blue_sphere Posted September 27, 2008 Report Share Posted September 27, 2008 So is it generally agreed that the ofrei one is better? Are there any good crystals with accurate laser etching besides gen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray T Posted September 27, 2008 Report Share Posted September 27, 2008 So is it generally agreed that the ofrei one is better? Are there any good crystals with accurate laser etching besides gen? the only crystals with accurate laser etching are gens. aftermarket crystals definitely wont have them. i have a bkmariner tt that has a great and invisible etching except under the same lighting conditions as my gen, but that definitely wont fit properly on a euromariner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted September 27, 2008 Report Share Posted September 27, 2008 Well where would I find the best aftermarket crystal for a sub? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 the euromariner i have has an almost invisible crown etching, MUCH smaller than on my noob watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) High, On my euromariner the crown is very small as well, the problem is that it is still too big. I went to ben bridges today and although they are close the gen watch is certainly different. What also has be concerned is the etching of ROLEXROLEXROLEX... its not even close! I may have to sand mine out... In the terms of crystals... I am guessing that ofrei was the best/closest so I made a purchase... I will let you all know how it turns out as I have the same shitty construction with the gasket as everyone else seems to be experiencing. -Shawn Edited September 29, 2008 by blue_sphere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 yeah i was wondering about the engraving on the rehaut, never seen an M serial in the flesh, but im thinking ill sand mine out as well. i have 1200 grit paper, wonder how much polish itll need after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 I have heard that a dremel is best if you have one. If not find a friend! Hand sanding will take forever! There is a tutorial on how to do it somewhere around this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) dremel is good, but i have no idea what to expect with using it on the rehaut, so even if it takes 3 hours im gonna do it by hand to get it right, dont wanna use the dremel at 3500rpm and have it look uneven or go too far because of the high speed of the dremel. i lack control and skill due to my inexperience. ill post how long i takes by hand and attach some pics of my results does PTs new 1:1 sub have an accurate engraving? Edited September 29, 2008 by highoeyazmuhudee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklm1234 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) @im2: you didn't do any harm to your watch. You did a very good thing actually. You discovered you have a broken gasket as revealed by your picture. A part of the gasket is on the case, another part of it is with the bezel assembly. You didn't break it. It's not an accident. The factory did it because they didn't use a gen style crystal on your watch (the middle style). Maybe they are trying to use up their existing crystals (the bottom style). Check your crystal to see if the edge is straight down without cut. I'm sure kelster's Euromariner (he also posted the same thing about his Euromariner) came with this style of crystal. The MBK/MBW m serial I just modded (which is same thing as the Euromariner without the noob parts) is exactly like yours and kelster's. All you need is order a Clark (Clark's comes with a new gasket) or OFREI or Cousin or gen crystal. You're better off tremendously. -bk Edited September 29, 2008 by bklm1234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted September 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 @im2: you didn't do any harm to your watch. You did a very good thing actually. You discovered you have a broken gasket as revealed by your picture. A part of the gasket is on the case, another part of it is with the bezel assembly. You didn't break it. It's not an accident. The factory did it because they didn't use a gen style crystal on your watch (the middle style). Maybe they are trying to use up their existing crystals (the bottom style). Check your crystal to see if the edge is straight down without cut. I'm sure kelster's Euromariner (he also posted the same thing about his Euromariner) came with this style of crystal. The MBK/MBW m serial I just modded (which is same thing as the Euromariner without the noob parts) is exactly like yours and kelster's. All you need is order a Clark (Clark's comes with a new gasket) or OFREI or Cousin or gen crystal. You're better off tremendously. -bk Thank you BK! I am waiting for the crystal press i ve ordered .. and my 1st thing to do is to try to take that crystal off... I am oriented in buying a clarks crystal instead of gen for now. Gen costs 10X times the price of a Clarks crystal and that is because of the demand-supply rule for gen rlx parts who are sold in the net.. I would prefer to invest in a gen bracelet. That s****y noob crown still annoys me... (silly i meant...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklm1234 Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 (edited) Clark crystal is a great alternative, $23 shipped, gasket included. It's good quality, date mag is good, I don't think there's an etched crown. Maybe I didn't look hard enough. Here're some pics of the MBK/MBW/Euromariner I finished. Check out the Clark crystal, esp. the date mag: -bk Edited September 30, 2008 by bklm1234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 (edited) Did you end up sanding the gasket to get that insert in? Also it might be just me but that crystal looks "domed" like it is distorting the dial face. Edited September 30, 2008 by blue_sphere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 is the clarks date mag strength stronger or weaker than the custom one Chris had installed on the euro model V2 glass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Its the same... 2.5x The constuction is much closer to gen with the gasket though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklm1234 Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Did