halley Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 I basically ordered this sub to experiment so for the price if I ruin it, I ruin it, I basically tried to do so anyway!! Here is the result of my first experimentations: The watch is nice as it was delivered for 48€: Case is not as big as a modern sub but there is no luggs hole and the insert that mine came with is wrong, anyway the bezel is wrong on this rep...I'll sort this out down the road if I plan to go further on this one... First move I made: I needed to vintage the bezel, this one is wrong so I said what the hell but I also ruined a correct bezel, not as much as Edge did but enough to not being able to use it anymore!!) So I put it on bleach, and it took time (almost 30 min to begin to fade the bezel on my first attempt)...so I mixed bleach with acetate !! Wrong call the bezel lost all the paint it had left in a matter of 2 minutes I wanted to do too much when in fact after 30 minutes of bleach it began to fade nicely on the edges... I was too impatient and did wrong... So I faded the incorrect insert a placed it on the bezel for now...I like the color. I poped the pearl in the middle of the process, so the color fading is different from the rest of the insert. The idea was reproduce an insert fading trought the years and losing it's pearl maybe 25 years after being produced, the fading should be different i believe Second move I made: but the insert was then looking misplaced on a brand new watch and dial, so I tried to vintage the dial, with tea, coffee, polishing compound, make up.... nothing worked as on this dial the markers are not luminova but painted on a beige/yellow tone that is simply not very good in my eyes.... I asked here about the technics to vintage a dial: Varnish and Dye came as answers from the vintage crew I'm about to tempt the holtz tea dye, as I'm buying some off ebay... But I could not bear the the wait: I was too impatient and did wrong... Maybe... I looked around the house, trying to find something to put on that f*****g dial to tarnish that yellow paint!! And found an old pot of dark wood varnish, here we go !!! I poped the case back, remove the stem, the holder and hands in maybe 3/4 minutes!! I then remove the dial, take that plastic stick you put in your ears with cotton on extremities (don't know the english name for it) and paint the dial, color tone is nice at the first passage and even, no silly spots... BUT me being myself, I decided it was not enough, so I applied more varnish by small touches on the markers to give it a more dark look and on the text... until I obtain this, the text and dial is barely lisible now, and the dial is completly uneven... Still I like that finish, looks like the dial was submitted to high temperature/fire and bubbled!! My main mistake was to insist on the text that much I should have leave the upper text and 100m=330ft lighter, gilt Why gilt? because that's one of my favorite dial and this explain my next move: the hands: The silix sub come with modern mercedes silver hands with large minute hand unfortunatly, I tried to order thin gold from jay and angel, but it was nearly impossible as they told me, alright I'll make them gold myself... How to? Take your hand stick it firm on a plane surface, apply rouge, dremel.... the hand will reveal the brass soon enough - I did the minute and hour hands like this and removed also a bit of luminova and darkened the remaining with the dremel and polishing compound - the second hand remained silver as I don't have a white paint spray - for now So here how it is, for now I made a lot of beginner's mistake and finish with a not very goold looking product but that's what I bought it first...I need first now to drill lug holes, and vintage the case... but the project will continue after the experimentations are over: new more accurate insert, NATO strap(? it depends because the serials are wrong and the rivetted bracelet is not hollow, silly dilemna), AS1903 swap, tube+crown, gold hands and white second hand (even if the bubble of luminova is perhaps bigger also on the 6536?) - the dial maybe swapped or reworked soon because that one is part of the experiment Let me know what you think of this attempt Thanks for reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 It's nice except the dial.. It looks like burned as you said and not old. Otherwise it is very good for a first attempt. I like the bezel and the hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FasTTaP Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Pretty usefull step by step guide... That's a cool knowledge sharing post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Pretty hard core, Ludo!! A great first attempt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halley Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Yes the aim was to evaluate what I was able to do as to dismantle/reassemble a watch and see what mods are doable with the everyday products... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehtolcad Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 let's see a wrist shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJGladeRaider Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 I basically ordered this sub to experiment so for the price if I ruin it, I ruin it, I basically tried to do so anyway!! Let me know what you think of this attempt Thanks for reading I think you did a wonderfully good job of ruining the watch - that has got to be the most singularly ugly looking POS I ever saw in my life. ; ) Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenMc Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Nanuq had a better and faster method of arriving at the same end result. If it's not to your liking, turn it into a Poley, or Roley, or Polex but don't destroy the piece!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halley Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Yes but the aim was precisely to see what could be done or not, not using previously seen methods but go a step further... But I agree the magnified pictures of the dial make it looks weird Like I said the watch was meant to be modded, dial and hands are meant to be replaced, as I plan to use a AS1903 down the road ....and it's only 48€ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miquel Posted May 8, 2006 Report Share Posted May 8, 2006 I love the entire project! The only thing I don't like is that "fat" minute hand. it draws my eye away from the dial and bezel. Everything else is perfect for me! Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indyclmbr Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 I have a Nanuq-ized version of this watch and I love it. Very nice step-by-step. I think it looks great. Climb on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faber Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 looks so great...must have been a hard work...but the overal looks is amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWR Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 impressive... i've half-considered one of these silix vintages as the base of a project... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Anytime you try something yourself, you learn and become better...so I am very pleased to see all the stuff you did, and the results are vintage for sure - maybe not as perfect as you like, but I think you had a lot of fun... Great job overall thanks for the detailed post and pictures... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halley Posted May 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Thanks guys, Like you said Rob, big fun and trying to improve my abilities !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x2crazy4shadyx Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Your next time you buy a watch? buy it and send it to me before you burn it =)~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halley Posted May 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 Shaddy, you back??? Faded of gangbanging? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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