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Making an 806 navitimer

mnkoshka

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Hi guys,

I thought I’d see if anyone had any experience with the 806 vintage navitimers. I’ve been wanting a good rep of this for a while but no factory has done it.

So I thought oh well I’ll make my own.

I currently have a 24h double wing logo 806 dial on the way and still need to get the slide rule thickness and crystal thickness to complete machining the parts. I’ll be using a seagull ST1901 with frozen gear @6.

I have machined the midcase blank ( blank only no lugs cutouts or top view profile yet), case back, rice bead bezel and modified navitimer bezel as option. This case will have an o-ring gasket at the bezel and threaded caseback with gasket so will it’ll be fully water proof when finished. The movement holder will be a circlip design that acts as a movement holder and bezel retainer keeping downward pressure on the bezel o-ring for waterproofing. I’ll keep the post updated
with progress over the next few months, onto some pics

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kilowattore

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Great project, the 806 is one of my favourite watches, and besides I love seeing lathe machining work.
Looking forward to watch this progressing.
 

mnkoshka

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Great project, the 806 is one of my favourite watches, and besides I love seeing lathe machining work.
Looking forward to watch this progressing.

Thanks mate, 806 is definitely one my favourites... such a simple case design but yet I’m finding it quite a challenge lol. Hopefully it comes together nicely
 

KJ2020

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Oh hell yeah bro, this is so cool! Love these - the simple design and solid movement will make this a sure winner. Amazing work!
 
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mnkoshka

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I WANT ONE TOO! surprised that the subdial placement of the st19 will fit the 806 dial. Keep us updated please

I was not sure about this either but all the reference info I found said the st-19 was made with the same tooling as the Venus 175, it apparently has the same subdial spacing and chrono pusher location. Guess I’ll find out soon enough lol
 

mnkoshka

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Oh hell yeah bro, this is so cool! Love these - the simple design and solid movement will make this a sure winner. Amazing work!

cheers bro, collecting the parts has been pretty easy just getting the measurements right for the slide rule action and dial will be challenging as this effetdvthe crown stem hight dramatically. It will be very close to the bezel o-ring groove so fingers crossed I can make it work haha
 
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mnkoshka

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Quick update,

the case is taking shape but there’s a lot more to go finishing and shape wise, bezel and pressure fit retainer finished.
the case lugs ended up with a shallower angle than the the 806 case but I didn’t have one to measure off so I will try and get the steeper angle sorted but not too fussed. The inside lug curve to match the case will be attempted shortly but the corner radius will be difficult. I’m trying to get this thing as close to an 806 as possible but there are so many iterations of this case I think if can get close it’ll be wearable for me lol.

this is all up in the air until I receive the dial, slide rule and Movement which I believe has a higher stem hight than the Venus 175... this could be where I run into some trouble with clearances. Fingers crossed

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mnkoshka

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More updates,

case lugs machined out and case shaping starting to take place, once the lugs are profiled i will
add the 45 degree chamfers. Then drilling for pusher tubes and crown tube. The hard part will be drilling the blind lug holes. More pics of the case taking shape



 
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hanski

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Fantastic work!

Are you using computer automated machines or is this done by hand?
 
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KJ2020

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Wow bro, amazing skill on display here. Really enjoying the show. Wish I was 20 years younger I would learn that trade. I'm sure it takes many years to achieve high levels of competence. Bravo!
 
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TheChachi

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I am REALLY looking forward to see how this build turns out. These are without a doubt the best Breitling pieces ever made., IMO. Keep up the great work!
 
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mnkoshka

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Fantastic work!

Are you using computer automated machines or is this done by hand?

Thanks mate, I’m manually machining the case blank, threads, complete bezel & assembly and caseback on a lathe and mill. The tooling is carbide for roughing and then the detail and small grooves and corners are high speed steel tools hand ground by myself, certain relief angles and pitch is needed to get into hard areas and minimise tool deflection. There is around 15 different collets and arbours I had to machine also just to hold the job in the chucks, indexing head and mill vices.
The case side profile and chamfers are done completely by hand.

I just completed the final shape of the case about an hour ago. So I’ll update some pics


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mnkoshka

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Wow bro, amazing skill on display here. Really enjoying the show. Wish I was 20 years younger I would learn that trade. I'm sure it takes many years to achieve high levels of competence. Bravo!

Thanks buddy, I literally hated my old job and went back to do something I would enjoy. As an adult apprentice it was hard to survive but it paid off in the end... I have job satisfaction and I get to indulge in my own passion for watchmaking. I’ve been doing this around 10 years now and seeing the manufacturing/engineering side of a lot of different industries is an eye opener. Most of these skills aren’t taught, it comes down to imagination, experimentation and of course a lathe and a mill lol.


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mnkoshka

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Today’s updates, are case profile shaped & finished by hand. It’s getting close now, my tooling fir between the lugs profiling weren’t as I hoped but I’ll be able to create a better finish soon hopefully. The next step is drilling for the crown tube, I literally have 0.089 of freedom between the tube hole and the o-ring groove for the bezel.
The st-1903 really screwed me with it’s high stem hight and trying to make this look like an 806 where the dial and slide rule sits high up in the case. is a massive challenge to create that look of the crystal basically sitting on top of the dial. Hopefully have the tubes drilled next week and that it all goes well. Some quick photos
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Sidney.Shaw

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Wow... that is some great work and dedication right there!
Finish on the case looks awesome and a fine read.
 
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mnkoshka

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Movement update. Although the st-19 is based on the Venus 175 the Venus has a slightly offset 4th wheel pinion... literally like 0.2mm. This was enough to piss me off a little LOL but I managed to mill out the dial hole just enough so the hand tube doesn’t rub the dial. Yeah it’s slightly offset but not noticeable enough to deter me. I had to use speedy hands and some random chrono hands which I blued. Quick photo

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gunsmoke16610

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I wouldn’t have noticed the .02 offset on that hand if you didn’t call it out. I’m speculating the amazing case work will be too distracting for others to notice ! Great job and good luck with the rest of your project
 
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manodeoro

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mnkoshka what you're doing is really amazing ... if you ever decide to take an apprentice (a really old one LOL) just feel free to PM me ;)
 

GDTrep2001

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This is so cool, I was wondering how did you figure out the length for the pushers? That was the part that always stunted me was knowing how long of a pusher I would need. The St19 movements have awesome diagrams online which help make with dimensions for putting one in a watch but I was curious how the chrono pushers were working for you. Project is amazing and can’t wait to see it complete:) love the dial as well, gotta say that’s one of the cleanest 806 dials I’ve seen in a long time.


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