my first 5514 prototype case. Done.

[eduardor]

Count me in!

[username here]

Then I suggest we all contribute and book HH a flight to China! With $10-15 each, we can easily raise a handsome amount and cover some of our ambassador's trip costs to the Far East, pending HH approval of course Sent from my  Typøs are courtesy of iPhone Autocorrect

 

 

this . . . 

[woof*]

Yep!

[zaza]

Lol Thank you folks! Let's hear HH opinion about this, then maybe we can ask the mods to take care of the logistics aspect of the fund raising. As Ephry puts it, resources are abundant, especially if we stand united. We're all but one family after all. Personally I've never felt any competition or grudge on this forum. Only fabulous members who wouldn't spare a thought or dime to bring the Replica world into another level. Sent from my  Typøs are courtesy of iPhone Autocorrect

[Olivax]

HH and mods please reply! ;-) I can't wait to see the vintages rollies going on an other level!

[highoeyazmuhudee]

i received a few preliminary cases

 

it appears the insert is still too tight by 1/10th of a mm. the crown guards seem a little thicker on this batch as well and the rehaut is more shallow.

 

attempts seem inconsistent, and when some other problems are fixed a few other things might be a bit off. im not sure what to think about this, they seem to be having a hard time comprehending the whole fitment of the insert correctly despite me having sent them genuine parts to work with. im having some cad drawings redone currently, but being finished by hand there is some variation int heir manufacturing

 

i might have to start selling some of these before i dig my self deeper, as is- currently these cases need inner crown guard trim (outter is fine better thank mbk) and inserts will have to be slightly sanded. all other gen parts fit, better than mbk crown height, working he valve and nicely engraved case back (better than yukis, mbk) correct serial #4089 range and "5513" engraved caseback with 5514 between lugs , like the original

 

what do you guys think at this point, what should i do with this frustrating venture?

please no pms about purchasing yet

 

 

PICS: shown with gen crown and my 5513 eta dial

[1KeNnY1KeNnY1]

amazing

[Ephry73]

Dealing with the China factories is a labor of patience and knowing that a few of the batches will have issues. I have returned merchandise back to them for several issues and in return I get another batch of product with some "jimmies" slipped right in from the previous batch I returned before.

 

The case do not look bad at all. The CG can be trimmed by the buyer. The lugs look good and the case back is very nice.

 

Keep pushing them

 

Selling some of the samples now will for sure alleviate some of the overhead, but how much? that depends on how much you have and the initial price.

 

Of course, the dials look amazing and these by themselves will bring some revenue as we ALL NEED good dials for these ETA movements.

 

How are the hands?

 

I for one need a good bezel assembly and a full case.

[whoopy12]

+1

[GarrettP1]

What about having the more precise machining done here in the States, and farming out the case back and other pieces to China?

 

Alternatively, get the cases 98% finished from China, and then do a simplified completion process here.

 

Other industries (especially firearms) do the same thing.

[panerai153]

What about having the more precise machining done here in the States, and farming out the case back and other pieces to China? Alternatively, get the cases 98% finished from China, and then do a simplified completion process here. Other industries (especially firearms) do the same thing.

All in all, this may be the best solution, as it seems that the inability of the factories to " get everything right" may ultimately torpedo what would otherwise be a wonderful project. If you had a 1680 case available, even if it needed a little work, I would buy it in. Heartbeat.

[automatico]

I know a guy who had private label cases/bracelets/dials made in china/TW for over 10 years and he told me there was nothing on earth as frustating as trying to deal with them.

QC is simply not in their vocabulary.

Just look at all the various high $$ 'boutique cases' many of us have tried in the past. It seems that after all these years, they still can not drill case tube and lug holes straight or make a proper crown guard.

 

Name brand swiss etc watch companies that have cases, bracelets etc made in china/TW get good results by having company reps watching every step of production. Without any way of 'cracking the whip' on them you are stuck with 'close enough'.

Sad but true.

 

I appreciate your effort, sympathize with your frustrations, and wish you luck. 

[eduardor]

I would buy one as it is and then send it to a mod to get it perfect. It looks great.

[w0lf]

What about having the more precise machining done here in the States, and farming out the case back and other pieces to China?

 

Alternatively, get the cases 98% finished from China, and then do a simplified completion process here.

 

Other industries (especially firearms) do the same thing.

The cost and the time frame to do this project would then skyrocket. At the very basic level, this means that you have to prototype for two production cycles and order two separate tooling sets, one here and one for China. Your fixed costs just went up.

Secondly, the level of precision required to constitute a meaningful incentive to run either the whole mid-case production or just the fine detail finishing in the US dictates that you use a big shop. Smaller shops will have older, less precise equipment and you will just waste your time and money if you go to them. If they're ambitious idiots, they'll make you a proto run fit for the scrap bucket. If the are savvy, they wont do a run or outright turn you down, the foreman/owner will just take your project to the bigger shop as the middleman.

Once you get to the big shop level, they will all be booked for about a year to eighteen months on big batches, usually semi-conductor parts runs for the likes of Intel. You won't be able to incentivize them to give you big boys priority because the whole market is maybe 200-250 cases of all flavors combined. Lastly, you can be sure that big shops have a huge library of blacklisted designs. Even if the mid-case designs don't infringe on anything outright, the case will raise some warning flags and they might simply forgo the possible future aggravation of finding their product in the midst of some counterfit luxury goods scandal.

