Rolex DD Build Planning

[ogladio]

Looks great!

[mcreprog]

Hi, 

 

I'm a new member who has been a watch repair hobbyist for a few years now and just got into building watches from parts.

 

I just received the Raffles 228206 Ice Blue Day-Date watch set (40mm) and am building it with a Sellita SW220-1 (2836-2 clone) movement.  I have built two other watches, including a Raffles Sub with a 2824 and another all-customer 2824-2 pilot style watch, so I'm not completely inexperienced.  Anyway, I started to assemble it and ran into the issue of how to fasten everything together.  The issue is that the day wheel diameter is larger than the OD of the movement.  The spacing of the dial feet is larger than the movement dial locations, and it is apparent that they are meant to fit into the holes in the supplied brass movement ring, which they do. 

 

However, since the dial feet connect to the movement ring and not the movement itself, there is nothing holding the movement in place that I can tell other than the hands on the front side of the dial and stem through the crown tube.  The casing clamps hold the brass ring to the case and press the dial to the case, but the movement is in between without any screws or springs and only the tolerances between it and the movement ring holding it steady.

 

Has anyone built this kit before?  The parts look to be high quality and good precision, but I don't get how they all go together without the movement shifting around in between the dial and the movement ring and the day ring scuffing against the dial backside.

 

let me know if you have any ideas!

 

Thanks,

Matt

 

[mymanmatt]

good job!

[HaydenM]

On 4/21/2019 at 3:42 AM, mcreprog said:

Hi, 

 

I'm a new member who has been a watch repair hobbyist for a few years now and just got into building watches from parts.

 

I just received the Raffles 228206 Ice Blue Day-Date watch set (40mm) and am building it with a Sellita SW220-1 (2836-2 clone) movement.  I have built two other watches, including a Raffles Sub with a 2824 and another all-customer 2824-2 pilot style watch, so I'm not completely inexperienced.  Anyway, I started to assemble it and ran into the issue of how to fasten everything together.  The issue is that the day wheel diameter is larger than the OD of the movement.  The spacing of the dial feet is larger than the movement dial locations, and it is apparent that they are meant to fit into the holes in the supplied brass movement ring, which they do. 

 

However, since the dial feet connect to the movement ring and not the movement itself, there is nothing holding the movement in place that I can tell other than the hands on the front side of the dial and stem through the crown tube.  The casing clamps hold the brass ring to the case and press the dial to the case, but the movement is in between without any screws or springs and only the tolerances between it and the movement ring holding it steady.

 

Has anyone built this kit before?  The parts look to be high quality and good precision, but I don't get how they all go together without the movement shifting around in between the dial and the movement ring and the day ring scuffing against the dial backside.

 

let me know if you have any ideas!

 

Thanks,

Matt

 

 

Hi Matt1, 

Had just written out the whole order of the parts that mine was constructed but then looked and saw that the dial ring is completely different between our 2 builds mine does not have the brass ring, instead was a plastic ring. Not certain of the exact construction with the brass ring. On the up side for you, you have an already built day disk which saves you a hell of a lot of time over what I had to do :P

 

 

 

On 4/21/2019 at 9:32 PM, mymanmatt said:

good job!

 

Thanks Matt2,

 

Definitely a lot more work necessary on it but I'll eventually get around to fixing it all up.

[mcreprog]

On 4/24/2019 at 9:10 PM, HaydenM said:

Yes, I was a little concerned about having to "glue" the day ring, but it just fit right in. Ken said I have all the parts I need, so I'll see when I get home to work on it.

 

Hi Matt1, 

Had just written out the whole order of the parts that mine was constructed but then looked and saw that the dial ring is completely different between our 2 builds mine does not have the brass ring, instead was a plastic ring. Not certain of the exact construction with the brass ring. On the up side for you, you have an already built day disk which saves you a hell of a lot of time over what I had to do 😛

 

 

 

 

Thanks Matt2,

 

Definitely a lot more work necessary on it but I'll eventually get around to fixing it all up.

 

[mcreprog]

I thought I would follow up on this and show the results.  I think it looks pretty good, and everyone loves the ice blue dial.  The Sellita SW220-1 is running nicely at a steady -3 s/d, which I would like to adjust out but cannot for now because of an issue I'll describe below.

 

The first problem is the one I asked about earlier, which was that the set came with a brass movement spacer ring that can be fixed to the case, but there is no apparent way to secure the movement to the ring.  I thought I would try a 2nd set of case clamps screwed to the movement pressing against the ring, but the second problem is preventing me from trying it. 

 

When I finished and screwed down the case back, I first finger-tightened it then used the correct die/wrench to tighten it securely.  However when I later tried to remove the case back, somehow it became cross-threaded and now will not turn either way.  (It seems impossible that it became cross-threaded, but I can see that the back is flush on one side and gapped on the other.)

 

Does anyone know a technique to try to remove a cross-threaded case back?  Additional force has only succeeding in starting to round off the teeth in the die.  What do you think of maybe warming the case then chilling the case back piece to make it shrink slightly?  I thought maybe the gap would allow me to turn it one way or another.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

[mcreprog]

One further question - I saw a photo from a replica site showing the movement with the case back removed.  It shows the case clamps extending from the movement over the spacer ring to the groove in the case (see photo).  I have a box of 100 case clamps I got on eBay, but none of them are long enough to do this.  Any ideas where I could get clamps like this?  I looked on eBay, Otto Frei, and Esslinger with no luck.

[alligoat]

They're around- start with this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Watch-Movement-Repair-Adapter-Securing-Screws-Washers-For-ETA-2836-2834-2846/152962498055?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

and keep looking

[warn1nG]

I would love to get a DD over the forum, otherwise I will need to start a project about it!

[mcreprog]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:24 AM, alligoat said:

They're around- start with this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Watch-Movement-Repair-Adapter-Securing-Screws-Washers-For-ETA-2836-2834-2846/152962498055?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

and keep looking

 

I bought that set but none of them are long enough.

1 hour ago, warn1nG said:

I would love to get a DD over the forum, otherwise I will need to start a project about it!

 

Do you mean you want to buy a DD?  

[warn1nG]

 
Do you mean you want to buy a DD?  

Sure, if one nice day date pop out over this forum or others, I would love to get into it.

[Dillon]

Has anyone used a genuine rolex day date dial.. I got one but its exactly 25mm .. raffles day dates are 25.5  yall think the windows on the genuine dial would line up with the day an date overlays from raffles? Or should I just buy a raffles dial an call it a night