ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Okay... It's not really a predicament, per se... But I'm at a point right now where I have to make a decision on modding my beloved Royal Oak. Last night, I removed all 8 of the bezel 'screws' so that I could resecure them to the bezel properly. While they are out... Should I get these guys plated in WG? As they are, I certainly don't mind their gold-ish appearance, and I certainly don't want to muck about their size/fitting with additional plate. More importantly, I definitely don't want to risk losing one of these little buggers- Something that could invariably happen while getting plated (yes... I'm a pessimist by nature). So... What do the Jumbo owners think? You guys know what the screws look like in person... Should I seize the opportunity and mod? Or simply enjoy the watch? As a mod guy, I'm leaning towards plating. Yet, on the other hand... I'm not too bothered by their original appearance, which at times has the appearance of WG anyways... Hmmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I say leave them... That piece of yours is stunning [in person] as it sets... TT PS: You're lucky I couldn't get it on my wrist Wednesday, or you wouldn't be having this conversation right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 PS: You're lucky I couldn't get it on my wrist Wednesday, or you wouldn't be having this conversation right now I know I'm just glad it didn't fit over that paw of yours I love this watch... It would be very difficult for me to be without it... I do think, however that you need to add one to your collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I have the same watch and one of those little screws fell out and is lost I have been trying to get a replacement with zero luck...... If anyone has any ideas I would be very grateful EDIT: How did you remove them? Maybe I could remove one and get a jeweller to make me one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Just curious...Would the plating and extra thickness on the "screws" prevent you from placing them back into the case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Just curious...Would the plating and extra thickness on the "screws" prevent you from placing them back into the case? That's one of my worries... Increasing overall size because of the plating. They're a tight fit as it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I have the same watch and one of those little screws fell out and is lost I have been trying to get a replacement with zero luck...... If anyone has any ideas I would be very grateful EDIT: How did you remove them? Maybe I could remove one and get a jeweller to make me one? Not sure where one could go about finding an extra... But this is the main reason why I removed mine proactively. Now I can secure them permanently so that I don't run the risk of losing any while out and about. Giving it some thought... I do have a spare Royal Oak 36mm at home with similar scews. I'll see if I can get one of those loose and compare size. If it's a match, I'll send it to you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Not sure where one could go about finding an extra... But this is the main reason why I removed mine proactively. Now I can secure them permanently so that I don't run the risk of losing any while out and about. Giving it some thought... I do have a spare Royal Oak 36mm at home with similar scews. I'll see if I can get one of those loose and compare size. If it's a match, I'll send it to you... Wow that would be so cool if you could, thanks very much I have only worn my watch once, because the screw fell out that first day I still can't see how you removed them, what is the trick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I still can't see how you removed them, what is the trick? The trick? To do it very carefully... Some unorthodox methods and tools were used to extract them without marring the case or damage to the surface of the 'screws'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I thought this watch was meant to have golden screws, not white gold? At least that is what I was told.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Well... For the Royal Oak Classics, the bezel screws/bolts are WG without rhodium plating. So... In most cases, they have a warm, yellow-ish glow to them. There are supposedly some gens that also have YG bezel screws (confirmed by some collectors), but I have yet to see one. The Royal Oak Offshores use stainless steel nuts/bolts for a more durable case construction. The appearance of these screws is a bit more cold and clinical... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Thanks for the info Myself I don't really mind what the colour is, but when one is missing, that ruins the watch for sure. I got some tiny screws online, and tried to file them down, but had no success there either.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Pull out all of the stops! Take the screws to a jewelry maker and have them replicate them in WG...then they should fit perfectly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Hmmmm... You got me thinking DuDro... Maybe I'll look into getting a couple of sets made Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Hmmmm... You got me thinking DuDro... Maybe I'll get a couple of sets made I would be at the front of the que for the original gold screws then please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek001 Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I ahte to say this Ubi, but, I think the screws you removed look way too brassy to pass for WG. I know your quest for your quest for perfection in modding, I'd say get them plated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek001 Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 oops, sorry for typos, just started my AM coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I hate to say this Ubi, but, I think the screws