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What AP Franken(s) do you have in the works?!

legend

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Hey Al, You are spot on about the crownguards which are uneven (came that way from the base watch) and extend at different lengths near the crown itself. The crown and crownguards/pushers are replica parts that were attached to the gen midcase I acquired from a parts dealer on chrono24. Either the tube position of the case I received was incorrect or the replica crownguards are not the right dimensions which result in the crown appearing recessed as you mentioned. However, for me the watch will be fun to wear and will never be close to genuine dimensions or weight (170g vs 260g as you mentioned before). I cannot thin the caseback myself, make it heavier, nor can I move the tube location. The case itself made this build possible because I could get by without modifying the rep case to fit a LWO283. Another downside in addition to the crown/crownguard location, weight and thickness, is the gap between the tachy and dial which arose because an overall thinner LWO283 movement was used and not the elusive thicker gen 3126. These however make the watch special to me, and within my budget, and I realize that fixing these would amount to more cost that I cannot justify. I would still do everything the same way had I done it all over again.

legend

I think that you have done very well for this build, all things considered. If you can enjoy your watch, then it fulfills the primary criteria and there is no need for anyone to say more.
Congrats and enjoy it, it is far more important that you connect with the watch than someone else approving of it.
 

W47chl0v3r

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That has to be the funniest post i have seen on the forums! :rollingonthefloor:

The credit goes to Legend he first compared the two and I can finally show them side by side now. The man pictures here is the mascot of all LWO builds with open casebacks.
 
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legend

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The credit goes to Legend he first compared the two and I can finally show them side by side now. The man pictures here is the mascot of all LWO builds with open casebacks.

Actually I was only being cheeky with that analogy. Didn’t mean to offend anyone.

I’ve seen a lot of AP franken owners defend their use of incorrect parts or incorrect variations with “I prefer it that way”. Which can be 100% true but it also 100% doesn’t stop the watch from having a mixed identity. Closed casebacks on open caseback models are prime examples or maybe incorrect variant of dials, hands, tachy or case finishes justified with “I prefer it that way” or “adds a lot more coolness visually”. Totally acceptable when it’s the owner’s watch privately but if such a build is shared with the community, it is open to everyone’s comments and opinions. Not everyone will like a custom variation without understanding the story behind it.

It is however up to each owner to decide how he wants his watch to look like or be built. I’m a purist and so while I appreciate fantasy builds as much as the next guy, I think that each owner should be aware of the goal he wants to achieve and when he presents his build to the community, he can help communicate his intentions and goals at the same time so that everyone can appreciate the build intention and journey and be on the same page as the owner and not make asinine or disparaging comments out of ignorance or incomprehension. I think it’s a wonderful thing if the community can appreciate each build knowing the story behind it rather than simply comparing it to the gen and thinking how “wrong” a build is.
I for one enjoy a good watch journey story and wish that there are more of these being shared.
 

W47chl0v3r

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Actually I was only being cheeky with that analogy. Didn’t mean to offend anyone.

I’ve seen a lot of AP franken owners defend their use of incorrect parts or incorrect variations with “I prefer it that way”. Which can be 100% true but it also 100% doesn’t stop the watch from having a mixed identity. Closed casebacks on open caseback models are prime examples or maybe incorrect variant of dials, hands, tachy or case finishes justified with “I prefer it that way” or “adds a lot more coolness visually”. Totally acceptable when it’s the owner’s watch privately but if such a build is shared with the community, it is open to everyone’s comments and opinions. Not everyone will like a custom variation without understanding the story behind it.

It is however up to each owner to decide how he wants his watch to look like or be built. I’m a purist and so while I appreciate fantasy builds as much as the next guy, I think that each owner should be aware of the goal he wants to achieve and when he presents his build to the community, he can help communicate his intentions and goals at the same time so that everyone can appreciate the build intention and journey and be on the same page as the owner and not make asinine or disparaging comments out of ignorance or incomprehension. I think it’s a wonderful thing if the community can appreciate each build knowing the story behind it rather than simply comparing it to the gen and thinking how “wrong” a build is.
I for one enjoy a good watch journey story and wish that there are more of these being shared.

I learned a lot throughout this process. It by no means is a professional job that has a value on labor (would be $0 if I ever sold this but never will so don't ask lol), but one that I have completed with only the skills that I learned from about 1-2 year of practicing, reading previous posts, watchmaking tutorials and the inspiration from other members. Happy to share it on (in my opinion) the best thread on this forum. The last step is installing the hands and will happen quite a while from now in the future due to an imperfection present on a chrono hand. I am still blown away by other projects, but think I am done after this one.

I think any time a 44mm ROO franken is made, it is difficult to make it per gen dimensions unless more gen parts are used, i.e. movement, tachy, crystal, case set. I think there are only 4-5 in existence now, maybe more but they are not public. I tried my best and am happy how it turned out with a gen dial, hands, case, strap along with Mikey's modern DW. Visually the geometry is wrong, but that is was not the goal of this build. I accomplished what I set out to do which was to put the pieces together that I could acquire within reason, and do so successfully so that the watch functions worked.
 

bill33

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Finally found some hands! Hopefully will have a machined case from a member on here. Now to source the rest of the parts!

9-EF93961-0-C69-4277-8761-8-F6-B887-B3-EF6.jpg
 
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jptrosch

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Managed to find a blue dial and gen caseback to boot (the second one I've had to buy since the first was lost in transit a year ago). As far as I can tell, the dial is from an H series and the caseback is J series, but I can live with the mismatch. All that's left is to figure out what to do about the datewheel.

jjuZNY.jpg
jjuDts.jpg
 
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legend

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Managed to find a blue dial and gen caseback to boot (the second one I've had to buy since the first was lost in transit a year ago). As far as I can tell, the dial is from an H series and the caseback is J series, but I can live with the mismatch. All that's left is to figure out what to do about the datewheel.

