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BP Released whole line of DG3804 CHS GMTs - cheap!

Hinclimincli

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After reading KJ2020 post, I have just realised the thickness is due to the case back. Will try to get another one and see how it goes...
 

Hinclimincli

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GMT II 126711CHNR Wrap RG/SS Blk GMF Asia 3285 CHS $748.00

GMT hand hole surround is a Frisbee

I don't even know how to adjust that movement. Can't see any of the fine tuning screws or pivots near the balance wheel. Is that a real cloned movement?
 

Hinclimincli

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Alright...

...done some tinkering with this little fella with the objective to sort out three things:

1. Align the bezel insert.
2. Align cyclops
3. Get the crystal a bit higher as it was getting my seconds hand stuck (plus the genuine is not flush and this one is).

First I took the movement off and stored it safely, as KJ2020 mentioned, on a DG2813 movement it's better to remove the stem in the winding position (for some strange reason I am also more successful doing the same on any 2824 too although it's recommended to use the time settings position).

3ljpP.jpg


All ready to take off the crystal. Put one of the crystal press dies and taped gently with a jeweler's hammer and it just took a few taps. Really easy to take it off (makes me wonder about water resistance of this watch...). Here's our good friend, the crystal!

3lZaJ.jpg


As you can see, it's thick and doesn't have any grooves like other crystals have in order to get the gasket attached in it. Now let's compare with a Clarks I had from a Submariner.

First some measurements of the BP crystal:

3lzGW.jpg


3QgVo.jpg


And now the Clarks crystal:

3lAzR.jpg


3lewK.jpg


In terms of width they are pretty similar, but because the Clarks crystal has the groove in the inner side, it makes it slightly thinner there which makes it impossible to be installed right away. Seems like swapping crystals will be a no no for me this time. I know there are some methods that our expert here KJ2020 has shown, but I don't have clear epoxy nor an extra gasket, and I am too impatient to wait until I get all that. So moving on.

I decided to take the bezel off. I don't have a hairdryer so I essentially let the watch in some hot water for a couple of minutes and it was easy as a pie to take it off:

3lHAS.jpg


Here you can see the ring wire that keeps the bezel in place. An absolute pain in the ass to take off and the reason I decided not to even try to get the retaining ring off to try with my 3mm gasket.

3lK8Q.jpg


After that, I only had to put the movement back and get the date window aligned, which I would use as a reference to get the insert + cyclops aligned with. And voilà:

3lh7L.jpg


Insert aligned (once the glue cooled down it was just a matter of pressing the insert back)

And crystal back in, with cyclops well aligned this time!

3l5Vv.jpg


3lLY8.jpg


Now the funny part... The movement screws are pretty tight, the crystal is also in place, and the seconds hands is moving. So I don't have a clue what was holding it in the first time. Anyhooooow...

Finally, some check with Tickoprint and seems like the movement is actually working very well. Job done!

3lWi1.jpg
 

Hinclimincli

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UPDATES:

1. The dial of the CHS DG2813 has the correct date windows position as I tried the Clarks crystal briefly (without pushing it) and the cyclops was perfectly in place.
2. Another way of getting the crystal look higher is to... get the insert to sit lower. So I took off all the glue (quite a lot, actually) which was making the insert to sit flush with the bezel, and used three tiny dots of superglue on the outer side of the insert. Just a tiny dot applied with a toothpick as I don't want the fumes of the superglue to stain the crystal. Still not gen-spec tall, but it is indeed an improvement and substracts from the general bloated feeling that this model/version has:

3pQb1.jpg


3. For the caseback, I tried the one from my Ginault and it doesn't fit. So I took measurements of the BP caseback, here they are in case anyone needs them:

3pO5P.jpg


3pq0J.jpg
 
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pecupecu

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GMT II 126711CHNR Wrap RG/SS Blk GMF Asia 3285 CHS $748.00

GMT hand hole surround is a Frisbee

So the HS has the same problem. The same ugly frisbee.
Case, dial, bezel are very similar.

