BP Seadweller.. Best SD available Period

[mclarendude]

Having a timegrapher is definitely one of the most worthwhile investments for any aspiring watchmaking hobbyist. Also got the BPSD demagnetized with a $14 gadget off of Amazon and running much more up to spec now. I probably will upgrade the movement in this to a more reliable VR3135 anyway. Operating the crown on this watch is all messed up. Sometimes I’m able to move the minute hand when the seconds aren’t even hacked.

During disassembly I noticed that the SA3135 uses a dial spacer between the movement and dial. Do any of the well versed folks here know if I’ll have to reuse this spacer in a VR3135 during the movement transplant? I’m assuming I would have to in order to ensure proper stem height for the crown

It sure is. Try and get that beat error down. That’s the funnest part.

 

[Aphung2]

It sure is. Try and get that beat error down. That’s the funnest part.

Definitely looking forward to the fun I’m about to have with that..! :bang:

 

[mclarendude]

Definitely looking forward to the fun I’m about to have with that..! :bang:

It’s extremely rewarding, I love doing it!


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[Aphung2]

It’s extremely rewarding, I love doing it!


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Thanks for the encouragement to give it a bit of a nudge. Was able to get it better! I’m a huge sucker for well regulated timepieces so I’m pretty happy

 

[mclarendude]

Thanks for the encouragement to give it a bit of a nudge. Was able to get it better! I’m a huge sucker for well regulated timepieces so I’m pretty happy

My dude, that is beautiful. Quality job well done!

 

[thorne]

 

[thorne]

Heads up for anyone planning to install a VR3135 into a BPSD.

I have a BPSD franken, 3135 case but with the 2824 caseback, as that’s closer to gen. It had an SH3135 in it.

I sent it off to aflop to install a VR3135 and a gen rotor assembly. All went well, until we realised the rotor didn’t have enough clearance to turn with the 2824 caseback on. But it worked perfectly earlier with the SH3135 in it, and the 2824 caseback.

aflop milled out the 2824 caseback for the extra clearance (took a lot of elbow grease and multiple unprintable words in a variety of languages) and all’s perfect now.

So surprisingly the VR3135 seems to be ever so slightly thicker than the SH3135.

 

[Bebew 78]

Heads up for anyone planning to install a VR3135 into a BPSD.

I have a BPSD franken, 3135 case but with the 2824 caseback, as that’s closer to gen. It had an SH3135 in it.

I sent it off to aflop to install a VR3135 and a gen rotor assembly. All went well, until we realised the rotor didn’t have enough clearance to turn with the 2824 caseback on. But it worked perfectly earlier with the SH3135 in it, and the 2824 caseback.

aflop milled out the 2824 caseback for the extra clearance (took a lot of elbow grease and multiple unprintable words in a variety of languages) and all’s perfect now.

So surprisingly the VR3135 seems to be ever so slightly thicker than the SH3135.

The VR comes in without the gen rotor?

 

[Aphung2]

Heads up for anyone planning to install a VR3135 into a BPSD.

I have a BPSD franken, 3135 case but with the 2824 caseback, as that’s closer to gen. It had an SH3135 in it.

I sent it off to aflop to install a VR3135 and a gen rotor assembly. All went well, until we realised the rotor didn’t have enough clearance to turn with the 2824 caseback on. But it worked perfectly earlier with the SH3135 in it, and the 2824 caseback.

aflop milled out the 2824 caseback for the extra clearance (took a lot of elbow grease and multiple unprintable words in a variety of languages) and all’s perfect now.

So surprisingly the VR3135 seems to be ever so slightly thicker than the SH3135.

Really good to know, thanks for the heads up!


on a side note,
Added a genuine handset to the watch today. The wear on them nicely complements the patina on the blueish insert. Also replaced the cracked pearl with a nicer, creamier one

 

[pompompurin]

Built my 16600 today and added a VR3135 using a custom thin movement ring and custom movement tabs:

Custom bigger tabs to hold the VR3135 in place

Custom tab and custom thin movement ring installed

Done!

