Mendota Explorer Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 With all of the amazing big crown builds and super "genkens" on display recently, I am really itching to bite the bullet and try working on a budget Silix build to get my feet wet in the big crown world. If this works out well, I am going to make a decommissioned 6538a with 3,6,9 dial and red depth rating for my second build. There is a gorgeous example on Hodinkee that I am in love with, so that's my grail until I am eventually able to devote the time and resources to build a big crown genken. To get started, however, I am going to go with the classic 6538 as my initial attempt. My parts list so far is this: - Silix classic 6538 complete watch with rivet bracelet. I know the 7206 bracelet is going to be crappy, so if I can't salvage it I will have to put it on a nice distressed leather band until Yuki or another supplier gets them. - Athaya V2 crown and tube. - Either Yuki pearl or Athaya pearl. Not sure which one is the better replacement? - OnlinestoreHK big ball white seconds hand. How much better is the HR branded 6538 dial versus the Raffles recent superlumed dial offerings? Ken now sells both a 3,6,9 6200 dial as well as a 6538 dial that appears to be nearly identical to the branded HR dial, but at half the price. Is it worth it to spend the extra money for the HR dial on my first budget build, knowing full well that I am going to age the dial anyway and brush various household colorants on it and bake it? Or is the Raffles dial going to be good enough? The standard out of box Silix and Raffles dials are the same and have that awful/strange color tone to them, but the new Raffles dials with superlume look pretty nice. I plan to practice my aging skills on the stock dial and then move over to the nicer dial once I have a steady hand. Any suggestions are welcomed. I've been kicking these tires for so long that my toes are quite sore, so I figured it's time to bite the bullet and get started. I'm pretty busy at home with 3 little boys ranging from 10 months to 6yrs old, so this might take me a while once I actually start buying the various parts. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Do you have pics of each dial? I'm not sure all the members here (myself included) know exactly which dials you're talking about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Oops, sorry about that. Yes, when I get back to my PC I'll grab some pics from the websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Cool! I'm kind of itching to start a 3,6,9 project of my own... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 I made one of those once, I sold the dial to a fellow member a while ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Ooh - what dial is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 (edited) WOW!! cc33, that is incredible. How did you do that with the dial? Which dial did you use? That isn't the stock Silix, doctored up, is it? Edited June 27, 2014 by Mendota Explorer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 (edited) Here's Ken's newer gilt 6538 dial with the good lume. Much better than the old version that was a baby poop, yellow-greenish color. Here's the Helenarou dial. You have to ask for it to be printed with the Rolex markings. I can't get an image so this is a link, sadly. http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-91375717912793_2255_53723389 Edited June 27, 2014 by Mendota Explorer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hmmm... Well, depending on the text of the HR one, I'd maybe go with that. The problem that I see with most of the gilt dials is that the text doesn't look pad-printed, but instead looks like a gold-colored laserjet printing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 I wonder where BigDazza was getting his dials? Maybe now that he's out of the mod game he could tell us? His, while not perfect (like that beautiful cc33 dial) were still pretty good/close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 That was made by my dial guy, same as nanuq's and my 6538 dial (galvanized, gilt, lacquered) made using a gen dial plate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 OK, I knew that was too good to be an off-the-shelf dial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hmmm... Well, depending on the text of the HR one, I'd maybe go with that. The problem that I see with most of the gilt dials is that the text doesn't look pad-printed, but instead looks like a gold-colored laserjet printing. Right, because the "gilt" is just the base plate showing through, it's impossible to recreate unless done right. Printing gilt colour on a dial is great but not correct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Ah, I knew there was a reason my gen gilt dials looked like they do... How much was your dial, and did he require a gen plate or would he do it on a rep base? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Too much! They used to be around 1400$ but with the recent economy the 1100£ he requires ends up being very close to 2k. He provides the plate, that's part of the reason why it costs so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 There's a whole bunch of decisions to make before you go full gonzo with this. If you want to build one as a test case, you can't go wrong with the parts list you've got. My first was like that and I wound up with an Athaya v2 crown (which required some specific case work) and a Big Dazza aging job on the Silix dial. In the end it came out darn close to a gen: Gen 6536/1 Silix build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Woah!! Would he do it on an aftermarket plate or did you ask? Otherwise, who else comes close to replicating the look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 No he won't, his work is based on gen owners needs not ours. Nobody comes close except maybe minh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 .........and Minh has multiple "levels" from $300 to over $1,000. They get more gilty with price, but still are not made with technique cc33 described. Here is his $300 dial with some Big Dazza ageing texture. It's very good but it's sized for a gen case. This was my starting point for the first version of the Big Gonzo, then it went to Ziggy for a relume to the dial and hands for a more "creamy" look. Before Ziggifying After Ziggifying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 OK, that looks a little better. I just know that (for example) the Yuki dial is just awful. The gilt looks nothing like regular gilt, just like yellow text printed on a black background... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 Yep Minh does make good stuff. It's the best I could find for my version-1 build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendota Explorer Posted June 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 (edited) So much to think about. That special, super duper dial is for all intents and purposes a gen dial. I mean it is on a gen plate and it is redone/refinished using gen techniques by an artisan who only works with gen parts for vintage gen owners. It's a gen dial. That said, if you ever sell it you have to fully disclose its provenance, but still - it's like a guy who rebuilds parts for a Corvette Stingray using the original parts as the starting point and refinishes them. At the end of the day it's gen. The Minh one posted above looks fantastic and for $300 I'd be very happy with it. I can see how over time, as you are assembling a gen watch from parts, the only real option will eventually be that super duper gen-process dial. Really, it has to be when you are working at that level. For this Silix build, though, I'm literally operating in the little league, nay T-ball league of parts. If I can do nice things with the stock Silix dial or that upgraded one I will be happy for this initial foray. Edited June 27, 2014 by Mendota Explorer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 You can still make something pretty nice out of a base Silix piece. This is as far as I could take one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 Right, because the "gilt" is just the base plate showing through, it's impossible to recreate unless done right. Printing gilt colour on a dial is great but not correct I can't take pics like cc33, but my 6538 might show how I make my dials using water-slide decals. Inkjet does not print white, so I use clear decal paper and apply it to the bare brass base plate. I usually swirl sand it lightly using 400 grit to get a more 'gilt' look of the plate that shows through. And it does become slowly subdued as time goes on. All my gilt dials are made the same way. Only one, my 1675, using a gen Rolex Submariner dial bought off ebay for $25 bucks that was trashed. The finish can be as smooth as you can spray paint clear, or a bit of patina by 'orange peel' the spray. The more I mess up, the more aged it looks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted June 28, 2014 Report Share Posted June 28, 2014 That's a great way of making a budget gilt dial Joey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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