5513 Build Questions

[droptopman]

Hi all,

I have come to the conclusion that it may take a while for me to find the "perfect" gen 5513 with gilt dial.  I am generally not the most patient guy when it comes to watches but on this piece I have to be.  So in the mean time, I thought I would find a decent rep to sport while the hunt continues.    

I looked at OTB cartel versions and really do not care for any of them.  You rarely see any frankens for sale and I have been looking on all the forums for months.  

So now I am looking to build one.  As stated not the most patient guy so do not want to wait for a used Phong or MBW case set to appear and then source all the other parts.  This will be a moderate budget build.  

Here is where I am at and I am looking for some thoughts about this course of action.

I like dealing with Yuki as the comms, service and shipping are good.  He has about everything I need outside of a movement.  Looking at doing a Yuki 5513 build to resemble a 1966 model:

Yuki Parts:

custom serial numbered case set, eta white lume meters first dial and eta hands, eta movement adaptor, 7206 rivet bracelet, gen eta 2824.  Still waiting to hear if he has a crown that will work.  Basically I can get everything I need from one source and be ready for case mods and assembly.  Cost is roughly $1600 with case mods and assembly labor included.

 

What I really do not know is if I can live with the insert, crystal and so on.  If I end up needing to replace items with genuine parts anyways this may not be the best course.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

 

    

[automatico]

Might go with a 21600 bph swiss eta movement to mimic the rlx mvt beat rate. Also might need a longer hour wheel/cp so the h/m hands will be a bit farther from the dial than most date only eta movements. Probably need to ask around the forum about the h-wheel and cp and see what others have done. I have never used a 2824 in one of these projects.

 

I have a random serial number Yuki 5513 case that I got in May and I will say it is a first class case. I am not revved up by $1000+ cases because after you wear one a while they all look the same anyway. A few details in numbers and letters are not important to me as I am not trying to fool anyone...except maybe myself.  

 

Another reason why the Yuki case is a good choice is that the next best 'affordable high grade' 5513 case imho is MBK and they are 1680 spec inside. They are made for 26mm dials and this is good for 5512/13 projects but they are also made for an Eta 2836 spec day/date movement so a genuine rolex 1520/30 mounts too close to the front of the case if you ever decide to go with a genuine movement. 

 

All my MBK cases (2) 1680 and (1) 5513, have an O ring under the crystal retainer bezel like later model genuine watches but I did not remove the bezel on the Yuki 5513 to see what it had but a couple forum members said theirs did not have the O ring or a groove cut in the case top.

 

Before you run the case back on and off very much it might be a good idea to apply a tiny bit of lithium grease to the case back threads to keep the case back from seizing on the case. You never know when one might decide to clam up. I do not worry much with cartel and cheapo stuff but high $$ cases need a little TLC. I had a genuine 16000 case seize up and the threads were ruined when I finally got it apart. It was not cross threaded...it just seized up like it was welded.

[dbane883]

With some work, the Yuki case can be very good.. but it takes alot of work to get it right as she is a pig to start.

Bezel is marginally acceptable..its a touch thick.  Insert is not very good and should be replaced with a gen insert, which will always retain its value.  Crystal is OK.. not a bad imitation of a T19 superdome... Case does NOT have a groove under the retaining ring.

 

Here are some pics of a Yuki case build I recently completed for a fellow member:

 

Yuki caseset out of the box:

 

Before any casework, compared to a gen case (gen on left):

 

After some casework, polishing/weathering, gen insert/gen dial/CWP hands/CWP crystal:

[droptopman]

Very nice dbane. What movement did you use? Automatico brought up a good point about the movement. I did do some research that is really outside my knowledge base at this point regarding crown position, cannon pinion height and so on...Maybe I got my numbers mixed up but I though most of the builds I saw used a 2824, but would a 2783 work better?

[dbane883]

It has a gen 1520.  

 

 I think your choice for a movement is dependent on the dial you choose to use.  

 

If this is just an interim build, until you find the gen you are patiently waiting for, then stay on budget with a 2824 IMO.  Yuki will have the adapter ring suitable for the case.  

 

I dont have any experience with a 2873, so cannot comment.

