Any vintage modders willing to take on Seiko Willard project?

[bigtiddygothgf]

I just checked some minutes ago and :worthy:
- get a dial from seikosis, clip the dial feet and put new ones if needed ... not that tricky as long as you have the right tool
- swap the hands for gen ones ... or not
- sand the caseback and reengrave it ;;; electrolytic method is the way IMHO
- remove the AR coating
- age all that stuff
- enjoy
I'll certainly pull the triger next year ... not january as I already have too much builds, repairs and dials to do but possibly february ...
and ONLY IF I can get enough spare time to finish my Franken 7005-8030 MACV-SOG ....
all gen and period correct parts except for the dial ... already printed and waiting for lume work :cheese: ...

That is by far the coolest field watch/mil related watch out there IMO, would love to pick one up some day.

As far as replacing the hands on the Rdunae 8110, I dont really see a need to, some 8110s had long sweep seconds hands, and they otherwise seem fairly accurate to the real deal just from some comparison in person vs pictures online.

Do you have any resources like videos and whatnot on electrolytic engraving? I'm assuming I'd need to cut a stencil of the design?

 

[manodeoro]

That is by far the coolest field watch/mil related watch out there IMO, would love to pick one up some day.

As far as replacing the hands on the Rdunae 8110, I dont really see a need to, some 8110s had long sweep seconds hands, and they otherwise seem fairly accurate to the real deal just from some comparison in person vs pictures online.

Do you have any resources like videos and whatnot on electrolytic engraving? I'm assuming I'd need to cut a stencil of the design?

You can have a look at this video ... I use the exact same method with a 12V car battery charger

I make my "stencils" with sunnyscopa film-free decal paper (much easier than cutting a stencil)
- design on Illustrator
- mirror print on a B&W laser printer
- transfer the toner on the case/caseback/etc
- etch
- enjoy

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

Welp fellas, I got my dial in a few weeks ago but now I'm trying to think of methods to age it. I usually soak dials in coffee to get the lume patina'd but you dont really see heavily discolored markers on vintage Seikos. Anyone have any ideas? I'll probably do the soak for a little bit of color but I'd like to do a little more than just that

 

[Niko1U]

Welp fellas, I got my dial in a few weeks ago but now I'm trying to think of methods to age it. I usually soak dials in coffee to get the lume patina'd but you dont really see heavily discolored markers on vintage Seikos. Anyone have any ideas? I'll probably do the soak for a little bit of color but I'd like to do a little more than just that

Maby try and scratch up the borders of the lume, in the gen pics above the metal is all tarnished or scratched

 

[Hor-Fan]

I removed the mounted indices from my dial, and aged them separately from the dial by soaking them in salt and lemon juice for a few days, then a 30 minute bath in drain cleaner.

 

[Fullofdays]

i use metal burnishing fluid for model trains. It works well and quickly. I start at 30 sec layups and do it very slowly.

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

i use metal burnishing fluid for model trains. It works well and quickly. I start at 30 sec layups and do it very slowly.

Interesting! It seems like something like that would do the trick. My two concerns are how it would react to the dial surface and how it would react to the lume. Does it damage the lume or the finish on the dial at all or does it strictly react with exposed metal like the markers?

 

[Fullofdays]

I use it on hands and areas of a dial I want to age. if you were to soak a dial for a long period it would have a different effect. lul. it would be a fun experiment! Because Science

 

[Fullofdays]

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

I use it on hands and areas of a dial I want to age. if you were to soak a dial for a long period it would have a different effect. lul. it would be a fun experiment! Because Science

What I meant to ask was if the fluid would damage the dial finish/printing and lume if some were to get in contact with it. Would I need to worry about keeping the fluid STRICTLY on the metal indices? Or is it OK if some spills over?

 

[bothomasmusic]

OP, Man I absolutely LOVE the movie, the man, and the watch. My Seiko was my fathers he picked up in Vietnam. It unfortunately is not keeping time well and after 6 months at a local watchmaker I was told he couldn't fix it without swapping the movement...no way. It means a ton to me so I don't like the idea of shipping. I'm glad to offer up all the photos, measurements, or anything you need for reference with your project. Most people flip out on mine because of the beautiful patina and the fact it's a super early model with Waterproof marking. I need to take much better pics. I was trying to come up with a "favorite things I own inspired by my father" picture idea, and this is the low-res un-clean watch version lol. Good luck with the build! Bo

 

[freebalkany]

Has anyone tried this case for 6105-8110 build? https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005002964085375.html
it looks like the perfect candidate

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

Has anyone tried this case for 6105-8110 build? https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005002964085375.html
it looks like the perfect candidate

crown position is wrong, among other things. that looks like the case used in nearly every other Willard homage like steeldive san martin etc. See my other comments/replies as to why they are wrong. The Rdunae is the most faithful homage out right now in regards to the case set.

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

I've been pretty busy so I'm not done with the watch just yet, but I installed the dial a few days ago (had to clip the feet as expected. they were, as described, for the more standard seiko crown positions, as opposed to the correct, direct 4'o clock of the Rdunae and 6105). I aged the bezel insert but I feel like I've gone a bit too far with the fading. Most gen examples are still pretty black in color, as opposed to the dark grey of mine. The examples that do have some grey tones are very "splotchy" for lack of a better word. I might try to recreate this effect on my next insert by trying to spray drops of bleach on to the insert with the bristles of a toothbrush or something.

