First build: Rolex Explorer 1016

[LuminorReptar]

This is a quick build I put together a little while ago, I had planned to post the details earlier but got a bit busy and eventually forgot about it. Now that I have a few minutes I thought I would share this build with all the Vintage Affectionados !

While it's certainly a 'budget build' and by no means as incredible as the work done by Kilo, Yodog, Tripdog, TheSociety, and a few others (apologies if I failed acknowledge you), its still something that I had a great time putting together and working on. I definitely learned a thing or two. Overall I am pretty happy with how it turned out.. For a first build I went with a simple model, the classic 1016.

Parts break-up:

- Yuki dial & hands
- Raffles case
- Clarks crystal
- A2824 movement
- Donerix strap

First step I took was aging the dial. I used a variety of material to try and achieve a natural patina, which was tricky... eventually I figured out some acrylic paint with water, left to dry, turned out the best if applied in small amounts..






I used basically the same process on the hands, in addition to adding some light wear with fine steel wool in order to try and remove the high polish look of new hands.




I thought the Yuki dial with "gilt" finish looked the best, but unfortunately was only available with gen-spec feet placement. I decided to go ahead with it anyway, and cut the feet in order to fit it to the A2824 movement. (adhered with double-sided tape)

It started to come together nicely once the hands were pressed:





Final touches were cutting the stem to the correct length to fit the case. I added a custom Donerix "vintage" leather strap.. and the build was complete!





Next, I am looking to slowly (very very slowly) source & build a 6200 vintage submariner with brevet crown.. Maybe next year

 

[kilowattore]

Nice job mate

 

[Interesting]

another lovely build kilowattore . Which yuki hands did you use?

 

[LuminorReptar]

Nice job mate

Thanks bro!

 

[Dan71]

Nice build .
Please pics of the case profile ?
Tks

 

[LuminorReptar]

Nice build .
Please pics of the case profile ?
Tks

Thanks man!

 

[bc1221]

Nice build. It definitely needs lug holes though

Yuki makes pretty good 1016 dials but their recent ones suuuck. I think raffles has better 1016 dials. The markers are way too thick on the new ones. This gilt one looks great though.

Great build! Now get you some lug holes and it’ll be perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LuminorReptar]

Nice build. It definitely needs lug holes though

Yuki makes pretty good 1016 dials but their recent ones suuuck. I think raffles has better 1016 dials. The markers are way too thick on the new ones. This gilt one looks great though.

Great build! Now get you some lug holes and it’ll be perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks !

I agree , the finishing touch would have been to drill the lugs but unfortunately I don't have the tools for it. Maybe at some point I'll invest in upgrading my set-up to take on more advanced mods.

 

[steve3sc]

1st attempt? No way. There’s gotta be something wrong with it but I just can’t see it. Very well done brother, and the thing came out looking legit. Hats off to ya.

Homerun.

The only person’s opinion that matters is your own, my dude. Having said that, I like the cut of your jib, mate.

 

[LuminorReptar]

1st attempt? No way. There’s gotta be something wrong with it but I just can’t see it. Very well done brother, and the thing came out looking legit. Hats off to ya.

Homerun.

The only person’s opinion that matters is your own, my dude. Having said that, I like the cut of your jib, mate.

Thanks bro! While I don't entirely agree with this level of praise, the kind words and vote of confidence is much appreciated

Hoping to get another build going soon, just need to source a few more parts first.

Cheers!

 

[369mafia]

Nicely done my friend! An excellent first build. The explorer is a favorite of mine and is a great build to get your feet wet.

I do however agree with others is that some case aging and drilled lugs are required. JMB is the resident 1016 case source and he can drill the lugs in your existing case or you can get a complete case set from him with proper engravings and serial numbers if desired.

Another option that I came across recently is that Will @ Tiger Concepts is offering a new version of their explorer Homage. the 10160p It comes with a domed crystal AND drilled lugs!!

The bezel appears to be a bit on the thick side but that is quite minor.

Drop him a line and see if he will sell the case set only , or at very least you can buy the head only and then you have some back up parts.

 

[An6]

Thanks man!

nice built. Is the lug-to-lug sice of the Raffles Explorer case the same as the gn, 43 mm?

 

[An6]

Hello.

Nice project. I plan to do my first homebrewn watch. For the first try I keep it simple and relatively cheap.
1. Raffles case non-branded
2. Raffles dial
3. Raffles hands
4. DG2813

I would like also to replace the sapphire crystal which comes in the raffles case with an acrylic crystal (Sternkreuz, Clark or something similar). To replace the crystal for the raffles case, some points are not clear to me
1. Can the raffles case take an acrylic crystal at all? I suppose yes, as some of you already said that they did replace it
2. But then, how is the acrylic crystal assembled
2a) take out the sapphire and press in the acrylic in the inner diameter of the watch case / bezel as the sapphire was or
2b) do I need to remove the bezel from the case first and the acrylic crystal is pressed on the outer diameter afterwards? After that, the bezel is put in place again?

Thanks for help
an6

 

[Paglia Orba]

Hello,
I did a 1016 using Raffles case.
It is quite a good case as it has drilled lugs (although not the right diameter).
Changing the crytsal makes for a big improvement, and here you have two choices:
* Buy a goof Clarks or Sternkreuz replica: remove the bezel, pop out the crystal, press the dial which should fit snugly and replace the bezel which should be tight fit (I did that on a vintage DJ build). Easy.
* Buy a cheap domed crystal from Cousins UK and do the same as above to remove the Rafles crystal. But this new crystal will have to be glued (use transparent cement). That's what I did on my 1016 and it looks very good and very vintage even though the Cousins crystal does not look like much out o the box. Only downside: the watch will not be waterproof...
* Other easy improvement: use a Dremmel tool to rework the case side of the crown. Big improvement, easy to do.

More important:
You plan to use a 2813. Hmmm, I would advise against it, the quality of these movements is too uncertain. Your 1016 is going to be quite cheap, it's not a big investment to put inside an A2824-2 (you can remove or choose to leave the date disc).
I have discovered that for the same price, Seiko Corp's NH35A or NH36 are a perfect fit for the Raffles case. No use for any spacer!. Source the right hands, make the colour correspond to the indexes and there you have a very very robust and reliable watch!

Of course, it's not difficult and a great improvement to age the case...

There are still a lot of big and small adjustments to make but the ones mentioned are little investment for big improvement...