thomasng Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 Despite the fact I'm very busy right now, I have began to work on a Franken Offshore rep. I bought a genuine movement very recently on eBay. It is not the actual AP movement, but I just won an auction for a very old Girard Perregaux that uses the exact same movement, the movement being the JLC 889 with the Dubois Depraz chronograph module on top. I'm waiting for it to come soon. It cost only $800, but I'm still wondering, should I desecrate a genuine GP for a rep? I bought a genuine T3 dial last month off eBay for $250. Only thing missing on the dial is the magnification cyclops. I also bought a quartz T3 from King last week for the case. I'm praying that the genuine dial will fit the case, or I'm screwed. I'm also missing a set of genuine hands, which could be quite a problem too. The rep hands ar eokay, I'm just worried they won't fit. I also ordered a genuine strap from AP for something like $500. And I also have a genuine AP Schwarzenegger box for the YG model, which I bought off eBay for $120 as well. When I finish it, I'll post it all up for everyone to see. I will offer it for sale to the highest bidder, since the T3 is 2 times too big for my wrists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 Wow.. beautiful project.. hope everything goes well.. The T3 is the ultimate BEAST... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lollipop Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 To be honest if I were you I wouldn't buy that much stuff unless I know the dial and movt will fit the case, which might not happen. It's a big risk you're taking here..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slay Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 he could still use the GP watch (if he doesnt mess it up whilst removing the movement!).... i would have waited with the bracelet till i figured out if the dial fits the case or not, but every one does it differently he can still sell all the stuff on the bay (for a loss of course!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertk Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 I'd be surprised if it fit in the "King" case. If memory serves, when I bought mine early last year from her, I compared it to the real one and it appeared the case was different. Hope I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBombadil Posted April 2, 2006 Report Share Posted April 2, 2006 Awesome admin! Can't wait to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 I hate to be the Parade Rainer--but in my experience the chances of getting OEM movement, rep case, OEM dial, and rep hands to work together are almost nil. I have tried at least 8 Muller frankens, dicking around w/ at least 12 rep cases in the process, and using OEM movements (a hell of a lot easier to source, since FM uses ETA). So far I have found two rep cases that fit the OEM movement and only one that fits the OEM movement and the OEM dial (on the other, only quartz will work which is fine since it is a 2 hand watch). Rep cases are just not made to house either OEM movements or Dials. If it works, it's either because someone made a 1:1 rep or it's all just plain dumb luck. I've had much better luck just tossing OEM dials onto a rep, but even then either the dial or rep or both need to be modded. Then you're going to run into problems w/ hands--you can have them custom made, but they are very expensive. I'm still looking for a cost-effective means of getting hands. If this works, you'll be glad you made the effort and you'll have one of the sweetest reps ever built. Best of luck to you, and i suggest finding an outlet to keep your frustration level down! BTW, admin: i just picked up an OEM RO jumbo dial--have you ever heard of anyone fitting it on the existing EL rep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Excellent work.. I have had one of the quartz Offshore reps and it can be stripped down to its basic components fairly easily including bezel (and rehaut) removal. Therefore it should not to too hard to get any required machining done to accomodate the dial. Any precision machine shop can do this pretty easily if you provide accurate dimensions of what is required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchpot Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Excellent project. Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hate to bring bad news to the table, but the rep T3 case is significantly smaller than the massive 57mm genuine. I don't recall the exact dimensions, but it was several mm smaller. None the less, I'd like to see how the project turns out! May luck be on your side! Cheers, R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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