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Budget 5513 Build

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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Okay, I have decided that I love 2 line subs, so I am looking for a beater than I can use and abuse so I can keep my TC 16610 for best.

I have a cheapo case off eBay and have ordered a 2 line dial which will fit on an ETA clone movement (had a spare knocking around).

I plan to pop the Cyclops crystal out and replace with a Tropic, from Cousins, drill the case (eek) for a Raffles 7mm crown and give it lug holes.

I'll need to change the bezel pip as the one that's in there is truly horrible and rework the crown guards (they are square at the moment). The dial is most like a serif dial, so a little rework there will be in order too.

First job is to pop the crystal and order the right one.

This will be a fun little adventure in watch building, and will hopefully take me to the next level.

I have a busted Seagull movement that I may try swapping the balance on as well, so if it all comes off it will be great!
 

alligoat

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That's a lot of work- would it still be a budget build in the end?
I picked up the cartel 5513 from Josh- the one with the stubby cgs- and reworked it. Now days the cartel has the correct longer cgs- I'd start with that model.
I trimmed the outside of the case at the cgs, filed down the crown seat and installed a 702 crown and tube, drilled the lugholes and that was it- the dg2813 is working fine.

I like the dial, bezel insert and all I have to do is check it for WR.
Lately I've been wearing it on a leather strap from cheapnatostraps.com which cost me $15!
 

tripdog

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^^ do this, so much less stressful.
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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I just like the two line dial and just happen to have a case that's not being used and a movement that is doing nothing. So the dial was bought and now the obsessive/compulsive bit kicks in. I really want to get the damaged seagull movement in there, repaired, as they are so accurate. This is the dial I will be using only modded slightly to look like a serif dial, as that is the best fit for the letter spacing.

I'm really in 2 minds about the crystal though as I'm not sure whether to go for a service profile Tropic 19 or a Sternkrautz HW profile (which are super bloody cheap). Then I really can beat the hell out of it, as I can get a new crystal for under £2! I may try both now I have the crystal press, just need new battery for my digital micrometer to measure the diameter though
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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First step is to remove the original bezel, which is just a sharp (case) knife under the bezel at 7oclock and a gentle pry till it pops off. Its scary but relatively easy, I find it harder to replace it.
Some crystals will just push out, but this one was installed with a proper gasket. The case is a cheap £45 job off eBay BUT tested to 100m (10ATM) so good for swimming/snorkelling and I think diving too.h
Then put the right 'bits' on the crystal/back press, ie usually the biggest pusher and the smallest receiver (oo-er!).....



Then squeeze the press and out it comes, I thought nothing had happened, but lo and behold the crystal had just been pushed out



I just need the battery now for my digital micrometer as there are 30.4, 30.5 and 30.6mm crystals and I want to get the right one. There's loads of opportunity to play with crystals here, but I really just want to get the crystal in and get the watch together. Then I can play around with crowns and bracelets and movements. I want it together for just after Xmas as I'm planning a bit of sea/pool action.

By the way that is a £2 silicone strap off eBay and is super comfortable. Up until recently, this case had a quartz ESA movement in there and was my playing sports watch, taking at least one hit off a partners racquet!
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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Okay, time to order the crystal, I went up and down with this as I was sure there was a generic Cousins crystal for this size but must have been looking in the wrong place.
So I double checked the measurement again, yes definitely 30.5mm dia...

