New member question about 6542/1675 build

[automatico]

Kime is right.

I learned the hard way to sometimes back down from 'grail watches' when putting Frankensteins together. Two favorites I have shied away from are 6542 and 1675...6542 because it would cost way too much and the 1675 because a genuine 1675GMT movement would also cost too much. I flew into one grail watch project a few years back with eyes wide open and it bogged down after a while, a 1655 with Phong case/dial and 1570/75 converted to GMT with genuine parts except for a few I gave up on. GMT parts are too hard to find and too expensive so I shelved the project. Maybe for now, maybe for now on.

What did I learn? It is much easier and cheaper to go with 5512/13/1680 with the 5512/13 being the easiest because of no date. A 6538 is Ok but you have the high $$ case, dial, and brass bezel to deal with. A rolex 1680 using genuine movement and slow set date = trouble sooner or later. The upside is if you buy a good case and have a good movement to start with, the watch should last 20 or 25 years with a few c/o along the way.

The next step down (or up depending on how you look at it) for a 5512/13 is to go with a high quality case/dial and an Eta 2846 etc movement. Same results as above for much less $$. An Eta 1680 project is Ok too and you will have a qs date but this calls for a dw overlay and any problems they might have.

 

"One thing Joey B talked about was taking a Perfect Clones 1655 case and taking off the crown guards- file them off and repolish that side of the case."

I had good luck removing crown guards on a 1680 type case but this was after I screwed up a couple junk cases getting the hang of it. I used a $99 five (5) inch Harbor Freight disc sander with 320 grit to grind the cg down most of the way and finished with 800 and 1200. It did not take long and be warned...the 320 cuts FAST. Very fast, and it can get you past the point of no return in no time at all. It will make needles out of FAT lugs in about 20 seconds. Set the platform at 90 degrees from the disc and run the case against the disc lightly to see how it cuts, then grind a little at a time. The 320 leaves a rough finish so stop cutting while there is still enough metal left to finish grinding the case into shape with 800, then 1200 and finish with polishing compound. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-5-in-Combination-Belt-and-Disc-Sander-69033.html     You can catch them on sale for $20 or $25 less.

The sandpaper came from eBay. You can get six (6) inch sandpaper (sometimes cheaper) and trim it down with an Exacto knife after sticking it on the disc.