The dial looks to be a J series as it’s a deeper and more radiant blue. The H series blue is lighter and more matte in comparison. I think your dial and caseback matches perfectly.


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jptrosch

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The dial looks to be a J series as it’s a deeper and more radiant blue. The H series blue is lighter and more matte in comparison. I think your dial and caseback matches perfectly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s really interesting. Thanks for pointing out the color difference. I was basing it off of the narrow “AP” in the middle of the dial, but that goes to show how nuanced these things are.
 

legend

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That’s really interesting. Thanks for pointing out the color difference. I was basing it off of the narrow “AP” in the middle of the dial, but that goes to show how nuanced these things are.

I have seen, J, a combination of the thin logo with the newer dial color, and the thicker logo on the lighter color. Either way, your dial is beautiful and all that needs to be done is to appreciate it for what it is sir. Congrats!
 
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slavix

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Dear RWI friends,

I have the crazy project to build an AP 15202 Franken, and would need some advices from the community.

Indeed, this summer I will turn 40. My dream would have been to offer to myself a beautiful AP 15202. But the recent crazy increase of its price, and not able to have access to it directly from AP, I am thinking seriously today about creating a Franken.

I am really impressed by the latest ZF and XF 15202 reps, but I would like to own a piece of the legendary jumbo, and the solution is to go to the Franken route.

My plan:
- XF or ZF watch donor
- Gen calibre 2121 (old model with white DW and old rotor)
- Rep blue DW adapted to Gen 2121 if feasible
- Rep new gold rotor adapted to Gen 2121 if feasible

Can I kindly ask you few questions, hoping that I will not abuse from your time:
- Gen Calibre 2121: a dealer in Paris is proposing me a caliber 2121 without date wheel, and requiring a proper revision for 1500€. Does it look like a fare price to you? How could I be sure that after a revision the caliber will work properly (any question to ask to the dealer)?
- Blue DW: How to find a compatible blue DW? Would it be possible to use the rep DW and adapt it to the Gen movement? Any proposed solution?
- Hands: Could I adapt ZF or XF hands to the Gen caliber? What could be an alternative if not? (It seems impossible to find 15202 Gen hands)
- Dial: Would you advise me to install a ZF or XF dial, as I understood that the hole of the ZF is bigger?
- New rotor: How could I replace the old Gen rotor to the new model? Could the Rep one be adapted? I saw a picture in the forum of à XF with Gen movement modded with WF rotor…
- Sourcing Gen parts: Any chance someone could have access to Gen parts to help me build this beauty?

I thank you in advance for any advice, comment, knowledge sharing, encouragement, or challenge :)

El Assamite

Ps: I tried to send PM to two of our great AP experts active in this discussion. I do not know if my PMs did not reach their mailbox (I had an issue previously with my RWI mailbox), or if they receive so much PMs due to success that I just need to be patient and wait for their kind answer… ;-)


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I ended up ordering both XF and ZF. The hole on the XF dial was much smaller and I had the dial legs laser welded to fit a 2121. When I got the ZF I was very happy with the overall quality of almost everything except for the huge hole in the dial. Pissed me off so much lol.

XF case: Midcase 4mm like gen, movement fits right in, but the bezel assembly is not correct. Bezel can take Genuine screws, don't remember the back from the top of my head.
ZF case: Midcase I think a little thicker than gen, had to spin the case on a lathe as it wouldn't accept the movement. Nothing crazy though, just a few microns. The bezel assembly is also more correct.
 
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legend

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I ended up ordering both XF and ZF. The hole on the XF dial was much smaller and I had the dial legs laser welded to fit a 2121. When I got the ZF I was very happy with the overall quality of almost everything except for the huge hole in the dial. Pissed me off so much lol.

XF case: Midcase 4mm like gen, movement fits right in, but the bezel assembly is not correct. Bezel can take Genuine screws, don't remember the back from the top of my head.
ZF case: Midcase I think a little thicker than gen, had to spin the case on a lathe as it wouldn't accept the movement. Nothing crazy though, just a few microns. The bezel assembly is also more correct.

Thank you for the detailed breakdown. Very helpful for guys looking to do the same build.


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el_assamite

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I ended up ordering both XF and ZF. The hole on the XF dial was much smaller and I had the dial legs laser welded to fit a 2121. When I got the ZF I was very happy with the overall quality of almost everything except for the huge hole in the dial. Pissed me off so much lol.

XF case: Midcase 4mm like gen, movement fits right in, but the bezel assembly is not correct. Bezel can take Genuine screws, don't remember the back from the top of my head.
ZF case: Midcase I think a little thicker than gen, had to spin the case on a lathe as it wouldn't accept the movement. Nothing crazy though, just a few microns. The bezel assembly is also more correct.

Hi Slavix,

I thank you very much for your feedback.
After discussion with Al and others from this forum I ended with the same conclusion: using ZF for the case and the bracelet, and XF dial.

My project is moving step by step now…

Cheers,

E


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slavix

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Hi Slavix,

I thank you very much for your feedback.
After discussion with Al and others from this forum I ended with the same conclusion: using ZF for the case and the bracelet, and XF dial.

My project is moving step by step now…

Cheers,

E


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Glad I could help. just keep in mind the hole on the ZF is HUGE. With the XF I put on gen hands and it covered up the hole pretty well. I had to stick a washer in the ZF dial to make it appear smaller and it looks off.
 
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Glock3ns

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Glad I could help. just keep in mind the hole on the XF is HUGE. With the ZF I put on gen hands and it covered up the hole pretty well. I had to stick a washer in the XF dial to make it appear smaller and it looks off.

Wait do you mean the other way around?


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