you removed look way too brassy to pass for WG. I know your quest for perfection in modding, I'd say get them plated. That is why he removed them, to get them plated or re-made with a WG finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I ahte to say this Ubi, but, I think the screws you removed look way too brassy to pass for WG. I know your quest for your quest for perfection in modding, I'd say get them plated. It's just my pics. They look far better in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katerchen Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Last night, I removed all 8 of the bezel 'screws' so that I could resecure them to the bezel properly. Congrats!! I think the successful removing of the "screws" is much harder than the last mod you did on the bracelet by cutting one fixed link out... I also did the modding of the bracelet and have to say respect cause i didnt yet made up my mind on how to remove the screws without ruining the bezel!! Your right the gen comes with 14k WG bolt screw and rhodinized finish. In my opinion you got now 2 ways you can go now: 1. Plating the screws But i dunno how good it will look concernig "finish" and if the would fit properly after havin them plated... Never mind about the brassy look of the screws, some gens do look very yellow too Heres a pic of the gen You can also see on the pic that the screws do appear more yellow then the indexes and hands although they were all said to be made of 14 WG rhodinized. For myself the risk would be too high gettin no good result on the plating method. 2. Buy some WG from a jeweller and let yourself produce some WG screws of the same dimension and look! I will definitely go for method Nr. 2 if i will have some more time to deal with my watch... I already found me a company in germany thats specialized in industrial screw production and they told me they can process and finish EVERY material and it would be (even if you have to buy the WG somewhere else) way much cheaper than the work of a jeweller!! BTW i have another new and never used TW best 36mm RO case with sapphire case back and silver looking screws but forget about it... The screws of the RO jumbo are a tiny bit bigger and i already thought about replacing them but i dont think that this will look fine... P.S. Dont forget to place the screws of your jumbo a little bit deeper into the bezel when you put them back... look on the gen and youll make your RO look from 65% up to 90% more accurate! If you want i can forward you the link of the company located in germany to make you a estimation on price. Go for it!! This rep is worth it... Superb you got the bezel screws out like this! Regards George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 Well... Plating is out! I am unable to find a source that will plate with WG; only rhodium, which will be too silver, methinks. So for now... I'll just leave mine as is- Recessing the screws as much as possible as George suggests. As for making screws out of WG... I don't know that I have the patience to wait for that. Maybe if I get my hands on another Royal Oak (perhaps white this time), but I miss wearing this one already... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katerchen Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 @ubi ...be a little patient before glueing them back to quick! So take youre time in resizing the height of the screws just a tiny bit by grinding them... Me think the "holes" where the gen screws sit on the gen also do appear a little bit like a "sharper cut out octagon" as it is on the rep... I havent made up my mind about this issue but maybe someone could try to carefully rasping the wholes with a triangular file but i think you have to drill first 8 holes thru the bezel to get god access with a file though... Damn it would for sure give the bezel an awesome look if you manage to fit the screws just a little bit under the level of the bezel If i manage to get 1 set of the brass screws out of my 15202 rep and send it to this factory i definitely will show you the results... i guess making 16 instead of just 8 screws of solid bezel screws must not be too much of a difference in price Ill keep you informed but im very "monopolized" with work at the time... The sooner i get my screws out the faster i can ask the factors on estimated price Beeing patient is not so much a trouble for me cause i own all 3 kinds of dial models (white/blue/black) lol... i have to go for a side by side shooting of the 3... maybe someone will find out what color is the most beautiful At the moment i like the white one the most but i also had the blue and the black one as a longtime favorite on my wrist... Cmon Ubi did u use glue-dissolver and a toothpick besides beeing patient to remove them?? Tell us the secret lol I want to get mine out of the case to have them duplicated and i cant wait George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchpot Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 I would get those bad boys plated in WG. I think there were some threads on the old forum about doing this (I had this mod in mind when I was researching AP reps) and I think they said you could buy home kits to do the plating youself. However, it was a long time ago, so I could be wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 You can get plating pens from ofrei's and other on-line dealers. They are basically a mini electro plating setup. They had quite a list of different metals last time I looked. I'm fairly sure White gold was one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted June 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2007 Well, I ended up refitting the screws as-is. Not wearing the watch is driving me nuts, so I reinstalled them with an epoxy base to secure them. Perhaps I'll further explore the idea of doing WG screws on my next Jumbo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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