It looks like the Sternkrautz XS305-451 is the right fit, I'm going to get a new gasket as well, as they are cheap, a guy on the Homage Forum went with a 315/304 L gasket and that sounds about right, so its my choice as well.
I have been in touch with Athaya re the 700 crown but need to check that its good for an ETA clone movement. Its the right crown for the age I'm going for (late 60s) but if it needs an adapter I may decide to swing for a Raffles Triplock crown.
 

jd1566

You're Saying I Can Sell?
5/8/13
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8
Sometimes it' about the journey, not the destination.. Sure there are easier options but assembling the watch like this brings it's own reward.. I'm be going the slightly easier route with a Marvelous on it's way to me, also a 2 line model, and just doing the crown and drilling lugholes, but my hat off to you for going the whole hog! Show us more pics as you get along with your build.
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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I think I'm going mostly this route as I can never seem to find what I'm looking for from the TD's. Like where would I get a Cartel 5513 and what is a Marvelous??
 

alligoat

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https://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/325749-Special-Offer-JKF-Vintage-Rolex-1680-5512-5513-5514-5517-1665-Series
Don't know if he's still running the special, but you can't go wrong with the prices and these watches have the longer cgs and correct plastic crystals- a sapphire crystal on a 5513 is all wrong!
 

jd1566

You're Saying I Can Sell?
5/8/13
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8
I just ordered 2 from him 2 weeks ago at the special rate, so double-check but it should still be on!

And I'e just posted in another thread.. but maybe this is a better one - will these reps take Clark crystals? i.e. T19 for the 5513 and a 25-127 for the 1680? I ask because I need some spares for mine when they get here.
 

ThePadd

Known Member
1/4/16
192
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Those marvellous reps look alright, don't know what the prices are. Maybe you can tell us. I am enjoying a steep learning curve on the crystals and will pass on a lesson or two later. Currently though I'm stuck on all projects due to waiting for parts to arrive. I'm sure their in a depot somewhere but waiting for the postie to deliver all the Xmas cards first.
Just be aware a rep 5513 isn't a 5513 so the crystals may all be different. So you probably wont know what size crystal you need till you pop it out and check the dimensions of the case!
 

ThePadd

Known Member
1/4/16
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Okay, lets talk about crystals as a 5513 should have a Tropic 19 acrylic crystal. Unfortunately I don't have a gen 5513 to compare so I'm working off pictures on the internet. It looked like Sternkrauz and Clark's were the main ways to go and as Cousins here in the UK stock Sternkrauz, that was my first port of call.
I popped the crystal out and its 30.5mm and the Sternkrauz one is 30.5 so that seemed right. Now if I'd been clever I would have measured the case for as that is approx. 31.4mm and it it says that the gasket is 0.55m thick. So I ordered a 315 (31.5mm) gasket too. Okay I thought we needed a compression fit so it was going to work. NOPE, it was never going to go. I tried the original gasket but didn't want to go in cleanly and got damaged in the process. I did get it in once but it easily popped out again.
So in frustration I ordered a new 315 gasket, a 310 gasket (as the 315 seemed too big to me and stretching round the crystal may work), and a 30.5mm domed mineral crystal as it was cheap and looked might it may look better.
As I had time I also checked the Leosics site, John Shearing there has sold me movements, hands and lume in the past so I called him for advice. He said his Tropic 19 was 30.3mm. It was cheap as chips so I bought one of those as well.
All the crystals and gaskets turned up and I had a play with them. The 310 gasket just seemed to clip into the groove on top of the rehaut, which baffled me as it should be too small. The Leosics Tropic 19 fitted into the top of the gasket and with the press was in. It seemed too easy.
I popped it out and refitted it and it was spot on.
Then came the waterproof test, where it failed with water coming in and when warmed a steady stream of bubbles coming out of the gasket in just one location. I popped it apart, marking the protective film on the crystal where the bubbles were coming from. The gasket at this point had a dent in it, checking the case with the loupe, there was a bit of debris from the old gasket. Grrrr, I decided to leave it and come back to it later.
As it was the weekend I couldn't get a new gasket, so I decided to make sure it was all clean and use a tiny smear of silicon grease in the groove in the case, then once the gasket was located, inside the gasket. I used the loupe to make sure it was all even and then pressed the crystal home.
Then onto the (absolutely brilliant IMHO) Padd water pressure test. I use Charles Law to create a pressure difference both ways, to give me a few PSI to test my seals. So first, you warm the case up in the sun or on a radiator, screw in the crown, and take it to a bucket/bin/container of cold water. Plunge the case in and cool the case, as cold as possible, and let the air cool while watching the rehaut for signs of water ingress. Trust me if its leaking you will see the water come in.
The take the watch out, undo the crown, take it out, re-insert it then put it in the warm/hot water. The air will now expand and bubbles will escape, this will tell you where the leak is.
If you have got a perfect seal, you will not see any water going in and when you remove the crown you will hear air hiss in, and when you've done the warm water part, you will open the crown and hear the air psss out.
Anyway it passed!!
Now all I need to do is refit the bezel, then bolting a spare movement dial and hands in there I can wear it till the pukka dial turns up and its time to time to start shaping CGs (crown guards) and drilling the case for the Athaya 700 crown (gulp).