I measured the bezel insert with calipers and it is virtually identical in size to an SKX007, 6309-7040 etc bezel insert, so Yobokies big pip 6309 insert should work. I'll have to contact him about whether its flat or whether it has the slight inwards slope that the OEM 6309-7040 inserts have. The 6105s should have flat ones. He does offer a 6105-8000 insert but the 8000 inserts are smaller than the 8110s.

When I first popped the dial in and aged the insert I was skeptical and kind of dissuaded from continuing the project for some reason. Something just felt off about it. I suspected it was probably the blue AR coating on the crystal so today I polished it off (its only present on the underside/dial side) and lo and behold that fixed it. This just reaffirms my hatred of colored AR coating hahaha.

Still on the to-do list:

• Age dial and hands
• Relume hands if aging doesn't take away some of the green hue in the lume
• Repaint the red dot on the second hand with a more pale, faded color
• Either enlarge the lume pip or replace the bezel insert with a Yobokies big pip insert
• Re-engrave the caseback

 

[GuillermoUgarte]

If you find the time, bothomasmusic, could you please take and post a few more photos of your “WATER 150m PROOF” 6105, especially a dead-on dial shot and a sideview showing the bezel teeth and how the bezel sits on the case? It looks rather special!

Fine work on the continuation of yours, bigtiddygothgf, wherever it takes you. “You understand, Captain, that this mission does not exist, nor will it ever exist.” I agree the insert now is a bit beyond the wear envelope in comparison to the newness of the dial and hands. It is tough to get it as consistent as bothomasmusic’s gen. Although, I am sure many gens ended up with mismatched inserts/dials/hands en route from DaNang to Angeles City and on to the West Coast.

 

[manodeoro]

For those interested in vintage military Seikos ... here's a nice example of what you can get with a mix a luck, timepast and skills ...
MACV-SOG 7005-8030 ...

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

For those interested in vintage military Seikos ... here's a nice example of what you can get with a mix a luck, timepast and skills ...
MACV-SOG 7005-8030 ...

That looks great, did you print that dial? I recall you mentioning that and I've seen all your other incredible dial work. I actually almost bought one of those locally a few weeks ago but unfortunately the seller never replied to me.

As far as this 6105 Willard project goes, it's at a standstill since I chose the slow shipping option from Yobokies for the bezel insert thinking I would save some money, it's been over 3 months and it still hasn't showed up, so I'll have to reach out to him or order another and pay for the quicker shipping.

 

[manodeoro]

That looks great, did you print that dial? I recall you mentioning that and I've seen all your other incredible dial work. I actually almost bought one of those locally a few weeks ago but unfortunately the seller never replied to me.

As far as this 6105 Willard project goes, it's at a standstill since I chose the slow shipping option from Yobokies for the bezel insert thinking I would save some money, it's been over 3 months and it still hasn't showed up, so I'll have to reach out to him or order another and pay for the quicker shipping.

Thanks for the kind words buddy ... and YES I printed that dial

Which model was the dial you tried to buy locally ?.. a Doxa one, a negative-gilt or something else ?..

The first MACV-SOG dial I made was for a watchmaker in Brisbane ... but it was some years ago and it was a decal one (Bart Cordell method)
Since then I have switched to toner transfer printing and I have widely improved my skills on Illustrator for the design ... and I now have a really good control of lume work
So that one is much more crispy than the previous one ... though I hope to make better with another method I will work on the next months.
Here's a close up pic ... unfortunately made with my phone which is not really better than my skills at taking pics so it looks much better in real

 

[Stanislavsky]

Hello guys from Ukraine. Your topic prompted me to register on this forum. Just like you, I'm making a mod based on rdunae homage. At the moment I'm waiting for a mineral crystal like the original and a chapter ring. Ship from California (seikosis seller). I also want to order engraving of the back cover in my city (Kyiv), this is an inexpensive service (about $20). The most expensive thing for me was the original bezel insert; I won it on eBay for $220. I want to make a mod as close to the original as possible. Is the topic alive? Someone please answer

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[Geonor]

Hello guys from Ukraine. Your topic prompted me to register on this forum. Just like you, I'm making a mod based on rdunae homage. At the moment I'm waiting for a mineral crystal like the original and a chapter ring. Ship from California (seikosis seller). I also want to order engraving of the back cover in my city (Kyiv), this is an inexpensive service (about $20). The most expensive thing for me was the original bezel insert; I won it on eBay for $220. I want to make a mod as close to the original as possible. Is the topic alive? Someone please answer

H4qd9t.jpeg hosted at ClickPix.org

Image H4qd9t.jpeg hosted in ClickPix.org

clickpix.org

H4qMqn.jpeg hosted at ClickPix.org

Image H4qMqn.jpeg hosted in ClickPix.org

clickpix.org

H4qPR5.jpeg hosted at ClickPix.org

Image H4qPR5.jpeg hosted in ClickPix.org

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H4qXKF.jpeg hosted at ClickPix.org

Image H4qXKF.jpeg hosted in ClickPix.org

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Hello and welcome! I haven't delved into the vintage Willard yet but I did build a reissue one a while ago. Better pics of the finished on are on the camera which is in the car at the moment. but this was how it looked before I got the hands on it. Enjoy your stay and read up on the newcomer forum to get situated. Lots of info about everything watches here. Reps, gens, modding, you name it.