think you said it best when you said "I'm not under any illusions as to the accuracy of this watch, but I am enjoying wearing it" :thumbsupsmileyanim: That should be the number one reason to have a watch anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaifender Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Cool watch. Not a daytona fan though! The tudor dial colors on the other hand.. amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 What a good deal. I think you said it best when you said "I'm not under any illusions as to the accuracy of this watch, but I am enjoying wearing it" :thumbsupsmileyanim: That should be the number one reason to have a watch anyway. Thanks, and absolutely, as long as it's nice to wear a watch, that's all that matters :tu: Cool watch. Not a daytona fan though! The tudor dial colors on the other hand.. amazing Thanks, R I have to admit, Daytonas have never been my favorites either, but I wanted to give the more vintage ones a try (I have a pre-Daytona project in the works as well, which will also be going on a leather strap, rather than an ss bracelet...) When I saw that Tudor dial though, that really got me considering the possibilities for a project which wouldn't involve tracking down an old watch for the movement Here're a couple of quick pics I just took, after brushing the lugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I like the super shiny subdials. They look like 3 LPs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I like the super shiny subdials. They look like 3 LPs! They do look nice, but they really are a nightmare to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Not a big fan of straps but that one really works! Have fun with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Not a big fan of straps but that one really works! Have fun with it... Thanks, J, it certainly is a fun beater I can't claim anything on the strap combo, that honor goes to Mr Newman. I must admit though, out of regular straps (both leather and Tropic-Style) and the bracelets, I found this kind of leather strap to be the most comfortable option, as I found the others only made the watch feel top heavy, rather than properly supporting it... Then again, it works, so no harm, no foul I haven't had any luck with finding a solution to that autocad issue, so it might be worth seeing if one of the autocad guru's in FXRandy's thread might be able to make some suggestions as how to get the file printing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Nice TJ, looks good on that strap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Nice TJ, looks good on that strap Thanks, amigo, it feels good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I know I said I wasn't going to mod the dial, but nothing like a little late loupe work to end the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Hmmmm, definitely gives a new look indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 After a second look, that sets off the dial, sub-dials, bezel, and strap. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Hmmmm, definitely gives a new look indeed. After a second look, that sets off the dial, sub-dials, bezel, and strap. Enjoy. After re-casing, I had to strip it again to wipe a dot of ink from one of the square markers. No big deal... Only to re-case it again, to find the second hand won't move, so that means the keyless works need resetting I don't have the tools (or the knowhow) to do it myself, and the cash I'd have to pay to have it done, I think I'd rather put towards a new a7750 for my Tudor project... Oh well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 After re-casing, I had to strip it again to wipe a dot of ink from one of the square markers. No big deal... Only to re-case it again, to find the second hand won't move, so that means the keyless works need resetting I don't have the tools (or the knowhow) to do it myself, and the cash I'd have to pay to have it done, I think I'd rather put towards a new a7750 for my Tudor project... Oh well... Well crap.. I am sure one of the guys here can explain it. I think I saw a thread somewhere on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Well crap.. I am sure one of the guys here can explain it. I think I saw a thread somewhere on that. The info is definitely listed here somewhere, and I'm sure I could actually do it once the process was explained/detailed, the problem is that I simply don't have a small enough screwdriver to remove the top plate from the movement, making it an impossibility to attempt Oh well, I needed to get an a7750 for the Tudor project, this will give me the necessity to press on with that project, rather than just wearing the watch 'as is' and never getting round to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Sounds like a plan If you change your mind, I think I may have a screwdriver for you. Let me know, and I'll send it over the pond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Sounds like a plan If you change your mind, I think I may have a screwdriver for you. Let me know, and I'll send it over the pond. That's much appreciated, thanks for the offer At least this way, if I can't reset the keyless works, all it means is I still need to get the new a7750 for the Tudor dial, and if I can, then I get to wear the watch again for a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Pm me your info, and as soon as Texas decides to thaw, I will get it your way in the next day or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ephry73 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hey Teejay, I got to this post late. Looks good. You can definitely use that dial for a PN build and use the case for a Tudor Chrono build. Has the proper CGs from what I have seen. What movement is in the watch again? E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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