A 'trouble free Rolex'?

[automatico]

There is a first time for everything.

Looks like shoddy installation...and it's way too much $$ imho.  Pretty good idea though. 

 

eBay item number  114125453598

 

I thought about putting one together a few years ago because I have a couple Precisionist watches that would be good movement donors.  Do not know how close the rlx type DWO and hands would be to fitting the Bulova movement, I never tried it.  The 9 jewel Precisionist/Accutron II movements are very good.  Not fancy at all but high quality and accuracy.

 

Also bought a couple nos ESA balance wheel electric 'Dynatron' movements a while back to put in a no date 'submariner' but never did.

Some run at 21600bph and some at 28800bph.

 

http://electric-watches.co.uk/movement-types/transistorised/

[alligoat]

Your ebay number produced no results

[automatico]

"Your ebay number produced no results"

 

 

Here is the whole address:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Unique-ROLEX-Datejust-16014-16200-CUSTOM-BUILD-BULOVA-HAQ-sweep-second-movemnt/114125453598?hash=item1a9268391e:g:dcsAAOSwAJheXoct

 

 

[alligoat]

Looks like you dropped the first 'one' in the listing number.

That is an expensive watch- way over priced! Can't tell if that's a black movement ring in there or what?

I consider my DJ frankens to be worth maybe $600-750- with Swiss etas maybe. I built them 12-13 years ago when parts were cheaper and more readily available- cost me around $500 each to build back in the day. They've been trouble free so far but I guess they could be due for a service.

  

[automatico]

"Looks like you dropped the first 'one' in the listing number."

 

Thanks!  I fixed it.

 

"That is an expensive watch- way over priced!"

 

Yeah, I figure $500 to $700.

 

"Can't tell if that's a black movement ring in there or what?"

 

The movements come permanently mounted in a black plastic ring and the whole assembly is held in place by a removable white plastic spacer.  'Permanently' = I never tried to separate the movement from the black spacer.

The movement in the eBay watch might be glued in the case, I can't tell for sure.

 

"I consider my DJ frankens to be worth maybe $600-750- with Swiss etas maybe. I built them 12-13 years ago when parts were cheaper and more readily available- cost me around $500 each to build back in the day. They've been trouble free so far but I guess they could be due for a service."

 

The DJs look good!

I stuck a few together back then and they cost about the same.  They had Eta 2836 and were trouble free.  I used 160xx cases, you could find them tor $150 back then.  One thing a swisseta powered Frankenstein gives me that a genuine example can not is peace of mind.  No waiting on them to need a $400 balance because the hairspring came loose when you banged it or needing a rotor axle and c/o.  Etas may not have much prestige compared to rlx but they are tough/reliable little bastids.

 

The same watches today would probably be around $1000 for steel and around $2000 for steel and gold using genuine cases and aftmkt bracelets.  Too much unless you already have the parts imho but aftmkt cases, bezels etc would cut the cost quite a bit.  I stuck a TT DJ together a while back with a replica goldtone dial and Seagull ST6 movement in an aftmkt case with an 18k bezel on a TT replica jubilee.  I paid $50 for the bezel a long time ago, it had some mileage on it.  It made a real nice watch for about $250 but it ran at 21600bph.  No one noticed the beat rate except me.  

 

Made up a couple '1016' using 1520/1570 in 162xx cases.  They were Ok but I would not advise it at today's prices, a JMB etc '1016' is a better option.  A '1016' is easier than a DJ or submariner because the '16 has no date or rotating bezel to hassle with.  The problem is finding an accurate case/bezel combo and dial.  Using an aftmkt DJ case can make the lug holes too close to one edge or the other when drilled out.  Besides that, most cases do not have holes all the way through the lugs and it is a real hassle drilling them in the right spot...for me anyway.  My '1016' project using the genuine 162xx case had holes all the way through and plenty room after drilling the lugs but the case is 'humpbacked' in the side view.  A 16xxx case is probably closer.

 

Update:

 

I removed a Precisionist movement and measured it:

It is 27.75mm in diameter including the permanent black plastic spacer and 4.15mm thick not including the 2016 battery.

The hour hand wheel tube is approx. 1.16mm.  The hour wheel is plastic, this is Ok but it is fragile.  It could have started out at 1.2mm and been squeezed down by the hour hand, I do not know.

Minute hand tube is approx  .7mm and it is metal.

Second hand post is approx  .15mm.

The hour wheel tube rises approx  1.3mm above the top plate but the calendar rises above the top plate a little bit.  All in all, the H, M, and SS hands should mount tall enough for most dials.  It looked Ok with a .4mm thick dial.

The date wheel is slightly recessed in the permanent black movement spacer so a dial will mount on top of the movement with no additional spacer.  A DW overlay may work, it did on the eBay watch, may have to space the dial a bit to accomodate.

Dial feet on the dial at 23M and 52 1/2M push down into the black spacer and are held in place by friction.            

The standard DW has numbers centered at 11.0mm offset.

With a .4mm thick dial, the stem is just a hair toward the front of a replica DJ case.  I do not know if it is a 2824 or 2836 case though.  I'll find out later.

There is probably enough flex in the telescoping rlx crown parts to allow for the offset...maybe.

The measurements above are very close but may not be exact.

 

Next day:

BUL  1.16 .70 .15

RLX  3035/3135 1.40 .95 .22

RLX  1570 1.20 .80 .20

ETA  2824 1.50. .90 .25

 

Maybe go with 1530 hands:

Hour hand  BUL 1.16  RLX 1530 1.2

Minute hand  BUL .70  RLX 1530 .80

SS hand  BUL .15  RLX 1530 .20

 

The rlx 1570 hands are close but the H and M hands would have to be closed up a bit and the SS hand may need to be broached.  It is basically a lot of detail work and you would need to decide if it is worth the hassle.

One option might be to use the Bulova hands on a dress style project watch with a rlx type dial.  No one would probably notice the hands but if it is a date watch you will have the DW hassle to contend with.  Judging the level of skill needed to complete the eBay watch by looking at how the movement is mounted in the case...this could not be too hard to do, even for me. 

 

A day later:

I have an aftmkt DJ II dial so I laid it over the Bulova movement to see how the date lined up (the DJ II has more date offset).  The date is about .5mm too far toward the outside of the date window.

The fix?

Maybe mount the movement about .5mm toward the right side so the date will line up in the window.  Can not enlarge the date window on one side because the dial has a angled edge stamped around the frame.

I have an 18k case to use for this project and I may go ahead with putting the Bulova movement in it but it will be a while.  The problem has always been that the case is made for a 30mm dial and oem DJ/Prez dials are smaller   The DJ II dial is 30mm and will fit in the case but the date offset is not standard 36mm rlx spec so a DWO or a movement with the correct offset must be used.