im2 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Hello my friends! This is a very happy moment of me as i can finally present to the community my 1st modding project. One year and a half i couldnt even dream that i could do such a thing... I was wandering around sites like bluefakes (thank god i didnot send any money , i would be disappointed forever). Then, i had discovered RWI and i was amazed about how people formed a community about reps, then i discovered RWG and the rest is history... The known history for lots of people here: 1st ordered a Noobmariner form TTK as i wanted the "best out of the box economy" sub and then some other buys till i decided to buy a Euromariner to mod! I was unlucky with my Euromariner with the bezel construction but i am happy that my topic over it helped me and more people to identify the wrong crystal gasket thing and Chris now is working on a new version with Clarks crystal. Chris offered me to send a new disassembled bezel, but as this took long ( Chris had been very busy lately) and i was very curious about the whole WM9 thing i ordered o WM9 sub from PT. Transaction run very smoothly... I followed this excellent tutorial http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=65712 and some BK advices over Reppeek mostly and i ordered some parts: Case Back Opener: The Dice is a GEN 29,5 Bergeon replacement dice but the "hand" is not a Bergeon. That reduced me the cost very much: I did not have to buy the whole Bergeon pack AND i did not use this cheap dices that can cause damage to your caseback teeth. I strongly recommend this combination Bergeon Dust Remover: Well, cheaper ones are found in the market but the price was not that high...You dont have to buy a Bergeon one but you HAVE to buy one to use after the CGs trimming and to clean up any dust on the dial before putting all things back together Crystal Press: A very cheap one ... VERY useful, you MUST buy one... It may be possible that you will assemble and disassemble quite a lot of times the watch till it is ready... That press will make it easier... And will "close" the watch firmly Bergeon Silicone Grease: I am not going to use a diving watch (even it is a rep) just to show it around... i wanted to use is underwater as well.... Diving!! Not just swimming.. (and i did ... I will open a thread over it in the next days..) So, one of my purposes for this tiring procedure was not only to make the watch look like gen but to assure waterproofness!!! Yes, i know, Chris offers a great QC, WM9 George re-seals the watches with silicone grease but none will care about your watch more than you imo... So , you have to take it on your own .. Well thats what i did.. Crystal & insert: Well The "usual suspects" to mod a sub Tons of info have been written over these... i cannot add more.. I have to add that the aftermarket crystal has a superb glare and a lovely clarity you will see on the pics... Our dealers promises sapphires... but some aftermarket crystals remind you that there are many different qualities of sapphires... I bought the above to make the bracelet look a bit more "white" than the typical 316 steel, approaching the 904... I think i made it... Look at the black stains after use...It did a good job.. And finally.... the ultra super perfect ultimate supreme "tool": Greek Olive Oil I dipped the bracelet in it for one day... The feel was much much better after that... It got that gen buttery feel... And it reduced the rattling.. Of course i bought different kinds of sandpaper but the one coded "200 grid" was the most useful imo for the CGs and the insert... The insert? Oh yes... you have to trim the back of the insert so it sits nicely inside the bezel... The tutorial i read suggested to make few moves but i realised that i had to trim the insert for few minutes... You decide.. Trial & Error During this procedure, the WM pearl separated and i had to glue it... As you may notice in the pics... i did not manage to glue it correctly , i will do it soon, a very easy thing although you have to be very careful with the glue.. And now the PICS !!!! not AR yet for RLX..? nevermind...We tend to love that glare... Look at the dent of the Crystal and the clarity of it despite no AR! I am open to comments! I want to thank all RWG supporters and Plat members for giving me adice on it, Ubi, Tribal, blue_sphere, BK , and more... sorry not to mention some... PS: Yes, i know i have to re-glue the pearl PS2: Watch out for an upcoming topic with diving pictures..... and my sub of course.