you end up sanding the gasket to get that insert in? Also it might be just me but that crystal looks "domed" like it is distorting the dial face. No, I shaved ~1mm off the top of the retaining ring to get the insert in. You can't sand the gasket anyway because it and the crystal are perfectly fitted to the case. There's no excess to sand on the gasket even if it is sand'able (I've never sanded plastic). "doomed" - it's just the pics. -bk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 As far as I can tell, the domed appearance of the crystal in BK's pic is actually a reflection off the dial in conjunction with the crystal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted October 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 No, I shaved ~1mm off the top of the retaining ring to get the insert in. You can't sand the gasket anyway because it and the crystal are perfectly fitted to the case. There's no excess to sand on the gasket even if it is sand'able (I've never sanded plastic). "doomed" - it's just the pics. -bk Is it better to sand the bezel ring to make the insert fit, than shave the insert itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 ive always just shaved the actual insert down to about 0.53mm in depth and i still achieve the gen bezel lip look. in fact i can usually get them to snap in and stay in place perfectly without ever using glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroTimez Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 (edited) So you guys think that I should replace the crystals on the Euromariner with CLARKS? I think I can have that done... if it looks closer to gen. I would like to improve, I didn't make these cases but I would like to improve them if at all possible so I can give the clients best there is... Got the Euromariners btw without rolex engravings V4... and lugholes V3... don't want to officially announce it yet as I'm very very busy at the moment. Check them out below... let me know your guys thoughts... http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn154/e...ez/Euromariner/ At Im2, contact me, I'll pay for your clark crystal But which one should I order, 295 c1 or c2??? Edited October 2, 2008 by EuroTimez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 Chris i believe it is the C2 ref Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 Chris i believe it is the C2 ref It is the C2 reference. Chris, it may also be beneficial to sand down the retaining ring about 1mm so inserts will fit. Like BK said they wont fit without this mod. If you trimmed the CGs too... jesus... that would be a dream come true!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfran42 Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 Chris, thank for working so diligently to get the customers what they want. the rehaut and lug hole changes are a big improvement. I am ready to purchase when you finally "go live" with these versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklm1234 Posted October 2, 2008 Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 (edited) @im2, highoeyazmuhudee, chris: no, no, no. It's not the insert being too thick. It's the retaining ring that is blocking the bottom of insert. So no matter how thin you mill it, the retaining ring is still gonna hit the bottom of the insert. In fact if you mill the insert too thin, it loses stiffness and won't hold itself in the bezel. Sanding the bezel ring will make it even lower than in relation to the retaining ring => that's worse. Here's the cause and fix I gave to blue_sphere who already posted it in another thread: "I finished the Euromariner I was working on over the weekend. I know why the insert can't go in. The retaining ring, the big one, that holds down the whole gasket, which is also the foundation of the bezel assembly, is blocking the insert from going in. The part of it that wraps around the crystal is too high, in relation to the bezel. Ideally if the bezel is thicker, the retaining ring would not be an issue. So the fix is to grind down that part of the retaining ring. It's safe to do so because the retaining ring is quite thick and tall. That little bit (less than 1mm) being gone won't weaken the structural integrity. With that shaved off a little, the insert has a chance to go in all the way in. It just snaps in without glue and is nicely recessed. Like I said the ideal is to have a thicker bezel. Right now the crystal is high, a bit too high." -bk Edited October 2, 2008 by bklm1234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 thanks for the correction BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted October 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 @im2, highoeyazmuhudee, chris: no, no, no. It's not the insert being too thick. It's the retaining ring that is blocking the bottom of insert. So no matter how thin you mill it, the retaining ring is still gonna hit the bottom of the insert. In fact if you mill the insert too thin, it loses stiffness and won't hold itself in the bezel. Sanding the bezel ring will make it even lower than in relation to the retaining ring => that's worse. Here's the cause and fix I gave to blue_sphere who already posted it in another thread: "I finished the Euromariner I was working on over the weekend. I know why the insert can't go in. The retaining ring, the big one, that holds down the whole gasket, which is also the foundation of the bezel assembly, is blocking the insert from going in. The part of it that wraps around the crystal is too high, in relation to the bezel. Ideally if the bezel is thicker, the retaining ring would not be an issue. So the fix is to grind down that part of the retaining ring. It's safe to do so because the retaining ring is quite thick and tall. That little bit (less than 1mm) being gone won't weaken the structural integrity. With that shaved off a little, the insert has a chance to go in all the way in. It just snaps in without glue and is nicely recessed. Like I said the ideal is to have a thicker bezel. Right now the crystal is high, a bit too high." -bk Very professional info BK ! Thank you a lot! Could you tell us from that pics of the bezel assembly which exact part needs to be milled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.