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Rolex Explorer 6350 build with a surprise inside


jelliottz

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I finished my Rolex 6350 build last night. This one is shockingly hard for which to source parts. Kudos to Junebug for getting his done so spot on.

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This is built around a JMB 1016 v2 case for a 2824. JMB did a great job aging and reshaping eberything for me including the caseback. Custom engraving between the lugs. I wanted to try something a little different with this one though. Common practice is to drop a 2824 into the case, but an Explorer from the 50s wouldn't have a high beat movement. Junebug used a Fesla movement in his. I wanted something different from a 2824 Click the link for a video and place your bets.

http://vid1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag4/jelliottz/20160123_022657_zpsptvpdgx1.mp4

No... I didn't go gen. I did use a movement which I don't think anyone else has used on a vintage Rolex build. I tapped the Seiko 7s26 for power plant duties. It's a low beat movement. It doesn't hack. It has nearly identical had sizes to an ETA (H: 1.5, M: .9, S: .21), and the hands advance the same as the gen movement. The only question was making it fit.

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And fit perfect it did. Stem is spot on for alignment. Plenty of clearance on the rotor. The movement is 12ligne, and with the built in plastic spacer, it snapped right in place and doesn't budge. I had to slightly reduce the second hand, but that was easy.

I wanted the cathedral minute hand that you see on so many of the watches. I found a seller on ebay who had them in 12mm length. I with it was 12.5, but I'm still happy.

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Here's the full build list

JMB 1016 v2 case: aged and custom engraving by JMB, addition ending aging by me

Refinished 6350 dial from Tonnywatches

Seiko 7s26 low beat movement

Hour hand: long mercedes hand from Ofrei

Minute hand: ebay

Second hand: ? Came from parts box

Rep 6mm crown: gen 6mm on order

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I'll be adding the gen 6mm crown and a gen jubilee bracelet. I know a rivet oyster would be more correct, but I've always loved the look of jubilee on Explorer. I may also switch to a big ball seconds hand.

Thanks for looking.

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Turned out fantastic and that movement looks right at home in there!  Good out-of-the-box thinking, we may all need to start doing that in the future.

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Turned out fantastic and that movement looks right at home in there!  Good out-of-the-box thinking, we may all need to start doing that in the future.

Thanks J. Your case is spot on. I absolutely love the light beating you gave it. You do fantastic work.

I only have one complaint about the Seiko movement. The rotor is loud. Other than that, it is a perfect addition to a vintage build. I'm thrilled the hands move the right way. Never fear turning it over to someone.

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On 1/23/2016 at 8:08 AM, jelliottz said:

the hands advance the same as the gen movement.

This is the best feature yet! Congrats on the build. I love how it all came together!

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Congratulations on the nice work.

That Seiko movement is really interesting. I have a Seiko 5 with that movement and the power reserve is incredible. Movement has great reputation for being very rugged and if something happens ... well a on of Seiko watches for around 100$ (new) to just swap the movements...

How tight do the hands snap on the cannon pinions (hour, minute, seconds)? Cannon pinion height might be a bit close to the dial, judging from the photos ... but on my Seiko 5 the height is comparable to H4 on an Eta, so there might be some factory variations.

Love the way it worked out.

 

Wear and enjoy it as often as you can in good health :)

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Congratulations on the nice work.

That Seiko movement is really interesting. I have a Seiko 5 with that movement and the power reserve is incredible. Movement has great reputation for being very rugged and if something happens ... well a on of Seiko watches for around 100$ (new) to just swap the movements...

How tight do the hands snap on the cannon pinions (hour, minute, seconds)? Cannon pinion height might be a bit close to the dial, judging from the photos ... but on my Seiko 5 the height is comparable to H4 on an Eta, so there might be some factory variations.

Love the way it worked out.

 

Wear and enjoy it as often as you can in good health

Hour and minute hands fit really well. I had to pick the seconds hand for it to fit.

There are variations on canon pinion height with different movements. Mine is low. But it still clears the dial. I higher one would obviously be the better choice.

It has been worn every day since being built. I just ordered some more genuine parts. A gen t22 and 6mm crown are inbound.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

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On 1/31/2016 at 11:19 PM, jelliottz said:

Hour and minute hands fit really well. I had to pick the seconds hand for it to fit.

There are variations on canon pinion height with different movements. Mine is low. But it still clears the dial. I higher one would obviously be the better choice.

It has been worn every day since being built. I just ordered some more genuine parts. A gen t22 and 6mm crown are inbound.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Quick heads up: If you're going with the T22, the inner bezel ring may need to be shaved down a bit to fit. GL!

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Hour and minute hands fit really well. I had to pick the seconds hand for it to fit.

There are variations on canon pinion height with different movements. Mine is low. But it still clears the dial. I higher one would obviously be the better choice.

It has been worn every day since being built. I just ordered some more genuine parts. A gen t22 and 6mm crown are inbound.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Quick heads up: If you're going with the T22, the inner bezel ring may need to be shaved down a bit to fit. GL!

Thanks for the insight. I should know in a couple days.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

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what da Bug sed...  If it seems too tight better to sand off a couple thou than crack a gen crystal.  I size the bezels to the Clark T22, never had a gen to compare.

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Gen crystal arrived today. The t22 was a Super easy install on my case. No modification needed. Clarity is amazing.

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Nice shape too.

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Sorry for the harsh kitchen lighting.

My gen crown should arrive any day. It should have been here today, but USPS cropped the bed... Actually I blame the seller. If you're going to charge $8 for shipping domestically, you'd better ship priority. Instead the guy pocketed more than the $2 he was already set to. Boo...

Once the crown arrives, my current build will be as follows:

Tonnywatches refinished gen dial

JMB v2 case set with custom engravings and reshaped case back

Gen t22 crystal

Gen 6mm crown

Mix of hands relumed to match

Seiko 7s26 movement.

Not too shabby, but way more money than I originally intended to spend. It adds up fast. Almost $900 with me handling all the building. Still, it's a nice Franken.

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