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15202/15300 fantasy build

rm1406

Horology Curious
20/5/17
8
3
3
United States
Hi all,

I have been waffling back and forth about purchasing a ZF 15202 due to it being a 2-hander and lacking a quick-set date function (seems crazy to me to go out of the way to modify a 9015 to have this "feature," even if it is more akin to the genuine).

Anyway, I haven't tinkered with a watch in a bit, but kinda have the itch again, and I thought the following might be a fun and relatively simple project. I might get a ZF 15202 and swap the movement for a stock (or ap decorated from a 15400 or something) 9015 and switch the handset for a 3 hand stack, resulting in a weird fantasy mashup of the 15202 and 15300 (I don't think anyone sells the 15300 anymore as best I can tell).

My thoughts would be to potentially use 15450 hands if a dealer can source them, or some off the newer 37mm that are popping up. My concerns are that:

1. The hand lengths may be too short and end up looking goofy or out of place, or obviously not meant for the size of the 15202 dial. Obviously this watch will never "pass" as a genuine, and furthermore, I wouldn't ever care for it to do so, BUT, an imbalance here could potentially be something that would bother me immediately or over time. I also thought I could potentially use 15400 hands, but I suspect these would be too long.

2. Given the thinness of the 15202, there might be a spacing issue with the addition of the seconds hand, such that the seconds hand may press against the crystal, keep the movement from seating properly in the case, and prevent it from functioning.

Does anyone with experience with the ZF 15202 have thoughts about these possible mods? I've looked around but haven't found any information that would point me in the right direction.

Thanks!
 

W47chl0v3r

PM for 5402 inquiries
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Just off the bat, a 3126 clone movement is thicker than the 9015 miyota and might not even have clearance to fit the case. Someone can measure the space in the zf15202 and someone else can measure the thickness from the dial to the rotor of a 15400 to confirm. I would say that is your biggest issue, that and the dial not fitting. 15202 dials are 28.4mm in diameter.
 

nom_deplume

Known Member
8/1/22
160
134
43
Earth
LUV these builds ... don't understand why 'hot rodding' your watch is called 'Fantasy build' ... my buddies 37 Ford Pick Up with a 427 on Nitros isn't a a Fantasy ..it's a F'ing Hot Rod

Look forward to your progress
 
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rm1406

Horology Curious
20/5/17
8
3
3
United States
LUV these builds ... don't understand why 'hot rodding' your watch is called 'Fantasy build' ... my buddies 37 Ford Pick Up with a 427 on Nitros isn't a a Fantasy ..it's a F'ing Hot Rod

Look forward to your progress

Ha, never thought of it like that, but I love this way of looking at it.

So here's the simple recipe I'm thinking, just for clarity, as I realized my initial post was a little muddy:
  • ZF 15202 as the base watch.
  • 15450/15550 miyota 9015 hand set (ty @W47chl0v3r for dial specs!).
    • I assume the dial size in the 15450 and 15202 are similar, if not the same? So hopefully these hands will be a painless drop-in. But, I'll need to dig around a little to double-check.
    • Not sure if these hands are even available from a TD.
  • New Miyota 9015 to revive the quickset date function.
    • I may just go with a plain, undecorated 9015. I could potentially pick a decorated movement up from another 9015-based AP rep, or just steal the rotor from the ZF 15202 at least. I haven't decided whether I care about looking at the movement through the display back. Traditionally, I prefer a closed caseback.
    • Not sure about swapping the date wheel yet, but we'll see. I kinda like the blue on the 15202 that minimizes the impact of the date on the dial.
    • I could also snag a decorated 16202 movement whenever those come out in the distant future. Not sure I can wait until the 16202 release from the factories.
  • Someone recently posted an amazing 5402 build with a custom-made closed caseback, I may reach out and see if I couldn't potentially source one for this build. This would be a bit down the list in priority, but would probably be my preference ultimately.
 
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grillbrill

I'm Pretty Popular
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9/7/18
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Ha, never thought of it like that, but I love this way of looking at it.

So here's the simple recipe I'm thinking, just for clarity, as I realized my initial post was a little muddy:
  • ZF 15202 as the base watch.
  • 15450/15550 miyota 9015 hand set (ty @W47chl0v3r for dial specs!).
    • I assume the dial size in the 15450 and 15202 are similar, if not the same? So hopefully these hands will be a painless drop-in. But, I'll need to dig around a little to double-check.
    • Not sure if these hands are even available from a TD.
  • New Miyota 9015 to revive the quickset date function.
    • I may just go with a plain, undecorated 9015. I could potentially pick a decorated movement up from another 9015-based AP rep, or just steal the rotor from the ZF 15202 at least. I haven't decided whether I care about looking at the movement through the display back. Traditionally, I prefer a closed caseback.
    • Not sure about swapping the date wheel yet, but we'll see. I kinda like the blue on the 15202 that minimizes the impact of the date on the dial.
    • I could also snag a decorated 16202 movement whenever those come out in the distant future. Not sure I can wait until the 16202 release from the factories.
  • Someone recently posted an amazing 5402 build with a custom-made closed caseback, I may reach out and see if I couldn't potentially source one for this build. This would be a bit down the list in priority, but would probably be my preference ultimately.
FYI

Rumor has it next year clone 2121 movement will be released which might accept gen or current customized rep hand sets.
 
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W47chl0v3r

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The 2121 will never be cloned… you can quote me on that.
 

Nono92

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FYI

Rumor has it next year clone 2121 movement will be released which might accept gen or current customized rep hand sets.
The problem is the hand base. Except that and the fact it is not in gold, the hands are not so bad. When we look at the rotation axis, they are quite the same on rep and gen... I don't know why the factories persist to make it like that !