Hello all,
After an approx. 13 month journey from beginning to end, my FrSMP-007 is finally home and complete. I started a different thread about the original rep watch when I initially got it. I thought it would make more sense to start a new thread pertaining to the franken process itself. It also makes it easier to follow for those looking to franken their Seamaster Professional. I don't have a whole lot of "before and after" photos so I apologise. I'm also doing a lot of this over my iPhone.
For those who are wondering about how to budget a FrSMP, I've included rough costs and sources for parts. I'm one of those people who "prefers" not to spend $1k on a franken so I was very particular about where and how much I was going to spend for the parts.
Part 1: Obtaining the best rep for the project
I searched for months for the best SMP to franken. Most of the reps today house 21j and are not accurate enough for my liking. The thickness of the case and hands were always one of my pet peeves, I could never find a watch that had these two features right. I read about the closed factory SMP, saw it looked bang on and spent the rest of my time looking for one. Reality is, these closed factory SMP's are pretty much non-existent today. Mid last year, I fell upon an "old school" SMP. It looked very similar to the closed factory model, however the case was thinner (more accurate imo) and the HE valve was in the wrong spot. The HE valve was never a concern to me, so it didn't matter.
Here are some photos of the initial rep. It's beautiful as is... The things to note are:
Watch cost me $250.00 total and shipped
-Its powered by a Swiss 2836-2 movement
-Thickness of casing is thinner and crystal has less of a bevel than what i've seen on my other SMP reps. It also feels like it has a bit more weight. Closer to gen. Almost bang on.
-Bracelet construction is top notch. I give it an 8/10 for accuracy. Only thing is I'm going to brush the ends of the bracelet links over the weekend. They currently have the mirror like polish. Totally wrong.
-This model has the screws, not pins in the links. Doesn't bother me. Not noticeable.
-HE valve is wrong
-Look at the red tip on the second hand! Correct length. Too bad they cut the square end on tail of the second hand short about 1mm...
-Crown guards look much better in person than in pics. Compared to what i've had in the past, these are much better. I will leave these alone for now.
-Lume is of the same quality as my UPO. Consistent green all around.
Part 2: Franken process has started. The DIY stuff...
3 Months later, I brushed the ends of the bracelet links. Looks perfect. I also had my local watchsmith replace the crown and HE valve. These were used parts that he had sitting around after he did a service for another gentleman. I believe the rep tubes were reused for both. Lastly, I got my hands on a gen bezel. This bezel came from RWG thanks to Paparas. I used the insert only and sold the bezel ring. This help offset the costs of the initial bezel purchase.
Parts Cost me $75.00 total and shipped
Part 3: Franken process continues. Sourcing parts...
I started looking for more gen parts to franken my watch with. My primary source was eBay because used SMP parts are readily available on there. This is was I bought:
1. Gen Seamaster Professional dial, used but in new condition. The lume was a little weak so I had PB dad touch it up.
Parts Cost me $65.00, shipped
2. Gen Seamaster Professional hands, new from Ofrei. For about $70.00, you cant go wrong buying them new. Most of the time used hand are banged up anyways...
Parts Cost me $75.00, shipped
Ofrei link: http://www.ofrei.com/omega-watch-hands-caliber-1111.html
Part 4: Franken process continues. Getting the parts installed...
Note: Im keeping install and labour prices to myself. I don't know if modding prices vary and I would hate to step over anyone's toes. You could probably do the math with all the figures I distribute throughout my thread. Keep in mind however, this SMP was one of a few watches PB was working on...all my figures are approx...
Now that I had all the gen parts that I needed, it was time to have them installed. PBdad was my guy. I've had a few watches modded by him and I've had nothing but good experiences...
Gen dial after the relume. Notice he forgot the 3 o'clock marker
For those who were wondering about reluming the "printed" lume dots, it's definitely possible. PB did mine and it looks 100% gen and CLEAN! If there's something most of us don't like, its when you see handling marks or excess lume powder. DSSD's are prone for this, especially after a relume. My SMP markers came out 9.5 out of 10...I couldn't be more pleased.
