wiesn089 Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi! I'm in the process of gathering parts for a milsub build at the moment. I have a beautifully modded 5513 MBW case on the way already and now a few questions I can't get a hang of. 1) Is there absolutely no way to fit a gen 1520 in a new MBW case (I think these are made for 2836s)? Why is that? I know that the 1520 is slightly higher, 5.7mm compared to 5.2mm, but couldn't I just have another movement ring made so the stem would line up correctly again? 2) Can ETA hands be modified in a way that they will fit on a 1520? (Omega hands on 1520) 3) Is it possible to reattach the dial feet on a genuine dial without damaging the dial front (I guess they would have to be soldered in place again) in the process? I'm quite anal about dials, NDTs is really good quality but still a little off and imo really expensive (and the coronet not the right style for my back engravings). I don't like the idea of having to shill out $350 for a dial which would be replaced anyway in the near future. I am thinking of having a gen dial refinished and then installed on an ETA before I shell out the cash for a 1520 and a Phong case if there is really no way the gen movement will fit in my MBW case... Can't wait to start gathering the missing parts, but I want to waste as little money as possible in the process this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 1) Is there absolutely no way to fit a gen 1520 in a new MBW case (I think these are made for 2836s)? Why is that? I fit Rolex movements into my 4+ year old MBW 5514 & 1665 cases (as well as working He valves). I had to do a bit of reshaping (dremeling/polishing) of both cases & the 1575's calendar ring, but they can be made to fit if you are willing to expend the effort. 2) Can ETA hands be modified in a way that they will fit on a 1520? (Omega hands on 1520) I do not believe ETA hands will fit a 15xx movement. At least I could never get them to fit. 3) Is it possible to reattach the dial feet on a genuine dial without damaging the dial front (I guess they would have to be soldered in place again) in the process? You need a particular type of soldering station (& alot of experience) to properly attach dial feet to a painted dial. Unfortunately, the equipment is rare & watchmakers with the proper experience are rarer still. Sometimes, you can epoxy copper dial feet (available from most watch parts houses) onto a dial & they stick. Sometimes, not (I have never been successful in (permanently) repositioning or attaching dial feet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 2) Can ETA hands be modified in a way that they will fit on a 1520? (Omega hands on 1520) 3) Is it possible to reattach the dial feet on a genuine dial without damaging the dial front (I guess they would have to be soldered in place again) in the process? I'm quite anal about dials, NDTs is really good quality but still a little off and imo really expensive (and the coronet not the right style for my back engravings). I don't like the idea of having to shill out $350 for a dial which would be replaced anyway in the near future. I am thinking of having a gen dial refinished and then installed on an ETA before I shell out the cash for a 1520 and a Phong case if there is really no way the gen movement will fit in my MBW case... 2) you can modify the pinions on the eta movement to fit the hands and just broach the seconds hand 3) i dont think you can re-solder the feet with out the dial paint getting damaged from the heat required Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesn089 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) Thank you both. So there's a probable chance a 1520 will fit, even if some work might be required, good to know. I found these hand sizes for ETA (Omega) hands ( M .90 H. 1.50 S .25) and Rolex hands(M .80 H 1.20 S .20). I guess this means ETA hands are too large to fit on Rolex movements? Is there a practical way to make them fit (I wanted to modify Omega Seamaster 300 sword hands to fit on a 1520, they are almost identical to the Milsub hands)? There aren't any good aftermarket Milsub hands around that I am aware of, Omega's are by far the most accurate ones (maybe because Rolex actually had to use their design to fit MOD requirements). Maybe that's gonna be the dealbreaker here, there's no point in putting a gen movement inside if I'm not able to use the most accurate hands... Edited January 18, 2012 by wiesn089 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flex Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 There aren't any good aftermarket Milsub hands around that I am aware of, Omega's are by far the most accurate ones (maybe because Rolex actually had to use their design to fit MOD requirements). there are many gen milsubs with Omega hands.. the orginal swords hands are usually replaced by Rolex during their first visit in RSC. so i guess the Omega hands (with abit of modding) will fit the gen 1520 movement. best of luck with your project, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesn089 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thanks flex, I will look into that. Hmmm, maybe this isn't already over, before it has begun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Frei has sword hands listed 0.70mm 1.20m. I don't know if this is the style you want. But you can open the 0.70 to 0.80mm rather easily. And if you need the hour hand from one set and the minute hand from another it's cheap enough to buy at $4/set. http://www.ofrei.com/page577.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 "Is it possible to reattach the dial feet on a genuine dial without damaging the dial front (I guess they would have to be soldered in place again) in the process?" Someone with a laser jewelry welder might be able to do it but they would need to practice on an old dial first. I had a 14k watch case with the insides of the lugs worn where someone used a Speidel Twist-O-Flex bracelet and a friend laser welded/filled the lugs back to original condition with the plastic crystal still in the case. It did not even melt the crystal cement. The guy is not just average though, he is a real pro. I had a dial foot soldering machine years ago and it was basically a small AC powered DC transformer that you connected to the dial and dial foot using a tiny piece of solder to join them together. In theory it would heat the immediate area quickly and the solder would melt and join the two parts together without burning the dial paint. You ground the dial with one wire from the machine and clamp the dial foot in a flexible holder (with an 'alligator' clip on the end) and put the dial foot in contact with the dial. You push the button to turn the machine on and it was supposed to solder the parts together in a second or two. I never had much luck with it. Shor International Corp in Madison NJ has a top of the line model on their website. Soft solder melts around 1100 degrees F. Hard solder melts between 1100 and 1600 degrees F. There is also 'TIX' brand soft solder that melts at 275 degrees F. Their motto is 'The hardest soft solder in the world' (4300 psi). I never tried it on a dial foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 3-4 years ago, I posted a thread detailing my experience with a diy dial soldering station I put together from instructions in an old quartz watch repair guide. Unfortunately, the thread was 1 of those that got lost during 1 of the rwg upgrades, but, like I said, I was unsuccessful in securing feet without damaging the dial. Try your luck with copper dial feet & epoxy or seek out an experienced watchmaker with the appropriate equipment (or find a dial/movement combo that matches). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesn089 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 I'm not in a hurry with this project, so I think I'll stick to the original plan. Build a decent Milsub with a 2846 and an NDT dial first and if I really like it as much as I think I will, I'll start hunting for a gen dial, a 1520 donor watch, gen bezel assembly etc. Thanks guys, you were really helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Laser welding can do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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