Crystal in place, bezel loosely in position


I think it looks cool now I'm used to it.


It sticks up quite high, but lots of people seem to love that look


No water ingress dunked in cold water


No bubbles in the hot sink


Looking good!


Quite a high dome
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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Okay, I decided to finish the job off this evening as I just wanted to get this baby on my wrist. So the next thing to do was fit the bezel. The only way I know how to do this successfully is remove the bezel insert, put the bezel over the crystal, re-insert the wire into the groove around the inside of the bezel, then reclip, or on a rep, re-glue the bezel insert back into position.
I got the wire in, cleaned the inside of the bezel insert, reglued, and tried to put it in position...
NOOOOOO!
The new gasket is too tall and the bezel insert wont go down over it!



After taking this picture, I tried to trim the gasket, but ended up ruining it. Hmm, I need a way to trim the gasket JUST enough so it clears the bezel insert yet still works well. I'll order a few more gaskets and get it right.
 

J!m1

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Interesting project.

On vintage rolex there is no Crystal gasket. Are you using one on the outside to make up for the gap in the rep bezel ring?

the Crystal should fit snugly on the rehaut and the Crystal retainer fits over the Crystal. Then the washer and finallybthe bezel snaps onto the Crystal retainer. Maybe try a gen style bezel assembly from WO990 or one of the others?

if I'm missing something here help me out.

Also that crystal looks looks like a t39. I'd lap it down a mm or so to look more like an early t19. That's what I did for my 5512.
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
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@J!m1 - Hahaha yes, this is bit of a nightmare really. The original case had a sapphire crystal fitted with a super slim L gasket directly on top of the rehaut. No retainer. Either way I couldn't get the Sternkrautz or Leosics crystal to stay in with the gasket cut down. So, to get the watch ready for my trip I decided to glue the crystal directly onto the rehaut. Fitting it in so that its central so the bezel doesn't foul was a nightmare and I have probably screwed the sternkrautz crystal, but its cheap so not too worried. I used epoxy and held it in place for 2 days to ensure it set before putting the bezel on.
Its far from perfect but I doubt a gen style bezel assembly will fit on the cheap £30 case I'm using.
Still I was able to get it together for Xmas and my trip. I didn't trust the waterproofness so I fell back to my sterile sub for the beach.
Just together Xmas eve

Chillaxing by the pool at New Year

Its now on that sterile submariner bracelet and is my current daily wearer. I do need to install the 700 crown from Adrian and will probably fit a new Sternkrautz crystal and seal it better (I have a plan for this). But at the moment I will just have to wear it, while I finish other projects.
I will be getting a riyi signed bracelet to finish the project, but not till I have the rest all together.
 

bobandshawn

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FYI - the Athaya tube will screw directly into the cartel threads (at least mine did). So no need for drilling and tapping. Easy peasy.

B
 

ThePadd

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1/4/16
192
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FYI - the Athaya tube will screw directly into the cartel threads (at least mine did). So no need for drilling and tapping. Easy peasy.

B
Its not a Cartel case, and I'm pretty sure the thread is bigger, so it will be drilling and tapping time. Gulp!

Oh I want to reshape the CGs and fit a acrylic pearl as well, So it will be being stripped down to the mid-case anyways