Heres a photos after he reassembled the watch with the new hands and dial. He had to disassemble the watch again after I pointed out the 3 o'clock marker he missed.
Part 5: Finished product...
Quality control pictures prior to shipping. This is about 3 months after I shipped it to PB. I couldn't wait to get the bugger back...
The lume on this thing tops my gen Omegas. I'm really picky with aftermarket stuff and never thought it was possible to get a relume this good.
Heres a comparison shot with the gen. I stared at this photo everyday for the 8 days it took for this watch to get back to me. OCD's kicking in...ha...
Here is what it looks like today...beautiful...I've also got a 100% gen steel bracelet on it right now...
Comparison photos with my gen quartz. Overall, very close match. Minor differences in the cg's and the HE valve of course. The quartz is also thinner, but that's expected because its a quartz. Next to gen, without using a ruler, my case looks bang on. Also, the crystal is an aftermarket swiss sapphire crystal. I don't see a difference between it and the gen.
Part 6: Conclusion...
Om3ga_guys FrSMP-007 built consists of:
1. Rep case + back
2. Gen dial
3. Gen hands
4. Gen crown
5. Gen HE valve
6. Gen bezel (I reordered a gen bezel ring + clickspring + retaining wire. I will install next week)
7. Gen bracelet
8. Swiss manufactured saphire crystal
9. Swiss 2836-2 movement
The one thing I want to point out to those who fear starting a franken because of costs is if you can get yourself a watch capable of taking gen parts for $250.00, really all you need is a $600-$700 budget (including the watch) and you can build a pretty damn good piece. The only real problem you get yourself into is once you've started with the gen parts, you keep wanting to add more For those wondering why I would spend $700.00 on a rep:
1. I already own a gen quartz and chronograph
2. I liked the idea of doing a custom build
3. Huge Bond fan. Goldeneye is what actually got me into Omega and watches in general. The gen 40th aniv. would have cost much more money to buy
4. ........and because I could
PS. I have a 42mm FrPO on the way as well. Should have a thread started on it in the next few weeks...
Hope everyone found this useful, feel free to PM me with questions.
After an approx. 13 month journey from beginning to end, my FrSMP-007 is finally home and complete. I started a different thread about the original rep watch when I initially got it. I thought it would make more sense to start a new thread pertaining to the franken process itself. It also makes it easier to follow for those looking to franken their Seamaster Professional. I don't have a whole lot of "before and after" photos so I apologise. I'm also doing a lot of this over my iPhone.
For those who are wondering about how to budget a FrSMP, I've included rough costs and sources for parts. I'm one of those people who "prefers" not to spend $1k on a franken so I was very particular about where and how much I was going to spend for the parts.
Part 1: Obtaining the best rep for the project
I searched for months for the best SMP to franken. Most of the reps today house 21j and are not accurate enough for my liking. The thickness of the case and hands were always one of my pet peeves, I could never find a watch that had these two features right. I read about the closed factory SMP, saw it looked bang on and spent the rest of my time looking for one. Reality is, these closed factory SMP's are pretty much non-existent today. Mid last year, I fell upon an "old school" SMP. It looked very similar to the closed factory model, however the case was thinner (more accurate imo) and the HE valve was in the wrong spot. The HE valve was never a concern to me, so it didn't matter.
Here are some photos of the initial rep. It's beautiful as is... The things to note are:
Watch cost me $250.00 total and shipped
-Its powered by a Swiss 2836-2 movement
-Thickness of casing is thinner and crystal has less of a bevel than what i've seen on my other SMP reps. It also feels like it has a bit more weight. Closer to gen. Almost bang on.
-Bracelet construction is top notch. I give it an 8/10 for accuracy. Only thing is I'm going to brush the ends of the bracelet links over the weekend. They currently have the mirror like polish. Totally wrong.
-This model has the screws, not pins in the links. Doesn't bother me. Not noticeable.
-HE valve is wrong
-Look at the red tip on the second hand! Correct length. Too bad they cut the square end on tail of the second hand short about 1mm...
-Crown guards look much better in person than in pics. Compared to what i've had in the past, these are much better. I will leave these alone for now.
