Shape of things to come

[Ephry73]

As I'm getting ready to finish a project for fellow member Horologist(I have had some issues with humidity leves and luming) I was going through parts boxes to look for packing material and different parts. I found my old 5514 case which I thought  was lost. Needs a different bezel  assembly as the ST(fitst word rhymes with Tsar and last one with Chime) sucks a$$ and took me forever to get it to fit the Ofrei crystal. The bezel insert I still need to find, because I want something gen and not too aged. 

 

Movement is a 2846 serviced last summer

Dial is a Feet first and aged by HighHoe I believe which I glued to the spacer(got lucky this time and may try the same combo on the 666 to finish another project)

Hands are Clark's untouched

Crystal is an Ofrei "odd" T39(This one tapers away from the bezel a bit instead of coming straight up)

Rolex Comex 729 thick case back but will just leave it with the RC and crown stamping

ST bezel assembly and insert

Old Yuki trip crown and tube(May change this to a different setup, perhaps even the 702 I have been saving)

 

Old Trevor 5514 case with correct HEV(lubed o-ring and tested for water tightness) Lug holes drilled for gen bars and haven't modified anything else. Just slapped this together while waiting for lume to dry(literary) 

 

Ofrei Crystal Vs Standard T19 Service crystal

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2012 by Ephry73

[alligoat]

Mix up some yellow acrylic paint to match the lume on the hands with the dial and go to town! I just did it on my Pan Am 1675 and it's pretty close.

You can get that paint at any hobby store- like Michaels or Hobby Lobby

Trim those cgs, they're way too fat!

Is that ST pearl small enough that you could pop it out and put a yuki/ofrei one in there!

Dieselpower may have a better insert- check w/him.

[woof*]

Very nice Ephry

[Ephry73]

Thanks Woof. I should be working on school work for sure. The hands I will match later and the case WILL get some serious work done. I'm liking the crystal the way it is, even though it's not something I have seen in any pictures online. 

@Alligoat,

 

I need a new insert altogether and bezel assembly. The ST it's just odd. The insert is THEIR insert and doesn't fit THEIR bezel. Go figure. I'll check with diesel. 

I have a 7206 bracelet for this, but may go for a franken 9315 if I can get a decent clasp later on. For now the NATO is ok by me. 

 

 

 

 

 

E

[JoeyB]

Mix up some yellow acrylic paint to match the lume on the hands with the dial and go to town! 

 

Or, At the same Hobby Lobby buy some 'Glow Paint', about $5, and there or at a at a dollar store buy one of those kid's paint sets that are dried paint in little wells that you add water to. Remove the old lume from the hands, use a drop or two of the Glow Paint, mix in a tiny piece of brown, add yellow as needed, etc. Then, mount the hands on toothpicks via the pinion hole and stand them up in a piece of Rodico. Use a toothpick, pick up some Glow Paint and run it on the underside of each hand. Done deal. It is water based, easy to have 'do-overs', and dries with that 'Tritium' look. 

[Ephry73]

Joey? Are we smoking the good stuff today? lol

[JoeyB]

Nope. Why? It's very easy to do. 

[alligoat]

Well E, if you need a new bezel assembly, it's always the old standbys- Clark's and WSO. I've come to the conclusion that none of them fit off the bat- takes time and patience to file them into shape.

On my 1675 build I used a combo of the Clark's and WSO- got it on w/o the flat friction washer and it still won't turn worth a darn. Some day I'll work on it some more.

 

On both my Euromariner and ST3035/16800 build I spent untold hours filing and sanding to get those bezels working right. You just have to be committed to going slow.

 

Nice tutorial on coloring the hands Joey. I just use a simple topcoat method- removing lume isn't something I've tried yet.

 

E, if you find a decent 9315 rep bracelet, let me know.

[Ephry73]

@JoeyB,

Sorry brother I thought you were joking. Been studying too much for finals lately.

I will definitely tackle the lume but will wait. I kinda like the way I looks now.

@Allogoat,

The odd thing is that the ST parts fit perfectly for the 3035/3135 cases. I have plans to build a 14060 for the Spring as a daily wearer. No one makes that bezel assembly. I have extra parts from ST and no issues whatsoever. Now, their plexi sub parts are definitely not the same.

I will try Gary and see if there's a complete assembly that will work. I wish I had a lathe.

I'll let you know if I find anything. Still searching for 593s lol

[JoeyB]

 

On my 1675 build I used a combo of the Clark's and WSO- got it on w/o the flat friction washer and it still won't turn worth a darn. 

 

 

 

Nice tutorial on coloring the hands Joey. I just use a simple topcoat method- removing lume isn't something I've tried yet.

 

 

On my 1675 I used Clark's bezel assembly and crystal, but the bezel would not turn with the flat friction washer either. It does turn nicely without the washer, but I had to adjust the bracelet end links as the points on the very tip were sitting just high enough to contact the underside of the bezel. Squeezed 'em down a bit and it works. 

 

Removing the lume is easy to do. I soak the hands in acetone for a few minutes to soften the lume up and then use a toothpick in the pinion hole to hold it in position, and another toothpick to to remove the lume by lightly scraping. Using the toothpick to lume the hand really is easy to do, I start at the pinion end of the hand and from underneath with a drop of lume on the toothpick, and just move it out to the end of the hand. 

[Ephry73]

I have used talcum powder with lacquer for no Luke hands and it works great. Looks like old age trit and aged to perfection.

[Ephry73]

After a few hours(more like 45) I reshaped the lug profile to be a little flatter. This was about two months ago. Tonight between 10 year old rum and no sleep I decided to lower the top of the lugs profiles. My goal was to get it as close to an early 5513 case as i could. The case came with lower sides than the average 1665 into 5514 cases out there. 

 

Thus far I have changed from the crown it came with(decent 704 copy) to a 702 crown and tube, to an early 703 long coronet crown and tube. The 702 lost the ability to hold the stem. Old age I guess. I have another 702 crown, but I was saving that one for the 5512 Gilt project, or maybe just the Monte. 

 

Top profile of the lugs changed. Still need to finish the top and buff the sides. 

 

The lug holes have been chamfered and the case back lost the number and added some aging as well. Still need to buff it to a high shine still. Somehow they look huge in these pictures.

 

The case as is is completely water resistant with the "working" HEV.

 

The Yuki bezel assembly was such a blessing. Thanks Lions'. 

 

I may change the crystal to a service T19 a la Ubi'.

 

Did I not go far enough? Too far?

 

Total hours on the case with CG mod'ding, fitting, refitting and polishing and sanding over 100 hours. I know it seems excessive, but this is my stress reliever. (edit)

 

Pardon the light. The pictures were taken with the phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison of the case with the "MBW" 1665 case profile and at the bottom a nice SSD V2 case I am still working on.