ubiquitous Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Okay gang... This is a rough 1st draft of my Project 16610. I won't spill the beans on what's been done so far, but I'd like to see how many of you can guess what parts are what Hmmmmm... And, yes... Some parts are fitted temporarily as I am waiting to source replacements as the prior pieces either broke, were damaged, are broke AND damaged, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehtolcad Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 gen bezel/pearl gen springbars gen tropic gen crown gen dial (not 100 percent on that one) mbw case (good lord look at the rehaut - not 100 percent on that one either) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alextor Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Okay gang... This is a rough 1st draft of my Project 16610. I won't spill the beans on what's been done so far, but I'd like to see how many of you can guess what parts are what And, yes... Some parts are fitted temporarily as I am waiting to source replacements as the prior pieces either broke, were damaged, are broke AND damaged, etc... Well, the bezel insert is gen OEM. That's the extent of my knowledge I just purchased a bezel insert on Ebay for my upcoming submariner 2005 from Andrew...hopefully it will work...if it doesn't fit, I'll send it your way free of charge Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvio Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Let me guess: - Gen insert - Gen springbar, lugholes drilled - Look like a gen crystal but not sure - Hmmm, a gen second hand?.... That's all I can make out. A noobie's wild guess. Keep us posted on the progress, Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
700club Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 dial insert crown & tube springbars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 gen bezel insert MBW case Gen crown & Tube Gen springbar Gen crystal? (where the hell did you get it?) If you decide to sell this one I call dibs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bignasty Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Gen insert Gen tube and crown Somethings going on with the second hand as the lume doesn't match the rest Not sure what else but the rehaut does look very nice Don't think the springbars are gen but not 100% sure on this either. Cheers, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 (edited) So, is that it on the guesses? Where are the rest of the eagle eyes? If no one else has any guesses on the recipe list, then I suppose I'll reveal the ingredients. Here is the tale of two watches... The watch in the above pics started life like this: The basis is a TW Best from Eddie Lee (but not the Classic). Good case, decent bezel, nice rehaut, and the crystal is VERY well done! There is no visible white gasket ring between the rehaut and the crystal, and the datemag is about right. The crown etching @ 6:00 is so small that at first I thought that maybe perhaps there was NO etching! I caught it in just the right light, and saw something there, so I looked through a magnifying glass, and sure enough, it's there. What's more... It even has the sideways 'S' at the base of the coronet to indicate a 'Service Replacement'. Nice touch. Unfortunately, the bezel insert fitted was pretty bad; the '30' was misaligned and shifted too far to the left, and the dial was no good as it was printed with silver font, and very poor alignment. The rep crown was something that really bugged me for some reason- It had the right height and size to it, but the cut on the ridges was nothing like genuine as it had flat tops on the ridge points, and the tube was typical rep- Small diameter, and soft metal. So... Next step was to gut the thing, and address the CG's. Using a hand file, I trimmed the CG's down ever so slightly, as in my opinion, that's all it really needed. Yes... I use the slow, ancient method to handle this task, but in my opinion, it gives better control, allowing for less material to be removed at a time, and a better overall shape. At this point, I asked a friend of mine to help me with the install of a genuine crown and tube set, as my free time was now being consumed with additional work from the office that I was doing from home (and such is still the case ). In the meantime, I ordered one of TWG's 21J Asian Subs, which arrived quite quickly despite current situations with outbound customs in China. The plan was to use the TWG Sub's excellent dial, and hollow link bracelet in the TW Best case. Since I now had a completely extra case, movement, hands and the old dial from the TW Best watch, I used them all to put together this beauty: Anyhow... Back to the main project... Last night, I got the case back with the tube and crown installed. I believe that the case had to be drilled and tapped for the install of the tube, as the rep tube's case threads appear to be much smaller in diameter than the genuine OEM's. The genuine bezel insert was an interesting install- I had to trim quite a lot off of the back, but I managed to get the angle of the cut just right. How do I know it's 'just right'? When the insert snaps in like genuine and holds without the need for glue, I'd say it's about right ....And, yes, for those of you who noticed something wrong with the seconds hand, that's because the original that came with the watch broke when removing it. The hand actually seperated from the tube when it was pulled. As I had exhausted all the sets of white lumed hands in my inventory (remember, I'm more of a vintage guy), I will have to order another set, or get these guys relumed to all match white. Not a huge deal, but kinda annoying when I look at it. I'm still touching up a couple of areas on the watch, so it's still not quite done just yet. I also have to work on swapping end links between bracelets so that I can use the right one on the TW Best case So... Final run down is like this: -TW Best case -ETA 2836 from the TW Best -TWG 21j datewheel overlay -Genuine bezel insert (trimmed to fit) -Genuine crown and tube -CG's trimmed -TWG 21j dial -TWG 21j hollow link Oyster bracelet -TW Best SEL's -Old vintage seconds hand (from some other watch I gutted for parts, I'm sure) I think that about does it. Edited July 21, 2006 by ubiquitous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 wow, very impressive. I take it the TWG dial went in without any problems or size issues then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 @Ubi: You're unstoppable. This is developing nicely. I predict it will be the "Best Sub" ever. Great work!