jackflash Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 A more tricky build than I anticipated this one. Finding a case with the correct back was a problem. I ended up buying one from MQ, which was a big disappointment. Quality was poor and badly finished. It needed quite a bit of work to get into an acceptable shape. I won’t be be making any further purchases from MQ as the service was as poor as the case too. Nuff said. On to the build specs: MQ 94010 case - lugs reshaped, lugs drilled to accept gen-spec spring bars. Added an O-Ring seal to the case back.MQ‘s poorly fitted crown and tube replaced with Athaya’s 702 set.MQ‘s bezel spring, a flimsy bit of foil, replaced.MQ‘s bezel insert replaced with a Yuki insert and Athaya pearl.Custom HR dial and hand set, great service from HR btw. Relumed and aged.GS PA 462-66 crystalETA 2770 movement, the same spec as the Tudor branded ETA 2776. Added a Yuki Tudor branded rotor.B&S Siena leather strap. Think that’s about it! Let it Snow... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manodeoro Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Really good job for a really nice watch Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, jackflash said: I ended up buying one from MQ, which was a big disappointment. Quality was poor and badly finished. It needed quite a bit of work to get into acceptable shape. I won’t be be making any further purchases from MQ as the service was as poor as the case too. This is most disappointing to hear - I sent MQ money for a 9411/0 case set on Friday. Please tell me the case is at least better than a Cartel case... 😰 Despite the poor quality from MQ, your build looks nice! Edited December 23, 2018 by mzinski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manodeoro Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 This is most disappointing to hear - I sent MQ money for a 9411/0 case set on Friday. Please tell me the case is at least better than a Cartel case... Despite the poor quality from MQ, your build looks nice! From what I ear here and there I really think I’m gonna keep going the hard long way ... get a soso but medium priced case, rework it heavily, do want you want to it, enjoy having a unique watch.Yesterday I have finished working on a $60 Silix case for my A/6538 build and I’m 1000% happy about what I get.Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted December 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 This is most disappointing to hear - I sent MQ money for a 9411/0 case set on Friday. Please tell me the case is at least better than a Cartel case...Well, I hope you get a better case than I did... be prepared to do some case-shaping and modding though. Only real benefit over the Cartel case IMHO is the gen-spec case back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 10 minutes ago, jackflash said: Well, I hope you get a better case than I did... be prepared to do some case-shaping and modding though. Only real benefit over the Cartel case IMHO is the gen-spec case back. I chose it for the engravings and case back primarily. I have a Phong Insert and dial, gen Tudor 2784, TC hand set, and MN strap. When I selected this case I saw the CG’s needed shaping and lugs beveled - no big deal. Don’t mind drilling lugs - but expected them to be correctly sized at this price. I’ll deal with crystal and crown if needs be. Thanks for the insights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted December 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 20 minutes ago, mzinski said: I chose it for the engravings and case back primarily. I have a Phong Insert and dial, gen Tudor 2784, TC hand set, and MN strap. When I selected this case I saw the CG’s needed shaping and lugs beveled - no big deal. Don’t mind drilling lugs - but expected them to be correctly sized at this price. I’ll deal with crystal and crown if needs be. Thanks for the insights. The lug engravings on mine are comparatively shallow compared to a gens. However, the biggest disappointment and challenge I found was reshaping the woky rehaut. Fingers crossed yours won't be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted December 23, 2018 Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 34 minutes ago, jackflash said: The lug engravings on mine are comparatively shallow compared to a gens. However, the biggest disappointment and challenge I found was reshaping the woky rehaut. Fingers crossed yours won't be. Sigh...this hobby...smh... What was wrong with your rehaute? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted December 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2018 Sigh...this hobby...smh... What was wrong with your rehaute? Too true! The angle of the Rehaut on MQ’s case is wrong. It should 90 degrees to the dial face. Unfortunately, on the case I received it wasn’t. However, with some reshaping and the right crystal it isn’t that noticeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputim Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Excellent work and beautiful build despite the bad quality delivered by MQ. Definitely hit or miss..also with his dials. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manodeoro Posted December 25, 2018 Report Share Posted December 25, 2018 Well ... Hit or miss ?How much cost a Tudor case from MQ ?Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted December 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2018 Excellent work and beautiful build despite the bad quality delivered by MQ. Definitely hit or miss..also with his dials. Thanks buddy. In general I’m happy with the result. In hindsight, I wouldn’t go the MQ route again though.Well ... Hit or miss ?How much cost a Tudor case from MQ ?Definitely a miss for me. Case was 600€ excluding shipping... ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manodeoro Posted December 25, 2018 Report Share Posted December 25, 2018 Definitely a miss for me. Case was 600€ excluding shipping... ouch! 600€ !!! at this level of price buyers could wait for a "hit or hit".Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted December 25, 2018 Report Share Posted December 25, 2018 6 hours ago, manodeoro said: 600€ !!! at this level of price buyers could wait for a "hit or hit". Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk This is a really good conversation to be had. I’ve been under the impression that quality went: Silix (low) HR Cartel Yuki MQ Ruby Jensen Phong (high) Basically, MQ was a way to get into VN quality without paying Phong/Jensen prices. But maybe that isn’t the case (ha, pun intended). Maybe I’m also disappointed to have dropped some hard earned coin on MQ expecting it to be of better quality and I’d like to get word out about quality/price so we’re not overpaying. Vote with our wallets, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted December 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2018 This is a really good conversation to be had. I’ve been under the impression that quality went: Silix (low) HR Cartel Yuki MQ Ruby Jensen Phong (high) Basically, MQ was a way to get into VN quality without paying Phong/Jensen prices. But maybe that isn’t the case (ha, pun intended). Maybe I’m also disappointed to have dropped some hard earned coin on MQ expecting it to be of better quality and I’d like to get word out about quality/price so we’re not overpaying. Vote with our wallets, right? My learning – request QC shots. Especially of the Rehaut without the crystal installed for this particular case set. As previously mentioned, I won’t be purchasing from MQ again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 On 12/25/2018 at 11:32 PM, jackflash said: My learning – request QC shots. Especially of the Rehaut without the crystal installed for this particular case set. As previously mentioned, I won’t be purchasing from MQ again. Thanks for the heads up, I’ve done just that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 "I ended up buying one from MQ, which was a big disappointment. Quality was poor and badly finished." The watch looks very good to me. My 2 cents... I never bought anything directly from MQ or Phong but the impression I have gained from reading all the problems encountered with our various 'vendors' over the years is they think we are stupid. I can come up with no other explanation. Otoh my Phong 1655 case is first rate but it came to me from another member. I have had good experiences personally with two case vendors...Yukiwatch and DW. DW is now long gone afaik. In my experience you are much better off to learn the basics of case detailing and go with a lower cost case to begin with. It seems to me the engraving between the lugs is one of the hardest things to get done correctly if it is a priority. Case back stampings are either Ok or not from the start and they are hard to alter. Outside case back engravings (COMEX, Tudor etc) are very hard to duplicate and many efforts are sub standard even on high $$ cases. Something else I always consider after getting done with one of these projects is how good it looks and performs for the price. A $3k watch should be better all around than a $1k watch but sometimes it is not. It is the nature of the beast. My $500 JMB '1016' is turning out to be better than many watches that I have sunk a lot more than $500 in. I was not real happy with it at first (2824/2846 combo mvt) but I have been wearing it going on 3 weeks and it is doing fine...even if it has 8 lug holes. Ha! Looking back, my MBK '5512' and '5513' are two of the best projects for the $$ because the cases were relatively low $$ and I got the 1570 and 1520 movements at 'bargain' prices a few years before the rolex price explosion. The watches were finished for less than $1500 each including bracelets. I know the laser engraving is lousy but it is fully hidden. Also have a '1680' that I finished in April 2011 with a DW case, rlx 1570, and original Lemrich Mk I dial that came in under $1000 but I have never worn it. I'll leave it like it is because the DW case is as good as anything to preserve the movement and dial. I have an IG44 '1680' case if I decide to change cases later. The IG44 case is very good btw, it came from a member in new condition a few years ago. IG44 is long gone too, far as I know. "Maybe I’m also disappointed to have dropped some hard earned coin on MQ expecting it to be of better quality and I’d like to get word out about quality/price so we’re not overpaying. Vote with our wallets, right?" It is the only vote we have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimcon11 Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 (edited) I just noticed that people often post Tudor stuff here and not in the Rolex section.. doh! First off, it's a really nice looking build despite the issues you had. I like the kind of gunmetal coloring which is complimented perfectly by the eggshell lume. I think interest in Tudor subs is on the rise after that cool Talking Watches episode with the Navy SEAL talking about his issued Tudors. I wasn't aware that HR can do dials like this; that makes this reference a pretty economical build, aside from the snafu with the MQ case. Speaking of which, I also had a pretty negative experience with MQ recently. I was looking for an MKIII insert with nice serifs and they were the only one I could find, so I payed the exhorbitant price and prayed. MQ originally insisted they didn't receive my money transfer for several days, to the point that I had to open an investigation with Western Union, at which time the funds magically appeared and he apologized for the error. It was kind of suspicious to say the least. Then the insert arrived and it was faded far beyond what was shown in the QC pic I was sent, to a light blue color that doesn't match my watch at all. I decided it wasn't worth the effort to return it and I'm just going to try to darken it myself. I am definitely through dealing with this guy, especially now that slay is producing his inserts, which are comparable quality and far less expensive. On 12/25/2018 at 12:09 PM, mzinski said: This is a really good conversation to be had. I’ve been under the impression that quality went: Silix (low) HR Cartel Yuki MQ Ruby Jensen Phong (high) Basically, MQ was a way to get into VN quality without paying Phong/Jensen prices. But maybe that isn’t the case (ha, pun intended). Maybe I’m also disappointed to have dropped some hard earned coin on MQ expecting it to be of better quality and