concentric dial attempt 1

[colt45gto]

first let me say it was all done free hand and looks crap but with the right tooling i could get this perfect i think?
i used an old Sekonda date dial to do this with so no rolex dials were hurt in the making of this...
i clamped the dial into a disk holder of a dremel and clamped that in a vise, then i took a mini haksaw blade to use as the cutting tool, i need something more sturdy and a steady hand....or the use of a mini lathe. but i tried to creat the dial pattern of that on the watch in my avatar.

i will attempt this again with a more defined tool but i almost got it. i would like to get a slither of slate and do it with that but i highly doubt the slate would hold up to such abuse?

 

[levelmanroger]

I think it's an excellent first attempt. You're definitely headed in the right direction on a cool build.

 

[colt45gto]

i have just ordered a sample of slate and granite. if i can slither the two enough to form a thin enough piece to sit on a dial i will try to cut the circles in the slate but i would leave the granit surface as is.

i just have to figure out how to slither these to a thickness of a hair without breaking them.....free sample so no expense will be harmed in this process. could do with speaking to a stone mason about this, but if i can turn a dial down to half its thickness i can glue/bond the new surface to it and work hopefully from there.

 

[slimslim]

neat project, will be cool to see how you progress. good luck

 

[QinetiQ]

A lathe would be the perfect thing for that project.

 

[If you see Kay]

slate and granite will be too brittle to make into a thin slice for a dial.

 

[colt45gto]

i dunno, you can work with the stuff especially if its bonded correctly to a brass surface i am pretty confident it can be skimmed and polished.

we will see later when i get the samples, i know one thing.....i am too hamfisted to pull it off but i will do my best

 

[Bonesey]

Looks good mate, i guess it's all just down to practice

 

[AHX]

Love it when people pull this kind of shit off, awesome work mate! Look forward to seeing future developments.

 

[LHOOQ]

Very ambitious project, and a great first result. Most homebrew dials are flat, with waterslide decals, and they're still tough to pull off. Good luck!

 

[QinetiQ]

Why not get a piece for lead? It's a very soft metal so might be easier to cut through...just sayin'

 

[colt45gto]

nah lead is a bit too soft although its easy to melt to poor into a mould but i got the samples today....have to try work with them to try pull the shape and depth, if it doesn't work then i tried

 

[levelmanroger]

You won't be able to shave it that thin.
The key here will be to bond a thicker piece to the backing plate you will use in the watch. Reinforce that backing plate with something you can later remove, then grind down the stone to the desired overall thickness and polish. Drill your cannon pin hole before it's too thin as well.
If it's already bonded to the backing plate you can probably gently grind it thin enough. But trying to grind it that thin without it being adhered to a backing plate won't work, nor will using a temporary plate as transferring it when it's thin will cause it to break.
I hope I explained that in a way that could be understood.
But yes - it is possible.

 

[colt45gto]

yes thats what i had in mind the backing plate (old dial) will have to be shaved also later, a dial too thick will stop the hands from fitting. i recon a tile cutter the disk type would make the initial cut, and then work from there. its a matter of polishing and coating the granite later to give it the shine it should have. where as the slate is a matt finish anyway so thats fine, the slate can (hopefully be cut/grooved to form the concentric.

hell i bet ROLEX wont even do all this.

then i need the rolex markings later which is near impossible for me.

 

[imbisibol]

i like that project. i now wonder how to do those sunburst dials...

 

[Bonesey]

It's a damn ambitious project. But hell, if people didn't try this then we'd never know if it could be done

 

[Silverg]

Hey!

I have the gen of the DJ in your avatar.... here's some pics. Enjoy!

 

[colt45gto]

is that a silver dial? i want a silver concentric but they are only available in the ss version in reps, i could get a silver concentric and swap the dial markers over.

thats gorgeous

 

[Silverg]

is that a silver dial? i want a silver concentric but they are only available in the ss version in reps, i could get a silver concentric and swap the dial markers over.

thats gorgeous

Yep it's silver concentric, Z serial. I think Watcheden had a TT version with silver concentric.
BTW, is your 18k DD case above a gen or rep case?

 

[colt45gto]

i will keep an eye out on WE thanks for the tip.

no thats a rep case, had it and the bracelet replated in 18k YG, clasp in 18k RG