[highoeyazmuhudee]

those CGs come pretty thick on a yuki case huh

 

2783 is a bit different than working with a 2846, IMO the 2846 is easier to work with as the 2783 has more little springs that like to fly all over the place, also the 2783 has no bearings on the rotor and may or may not hack, most likely not

[panerai153]

Most of the builds using the old MBW case, use 2846 movements. You can still find them although they are getting harder to find in NOS condition. They all need a service as they have been sitting around for years, even the NOS ones.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jackflash]

With a bit of time and effort you can get reasonable results with a cartel case. Specs as follows:

• Cartel 5513 case, CGs shaped, lugs drilled
• ETA 2846 movement
• Clark T19 Crystal
• Yuki bezel insert
• Athaya pearl and 702 crown and tube set
• WSO 580 end links and spring bars
• Singer dial
• Tudor ETA handset

Another cartel case, with similar spec I'm currently working on. This time I've exchanged the cartel bezel assembly with a bezel set off the bay with slightly deeper teeth :

[droptopman]

Jack those look very nice. Great work.

Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

[jackflash]

Jack those look very nice. Great work.

Thanks:) Good luck with your build.

[highoeyazmuhudee]

Thanks:) Good luck with your build.

 

turned out very nice, probably the best the CGs could look given what they come as

[pam007]

 

 

 

 

Who is the maker of this beautiful dial?

[Nightwatch]

Hi, fantastic project You´re starting there. I was looking at throwing a Yuki gilt dial and hands together with the athaya crown in this 5513 Cartel (unbeatable price from Sead) but in the end it´s working so well and it´s so nice to wear with all flaws included that I just left it beaten up as it is before breaking anything. Meanwhile even on old gens I have also seen mix-ups of all kinds of parts (those available, not exact replacements) so 4me it really doesn´t matter too much. One day still might replace the crown, age the insert and maybe relume the dial but for now it´s like this:

 

 

 

[jackflash]

Who is the maker of this beautiful dial?

Got lucky. Singer dial off the bay.

[droptopman]

Night watch, did you work on that case? Profile and cg's look good. I may grab one of these to work on.

Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

[droptopman]

Thanks for all the responses.  

 

I got my numbers mixed up on the movements, I meant a 2846, but will use a 2824 because I have access to a good one from a very reliable source.

 

Went ahead and ordered all the Yuki parts.  Spend hours searching for a 9315 or 93150 bracelet yesterday and found nothing outside of crazy overpriced gens, but I think I got lucky this morning and have located one through a friend.

 

So this project is moving forward.... I think I am going to order a cartel version to work on while this one is being built.  Be a good learning experience and I like doing case mods.   

[ww12345]

Got lucky. Singer dial off the bay.

Nice! Gen serif?

[jackflash]

Nice! Gen serif?

No a reprint. Haven't seen one since though.

[ww12345]

Cool - another reprint serif dial! I wonder if yours is Vietnamese like mine?

 

[Nightwatch]

Night watch, did you work on that case? Profile and cg's look good. I may grab one of these to work on.

Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

Thanks, this was the first case I started working on with the Dremel and it was real fun. Overdid it a bit with scratching and repolishing and still filing on the lugholes, but this little watch meant something like my exit from overpriced super-reps. It works reliably and flawlessly with a good power-reserve from the little 21j, it sits well on the wrist and I really love to wear it. Difficult to put something else on:)

 

Before/after

[jackflash]

Cool - another reprint serif dial! I wonder if yours is Vietnamese like mine?

Looks Great! Congrats!

[ww12345]

Thanks! Ours look like the same dial maker - I wish more aftermarket dials were like those!

[droptopman]

Thanks, this was the first case I started working on with the Dremel and it was real fun. Overdid it a bit with scratching and repolishing and still filing on the lugholes, but this little watch meant something like my exit from overpriced super-reps. It works reliably and flawlessly with a good power-reserve from the little 21j, it sits well on the wrist and I really love to wear it. Difficult to put something else on:)

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice work.  That case is nice and thin now and those cgs look great.  I agree, working on case mods is fun.  I also used a dremel and lots of hand filing and sanding.  Hard work but very enjoyable.  I had similar result around the lug holes on the 1016 case.  Next one I will pay more attention to that area and tape it off or fill the holes with glue or something so they do not enlarge too much.  I have a couple of real ***** submariners I got at a yard sell just to take apart and do some case mods.  Going to take the cg's off on one of them.      

[Nightwatch]

Good to have several to train:). Thinking of filling the lugholes with cool weld once I get it and redo those to see what it looks like.

[jackflash]

Thinking of filling the lugholes with cool weld once I get it and redo those to see what it looks like.

You just need to drill out the existing lug holes with a 1.2mm bit to fit the gen spec spring bars.