Ronin Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 I have some project cases from Vietnam that accept 1030 based movements. Given the 1030 scarcity. Is anyone aware of ETA/Miyota based adapter's? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted August 21, 2023 Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 The 1030 is 28.5mm in diameter, and ETA 28xx or Miyota is 25.6mm. Depending on the ID of the case where the movement is mounted, you will need an adapter that will fit inside the case with very little room to move and over an ETA or Miyota movement. I make mine on a lathe out of a brass washer and I have not seen any for sale since 'Stilty' left RWG and Yuki stopped making a clone of the 'Stilty Spacer'. Stilty Spacers... I ended up with all the Stilty Spacers he had left when he quit the hobby but can't find them, so I've been making them one at a time on a lathe. Stilty's spacers were CNC precision machined but they may or may not fit each application when putting an ETA 28xx or Miyota 82xx in a genuine spec case. Besides that, I usually make the spacers slightly taller than the movement when mounting an ETA in a Rolex spec case so the dial can be mounted to the spacer with epoxy or clear Gorilla glue instead of the flimsy ETA metal spacer when the dial feet had to be removed. Many scoff at this but it has worked for me and the only thing that can get out of whack is if the spacer/dial slips on the movement before the case clamps are mounted to hold it all in place...easy to avoid though. I am pretty busy this summer, but I'll see if I can find the Stilty Spacers. ETA Caliber 2824-2 Watch Movement | Caliber Corner ETA Caliber 2836-2 Watch Movement | Caliber Corner Miyota Caliber 82S0 Watch Movement | Caliber Corner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted August 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 Thanks. Keep me posted. I wonder if 3d printers would work for this. 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted August 21, 2023 Report Share Posted August 21, 2023 I wonder if 3d printers would work for this. A precision printed hard plastic spacer probably would. Here is a brass spacer I cut for a project. I usually mill the stem notch but since this was a quickie project, I ground it with Cratex. Rolex Wristies thread - Page 139 - The Rolex Area - RWG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted August 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Nice! Did you use a lathe or something more DIY ad hoc like a drill and a file? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Did you use a lathe or something more DIY ad hoc like a drill and a file? I used a Sherline lathe similar to this one... SHERLINE 4100 3.5" X 8" LATHE (METRIC) (For INCH SEE PN 4000) | eBay Same lathe with some accessories... Sherline 8 inch Lathe w/Adjustable Handwheels Package C 4500C 784300631125 | eBay There is also a $$ CNC model... Sherline 8 Inch CNC Lathe System Package A 8400A 784300631194 | eBay You do not need many accessories, just a 3 jaw chuck, 4 jaw chuck, and some carbide cutters to get started. I also have a Sherline 'WR Smith' WW collet adapter for small 8mm 'WW' collets... Sherline Products P/N 2110 WR Smith Watchmaker’s T-Rest NIOB | eBay A 3 jaw chuck is good for cutting something from start to finish without removing it from the lathe. The 4 jaw chuck is good for anything that has to be R&R during the cutting process because you can get the part centered precisely when remounted. The Sherline lathe is not reversible but my old C&E Marshall WW lathe is reversible but it is probably 70+ years old and does have very much power (they never did). The Sherline lathe has an 'X-Y' tool feed, but the old Marshall WW lathe only uses hand held gravers and 8mm collets...8mm = the OD of the neck of the collets, the ID is stamped on them. You used to be able to find old WW lathes at garage/yard sales and flea markets...before the internet made them popular. I paid $50 for mine but look how much they are on eBay now... 8mm watchmaker lathes for sale | eBay Also have a Sherline milling machine and it is basically a precision vertical screw feed drill press with the same motor etc. as a Sherline lathe. I use it for small milling jobs like cutting stem slots in movement adapters or cutting a relief on the back side of a dial for platform type dial feet etc. It can also be used to mill a relief or taper on a case where the case tube screws into a case. Using the milling machine compared to a drill press takes some practice. When drilling out lug holes for example, you can 'feel' the resistance with a drill press to tell how fast it is cutting, but with a screw feed milling machine, you can easily 'crowd the bit' and overheat or break the drill bit. Sherline 5000 Vertical Milling Machine 731882165906 | eBay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted August 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 This is amazing! Thank you. Something to kick my watchmaking up a notch. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted August 23, 2023 Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 Finally found the 'Stilty Spacers' from 2008. Just a guess...spacers below are probably for putting an ETA 2836 date movement into a Rlx 1570/75 date spec case, have not tried one yet but this is what started the spacer project when Stilty had an oem spec Yuki '1680' case. Btw...it ended up with a Rlx 1570/5 in the Yuki case before he parted it out and traded the case to me...then I traded the '1680' case for a Phong '1655' case. Just the facts...each adapter has to be made for a specific ETA movement/Rlx case combo such as above or an ETA 2824 with date works removed into a Rlx 1570 no date case, 5512/13 etc. It is not the same as using a generic brass spacer in a movement/case marriage using a case made for an ETA/Miyota/DG because the Rlx movements are a little bit larger in diameter than ETA/Miyota/DG movements. Sometimes aftmkt cases are made for ETA/Miyota/DG movements only and a Rlx movement will not fit into the case. Usually not though. Only one each of these so I'll need to keep them for patterns: March 2011 DW project with genuine dial and Rlx 1570/5 movement (has been posted a few times before)... Never got around to detailing the CG. Still have some DW oem spec '1680' cases and Yuki '1680' dials for a few DW/ETA/Yuki projects. They make very good project watches when finished...the cases are precision made and the Yuki dials are pretty good, the problems are wrong case numbers or none at all and slightly 'pot bellied' cases. I will not have time to get to an ETA into Rlx oem spec case swap for a while. From: Building an MBW Sub + 'shortcut' rlx 1560/70 GMT conversions... - The Rolex Area - RWG DW 5513 and 1680 cases... These are all really 1680 spec cases (more or less) so if you have one with 5513 stamped on it, a 1520 and 26mm 5513 dial will mount up in the case but the dial is a bit too small for the dial window and will also be too far from the dial seat. What you end up with is a 26mm dial in a 26mm dial window with the dial mounted about .8mm below the dial seat and nothing holding the dial in place except the dial screws. I did make a very thin spacer out of aluminum to fill in the space on one DW '5513' but it took a long time to make the spacer in a lathe because it was so thin and flimsy. I had to finish it up in an old 8mm WW type 'bezel chuck' made in the 1920s. WW = regular watchmaker lathe. 'Bezel chuck' = a chuck that looks like a steel wheel with concentric grooves cut in it. It will expand or contract a few mm to accommodate small, thin bezel rings etc. DW cases are a low $$ alternative to expensive 'genspec cases' but you will need a genspec bezel kit, crystal, tube, crown etc. Also...as I have mentioned many times before, the DW cases have rounded case sides like a DJ and not flat like a submariner. They could be sanded flat on a disc grinder or by hand but it would take a lot of careful work. One good thing about the rounded case sides is they make the watch look like an old 'high mileage' example with a storied history after they get sufficiently scuffed up. I have seen a few genuine 1680/5512/13 with the case sides rounded from years of wear and numerous polish jobs so there are genuine examples with rounded case sides in circulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted August 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 Wow wow wow. This photo caught my eye: 2892 to 3135 I have always thought that THIN movement and GMT capability (2893) would be the better base for Rolex mods. That movement also "winds" silky smooth giving a more gen like winding experience. I think the problem is stem height and the need for H3+ wheels. A database of case/spacers might be a fun project. Especially with the amount of GEN cases for sale, or even good VN 1:1'ish clones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted August 24, 2023 Report Share Posted August 24, 2023 I have a Rlx '15200' that Stilty put together using one of these adapters and a nos ETA 12892 (early version of 2892) using genuine 15200 case, dial, and modified hands: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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