I dont like the fact that in the wrapped version, there is a clear line showing the wrapping thickness. Thats just as bad as having a stainless steel bare side.

What do we know about the movement?

I still think that BP is the better choice

GMF wrapped on the left, BP on the right

Picture1.png

Picture2.png


That finishing on the side of the middle link is just as bad as having nothing gold there
 

KJ2020

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So the HS has the same problem. The same ugly frisbee.
Case, dial, bezel are very similar.

I dont like the fact that in the wrapped version, there is a clear line showing the wrapping thickness. Thats just as bad as having a stainless steel bare side.

What do we know about the movement?

I still think that BP is the better choice

GMF wrapped on the left, BP on the right

Picture1.png

Picture2.png


That finishing on the side of the middle link is just as bad as having nothing gold there

Completely agree bro. GMF side SEL looks terrible. BP clear winner for appearance, claimed mil thickness aside.

Regarding the movement, this new GMF is the old timebomb 2824 CHS. I only know of one that's ever been repaired, see this post for more info if interested.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/fo...-why-the-chs-gmt-movements-are-failing/page11
 

Hinclimincli

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Isn't the central part of the SEL on the BP way too high and protruding a lot? Feels really wrong. Why can't they make a decent bracelet?!
 
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pecupecu

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Isn't the central part of the SEL on the BP way too high and protruding a lot? Feels really wrong. Why can't they make a decent bracelet?!

I dont think thats a problem on the root beer. Maybe in some datejusts

BP on the left. GEN on the right.

rbeer.jpg
 
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Hinclimincli

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Back to the mods and improvements, does anyone have a clue about finding:

1. A good jubilee bracelet replacement (Raffles has some, but they are usually quite mediocre)
2. A good caseback? (Raffles is out of stock)
​​​​​​
​​​​​
 

KJ2020

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Alright...

...done some tinkering with this little fella with the objective to sort out three things:

1. Align the bezel insert.
2. Align cyclops
3. Get the crystal a bit higher as it was getting my seconds hand stuck (plus the genuine is not flush and this one is).


Nice work bro. It's a great feeling to get all that sorted out. You got a ton of room on that one to get the wire out from under the bezel if you ever need to. Mine was so close I could barely even see it without jamming it apart!

I have found two casebacks that fit these and reduced overall thickness by about .7 -.8mm. One from a DHgate 5 digit YM. The other I just discovered recently from a cartel 5513. It has a polished back but so what? It's a perfect fit and instant slim so I'm happy.

15718784500621.jpg


15718784222000.jpg


BTW I think the measurement from the Clark's gen spec crystal that matters is the one from the recessed edge on the bottom where the gasket fits. The Ref # 295 is this diameter, 29.5mm

3dgK2.jpg


I'm getting ready to fit another double gasket Clark's AR cyclops onto a BP GMT. I scored one recently M2M with the old style (non "frogfoot" coronet) dial. Seriously what was BP thinking?

3kD1E.jpg
 
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Hinclimincli

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Nice one KJ2020!

I might just skip the crystal swap as I already glued the insert so removing the bezel will require lots of heat now (I used three tiny dabs of superglue). I don't have clear epoxy and all the tools to glue the two gaskets anyway, so I can't make the homemade gasket properly anyway...

But the caseback is interesting, I will search eBay for aftermarket casebacks and of I can't find one I'll get a donor watch from the gate (unless you want to sell one of your spares, which I'd be happy to buy).
 
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Hinclimincli

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Right, just found an old caseback from a Tiger Concept GMT that fits right in! Down to 12.5mm finally:

3wEVX.jpg


The outer diameter is slightly smaller, but it covers the case perfectly so I'm not worried about water resistance (not that I'll go snorkeling with this fella).

Now I just need a new bracelet. Anyone knows of a decent jubilee for this?
 
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Hinclimincli

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Edited: you ordered from Chazingtime, just saw your previous post. Nice one!
 
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