My "Cheap" Custom 5517 Milsub Homage

[shadeone]

Just got my completed milsub project back from the watchmaker last night and thought you guys might be interested in the details! I wanted to make the most correct 5517 homage out there, but keep it on a small budget. I know there are many replicas out there that I could have just switched dials on but there are usually a lot of tiny imperfections on them that just bother the heck out of me. Anyways here is my new beauty:

Case - I used a replica case, originally from "Trevor Time", obtained from lloyd at rwg.cc. It has the fixed / welded lug springbars like the original 5517 had to enable only NATO nylon straps to be used. The movement inside is a DG2813 "21 jewel".

$100.00 shipped

Dial - I got an unmarked "sterlie" 29.2mm dial with white lume from Ken at rafflestime.com. It has the correct "Swiss T<25" marking near the bottom and minute marker ticks / hashes that extend under the rehaut.

$10.39 shipped

Hour and Minute Hands - I ordered a set of milsub sword style hands from helenarou.com. The hour and minute hand are the most correct hands for a milsub. All other sword hand sets that exist for the DG2813 dont have a minute hand with lume that forms an "arrow" shape near the tip and are usually just rectangular lume bars. The movement in my watch is a DG2813 with 100/150/17 hands and the helenarou hand set was designed for ETA which is 90/150/25, meaning the hole on the minute hand was too small and needed to be broched to fit.

$29.95 shipped

Second Hand - Since Helenarou's second hand is not the correct Milsub style (its design matches the old Omega Seamaster 300 and slightly curves in at the sides of the triangular lumed pointer), I bought an additional white lume hand set from Ken at rafflestime.com in order to use just the more corect second hand from the set.

$22.99 shipped

Bezel Insert - The case came with a bezel insert that was designed for the traditional non-milsub submariner with minute markings at only the first 15 minutes. The correct 5517 milsub insert has minute tick / hash marks all the way around the bezel instead of just the first 15. I bought a replacement insert from user wholesaleoutlet990 on ebay. It didnt snap in place and needed to be cemented to hold it.

$13.00 shipped

Crystal - The crystal that came on the case was a little too generic and flat on top and was replaced with a Clark 25-19 dome style replacement acrylic crystal from user nostalgia-2000 on ebay. The original milsub used a Tropic 19 and the Clark is an excellent, almost exact replacement.

$17.00 shipped

Strap - I bought a 20mm "Admirality Gray" NATO strap from user mickie500 on ebay who sells for Phoenix, the original suppliers of NATO straps to the British MOD (Ministry of Defense). Phoenix made the original straps that came with the real milsub. He sells some factory goof straps that are much cheaper and you cant notice the very minor errors at all. The original milsub was issued with an 18mm "Admirality Gray" strap, but Rolex themselves offer 20mm as a factory replacement so either width is correct.

$11.05 shipped

Assembly - Since I am not a watchmaker and dont have tools and have never played around with taking a watch apart or putting it back together, I had a Jay at Motor City Watch Works assemble all of the parts for me. The rehaut needed to be opened up a little bit for the correct amount of minute tick marks to show

$120.00 shipped

grand total = $324.38

I know there are a few things that could be even more correct like the bezel pearl and the lug and crown guard widths / shape, but those dont bother me as much right now as the things like hands and crystal profile etc did. Plus modding things like that would cost more and this is just a bidget watch... Maybe for my next watch I will go even more perfect.

[aeromatic]

Just got my completed milsub project back from the watchmaker last night and thought you guys might be interested in the details! I wanted to make the most correct 5517 homage out there, but keep it on a small budget. I know there are many replicas out there that I could have just switched dials on but there are usually a lot of tiny imperfections on them that just bother the heck out of me. Anyways here is my new beauty:

Case - I used a replica case, originally from "Trevor Time", obtained from lloyd at rwg.cc. It has the fixed / welded lug springbars like the original 5517 had to enable only NATO nylon straps to be used. The movement inside is a DG2813 "21 jewel".

$100.00 shipped

Dial - I got an unmarked "sterlie" 29.2mm dial with white lume from Ken at rafflestime.com. It has the correct "Swiss T<25" marking near the

well done i want to see more sterile projects featured on rwg they are replicas too of the gens ok they call them homage watches but these are (legal) replicas no trademark issues no customs issues and may well be the way to the future i bend both ways sterile and outright replicas

very nice build ruhelena(helenarou has the 5517 dial superlumed with all rolex /logos and markings at 29mm size he does not advertise it only steriles i purchased a 6538 bond dial with all markings

[cc33]

Love the look of the 5517, true tool watch for me