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The Noob and His Rolex Build.


JSebWC

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Well Fellas, It's done!! ...sorta

The parts arrived earlier this week and I did a final assembly.  Everything went together as planned and she is a stunner if I do say so myself!!  I am quite happy with how it turned out!!  I do plan on doing some fine tuning.  The Brevet + crown still needs to more shaping to look the part...but I could not be happier with the dial and hands and how the bezel ties it all together with the case work.  I think it really works on  the Jubilee brace

I finally now know what all the fuss is about with Gilt Dials....They are hypnotic and you catch yourself admiring it alot during the day and how the light plays off of it..  It is quite tricky to capture but I think I managed pretty well.

 

Thoughts and opinions ?  

 

 

 

 

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Edited by JSebWC
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On 9/22/2017 at 2:27 AM, Sogeha said:

That is an achievement and a watch to be very proud of. You can scrub the "Noob" from your thread titles now, work like that commands respect

Thanks Guys....I am very happy with it and it is the grail of my collection..it was a journey that's for sure....but well worth it!

 

I still consider myself a Noob.... stilll get nervous removing stems from movements not to mess up the key less....  I work with my hands but am used to working with larger scale stuff out of wood and metal   so its another world with this watch hobby....as stressful as it is when you mess up parts or damage something, I still find working on them calming and relaxing ....   anyway... I may work on the Brevet Crown today or maybe not....lol 

 

My 1675 PCG OCC dial is in good company with the 6542.

I do enjoy both watches alot but there is something thats not quite right about the 1675 that I am not quite fond of. ....I think its the colors of the faded bezel insert in relation to the color of the lume.   I think it would look better if the lume was lighter in colour to suit the bezel or the bezel needs to be faded alot more to suite the lume.... Its still a cracking piece that I wear alot...Its a Yodog build but Ive done a bit of clean up and fine tuning to it.  The OCC dial is almost a fantasy 1675 build as I have looked into it, there is such a small number of these models like this in the wild.  

 

59c67d6154796_1675pcg6542.jpg.34874bb1ae8e66d754129cfacd1b4168.jpg

 

 

On 9/22/2017 at 12:02 AM, Nanuq said:

Beautiful! That's one to be proud of.

Thanks Nanug.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Brief update.

 

I have gathered up all the parts required for my 1019 Miilguass build and they have been sent off to France to a Watch-smith to complete the build.

I felt that attempting to broach the hand is outside of my pay grade and didnt want to mess it up.   He even felt that it may be a challenge for him so I wouldnt have even stood a chance lol

 

I will update you when I know more....fingers crossed !! 

 

photos for Inspiration.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Brief update:

 

Parts arrived in France.  

 

Watchsmith examined the movements and parts and was not as impressed as I had hoped.   The sandoz movement was missing parts for the keyless and to source parts would cost more than what I paid for the movement. ...the other movement the new eta movement I had would not wind...and would need a full rebuild...not worth it on clone. DOA.

 

he was ready to pack it all back up and send it back.  I thought my shot at this was done for.  he then remembered he had a gen eta movement in his collection and was willing to part with it for the project.   We agreed on a price and he got to work.   he was able to broach the hands but in his words its very delicate.    He fit the dial and hands onto the new ETA movement.  I also commissioned him to fine tune the case work a bit and he also managed to get the Faraday cage to cram in there with everything else. 

 

Its done and its in transit back to me!  I am really looking forward to its arrival.  

 

Here are a few sneak peaks....until it arrives and I can do a proper photo shoot with this and my 6542  

 

fingers crossed and god speed!

 

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Well fellas...she's done!! Well almost. A few tweaks left yet but overall I am quite pleased with how it turned out

A few pics and I will update you guys a bit later. Enjoy

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

just to update this thread a bit.

 

I like this watch but the crystal bothered me.  the domed shape and curved edges really accentuated the gap between the bezel and the inside of the case area / dial housing.    It made it look twice as thick as it actually was.  My solution was to find a crystal with a beveled edge that will hide this area better.  Finding a large enough crystal was a challenge but I found it at Cousins   I bought a 33.2mm crystal that is a very stug fit to the case but the 34mm crystal was too loose.   So I squeezed the 33 on there and its held on suggly with the bezel... no chance of the crystal popping off.....at least yet , fingers crossed.

