denimhead Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Finally complete after 12 months of hard slog, i present my 1971 1655 Explorer 2 for your comments and feedback. Many Thanks to Ubiquitous for his advise in terms of re-shaping the crown guards,hopefully not too bad a job for my first attempt. Not a cheap project, but nowhere near what the asking price of the dubious 'Gens' out there are currently fetching. Heres the menu! GEN - ROLEX 1575(1570)MOVEMENT GEN - DIAL (EARLY FROG FOOT CROWN) GEN - HANDS(BOUGHT SEPERATELY SO SADLY NOT A PERFECT MATCH TO THE DIAL) GEN - BEZEL GEN - CROWN AND TUBE PHONG CASE SET CLARKS CYSTAL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zeleni kukuruz Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Wooow i salute you!!! Great rolli m8 congrates on a great build!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Nice froggy foot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Fantastic build. I love how you guys are able to build these! It's unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Very nice build. You should only be a little bit carfully with shaving the CG's from inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Fabulous watch. Huge congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Jeez! Super enough for you? Superb build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhead Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Very nice build. You should only be a little bit carfully with shaving the CG's from inside. Hi Omega, yes i totally agree. its my first go at re-shaping a case. Do you think it Can it be made better in the right hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 great accomplishment is a gen crystal impossible to source? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelizer Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Simply stunning.. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmg Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Beauty, congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsiadeCuba Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 a classy watch man. can't beat a gen movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Very impressive list of parts and a super build! Congrats. Here's a 116 to keep your eyes on http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolex-100-original-GMT-116-crystal-1675-1655-6542-/270809011468?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0d79950c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 The only thing I would do is try to square up the inside corners of the CG more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhead Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 The only thing I would do is try to square up the inside corners of the CG more... Good Evening U, removing the crown and stem tomorrow evening and hoping to get a better finish,i'll email you over a few shots to see what you think,do you think i should be aiming at a 90 degree angle on the coners? Cheers M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Not quite 90 degrees, need to keep a little slope but print some photos of gens and copy those Ebay is always a good place to look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhead Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Not quite 90 degrees, need to keep a little slope but print some photos of gens and copy those Ebay is always a good place to look. Thanks for the picture Alligoat, its a great reference picture for tomorrow nights re-shaping. I've studied so may pictures from every angle known to man. I guess every watch is going to be unique due to the use of the watch during its lifetime and how they have been re-finished over the years. To your knowledge do you know if the 1969 -1971 models had a more pointed crown guard? I have seen this come up on a few of the forums when refering to the 1655 case variants, where any of the early 1675 cases used and casebacks re stamped i wonder? Cheers DH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Hi Omega, yes i totally agree. its my first go at re-shaping a case. Do you think it Can it be made better in the right hands? I can't tell you if there are right hands needed, but I can guarant you - to get good results you have to use the right tools! I use a modified file with a correct shaped angle. After the rough-work for finish and to get sharp corners sandpaper (1000). At last some polishing, but very light to keep the sharp edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 BTW, what datewheel you used on the gen movement? Seems not to be a silver one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Beautiful build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krpster Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Wow! Impressive list of parts. It shows in the result. Nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Not quite 90 degrees, need to keep a little slope but print some photos of gens and copy those By 'square up' I am making reference to achieving a sharp inside corner point at the base: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhead Posted September 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 BTW, what datewheel you used on the gen movement? Seems not to be a silver one... Good Morning Omega, it is silver but quite faded. Were the original DW silver or white? I was always under the impression that they were normally changed to white when Rolex serviced the watch. Im picking up the watch later today as its just been serviced. I am going to post some pictures of my re-shaping attempts hopefully tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhead Posted September 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 By 'square up' I am making reference to achieving a sharp inside corner point at the base: Thanks U, beautifully done job. I wish i could send the watch to you! Cheers M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhead Posted September 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Finally complete after 12 months of hard slog, i present my 1971 1655 Explorer 2 for your comments and feedback. Many Thanks to Ubiquitous for his advise in terms of re-shaping the crown guards,hopefully not too bad a job for my first attempt. Not a cheap project, but nowhere near what the asking price of the dubious 'Gens' out there are currently fetching. Heres the menu! GEN - ROLEX 1575(1570)MOVEMENT GEN - DIAL (EARLY FROG FOOT CROWN) GEN - HANDS(BOUGHT SEPERATELY SO SADLY NOT A PERFECT MATCH TO THE DIAL) GEN - BEZEL GEN - CROWN AND TUBE PHONG CASE SET CLARKS CYSTAL Mnay Thanks guys for all of the nice comments and sound advise. I have done a bit more on the case in terms of sharpening up the inner corners of the guards this afternoon, still not perfect but better i hope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.