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 First off...some nice pics, and a fun write-up. What did you have to do with the crystal?? You don't by any chance have any pics of the removal and re-install do you? I haven't really seen many good pics of that process. Looking good, and I look forward to your diving pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted November 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 First off...some nice pics, and a fun write-up. What did you have to do with the crystal?? You don't by any chance have any pics of the removal and re-install do you? I haven't really seen many good pics of that process. Looking good, and I look forward to your diving pics. No, i dont. I decided not to put any pics of that procedure as this has been covered by the pinned touroial/pictorial. The use of a blade etc.... The reinstallation of the crystal was as simple as anyone can imagine... Put the things together and press it with the crystal press. My "knowledge contribution" imo was the recommendation of the use of crystal press Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Good job and very nice pics. It just goes to show that this stuff isn't all that hard and if you keep reading around here, buy the essential tools, get down to it and practice, modding isn't that big a deal. I've made my share of mistakes- heck, I'm still making them, but I am able to mod my own watches at this point and I learned it all here. And if you run into a problem, there's people here to help you out- that's the great thing about this forum. Congratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elprimerozen Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 This Greek olive oil is expensive and very tasty my friend....cook with it...don put you bracelet in it! Btw i see a beautyfull watch!! Realy nice!Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted November 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 This Greek olive oil is expensive and very tasty my friend....cook with it...don put you bracelet in it! Btw i see a beautyfull watch!! Realy nice!Good job! Lol Thanx my friend... But since i am greek and located in Greece... i preferred to use a .."mediterranean cuisine bracelet method" than use a synthetic machine oil ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 The watch looks great, but get a better insert (Search for PMWF) & I would remove all of the olive oil from the bracelet before it goes rancid. If you feel the need to smooth the operation of a rep bracelet, use sewing machine or similar oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_sphere Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Yeah somethings funky with that insert. Get a gen one! ORRRR Im2... if you are sending it to everestwatchworks... buy the watchmaterial pearl and have kent relume it. It will look gen!!!!! You are most welcome for all of the advice! Your watch is looking GREAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklm1234 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 good job, im2, esp. happy to see you got the insert nice and recessed. if you like the euromariner, you'd love the PT 'cause the bezel is thicker, there's no issue of the insert not going in, no need to shave the top of the retaining ring. I didn't have to shave the back of the insert either on the PT i just finished modded (shown below). Not only the insert goes in recessed without mod, the Clark crystal doesn't appear too high above the insert, just perfect. If you want to lessen the high crystal issue on the Euromariner, you can go for a WholesaleOutlet999 crystal which is 1.84mm thick instead of Clark's 2.02mm. It's not as nice as Clark's though. You can see Clark's has almost the gen's rounding/beveling on the top edge of the crystal. So damn close to gen's look. Sweatness. -bk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted November 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 I have to admit that the recessed insert thing was an inspiration by BKs posts in RepGeek over his BKmariner. Well, BK, i actually used the WM9/PT Sub for this project.. maybe the pics are showing the crystal too high... I have to say one more thing from this experience: When i received the watch i was really disappointed about the feel of the bezel. The feel while turning it was s**ty... There were two very stiff points and the rest was very very flimsy (excuse my english). That , i thought , would not be forgiven for a modded watch... But the "miracle" happened : When i disassemble and then put all things together (the retaining rings and that strange spring under the bezel that gives that tick) everything changed! The fell while turning of the bezel is exactly like gen Solid, clearly 120 ticks... That is my advice then: Even if you dont fell like hard modding.. try to disassemble and assemble the watch back ... As i said before no dealer will care about your watch more than you. You have to be (if possible) the QC-Man of the watch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 If you want to lessen the high crystal issue on the Euromariner, you can go for a WholesaleOutlet999 crystal which is 1.84mm thick instead of Clark's 2.02mm. It's not as nice as Clark's though. You can see Clark's has almost the gen's rounding/beveling on the top edge of the crystal. So damn close to gen's look. Sweatness. -bk Very sweet. I would definitely go with Clark's crystal. If it is too tall, you can reduce its height by rubbing its base against fine sandpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cht Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 good job, im2, esp. happy to see you got the insert nice and recessed. if you like the euromariner, you'd love the PT 'cause the bezel is thicker, there's no issue of the insert not going in, no