Rolli FGD 201/A Build Update: Getting the Hands a Little Closer to Gen

[Grimlocktime]

In my haste to assemble my Rolli/FGD Logo dial, There were a few details I skipped that I immediately regretted.  It's one of those things when you build a watch that you know you can do a little better if you spend some more time, but skip because you need to wear your watch yesterday:)

For me, it was the following:
 - Swap out the David Wong crystal
 - Another polish on the rehaut
 - finally, tweaking the Rolli FGD hands to get them closer to gen

 

First up the crystal and rehaut polish... The David Wong crystal I used for my build is respectable... It's not low quality at all, but there are those times were you catch a haze you can't wipe off or a reflection that seems too strong.  I heard from DSN that he has a new source for crystals that he is using on his latest watches.  DSN is now selling French made HIGH quality sapphires.  The proof is in the pictures below.

You can test the clarity of your crystal by shining a bright light against the edge.  Like magic, any cloud or haze inside the crystal becomes immediately evident.  Just to give you an idea the David Wong crystal that looks like this on the watch (Not bad at all from most angles)

Looks like this when you test it's clarity

 

Now here's the DSN.  It's like a piece of window glass

 

I don't say this lightly; It's easily as good as the BM C3 crystals and approaching OEM quality.

 

 

Next up the hands. Now let me preface this by saying, I'm really getting into minutia with this one, but that's the fun part right?  Gen Pre-V hands are made of brass.  Some detail having to do with how they were manufactured produced an effect where you can see the exposed brass around the cannon pinion.  See these Gen photos:

 

 

 

 

Coincidentally the Helena Rou hands that FGD used in his projects are also brass, but the tube of the minute hands is painted, not allowing for any of the brass to show through.  With a little ingenuity, it's possible to recreate this effect with your FGD hands  All you need is some fine grit sand paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This isn't something you'll see on that wrist that often, unless the sun catches the brass just right, but that's not the point, is it?

 

Thanks for reading

[civic4982]

You're a madman... And I love it!

So wonderful DSN has moved to a new glass supplier.

This was always the weakest part of his watches.

Sent from the my iPhone using Tapatalk s

[fishgodeep]

Superb attention to details ...one more job to add to my own list !

Thanks for the tips !

Cheers

FGD

[civic4982]

Superb attention to details ...one more job to add to my own list !

Thanks for the tips !

Cheers

FGD

Would love to see a thread with some of your own builds FGD!

Sent from the my iPhone using Tapatalk s

[rolli]

I have a very large 201 pictures archive. also by all pam models and versions since 2003.

 

some show this what you've written.

 

this is the effect which comes through the reaming with a reamer.

for a lower hands-fit on the canon pinion.

 

some of the pictures don't show the lower hands-fit on the canon pinion,

not so flat with the canon pinion tip, but also this hands have the reamer effect and show the brass basic metal in the hand tube.

 

basically hands will be punched from thin brass strips, also with hand-tubes 

low-pressed.

 

only hands which get the blued color cornflower blue by an oven with 290 degrees celsius will be punched from a special ferric, also with hands tube.

 

Note:  only our FGD hands are manufactured over helen-arou  by a hong kong hands company.  these hands have no lume inside.

 

our special lume was developed and filled by rc tritec in switzerland.

 

 

regards

 

rolli

[Grimlocktime]

You're a madman... And I love it!

So wonderful DSN has moved to a new glass supplier.

This was always the weakest part of his watches.

I prefer detail oriented;)

V you won't be disappointed with DSNs new crystals. They are gorgeous!

[Grimlocktime]

I have a very large 201 pictures archive. also by all pam models and versions since 2003.

some show this what you've written.

this is the effect which comes through the reaming with a reamer.

for a lower hands-fit on the canon pinion.

some of the pictures don't show the lower hands-fit on the canon pinion,

not so flat with the canon pinion tip, but also this hands have the reamer effect and show the brass basic metal in the hand tube.

basically hands will be punched from thin brass strips, also with hand-tubes

low-pressed.

only hands which get the blued color cornflower blue by an oven with 290 degrees celsius will be punched from a special ferric, also with hands tube.

Note: only our FGD hands are manufactured over helen-arou by a hong kong hands company. these hands have no lume inside.

our special lume was developed and filled by rc tritec in switzerland.

regards

rolli

As always Rolli, you are totally correct! I don't have a staking set, but if I did I would adjust the tube on these HR Hands. They are a fraction on the small side. Regardless. I like how it is possible expose the brass with a little sand paper!

[mir36]

Grim makes OCD fun!

Learned something new today. When I read one of Rolli's earlier posts referring to DSN's new 'French' crystals, I assumed it was a typo for 'Fresh'. DSN always gives his new product versions a nick name, like 'New Born.'

Now I know these are actually from France! I'll be ordering a few. Thanks Rolli and Grim.

Edited April 9, 2015 by mir36

[bwhitesox]

That dial looks fkin amazing in those photos...Well done indeed.

[mellons]

getting very close...

[panda06]

great improvement but luminous dial and hands...

[rolli]

great improvement but luminous dial and hands...

 

indices material:

 

 

we developed a tritium simulated high grade super luminova color, 10 years burned out look.

rc tritec switzerland analyzed this color and produced it in triple high grade-A super luminova a special color for us.

i could buy the original old stock resin varnish UV820 from rc tritec,  which was still in stock from 1993 and i could buy the rest stock.

 

the tritium resin varnish uv820 is the original which was used for all tritium mixes , and as protection against the radioactivity.

 

all PreV indices are filled with this mixture by swiss rctritec employee by hand with the stylograph  in the typical recessed preV style filling.

 

the preV fgd hands  are also filled by rc tritec with a non matched high grade-A tritium simulated super luminova.

 

R

[panda06]

indices material:

 

 

we developed a tritium simulated high grade super luminova color, 10 years burned out look.

rc tritec switzerland analyzed this color and produced it in triple high grade-A super luminova a special color for us.

i could buy the original old stock resin varnish UV820 from rc tritec,  which was still in stock from 1993 and i could buy the rest stock.

 

the tritium resin varnish uv820 is the original which was used for all tritium mixes , and as protection against the radioactivity.

 

all PreV indices are filled with this mixture by swiss rctritec employee by hand with the stylograph  in the typical recessed preV style filling.

 

the preV fgd hands  are also filled by rc tritec with a non matched high grade-A tritium simulated super luminova.

 

R

 

I know. Just saying that no use getting closer to gen since gen don't glow and it is biggest tell

 

apart that great job done on dial and hands.