Amplitude Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 (edited) I've been a little reluctant to share this because I've been afraid of people swapping the datewheels and fixing the holes and selling these modded 3717s as gen. They really are that good with minimal work. (And BTW, the gens have yellow tubes on the hands, not white, just like the rep. Tired of hearing that one.) But, I may as well. I'm not the only one who will think of this, and it's better people know than get screwed by somebody unscrupulous that does the same mod. Push out the springbar that resides in the the bracelet at the "holes" location. Pull the spring and springbar ends, and keep the tube. Put the springbar tube back into the tube in the bracelet. It's a snug fit, and it will take up slack and wobble later. Get a 1.05 or 1.1 mm (your hole size may vary, they come in all sizes.) stainless steel solid link pin (I'm a watchmaker and we have tons of these in the shop, so don't ask me where to order them, I assume Borel carries them since we get most of our material from there.) and a bench block, and a brass hammer. Remove the link that holds the clasp cover (The part with the "IWC" on it, and the button. Unscrew the small screw that retains the clasp latch/button, set it aside. slide the button out, and the spring. The spring is a long coil spring that sits in the bottom in a "U" shape, just telling you in case you pull it apart and are confused at reassembly. Pull the other link that is attached to the rest of the clasp. Place together the two parts and hold on your block. Get your solid pin, and start tapping the tapered end (obviously not the crimped end, but just in case you are confused.) in the hole, through the clasp, and on through the other side. Try to seat the end as flush as possible. Use good end cutters to snip off the extra length. Now you have no hole. If your pin was a proper fit, it will be nearly invisible when finished. Use a swiss file to get the other end flush. (Don't slip.) Take a thin, flat piece of steel (about 6mm wide) and attach a piece of 400 grit to the flat steel with 3m super 77 spray adhesive. Use this to sand the clasp and pin totally flat and flush on both sides. Remove as little material as possible. Graduate to 600 grit, then, 2000. You should just barely be able to see the edge between the pin and the clasp with a 3x loupe. Now, high polish with tripoli. You are finished. Looks just like gen, and much stronger than the original springbar too. Reassemble your button and bracelet and wear proudly. While you are at it, you ought to finish all the edges of the clasp stampings in the same manner. (and the button, including the hole for the stud) Square all your edges up first with a file, them follow the same steps to get a finish like IWC applies to theirs. It will improve the "feel quality", and if you are a perfectionist, make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Also (you may have missed this) the gen crown has a more obvious, sloping bevel on the inside and outside edge. If you have a lathe, this is an easy fix. Obviously it can also be done by hand but will take longer and a bit more care. Finish the serrations perfectly too. And while you have your watch apart you may as well finish the end of the crown tube.... Edited September 15, 2007 by Amplitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 Interesting mod but I'm having difficulty visualizing. Would be great with photos. Nonetheless - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellomen Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 Interesting mod but I'm having difficulty visualizing. Would be great with photos. Nonetheless - thanks! yes... could you please make a pictures to supprt the story? Thanx a heap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amplitude Posted September 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 I just have a camera on my phone.. I've tried to take closeup pics before. Doesn't work. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 i understand how you can fill the holes and file the down and polish them etc.. i just cant picture how you attach the pin to get the bracelet back onto the clasp after? Or have you mounted it perminantly now with no adjustment? Im assuming its similar to the clasp on a rolex submariner with the adjustment holes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amplitude Posted September 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2007 i understand how you can fill the holes and file the down and polish them etc.. i just cant picture how you attach the pin to get the bracelet back onto the clasp after? Or have you mounted it perminantly now with no adjustment? Im assuming its similar to the clasp on a rolex submariner with the adjustment holes? No adjustment holes, the gen is probably fixed in the same manner, with a permanent pin. That's why the holes aren't there. The links are pretty small on the 3717 bracelet, it's easy to get a comfortable fit just by removing them. Sorry I'm not better at describing the process. Wish I could take good pics. It is "permanent", though the pin is crimped a little close to one end, and that tension is what hols it in. It is possible to remove it with a strong link pin push tool, or tapping it out with another pin if you had to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 Sorry to bring an up old post - but I did this trick and it works great. Here is a post with some pics of the process. Thanks Amplitude for your great idea! Click here for a pictorial of the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo Alves Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 and BTW you are wrong "And BTW, the gens have yellow tubes on the hands, not white, just like the rep. Tired of hearing that one Gens have silver tubes just like the color of the center pins of the hands. (trust me on that one!!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asiparks Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 (And BTW, the gens have yellow tubes on the hands, not white, just like the rep. Tired of hearing that one.) As noted by Mr Alves, you may be tired of hearing it, but you are hilariously wrong. But please, carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhc22 Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 They can also come with black centres on the chrono hands and silver on the main chrono. Not sure of the dates when these came in but can be seen on the last of the line 3717 models. One other thing on the bracelet that will give it away is the locking pin fixing on the inside is visible on the rep but not on the gen. Not something you would see when wearing it though. Quailty wise, well......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 What locking pin are you talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhc22 Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 What locking pin are you talking about? The pin that engages to keep the clasp closed on one of the curved in sections. The opposite side to this pin on the rep has back end of the pin where it is fixed, the gen is completely polished with no signs of how the pin is fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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