Gen dial
Gen hands set (including the minute hand - found a spare)
Gen crown
Gen tube
Gen date disc
VR3135 movement
Better caseback from a BP 16600 2824-2 version
Brushed bracelet
Rounded the bottom of the SEL
reshaped the bottom of the crownguard slightly
Blued and aged the stock insert

 

[R2L]

Question for those who have completed a build with the VR3135 movement. I’m planning to do one using the SA3135 dial and the VR3135 movement but need help with sourcing a good set of hands. My budget won’t allow for a gen set, so I’m looking at aftermarket sources. I see a set of Clark’s are available as well as a whole bunch from various sources on the fleabay. Should I go with the Clark’s or is there a better source. Lume color is not a problem as my modder can relume them to match the dial plots. Thnx.

 

[pompompurin]

Question for those who have completed a build with the VR3135 movement. I’m planning to do one using the SA3135 dial and the VR3135 movement but need help with sourcing a good set of hands. My budget won’t allow for a gen set, so I’m looking at aftermarket sources. I see a set of Clark’s are available as well as a whole bunch from various sources on the fleabay. Should I go with the Clark’s or is there a better source. Lume color is not a problem as my modder can relume them to match the dial plots. Thnx.

Clarks sub hands are WAY worse than the stock BP SA3135 hands.

IMO, it's better to stick with the stock BP SA3135 hands than to try anything aftermarket. I find that only the ARF / JF 16610 hands are better than the stock BP SA3135 hands.

IMO, if you are absolutely on a budget, then go with JF/ARF 16610 hands set + gen seconds hand.

 

[R2L]

Clarks sub hands are WAY worse than the stock BP SA3135 hands.

IMO, it's better to stick with the stock BP SA3135 hands than to try anything aftermarket. I find that only the ARF / JF 16610 hands are better than the stock BP SA3135 hands.

IMO, if you are absolutely on a budget, then go with JF/ARF 16610 hands set + gen seconds hand.

Thank you! Really helpful recommendation. Unfortunately the kit that I got did not include the SA hands so I need to either expand my budget to include a set of gen hands, or keep my eyes peeled for a set of JF/ARFs to come along.

 

[pompompurin]

Thank you! Really helpful recommendation. Unfortunately the kit that I got did not include the SA hands so I need to either expand my budget to include a set of gen hands, or keep my eyes peeled for a set of JF/ARFs to come along.

No problem at all. Is your 16600 kit a SA3135 version or 2824-2 version?

I believe the crown/ stem/ tube height is slightly different between the 2824-2 version and the SA3135 (i.e., the 2824-2 version uses a really tall dial spacer, in order to compensate for the lower crown/stem/tube height). Therefore, i don't think the 16600 2824-2 version could take a 3135 clone movement.

However, if someone managed to fit a 3135 clone movement inside a 16600 2824-2 version, please let us know

 

[R2L]

No problem at all. Is your 16600 kit a SA3135 version or 2824-2 version?

I believe the crown/ stem/ tube height is slightly different between the 2824-2 version and the SA3135 (i.e., the 2824-2 version uses a really tall dial spacer, in order to compensate for the lower crown/stem/tube height). Therefore, i don't think the 16600 2824-2 version could take a 3135 clone movement.

However, if someone managed to fit a 3135 clone movement inside a 16600 2824-2 version, please let us know

My kit is of a 2824 but it came with the SA3135 dial so I thought I’d build mine around the VR3135 movement. I may have misread the thread so far, but I was under the impression that a 3135 would fit into a 2824 case set, but would need a special movement spacer and the case back milled. If not, I have the 2824 dial and hands and all I would need to source is the movement and the H4 pinion set. I’m fine either way, but would prefer to go the least complicated route.

 

[pompompurin]

My kit is of a 2824 but it came with the SA3135 dial so I thought I’d build mine around the VR3135 movement. I may have misread the thread so far, but I was under the impression that a 3135 would fit into a 2824 case set, but would need a special movement spacer and the case back milled. If not, I have the 2824 dial and hands and all I would need to source is the movement and the H4 pinion set. I’m fine either way, but would prefer to go the least complicated route.

