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6538 dial swap tutorial.

tripdog

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This is article number 37 in the series entitled Getting Shit To Fit. For those who've subscribed to the personal tuition via video, you should now have been in possession of you precision lathes for several weeks and have hopefully been practicing the various basic turning techniques.
Today we are looking at a dial swap for a 6538 Submariner rep - probably a Silix or a Cartel case with it's original dial. A nice looking watch but the owner would like a better quality dial. The problem with many of these basic vintage watches is that the cases are not made to genuine dimensions, so finding good quality dials, crystals etc that will fit the case is a major problem.


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What we have here is a 6538 dial from a supplier in Vietnam, the dial is 27 mm in diameter - same as the genuine, but the dial in the rep is 29 mm in diameter and the rehaut/dial aperture is 28 mm. Those of you that are good at mathematics will quickly spot that a 27 mm dial in a 28 mm hole is just going to fall through.

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So the solution to this is to machine a new rehaut to the correct dimensions. The Rolex dating from this period differ from later models in that the dial did not support the movement in the case - it was the inverse. The dial sits on top of the movement, has a smaller diameter than the movement, and it's this 'lip' on the outer edge of the movement that sits in it's groove inside the case. The dials were the same size as the dial aperture.
Let's go through the dimensions we need, as this is quite a precise operation. The dial is 27 mm in diameter, the dial aperture in the case is 28 mm, and because of the crystal groove it won't be possible to open this aperture up more than 28.8 mm. The inside diameter of the case where the movement ring sits is 29.6 mm. This means that the new rehaut ring will need to be 1.1 mm high, and because we are looking for a pressure fit the outside diameter will be 28.9 mm. The inner diameter will be 26.8 mm - not 27 mm, because I think it's best to give a little support to the dial - this isn't going to be sitting on top of the movement in the same way a genuine dial does.
We're using a 30 mm steel tube with 2 mm walls for the rehaut ring.

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The scary bit - parting out. Screw this up and you'll be starting all over again.

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What it looks like if you did it right.

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So we have the rehaut ring ready - the cut edge has been de-burred, but not too much, as the burr will ensure a nice tight fit when we press it in from the back of the case. The old rehaut in the case has been machined out to 28.7 mm.


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No, it doesn't go in - remember, it's a pressure fit.

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Hammers are fun, unfortunately we don't often get to use hammers on a watch, so this is the ideal opportunity - it's a pressure fit, so you'll need to tap that ring in place with a hammer and a drift. The hammer doesn't need to be red, but I find they are the most accurate.

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Rehaut ring in place.

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Next we need to find a solution to supporting the dial - the movement is a DG, so 26 mm in diameter, and the dial is 27 mm - 0.2 mm larger than the dial aperture, certainly not enough to support and maintain those parts in place. So we'll machine a ring from brass which will mimic the role of the movement in the original Rolex watches of this period. Ring dimensions are going to be 1.9 mm high, internal diameter 25.9 mm, external diameter 29.6 mm - again, we're looking for pressure fit, so the tolerances are tight.
We start off with this - a 35 mm x 300 mm solid brass bar.

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Once the ring has been turned, we need to cut a groove for the stem. We're going to epoxy the dial to the ring, and to make it easier to centre the dial we'll score a guide line, a circle with a diameter of 27.2 mm on the front side of the ring.

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Dial attached to the brass ring, ready to be mounted on the movement - as you can see, it's a nice snug fit in the case, absolutely no lateral movement whatsoever.

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Dial and hands on movement, movement fitted into case - nice and snug, as it should be:

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A new aftermarket superdome T39 crystal in place - obviously, as it's a non genuine dimension case the crystal didn't fit - too small in diameter. So a rubber gasket was used to centre the crystal, whilst UV sealant provides the water resistance (this was covered in article number 17 - Getting Plexi Crystals To Stay In Place When They Are Too Small).

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Before we seal her up, lets just take a moment to admire the caseback engravings - this is a genuine 'Switzerladn' 18ct case - only 224 of them were ever made. Very rare indeed, but not as rare as the 'Shitinerand' case backs, one of which I am the proud owner of.

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Finished, and ready to be returned to its owner.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Next time in Getting Shit To Fit, we'll be taking a look at fitting round things in square holes - specifically Bell and Ross - how do you get a round movement in a square watch ?
 
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Tione12

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I don’t know if everybody will understand the magnitude of this mod in order to fit the gen spec dial but it is an amazing job.

I think that the owner should have ordered another case, however that misspelled case back is one in a million =P
 

Raddave

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I love seeing stuff like this !!!!



Next time in Getting Shit To Fit, we'll be taking a look at fitting round things in square holes - specifically Bell and Ross - how do you get a round movement in a square watch ?

With a red hammer ?
 
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cleebeauregard

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As the owner of this fine, rare, Switzerladn-cased, super-non-gen-spec 6538, I assure you, I do recognize the magnitude and quality of this mod. My deepest thanks to Tripdog for his alchemist’s skill in turning shite into gold. And of course I should have upgraded the case, and the crown, and the....
 
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Fandango

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I could not find the article 17 with the tutorial for waterproofing the crystal. I am having a bit of trouble doing that.