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pre V Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Ubi: Never cease to impress with your Rolex projects. Yet another insightful thread. Can't wait to see the finished product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Cray- I was initially worried about the TWG dial going in- The TW Best dial was larger in diameter, as I had to cut it down to fit to my UBI-ariner FOLEX case. So... I was a little worried that maybe the TWG dial was too small. But, I compared both dials out after trimming, and the TWG dial looked to be a good fit. Of course, I still wasn't sure until I had the case in hand to test (the pessimest in me). Thankfully, the dial fit quite well... As expected, however, I did have to trim the dial feet off the TWG dial, as the post locations differe between the 21j and the ETA. Anyhow.. Thanks all for the kind comments. It is still my belief that the perfect Sub is not out there... But with using the right parts, you can get a little closer to that goal by putting something together... Best, R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Thanks, glad to hear it fit and all you had to do was cut off the feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yodaddynukka Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 awesome awesome awesome! you are a man among boys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Sorry one last question. This is the TW best eddie has always had, right? Not the new one he got a few weeks ago and just posted? I was trying to figure out the difference and figured the new one is a standard ultimate sub that others have. Just checking. I keep looking at it and am so impressed. Only thing I would suggest is more off the crown guards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsons Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) That is one fine looking 16610, Randy! I believe that with this example, you've created a clone that has no peers. How were you able to so accurately grind the OEM insert so that is would snap on as the gen? I've seen OEM installed many times but if memory serves me correctly, all had to glued to the bezel. Amazing work! Regards, Jet Edited July 22, 2006 by Jetsons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Cray- Hmmmm... I am not 100% sure what version of TW Best this is. I had initially negotiated this watch as a partial trade with another forum member; I asked for the 'Classic' as I wanted the older pre-F series 16610 with the lug holes and was going to fit a non-SEL Oyster, but got this instead. One look at the watch as a whole, and I was about ready to flip it. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized how much potential there was for it. So... work began on it, with only best guesses as to what would fit and what wouldn't. After taking a chance, and investing a little bit of money, I now have a watch that just so happened to turn out better than I had expected. Jet- Thank you, thank you kind sir. With regards to the insert- It was actually pretty simple to do. The inner lip of the actual bezel is angled up towards the crystal going around the inner diameter of the bezel. The bottom of the insert is flat at the base and then angles up towards the inner diameter of the opening for the crystal. What I did was... -Held the insert using my left hand (with a gardening glove on), face down so that the back was facing up. -With my right hand, I held my dremel, almost in the same fashion as one would hold a pencil, and had the grinding bit at a slight angle. RPM was around 1100rpm, and I would apply moderate grinding pressure to the insert's bottom surface at the applied angle. -Using my left hand, I would turn the insert gradually, allowing the grinding bit to travel the entire diameter of the insert. I did many passes; more than I can remember, test fitting several times throughout the process. As it currently sits, the insert is pretty thin, but it fits flush with the bezel. Pics to come in just a sec... R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Bezel pics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) Better pics to be added... Edited July 22, 2006 by ubiquitous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvio Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 That's a gen ubi-mariner allright! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazz Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Great job Your pics are noticeably improved also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Ubi thanks for the info, I have one of the inserts on the way and this will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) Thank you for the kind words, Bazz! I have indeed been working on my photos a bit Cray- Glad that my info is of use. If you run into any issues with shaving the insert down, I'm just a PM away Old pics removed from last page... New pics are here... Thanks for looking Edited July 22, 2006 by ubiquitous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsons Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) Randy, thank you very much for the detailed photos & info. I would have thought that you ground the insert with fine sand paper to achive that level of accuracy. It amazes me that you were ale to achive this level of fit and finish with nothing more than a dremel & a steady hand. If it were possible for you to mass produce these modified OEM inserts, you just might the answer to early retirement. If you have an interest in polishing the case sides, attatching a square of cape cod cloth (say 1.50" X 1.50") to a cotton/felt round dremel wheel @ 2500 RPM does an amazing job. No pressure is required and best to allow the CC cloth to gently & evenly glide over the surfaces. To attatch the Cape Cod to the wheel, I use a piece of string or short thin wire. After cleaning the surfaces, follow with a bit of car wax. I can't recall who posted the CC cloth and dremel idea but it works beatifully on polished SS with very little effort. Awesome 16610! Regards, Jet Edited July 23, 2006 by Jetsons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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