pete2528ca Posted January 10, 2009 Report Posted January 10, 2009 So, I decided to redo this watch that I had kicking around. It originally had a sterile dial, but wanted to put a Radiomir dial in. Thanks to Pam1a for the dial, BUT, the dial was too thick. Basically i had to take a dial that was almost 1mm thick and grind it down to under 1/2 of a millimeter. In the process of sanding the dial, I was able to age it as well. It took me 6 hours to "thin" it down. Now, the crystal. I wanted a tall perspex just like the originals would have had. I cut a piece into a 39mm rough circle and then hand filed and ground the crystal into an almost perfect circle. It sticks up about 5mm. Anyway, for a daily beater it turned out ok. Gets lots of attention too. Dial on the sand paper. Wet dry 400 grit. "Sanding block" Ugh, still too thick, time to bring out the big guns. Finished dial. Monster crystal. And another couple of views.
watchturbo Posted January 10, 2009 Report Posted January 10, 2009 wow. never seen a 'monster crystal' on a PAM before! I bet it will be vulnerable to many ding attacks. Let us know how the crystal holds up
l3x Posted January 10, 2009 Report Posted January 10, 2009 Is that for real? That's a monster man. Great job...the first shot after you did the sanding looked nice also.
blueradish Posted January 11, 2009 Report Posted January 11, 2009 Dude, that crystal is sick! Never seen anyone do that before, you're venturing into unseen territory. Nice!
Guest HaloArchive Posted January 11, 2009 Report Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) For some reason I see this "Monster Crystal" thing becoming a fad Keep it up! Edit: what would look cool on the dial is if you got a vintage polished look by doing a rough 400g then moving to 800g or 1000g and finally polish it off with 2000g. H Edited January 11, 2009 by HaloArchive
pete2528ca Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Posted January 11, 2009 yup, it is for real. i am going to try the crystal again though. i like how it looks, a lot actually, but it may be a hair too tall. i have a vintage dsn, and it is about a mm shorter. i need to have it ground a bit better, this one is round, but has a couple of flat spots, not really visible ,but there nevertheless. i need to talk to an opthamologist to see if they can grind me a 39mm piece of plexiglass.
hooky Posted January 12, 2009 Report Posted January 12, 2009 The crystal is not completely round? --> Have you considered a waterproofing test? Could be a potential problem with moist? Good luck, nice project!
jibuti Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 (edited) I have similar one.DSN dial and hands, vintagized 47mm case, Swiss 6497, longtail strap... Buffing crystal is no problem with Polywatch. Edited January 14, 2009 by jibuti
Merlin Posted January 14, 2009 Report Posted January 14, 2009 wow - just have to say: this x-tal is sick.... ... really sick!!
jibuti Posted January 15, 2009 Report Posted January 15, 2009 wat is the diameter for 44mm rad? If you are asking me, mine is 47mm case....Pete's me think 39mm crystal. . .
pete2528ca Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Posted January 16, 2009 actually i think the crystal should be 39.5mm, 39 is a bit loose. i am trying one half a mm bigger next week.
Guest HaloArchive Posted January 16, 2009 Report Posted January 16, 2009 Wait... that Big crystal was actually put on vintage rad's?!
Shundi Posted January 16, 2009 Report Posted January 16, 2009 That crystal is awesome...I'd be terrified of over filing the dial myself...must be nerve-wrecking!
pbdad Posted January 19, 2009 Report Posted January 19, 2009 Wait... that Big crystal was actually put on vintage rad's?! yeah, I'd like to know the history of the crystal as well. Even if it's not historically accurate, it sure does look cool!
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