[panerai153]

I know a guy who had private label cases/bracelets/dials made in china/TW for over 10 years and he told me there was nothing on earth as frustating as trying to deal with them.

QC is simply not in their vocabulary.

Just look at all the various high $$ 'boutique cases' many of us have tried in the past. It seems that after all these years, they still can not drill case tube and lug holes straight or make a proper crown guard.

 

Name brand swiss etc watch companies that have cases, bracelets etc made in china/TW get good results by having company reps watching every step of production. Without any way of 'cracking the whip' on them you are stuck with 'close enough'.

Sad but true.

 

I appreciate your effort, sympathize with your frustrations, and wish you luck. 

 

I'm sure a lot of the smaller watch manufacturers use cases made in China. the differences are 1) they are dealing with hteir own design, and not cases that are illigal to build openly like rep Rolex cases. 2) As you said the case buyer has reps who oversee production, also they are not hesitant to turn down stuff that isn't up to spec. Over time the manufacturers realize that they have to turn out quality products that are consistently in spec, or they are going to have a lot of expensive scrap cases that they have to eat.

[Ephry73]

Then again, the cases can be sold as-is to mod later. I think these are leaps ahead any other cases, specially if the engraving is correct.

[dropbear2008]

Having worked in China in the past I feel your frustration. On the other hand I think you will not have any issues to sell this batch as is.

[SimplyAsheville]

I will take a 5514!

[mbenz]

Count me in for one if price is right.

[panerai153]

i would definitely take a 1680. I need a good 1680 case desperately!!

[username here]

I would buy one as it is and then send it to a mod to get it perfect. It looks great.

 

this.

[zaza]

Does this mean that 1665 seekers should give up hope?

[dbane883]

I tip my hat to you for persevering with this project. I'd be happy to help out if I can (I believe I read somewhere that you are in the Toronto area?).

[janeto72]

I tip my hat to you for persevering with this project. I'd be happy to help out if I can (I believe I read somewhere that you are in the Toronto area?).

SHHHH!!!!! A lot of us Torontonians here...lol!

[highoeyazmuhudee]

hi guys i managed to take delivery of 4X 5514 cases.

 

i have a 5th but i may keep this as a

reference for future productions.

i am more than likely going to end my relationship with this manufacturer its just not

working properly as their quality control is too inconsistent and for some reason they can

not seem to be able to produce a bezel ring that accepts a gen insert with out sanding.

the bezel rings just seem too tight to force an insert in properly, i believe they are off

by 1/10th of a mm. ive tried to have them correct this several times to no avail, they

just dont get it (!).

second reason im now switching to a new manufacturer, after my current one took a wire

transfer of $5K they decided to send me cases with parts missing then proceed to hold the

rest of the components "hostage" and tried to extort twice the agreed upon price. they

tried to change the terms of our agreement after delivery of 1/2 the cases and only half

the components, this is rather unscrupulous IMO and with little recourse in Asia i was

lucky to presaude them to release the remaining parts to finish the cases i had but it

paints an image of what kind of business to expect from them. i doubt they'll release the

machine drawings that they completed for me on my end now, so here in north america i had

new drawings made, and am getting a quote based on these this week from a potential new

manufacturer, i have no prototype based on these drawings yet so im not sure what needs

changing since these are all new drawings. i will share some cad drawings later today or

tomorrow hopefully.

so i have 4X 5514 cases that i need to sell in order to move forward.


these case fit gen dials, gen bars, gen 703 tube, gen crystal, higher than mbk crown

position, "5513" caseback engraving (like gen 5514) (NOT laser etched like MBK), 5514

between the lugs with a nice short middle e stroke (the kind those vrf'ers use to

determine authentic engravings over fake symmetrical "E" engravings) each serial number is

different 4089XXX (correct range for 5514), a nice engraved "ROLEX COMEX" case back NO

"no.198" engraving on it like the others have. better CGs than MBK, deeper bezel teeth

than the MBK, a working HE valve assembly, and an eta adaptor ring (exactly like yuki

sells for $50) which leads me to believe it was milled to accept a 15XX movement (have not

tried to fit a rolex movement, do not have one), the inner dimensions are different than

that of the eta mbks (my case is wider at the middle, MBK is more narrow)

OK NOW

2 things i do not like about this case:

cosmetic:

 

the lugs are a bit pointy instead of flatter at the tips (could be sanded down easily)

 

**i actually found a genuine reference where the lugs look identical being a bit pointy so consider this not really an issue, it appears some are flatter than others, perhaps from refinishing over time**

 

 

functional:

it has a gen bezel assembly but a part of the problem as stated above it is too tight to

fit a gen insert, this means youd either have to sand an insert or replace the bezel ring

with a clarks.


originally these were to be priced around $450 (still cheapest around and best value at

this price:quality)

since i need to sell these and move forward with another manufacturer im hoping to find a

home for these at $350 given the issue with the bezel ring.
paypal and shipping is at cost.

there are only 4 available, maybe a 5th later.

if you wish to purchase please tell me to PM you here in this thread, please do not PM me,

any questions can be asked and answered here in this thread as well.

first reply first served, VIP/PLAT members or veterans with a good rep get priority,

pics of these cases:



















thanks for looking!