I’d like to get word out about quality/price so we’re not overpaying. Vote with our wallets, right? I always assumed MQ was the highest quality since the prices he quoted me were so outrageous, like $700 for a dial, but I'm starting to doubt that now. 1 hour ago, automatico said: My 2 cents... I never bought anything directly from MQ or Phong but the impression I have gained from reading all the problems encountered with our various 'vendors' over the years is they think we are stupid. I can come up with no other explanation. It certainly feels that way. I think that they just find us to be a nuisance. Most of their business is probably done with tourists or people with more money than brains who just throw a few grand in their direction for a finished replica. The guys that do their own modding and go for low cost builds probably hassle them a lot about exact details and they've just decided it's not worth it to go above and beyond for us. I get that there's a cultural barrier but sometimes it's just miserable to do business with these people. That said, I've had decent experience with Phong and very good experience with Ruby, who would be my default first choice for parts in the future. Edited December 31, 2018 by jimcon11 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 35 minutes ago, jimcon11 said: That said, I've had decent experience with Phong and very good experience with Ruby, who would be my default first choice for parts in the future. I’ve had very good experience with Ruby. Good quality, good prices, and good service/shipping time. If Ruby had Tudor products I would have gone that route. Im currently working through a transaction with Phong and I’ll say he’s been very accommodating. First, he charged me $60 for Fedex shipping. Package arrived via flat rate USPS. I asked for a refund for the difference and he sent it within an hour. Second, the blue Tudor 9411/0 snowflake dial is beautiful. Tested it on my 2784 - DW misaligned. I told him about it, he apologized and he’s sending me a black dial (free) to install in my build until he gets new blue ones with the correct DW alignment at the end of January. All this and his dials and inserts were actually cheaper and shipped faster than MQ. If I hadn’t all ready sent money to MQ I would have just paid the extra for a case from Phong. I’m pleased with the service so far (finger crossed it keeps up). As for the Tudor craze - I think it’s there but maybe that’s cause I caught the bug. Admittedly I’m going the Tudor route because I can find genuine pieces (particularly movements) at fair prices. If Rolex movements were cheaper I would try to build a Frankenstein one of those too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetektivTudor Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 Thank you so much guys, a nice snowflake build is very high on my 2019 list and your experience here is a great help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altesporsche Posted December 31, 2018 Report Share Posted December 31, 2018 Nice one ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted January 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2019 I just noticed that people often post Tudor stuff here and not in the Rolex section.. doh!I think the Tudor brand deserves it’s own section on the forum. It has grown massively in popularity again since the launch of the Black Bay etc. Both Rolex and Tudor belong to the Hans Wilsdorf foundation. However, it’s equally “incorrect” to post Tudor watches in the Rolex brand section from a brand-positioning perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanski Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 So I got my MQ case today - same chamfer in the rehaute that you mentioned and encountered with your case. Just to put it out there, the CG’s are good, case profile is nearly good, rehaute has a chamfer (but fits a gen 25-125 Crystal), lugs fit gen spring bars out of the box, tube is horrible (not even installed fully flush to case, crown is nominally better than a Cartel crown, case back is horrible (engravings are chunky and do not look like website images). So a few questions for you: 1. How did you fix the rehaute to angle straight down? 2. Are we certain it should have the chamfer? Digging thru VRF sales images I find three that stick out. Of the three, to my eye it appears one may have a chamfer and two are vertical. My clues: the thickness of the top of the rehaute, the width seen when looking down, and the reflection of the lume (there is no lume reflection when chamfered, there is when vertical). I don’t own a gen to compare with so I’m basing this on images. Then again, the lighting is different and maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted January 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 3 hours ago, mzinski said: So I got my MQ case today - same chamfer in the rehaute that you mentioned and encountered with your case. 1. How did you fix the rehaute to angle straight down? I reduced the height of the rehaut slightly and re-finished the inner wall (sanded) to reduce reflections. You can't take too much off the inner as it will also expand the dial seat, if you do the dial will fall through. The the addition of a GS PA 462-66 crystal from Ofrei helped too. Some crystals, i.e. the T19 from Clark, have the effect of distorting the rehaut width. I would avoid them. The high-dome T19 crystal (CWPT19) from Michael Young would be another option, it actually reduces the width of the rehaut optically. However, they do tend to fracture easily around the base when fitted and they aren't cheap. Take a look at the fourth post in the link below: Quote 2. Are we certain it should have the chamfer? No it shouldn't, the rehaut should be 90° to the dial face. But with the a little effort it’s not so noticeable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetektivTudor Posted January 8, 2019 Report Share Posted January 8, 2019 A nice 9401 is on it's way to me I'm looking for a modder in Europe to finalize the build, could you recommend somebody?The 2783 movement needs a service and maybe some work on the case, lugs, cgs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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