need to shave the top of the retaining ring. I didn't have to shave the back of the insert either on the PT i just finished modded (shown below). Not only the insert goes in recessed without mod, the Clark crystal doesn't appear too high above the insert, just perfect. If you want to lessen the high crystal issue on the Euromariner, you can go for a WholesaleOutlet999 crystal which is 1.84mm thick instead of Clark's 2.02mm. It's not as nice as Clark's though. You can see Clark's has almost the gen's rounding/beveling on the top edge of the crystal. So damn close to gen's look. Sweatness. -bk yes, the clarks looks perfect on there! If the clark is too high for the euromariner, didn't Chris say he was going to use this? I haven't heard back from him yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Wow.. impressive !!.. I need to study up ... got a genuine crystal for the WM9 I have on order... or maybe I should send it to Ziggy "before" I break something.. is it a watch mod 101 or advanced level to swap crystals on the Subs..?? Wear that beauty well my friend ... you gotta be proud that you did it yourself.. very rewarding to say the least.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im2 Posted November 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Wow.. impressive !!.. I need to study up ... got a genuine crystal for the WM9 I have on order... or maybe I should send it to The Zigmeister "before" I break something.. is it a watch mod 101 or advanced level to swap crystals on the Subs..?? Wear that beauty well my friend ... you gotta be proud that you did it yourself.. very rewarding to say the least.. Thank you my friend... No, you can't go wrong i think, no need to worry if you break something, the process is easy. Just put the new crystal with gasket. Then, assemble the bezel-insert ..and press. The final click that shows everything were put together fine proves to be a very relieving sound The crystal swap is a very easy thing, however the bezel assembly may need a few time to try to put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klocklind1 Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 I used lock oil for my bezel on a LV sub and the bezel did not move at all before that treatment. BTW the best oil ( if You want the oil to stay on the bezel/bracelet for a little bit longer ! ) is motorbike grease on spray which is VERY sticky and would NOT come off so easy. Seawing machine oil is a little to thin so it will come off quite easy I think ! I have to admit that the recessed insert thing was an inspiration by BKs posts in RepGeek over his BKmariner. Well, BK, i actually used the WM9/PT Sub for this project.. maybe the pics are showing the crystal too high... I have to say one more thing from this experience: When i received the watch i was really disappointed about the feel of the bezel. The feel while turning it was s**ty... There were two very stiff points and the rest was very very flimsy (excuse my english). That , i thought , would not be forgiven for a modded watch... But the "miracle" happened : When i disassemble and then put all things together (the retaining rings and that strange spring under the bezel that gives that tick) everything changed! The fell while turning of the bezel is exactly like gen Solid, clearly 120 ticks... That is my advice then: Even if you dont fell like hard modding.. try to disassemble and assemble the watch back ... As i said before no dealer will care about your watch more than you. You have to be (if possible) the QC-Man of the watch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Great to see another watch modder is born. I have not taken the plunge yet but it is only a matter of time. Threads like this are inspirational. Well done. Wear and mod it well. Oh and I hope you weren't tempted to pan fry that bracelet with a little garlic and seasoning, I fear the links would have been a little tricky to chew through. Much better to slow roast with veg and make a sauce from the juices. Yummy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 No, i dont. I decided not to put any pics of that procedure as this has been covered by the pinned touroial/pictorial. The use of a blade etc.... The reinstallation of the crystal was as simple as anyone can imagine... Put the things together and press it with the crystal press. My "knowledge contribution" imo was the recommendation of the use of crystal press Aaah...the miracles of search...I found this: Using a Crystal Press Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chino Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 wow, I love when tutorials and write-ups collide, this kind of internal cross references are the confirmation of the amount of watch knowledge around... try to find something like this in a gen forum... or any watch related board! I'm gonna held you all guys resposibles for every watch I destroy trying to mod from now on... love these write-ups, makes us think that DIY modding isn't impossible and makes us even fond-ier of our own watches. thanks for sharing, people. regards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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