Provided that the 2824-2 version uses a thick dial spacer to compensate for the lower crown/stem/tube height, I think it's possible that the 2824-2 version could fit a 2836-2 movement. This means that you could skip the 2824-2 + H4 conversion, if you use the 2836-2 instead. However, this needs confirmation from someone who has experience modding a 2824-2 version as I never owned a 2824-2 version before (but i have owned the complete movement and dwo assembly of the 2824-2 version, and these observations are based on TD pictures).

 

[R2L]

Provided that the 2824-2 version uses a thick dial spacer to compensate for the lower crown/stem/tube height, I think it's possible that the 2824-2 version could fit a 2836-2 movement. This means that you could skip the 2824-2 + H4 conversion, if you use the 2836-2 instead. However, this needs confirmation from someone who has experience modding a 2824-2 version as I never owned a 2824-2 version before (but i have owned the complete movement and dwo assembly of the 2824-2 version, and these observations are based on TD pictures).

Thank you! So you are recommending i go the 2836 route instead of the 2824H4 or the VR3135? The case i have is from a 2824, so i am thinking that going the 2824H4 route would mean less work. Installing a 2836 into it may not fit due to the lower stem height compared to the 2824. Or am i missing something?

 

[pompompurin]

Thank you! So you are recommending i go the 2836 route instead of the 2824H4 or the VR3135? The case i have is from a 2824, so i am thinking that going the 2824H4 route would mean less work. Installing a 2836 into it may not fit due to the lower stem height compared to the 2824. Or am i missing something?

Generally, watch cases that use 2824-2 movement cannot install 2836-2 because of the different crown/stem/tube height for the case and movement.

However, I believe the situation for the BP 16600 2824-2 is slightly different: the BP 16600 2824-2 version uses a thicker dial spacer, causing the 2824-2 movement and the crown/stem/tube height to be lower (this is from my memory and observation from TD pics. We need confirmation from someone who modded a BP 16600 2824-2 version before).

If you have modded an ARF 126600 Sea Dweller before, this watch also uses a thick dial spacer, causing the 2824-2 movement to sit lower. I have successfully replaced the 2824-2 movement inside an ARF 126600 Sea Dweller with a 2836-2 movement, using a thinner dial spacer and different DWO.

Also, the 2836-2 movement has its advantage over the 2824-2:
- comes stock with H3 (or sometimes H4) wheels/pinion
- instantaneous date flips (opposed to gradual date flips)

 

[R2L]

Generally, watch cases that use 2824-2 movement cannot install 2836-2 because of the different crown/stem/tube height for the case and movement.

However, I believe the situation for the BP 16600 2824-2 is slightly different: the BP 16600 2824-2 version uses a thicker dial spacer, causing the 2824-2 movement and the crown/stem/tube height to be lower (this is from my memory and observation from TD pics. We need confirmation from someone who modded a BP 16600 2824-2 version before).

If you have modded an ARF 126600 Sea Dweller before, this watch also uses a thick dial spacer, causing the 2824-2 movement to sit lower. I have successfully replaced the 2824-2 movement inside an ARF 126600 Sea Dweller with a 2836-2 movement, using a thinner dial spacer and different DWO.

Also, the 2836-2 movement has its advantage over the 2824-2:
- comes stock with H3 (or sometimes H4) wheels/pinion
- instantaneous date flips (opposed to gradual date flips)

Awesome! Your explanation makes perfect sense. I used to own a SSD with a 2836 inside it and everything worked well. Should anyone else who has done the 2824 to 2836 switch wish to chime in, I look forward to hearing how it went for you.

You have given me a lot of great advice and i will need to do some thinking. Part of me wants to see this through to the end, another part wants to put the kit up for sale and let someone else enjoy the project.

Thank you pompompurin for taking the time to answer my questions and provide such great advice.

 

[stufuse]

Thank you! Really helpful recommendation. Unfortunately the kit that I got did not include the SA hands so I need to either expand my budget to include a set of gen hands, or keep my eyes peeled for a set of JF/ARFs to come along.

I have a set of Bp sa hands never used. They were taken out with the dial from The franken I sold to Thorne.

It is of any help to you PM me and we can set up a sale in M2m


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