He men don't do Subs

[freddy333]

I am still trying to sort out a stem/misaligned keyless works problem (a gear in the keyless works appears to be misaligned or not connecting with the stem, because the crown either just spins freely or it changes the date. I cannot pull or push it into the winding or hand-setting positions), but here are some shots of my DRSD with its newly installed (working) He valve bathing in a Bell jar

This was the first shot I took within seconds of lowering the watch into the water. I have indicated where air bubbles appeared. There were 2 very small bubbles around the edge of the caseback, 1 at the top and the other at the bottom. There were 2 larger bubbles around the bottom of the Triplock crown. There was another around the new He valve (right side of the picture). Although I did not take a shot of the front of the case at that time (I was busy searching for active leaks (none were found)), there was also 1 very small bubble that appeared at the top of the case along the seam where the crystal retaining ring meets the case. The bubble was about the size of the bubble you can see at the top of the caseback in this shot, and I believe these are just residual air that was trapped in seams and tight spaces.

After a few minutes, all of the bubbles disappeared (except 1 of the 2 that came from below the crown, which slowly floated up to the top of the crown guard where it sat and became the focus of some of the interesting composition shots below).

After sitting for a few hours, I saw no moisture either inside the case or condensing on the inside of the crystal. Of course, the watch is not under pressure (I do not have a pressure tester) and I have to say that I do not know for sure that the bubbles I saw initially were not not the result of small, slow leaks. So if someone else with more knowledge or experience with one of the Bergeon water pressure testers has more info, please chime in.

I guess these are the money shots. This is how the new He valve looks in the wild (on a watch under water). I do not have any photos handy of He valves on gen Sea Dwellers, but I used over a dozen of them when designing this mod and it looks the same. For this one, I filed down the side of the case including about 1/3 of the He valve hole and I added a couple of dings to give it some age. The result looks like a valve that has been knocked around a bit. What I did not want to end up with is a valve that looked pristine on a watch that is supposed to be 30-35 years old. But you can judge for yourself.

These two shots show the air bubble that formed at the He valve just after the watch was submerged into the water. Again, it along with all but 1 of the other bubbles vanished within a few minutes.

And these last 2 shots are of this bubble that came from below the Triplock crown and slowly floated to the top of the crown guard where it sat the whole time I shot these photos. There was something quite compelling about the way that delicate bubble sat motionless on the watch as I took shots of it through the glass. I thought it made an interesting photo composition juxtaposed above the word Mason on the jar, which is the only reason I shot these. Hope you enjoy them.

The He valve procedure was outlined in a previous thread (this updated procedure is partly based on repaustria's brilliant mod, but it should be noted that my MBW DRSD did not have the metal plug pressed into the side of the case like repaustria found in his - my case had only a surface etching on the side). I cannot remember which post it was, but it outlined the basic procedure and I included pictures of the parts I used for the valve. Since, unlike CGs, you are drilling into virgin metal (no existing hole for the drill bit to follow), you will definitely need a drill press for this mod. However, if you do not have one, I found this little universal drill press at Sears ($40) that works with most standard hand drills and it worked perfectly (also pictured are a drill press vice ($30 at Sears) and, just to be safe, I added a pair of rubber vice covers ($9 at Sears))

You will also need #56 and #45 cobalt drill bits.

The He valve hole is actually 2 holes in 1. The smaller hole runs all the way through the side of the case and the larger hole, which is only about 1/32" deep, allows the head of the valve (which is wider than the valve shaft) to inset into the side of the case).

As soon as I can figure out what is going on with the stem and winding gears and get the watch put back together again (it now has a new superdome crystal, a correct set of hands and more accurate case shaping) I will post some new pictures and wrist shots.

In the meantime, comments welcome.

[Guest avitt]

Very nice work

However, don't take this static test as an indication of water resistance. As you mentioned there was no pressure applied. When swimming, pressure can come from depth, or from the movement of your arm through the water. He valves are a common source of leaks, even on genuine pieces, so I'd urge you to get the watch checked before active use.

Be sure to post up some "dry" pictures as soon as you can...

[freddy333]

Thanks Avitt.

I agree about water pressure testing for anyone who wants to swim or dive with their watch. I am only interested in making sure the watch does not get damaged from the rain or when I wash my hands.

If I cannot get the watch working tonight, I will put it back together to shoot some pictures for you in the meantime. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the problem is? Very weird.

[Guest avitt]

Thanks once again, freddy333. I appreciate the documentation, and pictures of your setup. After reading the posts from you and repaustria, I think I'm ready to take this mod on myself. My case is an earlier version WM/MBW, which (I believe) has an engraved Hev. So I plan to make only a cosmetic mod, as I don't want to drill through the case (I do use this watch in the water )

Thank again for sharing the details of your work, and congratulations on your beautiful DR!

[Pugwash]

I am still trying to sort out a stem/misaligned keyless works problem (a gear in the keyless works appears to be misaligned or not connecting with the stem, because the crown either just spins freely or it changes the date. I cannot pull or push it into the winding or hand-setting positions),

Check the top piece of the works. The funny-shaped one with the screw. It has an end with a huge U on it and that U is a spring to push the lever that guides the end cog. I find it can get out of position if you fiddle with the insides. I had the same sort of problem you described and a dismantle/rebuild of the keyless works, paying particular attention to that last piece, fixed it on both my errant movements.

