TudorBE Posted March 14, 2020 Report Share Posted March 14, 2020 Hey everyone, Recently I've acquired a Tudor 9401 custom build and I'm very pleased with it! It wears well and currently I have it on a gen vintage jubilee I've noticed that the font on the dial is off though and the engraving on the caseback could also be better. I'm making this post to let you guys make a judgement on it, where are the shortcomings and where could I find a better dial & caseback? I've noticed mq makes good dials but wondered if these fit on a ETA 2824 movement. After a quick search I've found a gen bezel insert and it's on it's way! https://imgur.com/a/5EiGV7M Kind regards M 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosnik Posted March 14, 2020 Report Share Posted March 14, 2020 Really nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtools Posted March 17, 2020 Report Share Posted March 17, 2020 I think your watch looks great. I wouldn't do anything to it. Just wear it and enjoy it. Here's a pic of a gen dial. Your's is very close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 Nice! After you get the Gen insert, you may want to take a look for a Gen hand set. Or perhaps just the second hand. The center hub on the rep ones is a bit of a tell. Maybe a 702 crown too. Although MQ does have great looking dials. Personally, I wouldn’t deal with him again. I bought my 94010 case set from him with custom engravings. The whole experience and communication was a pain. Not only that, on arrival, the quality and accuracy of the case set was pretty poor for the price. Especially the case rehaut, which was wokky. The crown and tube proportions were off as well as being poor quality. Not to mention the bezel, with a flimsy-foil buckled tension spring and insert fit for the trash. Thankfully, your case looks good. Do you know the source? Here’s my MQ after some modding. Including case and rehaut re-shaping. Dial from ebay (could be better). Yuki handset if I remember rightly. Insert from Phong. Pearl, crown and tube from Athaya. Movement ETA 2770. Crystal PA 462-66 from Ofrei. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markiemark Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 Nice! I'm working on a 7016/0, I can confirm MQ has high prices and poor service. I bought the case from him and asked to engrave 7016/0. It was silent for a week and got QC pics which I asked for. He engraved 7016 instead of 7016/0, so I told him. Another week of silence again and received this. As I already expected he just added the "/0", so now it's not centered. And WTF is this? Oxidation? He engraved right through it, and now it looks pretty messed up... I hope the rest is better... Otherwise I need to ask for a refund. But first let's wait another week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 I wish you luck with MQ!Those engravings are similar to mine, they hardly scratch the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 "Although MQ does have great looking dials. Personally, I wouldn’t deal with him again. I bought my 94010 case set from him with custom engravings. The whole experience and communication was a pain. Not only that, on arrival, the quality and accuracy of the case set was pretty poor for the price. Especially the case rehaut, which was wokky. The crown and tube proportions were off as well as being poor quality. Not to mention the bezel, with a flimsy-foil buckled tension spring and insert fit for the trash." "Those engravings are similar to mine, they hardly scratch the surface." Sorry to hear about the bad quality. This is none of my business of course but I will always believe some of these guys buy $30 cases and detail them or have them detailed for another $30. A real pro like Rolojack can turn an average case into a showpiece but I believe most of the characters who supply high priced 'hit or miss' watch cases are not much good at what they do...either that or they are simply crooks. I know this does not help but it is the way it seems to me. As for shallow/off center engraving...I have done some case engraving with an old 'New Hermes' engraving machine and it is not hard to do. Set up takes as long or longer than the engraving but it determines the quality of the job. Proper depth is not hard at all to do. Oxymoron...the old Hermes engraving machines are branded 'New Hermes'. The case band can be refinished and the reference number engraved again but it will reduce the OD of the case a little bit on that side and it might be hard to match the grain that is on the other end. If you sand the other end to match, it will make the engraving shallow. The OD reduction usually does not show but it is quite a job because the sanding has to be done at a 90 degree angle so it will not round off the case band edges. It can be done on a belt sander but the belt must have a solid plate or frame behind the sanding belt to keep the sandpaper flat against the case or it will rapidly round off the edges. You also need a flat, level table to lay the case on to keep the case band at a 90 degree angle to the sanding belt. I used a 3/8" wide sanding belt so the cut would not have flat spots but it was a real hassle and I would not do it again unless I had to. This was on some DW cases that had a word misspelled...'stinless'. All that being said, the 5512 and 5513 cases I got from Yuki in May 2014 are first class all the way. Also got a very good 1680 case from a member that came from IG44. I never did a tudor project because an Eta rlx project costs about the same and I have some rlx cases. Vintage 'New Hermes' engraving machine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 18, 2020 Report Share Posted March 18, 2020 The reason why I choose an MQ case was primarily due to the gen spec case back. I haven’t seen a budget 94010 rep with a correct one. The 94010 case back treading/diameter isn’t the same as the 5513. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TudorBE Posted March 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2020 12 hours ago, jackflash said: The reason why I choose an MQ case was primarily due to the gen spec case back. I haven’t seen a budget 94010 rep with a correct one. The 94010 case back treading/diameter isn’t the same as the 5513. Do you think an MQ caseback will fit on this particular case? The current engravings on the inside are really bad though Caseback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 19, 2020 Report Share Posted March 19, 2020 Can't see your attachment. However, if it's a gen spec mid-case, and you're after a case back. You'd get a better deal and service from Yuki rather than MQ. Here's Yuki's offer: https://yukiwatch.ecwid.com/Tudor-Submariner-9411-94010-caseback-p58568523?ownerid=2680233&noProxyRedirect=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TudorBE Posted March 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2020 On 3/19/2020 at 5:15 PM, jackflash said: Can't see your attachment. However, if it's a gen spec mid-case, and you're after a case back. You'd get a better deal and service from Yuki rather than MQ. Here's Yuki's offer: https://yukiwatch.ecwid.com/Tudor-Submariner-9411-94010-caseback-p58568523?ownerid=2680233&noProxyRedirect=true Thanks, I tried again here, I'll definitely take a look on their website. But first I'll look for another second hand. Could you elaborate any further in where the tell is on this second hand? Sadly I don't really have a source for the case, what do you think about the caseback engravings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 22, 2020 Report Share Posted March 22, 2020 Could you elaborate any further in where the tell is on this second hand? What do you think about the caseback engravings? Nothing to elaborate on really. Go back to the previous 2 images of the rep and gen earlier in the post. Take a look at the center hub of the second hand. Do you see the difference? I believe all case backs were engraved with 9411 on the inside. For both the 9411/0 (date) and 9401/0 (no date). If that's the case (excuse the pun) your case engraving is incorrect. Check out this site for gen-reference: https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/q05x4p32/1978-tudor-submariner-94010-snowflake-with-papers-7385 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TudorBE Posted March 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2020 13 hours ago, jackflash said: Nothing to elaborate on really. Go back to the previous 2 images of the rep and gen earlier in the post. Take a look at the center hub of the second hand. Do you see the difference? I believe all case backs were engraved with 9411 on the inside. For both the 9411/0 (date) and 9401/0 (no date). If that's the case (excuse the pun) your case engraving is incorrect. Check out this site for gen-reference: https://www.hqmilton.com/timepieces/q05x4p32/1978-tudor-submariner-94010-snowflake-with-papers-7385 Thanks! Hmm I'd better look for a gen spec caseback, but not sure if it'll fit on my case. You advice to go for the yuki right? What do you think about the engravings on the outside of the caseback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted March 22, 2020 Report Share Posted March 22, 2020 Hmm I'd better look for a gen spec caseback, but not sure if it'll fit on my case. You advice to go for the yuki right? What do you think about the engravings on the outside of the caseback? It’s always tricky matching rep parts from different sources. There’s no guarantee Yuki’s case back will fit your mid case. Best to check with Yuki directly before buying, ensure you can send it back if it doesn’t. Yuki’s case back: Gen (with Marine Nationale engraving): As with any rep part don’t expect perfection. Yuki’s case back is no exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AP773 Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 On 3/16/2020 at 7:19 PM, oldtools said: I think your watch looks great. I wouldn't do anything to it. Just wear it and enjoy it. Here's a pic of a gen dial. Your's is very close Is this actually a genuine Oyster Prince dial? Mostly all the 9401 and 9401/0 dials I see have the "Prince Oyster" a bit larger to the point that the S lines up directly under the T in Tudor. Was there more than one variation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AP773 Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 I'm wanting to get a Tudor Sub built with mostly genuine parts. Any recommendations on builders who might be interested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TudorBE Posted August 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 On 8/17/2021 at 11:49 PM, AP773 said: I'm wanting to get a Tudor Sub built with mostly genuine parts. Any recommendations on builders who might be interested? The guy who built mine stopped building unfortunately. I have changed the dial to a Phong dial, added a genuine seconds hand and a Phong extendable bracelet (93150) and some custom bezel inserts, lovely faded blue and green. I don't wear it as often and am considering purchasing a genuine one. If the offer is right I'd sell mine if you're interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now