-Lume is of the same quality as my UPO. Consistent green all around.
Part 2: Franken process has started. The DIY stuff...
3 Months later, I brushed the ends of the bracelet links. Looks perfect. I also had my local watchsmith replace the crown and HE valve. These were used parts that he had sitting around after he did a service for another gentleman. I believe the rep tubes were reused for both. Lastly, I got my hands on a gen bezel. This bezel came from RWG thanks to Paparas. I used the insert only and sold the bezel ring. This help offset the costs of the initial bezel purchase.
Parts Cost me $75.00 total and shipped
Part 3: Franken process continues. Sourcing parts...
I started looking for more gen parts to franken my watch with. My primary source was eBay because used SMP parts are readily available on there. This is was I bought:
1. Gen Seamaster Professional dial, used but in new condition. The lume was a little weak so I had PB dad touch it up.
Parts Cost me $65.00, shipped
2. Gen Seamaster Professional hands, new from Ofrei. For about $70.00, you cant go wrong buying them new. Most of the time used hand are banged up anyways...
Parts Cost me $75.00, shipped
Ofrei link: http://www.ofrei.com/omega-watch-hands-caliber-1111.html
Part 4: Franken process continues. Getting the parts installed...
Note: Im keeping install and labour prices to myself. I don't know if modding prices vary and I would hate to step over anyone's toes. You could probably do the math with all the figures I distribute throughout my thread. Keep in mind however, this SMP was one of a few watches PB was working on...all my figures are approx...
Now that I had all the gen parts that I needed, it was time to have them installed. PBdad was my guy. I've had a few watches modded by him and I've had nothing but good experiences...
Gen dial after the relume. Notice he forgot the 3 o'clock marker
For those who were wondering about reluming the "printed" lume dots, it's definitely possible. PB did mine and it looks 100% gen and CLEAN! If there's something most of us don't like, its when you see handling marks or excess lume powder. DSSD's are prone for this, especially after a relume. My SMP markers came out 9.5 out of 10...I couldn't be more pleased.
Heres a photos after he reassembled the watch with the new hands and dial. He had to disassemble the watch again after I pointed out the 3 o'clock marker he missed.
Part 5: Finished product...
Quality control pictures prior to shipping. This is about 3 months after I shipped it to PB. I couldn't wait to get the bugger back...
The lume on this thing tops my gen Omegas. I'm really picky with aftermarket stuff and never thought it was possible to get a relume this good.
Heres a comparison shot with the gen. I stared at this photo everyday for the 8 days it took for this watch to get back to me. OCD's kicking in...ha...
Here is what it looks like today...beautiful...I've also got a 100% gen steel bracelet on it right now...
Comparison photos with my gen quartz. Overall, very close match. Minor differences in the cg's and the HE valve of course. The quartz is also thinner, but that's expected because its a quartz. Next to gen, without using a ruler, my case looks bang on. Also, the crystal is an aftermarket swiss sapphire crystal. I don't see a difference between it and the gen.
Part 6: Conclusion...
Om3ga_guys FrSMP-007 built consists of:
1. Rep case + back
2. Gen dial
3. Gen hands
4. Gen crown
5. Gen HE valve
6. Gen bezel (I reordered a gen bezel ring + clickspring + retaining wire. I will install next week)
7. Gen bracelet
8. Swiss manufactured saphire crystal
9. Swiss 2836-2 movement
The one thing I want to point out to those who fear starting a franken because of costs is if you can get yourself a watch capable of taking gen parts for $250.00, really all you need is a $600-$700 budget (including the watch) and you can build a pretty damn good piece. The only real problem you get yourself into is once you've started with the gen parts, you keep wanting to add more
For those wondering why I would spend $700.00 on a rep:1. I already own a gen quartz and chronograph
2. I liked the idea of doing a custom build
3. Huge Bond fan. Goldeneye is what actually got me into Omega and watches in general. The gen 40th aniv. would have cost much more money to buy
4. ........and because I could
PS. I have a 42mm FrPO on the way as well. Should have a thread started on it in the next few weeks...
Hope everyone found this useful, feel free to PM me with questions.
