Hi everyone,
I just want to share a project I've been working on recently as I've seen a few posts regarding classic bond SMPs. Omega are absolutely nailing it recently with the SMP range and, with the new bond film featuring an SMP, I think that the classic Brosnan watches are set to see a price hike.
Many people agree that it isn't worth the hassle to franken the wave dial SMPs anymore as you can pick a gen up for ~£1000, but with luck and planning I believe it can be worthwhile to try and build one.
I started my franken with a 21J DHgate piece, exclusively for the case and crystal:
I then began searching for automatic 2531.80 parts via eBay, until I came across a very reasonably priced quartz 2541.80 dial. How hard could it be to build a quartz franken? After some googling I found out that the hands for the 2541 are standard 120/70 quartz movement size; I would need to buy a movement that matched both he hand size and the date window diameter of my dial. It turns out that a Miyota 2115 fits great (I'm not too bothered about datewheel font, as long as it's the right shape and colour). Dial dots were required
Going back to the hands, I underestimated how difficult it would be to find the correct versions. All eBay listing just state "SMP hands" without specifying quartz or auto, so I took to looking closely at the hole size on the photos. A job lot of goodies turned up including 2541 hands, crown, HE valve, and gaskets that I swiftly purchased. Some pics of assembly up to this point:
The WSO aftermarket insert I bought just didn't look right to me, so I needed to get a gen bezel. Eventually I bought one of these for a steal on eBay in pretty rough shape, but the knocks don't bother me at all.
Installing the bezel was difficult, it no longer turns. However it is secure and I can have a look at fixing it later. I decided to paint the second hand tip red again as I really like the red look, and I also made a custom red leather strap for it as I dislike the replica bracelet.
This is where my franken stands now:
I still have the gen crown and HE valve, however I can't install either on the case I have yet, so the rep crowns will have to stay for now.
The project stayed well below £500, so for me this franken is worth every penny. Future additions would include:
-A rep SMPc case for accuracy, and also for installing my gen crown and HE valve.
-Gen crystal; the DHgate one is not particularly good.
-Gen bracelet, to complete the look.
For now however, I am very happy with my unique franken quartz SMP. It's the only one of it's kind that I've seen so far! Eventually I would like to continue work on this one, but I Simply can’t afford to spend anymore on it for now.
I just want to share a project I've been working on recently as I've seen a few posts regarding classic bond SMPs. Omega are absolutely nailing it recently with the SMP range and, with the new bond film featuring an SMP, I think that the classic Brosnan watches are set to see a price hike.
Many people agree that it isn't worth the hassle to franken the wave dial SMPs anymore as you can pick a gen up for ~£1000, but with luck and planning I believe it can be worthwhile to try and build one.
I started my franken with a 21J DHgate piece, exclusively for the case and crystal:
I then began searching for automatic 2531.80 parts via eBay, until I came across a very reasonably priced quartz 2541.80 dial. How hard could it be to build a quartz franken? After some googling I found out that the hands for the 2541 are standard 120/70 quartz movement size; I would need to buy a movement that matched both he hand size and the date window diameter of my dial. It turns out that a Miyota 2115 fits great (I'm not too bothered about datewheel font, as long as it's the right shape and colour). Dial dots were required
Going back to the hands, I underestimated how difficult it would be to find the correct versions. All eBay listing just state "SMP hands" without specifying quartz or auto, so I took to looking closely at the hole size on the photos. A job lot of goodies turned up including 2541 hands, crown, HE valve, and gaskets that I swiftly purchased. Some pics of assembly up to this point:
The WSO aftermarket insert I bought just didn't look right to me, so I needed to get a gen bezel. Eventually I bought one of these for a steal on eBay in pretty rough shape, but the knocks don't bother me at all.
Installing the bezel was difficult, it no longer turns. However it is secure and I can have a look at fixing it later. I decided to paint the second hand tip red again as I really like the red look, and I also made a custom red leather strap for it as I dislike the replica bracelet.
This is where my franken stands now:
I still have the gen crown and HE valve, however I can't install either on the case I have yet, so the rep crowns will have to stay for now.
The project stayed well below £500, so for me this franken is worth every penny. Future additions would include:
-A rep SMPc case for accuracy, and also for installing my gen crown and HE valve.
-Gen crystal; the DHgate one is not particularly good.
-Gen bracelet, to complete the look.
For now however, I am very happy with my unique franken quartz SMP. It's the only one of it's kind that I've seen so far! Eventually I would like to continue work on this one, but I Simply can’t afford to spend anymore on it for now.