I suspect you know all this though and I'm just talking to myself.

[freddy333]

Pug -- You are definitely not talking to yourself, but I am not sure I understand which part you are talking about? Here is a picture of the movement (by the way, you can see the He valve & spring in the left side of the case between the case wall and bronze spacer ring)

Pug, can you be more specific about the part's location?

[Pugwash]

Pug, can you be more specific about the part's location?

Under the dial, I'm afraid.

[freddy333]

Yeah, now I know what you are talking about. I wish I didn't, but I do. Dang.

I guess I will be taking it apart again.

Thanks Pug.

[freddy333]

Yup, it looks exactly like that.

[freddy333]

The proof is in the pudding. Here is the completed DRSD (with working He valve, Clark's superdome & Tudor hands, and final case reshaping (previous mods discussed in earlier threads))

Here is a final shot with the watch set to the correct time & date

The offset of the Watchmeister datewheel is less noticeable today than on the 7th. I was able to adjust the 20s to near perfection, but everything else is either too high, too low or too far to one side of the window. And this is after an hour of gyrations with the datewheel.

[Guest avitt]

That's one to be proud of. A masterpiece.

(But don't ever say you're done...I've done that two times already, and I'm still planning my next mods )

[freddy333]

Thank you, Avitt. Coming from you it means all that much more. Alot of the research for this watch came from your posts, which were invaluable to me. But, as always, it is relatively easy when you have a hard drive packed to the gills with photos of gens to use as models.

Actually, barring any more unforeseen problems with the movement, I am turning my attention back to my Paul Newman project, which is where I was when this DRSD thing rudely interrupted me (though I remain on the lookout for a better DRSD dial and will continue to work on the caseback).

[mojo2001]

Lookin good!!!

Are they the Clark Tudor hands? I like em.

[Guest avitt]

Thank you, Avitt. Coming from you it means all that much more. Alot of the research for this watch came from your posts, which were invaluable to me. But, as always, it is relatively easy when you have a hard drive packed to the gills with photos of gens to use as models.

Actually, barring any more unforeseen problems with the movement, I am turning my attention back to my Paul Newman project, which is where I was when this DRSD thing rudely interrupted me (though I remain on the lookout for a better DRSD dial and will continue to work on the caseback).

Happy to have helped. But I should thank you as well...you keep raising the bar I just finished tinting my Clark hand set, and my Snap-On bits are on the way...I'm ready to spend next weekend updating the DRSD with latest mods.

Coincidentally, I've been spending some time this weekend on my Daytonas...Be sure to let me know if you have questions, once you dive into yours.

[freddy333]

Yes. I love Clark's hands, but the superdome, I like but do not love.

There are a few things about the hands that are improvements over the stock MBWs. For one thing, the lume sections are wider, dead center in the middle of the hands (the MBWs lume is slightly off center) and have a very tritium-like surface (slightly granular). Second, the mercedes symbol is larger (or appears larger because the metal frame is a lighter gauge, which leaves more surface area for the white lume) than on the MBW hands. And the stock MBWs (especially the hour hand) had a slight curve across the top (if you lay the hour hand on a flat surface and look at the mercedes symbol, it has a slight bowing downward). Clark's hands, like the gen's, are flat. One note - the second hand from Clarks did not fit the 2846 movement (the hand was too small). I guess the ETA used in the Tudor has a smaller cannon pinion. I probably could have broached the hand, but there was little difference between it and the OEM MBW second hand, so I just used the MBW hand, which looks fine.

Altogether, the hands on this watch no longer catch my eye (because something about them does not look quite right) when I look at the watch.

Clark's superdome is crystal clear and, from the side, could very easily pass for a gen T39. But now that I see it on the watch, that slight refraction I (and Nanuq) mentioned in previous posts that runs around the circumference of the lens, is apparent. It manifests itself as an ever so slight waviness in any straight line that crosses the point of refraction. The lens is so good otherwise that you probably would never have been aware of this minor anomaly had you not known it was there.

As they are, I am more than happy with the parts I got from Clark's. But I will probably pay the nearly triple price for a gen T39, so I will have it in 5-10 years when the Clark's lens needs replacement.

[freddy333]

Coincidentally, I've been spending some time this weekend on my Daytonas...Be sure to let me know if you have questions, once you dive into yours.

Will do. First, I have to track down a V72.

Good luck next weekend. The He mod is a breeze (as long as nothing else breaks in the process) and definitely makes the left side of a DRSD MBW case look gen (just be careful not to overpolish it after you finish -- I purposely left some tool marks all over the case to keep it from looking like it just came off 'the assembly line').

[Ephry73]

Digging through old posts for answers. Which are the correct hands for a DRSD?

E

[freddy333]

Not sure what the confusion is? You can check out any gen site to see the correct hands.

[Ephry73]

Never mind Freddy, I just read the post again. That line escaped my first reading. I'm ordering some parts from Gary and wanted to get some decent hands for the DRSD I'm finishing.

Thank you.

E

[freddy333]

Bumping for new members interested in technical articles.