 

Its not 100% but I am considering this build done, for now.

 

The build list is as follows.

 

Silex 6538 case 38mm

rep crown

custom bezel made by JMB

33mm beveled edge flat crystal from cousins.

Dial and hands are Yuki

hands broached to fit gen eta 2826 mechanical movement assembled by Yodog.

faraday cage 

 

who knew a simple 3 hander would be such a challenge.

Big thanks to Yodog for the assembly 

Thanks to the members for the advice and suggestions.

These forums and the modders here are seriously a huge resource for us !!  

 

Thanks !

 

Onto some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

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Oh yes, very nice. I didn't want to rain on your parade but it seriously needed a different crystal. This is a huge step in the right direction. Well done!

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1 hour ago, Nanuq said:

Oh yes, very nice. I didn't want to rain on your parade but it seriously needed a different crystal. This is a huge step in the right direction. Well done!

I agree  the profile is not tall enough to look gen like 

Ideally I would like to source a Tudor Jumbo case and crystal and shave the cyclops   but the prices of those are starting to climb

 

Any suggestion on where I could find a different crystal in a 33mm dia>?

 

 

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Compare mine and the 2 gens I posted....Mine is half as tall   and completely flat compared to the gen crystal    The cousins crystal is a huge improvement over the one that I had previously 

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Agreed. The dome I had was too curved and I didn’t like the look. This is mine. I believe that is a 6538 domed crystal 9c845deaec269ddb3827c30e4b2a1054.jpg

Here is the one other rep I’ve seen other than Rolojacks recent build

Was on eBay. I think it was either a Yukon case or a Tudor jumbo. He had a Tudor eta movement. It has its own small share of issues in the not right Dept

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Back to my 6542:

I modded the insert yesterday.

As you know. I have a NDT Trading bezel assembly. It was not cheap. But its quality. The bezel is awesome. The insert. It sat too high up the side of the crystal.

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So I removed it from the watch and sanded down the insert on some wet 1000 grit paper. Once I reached a desired height. It leaves a flat spot so I contoured it with a small piece till the flat spot was gone.
Then moved to 2000 grit. Finishes or off with a light rub of poly watch to clear up the sanding marks. But didn’t polish it to a high gloss finish as it came new. This piece is 60 years old after all. the proportions of bezel to crystal are more gen now.

Next I lightly sanded the back to remove a bit of. Paint and filled in with some black marker to give it a more vintage look

I am happy with the results.
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Insert looks better know. Well done mate !



Thanks my friend. I took your advice and it turned out great. You have been a huge help with this build. .




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On 3/19/2018 at 4:50 PM, Replica01 said:

Wow, great thread and builds mate!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G960F met Tapatalk
 

Thanks my friend.   There has been sooo many 6542 builds come to fruition in the last 2 years   Its a great time to be able to build our Grail watches!! 

 

Swapped in an faded aluminum insert and it gives the watch a whole new look and personality!!  I can not ever see myself parting ways with this watch...

 

 

6542 w alum bezel insert.jpg

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16 minutes ago, JSebWC said:

Thanks my friend.   There has been sooo many 6542 builds come to fruition in the last 2 years   Its a great time to be able to build our Grail watches!! 

 

Swapped in an faded aluminum insert and it gives the watch a whole new look and personality!!  I can not ever see myself parting ways with this watch...

 

 

6542 w alum bezel insert.jpg

Your thread (which I’ve read many times) has inspired me to build my own, wish me luck with my first build!

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1 minute ago, SuperDanX said:

Your thread (which I’ve read many times) has inspired me to build my own, wish me luck with my first build!

Good Luck!!  Be sure to post a build thread and dont be afraid to ask for advice   This community is always happy to help and to see new projects come to light!!  Look fwd to seeing it!! 

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