Advice needed

[TeeJay]

I've just been emailed a very reasonable price for a rep vintage 6200 dial, and am now just waiting to hear back on the diameter. I was planning on getting a cheap Sub to put the dial in, and thought that having the crown guards entirely removed, would be a good first step towards recreating the 6200 case. I have done some metal working in the past, so filing them down myself would not be a problem, however, I am concerned about my ability to perfectly blend the area to the 'mirror smooth' finish of the rest of the side of the case. I don't have a dremel, so this is work I would be doing by hand. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[predfan2001]

The first thing you will need to do is to completely uncase the watch. Then remove the tube. The shoulders of the crown guards a best taken off a little at a time on a bench grinder. Use the finer wheel of the grinder when you get the material down where you need it. Clamp the case in a vise (like a coated hobby vise) and do the rest of the smoothing with a flat file. During this step I would recommend cutting a thin cardboard pattern of the curvature of the other side of the watch for comparison. When the case has taken shape, start using wet/dry sand paper to smooth the machine and file marks. Gradually work up in grade using finer paper. When you get the case smoothed down and the edges rounded the way you want to around 320 grit, you can start buffing with a Dremel and compund. I personally use Mothers Aluminum wheel polish in the jar as a compound. I would not recommend a Dremal for anything else in this project other than buffing. Using a Dremel for removing the cgs will most likely cause you more work by hand to smooth the case. Dremels are better suited for shaping cgs, not removing them. When the case is like you want it, you need to countersink the hole slightly, tap the tube threads with the proper size thread tap (they can be bought on eBay). Install a genuine tube and seals (a special tool is needed, but a torx bit or the end of a file handle will work also. I would use a thread sealer, but not locktite. Then slapper' back together!

[Pugwash]

Dremels are better suited for shaping cgs, not removing them.

I wouldn't even go this far. I use a Dremel for polishing and nothing else. You can get a perfect mirror with a Dremel buffer:

[TeeJay]

Thanks for the advice, guys If undertaken, this is going to be a 100% hand-work project, as I don't have access to tools/clamps other than a set of small hand-files. I've gotten totally satisfactory shaping results from them before on other projects (not watch related), but it was the polishing that concerned me. This Submariner project, is not one I'd really planned as an individual project, but will be 'living off the back' of my planned GMT Submariner project, as I need to buy a Sub to provide the dial for the swap, but that will then leave me with a Sub, complete, except for the dial, so I had planned to simply install a no-date dial and remove the cyclops. Then I browsed ClassicWatchParts, and saw a 6200 dial and a no-date Tudor Submariner dial. Either would involve cyclops removal, but I figured the 6200 dial might involve a bit more 'creativity' on my part, so result in a more 'personalized' watch.