Tiyal Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) All, Seriously it's an amazing watch & thanks to Rolexfinder for getting this batch of MBWs on the board and on our wrists. They are great. I'm by no means a pro at modding and you'll see that through my write up here. But I do a have a few hacks(*) that can help some of you out there for your own build. Got in on the January batch of MBWs picked up a 5513, I like the subtleness of the no date. Watch arrives and it's beautiful. I wore it on canvas for a few weeks until I could spend a few hours hammering out the details and get a few parts in. I ordered up a Clark T19, WSO 580 end links and a clasp from TC. About $75 in total. 1. Lug holes. Mask the case, you will end up scratching no matter how careful you are. 2. I used the standard 1.2mm. In retrospect I would go for 1.25 or 1.3mm to let the pin show just slightly better but I had a set or 1.2 bits to burn up so there you go. *3. This is great. No power drill! No drill press! Slide the bit into an exacto handle and tighten down. I lubed the bit with some lithium gasket grease and went slow. I was able to get three out of for opened up to 1.2 until I got impatient. Worked great! When I started to rush and use less grease I snapped the bit and broke it off in the lug. I've never not broken at least one bit off. Not a real big deal you just go through the other side and eventually it will get pushed out by the opposing bit. Patience is key. Go slow. If you hear scraping add lube so you don't over torque and snap the bit. 4. De-cased the movement and loosened the crystal retainer. Applied hand pressure and the crystal comes right off. 5. Test fit the T19 with both the retainer and case worked great. Found a gasket for underneath the the retainer. Applied a layer of glue (jewelers adhesive) to the outside lower case neck. Then cleaned and cleaned and recleaned to make sure no glue would get near the top or onto the rehaught and crystal. Slipped the t19 on checked again (last chance) for wayward glue. (I would of used crystal cement but I broke the applicator) *6. Time to grease the gasket up (a little extra helps it stay in place as the retainer get positioned. I don't have a crystal press, for that matter any press. In the past I've used a 22mm socket (horrible idea) I found that a sodastream bottle worked perfect as it seats right against the retainer! And with the right amount of pressure the retainer was set. 7. Bracelet. I had an NOS rep bracelet sitting in the parts drawer that I had already opened up to 2mm. Off with the clasp, on with the TC. A little thread lock on the screws and stunning. Note the TC clasp finish is superior, to the band but on the wrist you'll never know. 8. Fk up the keyless works. My favorite thing to do of all time. I sued a .6mm screw driver (bad) to release the stem and drove it through the opening pushing the setting lever up into the operating lever rendering the whole works INOP. 9. De-case again, hands off, dial off. 10. Watched this video 6 times http://youtu.be/qtgAJBPPefM at minute 13:15 it's all keyless works. At minute 15:15 they op engages the setting lever spring on the setting lever and the return bar. *That's key, I think I've missed that in the past and thought that I'd killed the movement. So, reset all that, dail on, hands on and positioned. 11. Time to clean up. Clean the dial off with rodico. Blow the interior of the crystal off wipe down repeat, repeat again. Clean the case threads with rodico. Recase, check in direct light, decase clean again, curse the dust, repeat. 12. Gaskets greased, steam goes in with a little help. Not easy but I got it. (Would of gone gen crown here but it'd need a new gen tube) 13. Final assembly, grease the case gasket, torque the case back tight, bezel and insert on (popped the pearl out almost immediately, I like the look). 14. Clean with semichrome then windex then a little stainless cleaner. Light buff on the case where I didn't follow my own advice and mask. 15. Enjoy. The new crystal makes a huge!!! Difference in the watch. Edited February 28, 2016 by Tiyal 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmpaHimself Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Nice job! Get yourself an Ofrei pearl, best and cheapest on the market! Trust me it will do wonders for giving a genlike look. Does the crystal really make that much of a difference. I really like the crystals that came with my 5512 & 5513. Definitely replaced the 1680 those since the cyclops was crooked and not strong enough. What improvements do you find from the Clark crystal vs the MBW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiyal Posted February 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) For the Clark it was clarity and refraction at the edges. Instantly stunning. I like the metal bracelet, that adds to the luster. But the crystal was the biggest change. Went from like to love. That said, I'm already trying to talk my self out of swaping out the dail and hands. At that point I'd drop a pearl in. ... And quick insert bleach. Never ends lol Edited February 28, 2016 by Tiyal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmpaHimself Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 4 minutes ago, Tiyal said: For the Clark it was clarity and refraction at the edges. Instantly stunning. I like have the metal bracelet, that adds to the luster. But the crystal was the biggest change. Went from like to love. That said, I'm already trying to talk my self out of swaping out the dail and hands. At that point I'd drop a pearl in. ... And quick insert bleach. Never ends lol The dial is decent but I just received two Yuki dials and while not perfect, I think will make a dramatic difference. Sounds like you know your way around, it's not too hard to swap a dateless ETA dial and hands. Just installed this set on my 5513 today (left), medium bleach and Ofrei pearl on the 5512 (right) but stock MBW dial/hands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiyal Posted February 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) Your set up on the left (both) looks great. I try and fail not like gold hands on vintage sub. Edited February 28, 2016 by Tiyal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tframo Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Nice write up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hologramet Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Well done! I'm also a bit torn wether to use the Clark t19 superdome I have or to go "all the way" with the Classicwatchparts T19. 50 USD for a bit of acrylic plastic is still 50 USD for plastic. Hmm.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo350z Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Well done! I'm also a bit torn wether to use the Clark t19 superdome I have or to go "all the way" with the Classicwatchparts T19. 50 USD for a bit of acrylic plastic is still 50 USD for plastic. Hmm.. You think the CWP one is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hologramet Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Just now, Turbo350z said: You think the CWP one is better? That's the impression I've got after reading a couple of 5513-build threads here on RWG. I think @jackflashmade some magic with a Cartel 5513. Maybe he can chime in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 That's the impression I've got after reading a couple of 5513-build threads here on RWG. I think @jackflashmade some magic with a Cartel 5513. Maybe he can chime in... The CWP T19 from Michael Young is better than the Clark T19. I found that the Clark's crystal distorted the rehaut of the Cartel case making it look wider. The Cartel case is a copy of the MBW, so the proportions could be the same with the same detrimental effect. Here's the link to my crystal odyssey: http://rwg.cc/index.php?/topic/174653-Cartel-5513-rehaut-width Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Here's a shot of the Clark T19 and CWP T19 – same watch. Note the rehaut distortion with the Clark T19 Crystal on the left: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droptopman Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Strongly agree with Jack. I use the CWP t19 on gen watches. Very good profile and clarity. Much better IMHO than a genuine service crystal. Well worth the extra cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiyal Posted March 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 On the wrist the distortion is minor. Looks great. The CWP I'm sure is great, but I'm stoked and that's what counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputim Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 Nice write up Where can I get a cwp t19? Tried searching it but didn't found any link or something else. Appreciate any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesn089 Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 On 28.2.2016 at 7:59 PM, jackflash said: GreaHere's a shot of the Clark T19 and CWP T19 – same watch. Note the rehaut distortion with the Clark T19 Crystal on the left: Great comparison, thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiyal Posted March 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2016 Pressure tested to 200m yesterday lol, i don't buy it but I'll hit the pool with it at least. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormTooper4 Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 So how much do these Classic watch crystals cost? Looks like 450$ on The classic watch site http://www.classicwatchrepair.com/page28.html duh that's hkd$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 So how much do these Classic watch crystals cost? Looks like 450$ on The classic watch site http://www.classicwatchrepair.com/page28.html duh that's hkd$ HK$450 = US$58 = €53 = £41 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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