High resolution pics coming later today. Interested to hear your thoughts. It’s pretty dang awesome.
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Build Thread: Milsub 5517
- Thread starter coolbeans1911
- Start date
And here it is after the restoration.
Under VERY close inspection I am not thrilled with the military T. Although the shape is correct the way it was applied was not. It is still the best aftermarket T logo I’ve seen but not 100% perfect as I was expecting it to be.
I’d say it’s pretty dang close though.
If there is someone in Europe that can do it 1000000000% factory spec I’d consider it for my next dial.
Under VERY close inspection I am not thrilled with the military T. Although the shape is correct the way it was applied was not. It is still the best aftermarket T logo I’ve seen but not 100% perfect as I was expecting it to be.
I’d say it’s pretty dang close though.
If there is someone in Europe that can do it 1000000000% factory spec I’d consider it for my next dial.
I couldn’t wait for the hands. I just had to see it together. Holy Santa Clause shit this is unbelievable. I could not be happier right now.
Hands coming next week.
Will do final assembly / photos after that.
Hands coming next week.
Will do final assembly / photos after that.
- 9/8/10
- 924
- 804
- 93
What an absolutely brilliant job on the dial - they did you proud! It's looking cracking - well done!
Thank you so much! I can’t wait for this one to be completed!
Here is the final build. Let me know what you think.
Scroll through. The breakdown is after the photos.
FINAL BUILD LIST
Case: PHONG 5517 modified by Tripdog
Crown: Genuine
Glass: Genuine
Bezel Insert: Crown Art Customs
Dial: Genuine Non serif dial restored / modified by Michael Young in Hong Kong
Hands: Vintage Watch Mods on eBay
Movement: Genuine 1520
TOTAL COSTS in USD
Phong Case: $1,715
Trip dog work: $255.35
Genuine Crown$266.56
Genuine D19 Glass: $373.19
Bezel Insert CAC: $283.28
Movement: $2,399.06
Total Dial Cost: $2,741.47
Hands: $111.42
Genuine Winding stem: $37.91
Total Project Cost $8,183.24
Final Thoughts:
Unfortunately I did not have a lot of options when it came to cases. Really you only can go Phong if you want good engravings. There are serval others out there but Phong is by far the most reliable. He is also the most expensive. His case was not even finished well. Tripdog really put in the work to make it perfect. I could not be happier with my decision to have him help with the project.
The dial is awesome. For the money you’re not going to get a better dial. Period. It’s genuine Rolex with a fresh lume job. You can’t get better than that. The military logo is spot on in shape and size. The only issue is it was not applied using the correct technique. Only noticeable with a magnifier. I have to say I am happy with it over all.
The bezel insert from CAC is the best on the market. It’s awesome. He is a pleasure to work with.
The hands are my biggest upset. While they were cheap, the hour hand has the wrong proportions. It needs to be stubbier. It is a tad long. The minute and hour hand is good though. And the paint match on the lume is literally perfect. You can’t match it better.
Overall this project taught me a lot about the Frankenstein space. It also taught me a lot about the 5517 milsub. I now consider myself an expert on them. They are super cool and I am happy to have gone through this process.
While I would love to keep this, I didn’t really think I would spend over $8,000 USD trying to get here. I initially budgeted $6k. I think I am going to list this for sale. Stay tuned for that. I still have not decided 100%.
Overall I feel as though this is one of the best milsub builds on the internet. I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts. End of build
Scroll through. The breakdown is after the photos.
FINAL BUILD LIST
Case: PHONG 5517 modified by Tripdog
Crown: Genuine
Glass: Genuine
Bezel Insert: Crown Art Customs
Dial: Genuine Non serif dial restored / modified by Michael Young in Hong Kong
Hands: Vintage Watch Mods on eBay
Movement: Genuine 1520
TOTAL COSTS in USD
Phong Case: $1,715
Trip dog work: $255.35
Genuine Crown$266.56
Genuine D19 Glass: $373.19
Bezel Insert CAC: $283.28
Movement: $2,399.06
Total Dial Cost: $2,741.47
Hands: $111.42
Genuine Winding stem: $37.91
Total Project Cost $8,183.24
Final Thoughts:
Unfortunately I did not have a lot of options when it came to cases. Really you only can go Phong if you want good engravings. There are serval others out there but Phong is by far the most reliable. He is also the most expensive. His case was not even finished well. Tripdog really put in the work to make it perfect. I could not be happier with my decision to have him help with the project.
The dial is awesome. For the money you’re not going to get a better dial. Period. It’s genuine Rolex with a fresh lume job. You can’t get better than that. The military logo is spot on in shape and size. The only issue is it was not applied using the correct technique. Only noticeable with a magnifier. I have to say I am happy with it over all.
The bezel insert from CAC is the best on the market. It’s awesome. He is a pleasure to work with.
The hands are my biggest upset. While they were cheap, the hour hand has the wrong proportions. It needs to be stubbier. It is a tad long. The minute and hour hand is good though. And the paint match on the lume is literally perfect. You can’t match it better.
Overall this project taught me a lot about the Frankenstein space. It also taught me a lot about the 5517 milsub. I now consider myself an expert on them. They are super cool and I am happy to have gone through this process.
While I would love to keep this, I didn’t really think I would spend over $8,000 USD trying to get here. I initially budgeted $6k. I think I am going to list this for sale. Stay tuned for that. I still have not decided 100%.
Overall I feel as though this is one of the best milsub builds on the internet. I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts. End of build
- 9/8/10
- 924
- 804
- 93
Lovely piece - certainly not cheap but then it was never going to be!
- 17/3/06
- 358
- 70
- 28
Nice watch bro, though it looks like you 'forgot' to mention the case is aftermarket in your eBay sale. 
"The case, movement, dial, crown, and crystal are original Rolex parts!
Rolex Submariner 5513 Converted to 5517 Milsub | eBay
The previous owner of this watch wanted a milsub so badly that he decided to convert a genuine 5513 to be a double reference milsub. This build was done by professionals using as many genuine parts as possible.
www.ebay.com
"The case, movement, dial, crown, and crystal are original Rolex parts!
- The DIAL is a genuine non serif dial that was sent out to a dial maker to be re-lumed and the military T logo was added during that process.
- The CASE was sent out to an engraver to have military markings engraved on the caseback. The 5517 marking was also added on the lug making it a double reference. The lugs were also welded as per military requirements at the time."
Helenarou complete build - Added modded bezel assembly of ebay and stenkreuz XS 30.3
- 9/8/10
- 924
- 804
- 93
I've got a great offer from the seller on ebay... only $12.5k - bargain!
Just an FYI that eBay post is not mine. It’s my brothers. He has an eBay store so I had him list it. I told him like 8 times the case is aftermarket. Thank you all for looking out!
What strap is that?Helenarou complete build - Added modded bezel assembly of ebay and stenkreuz XS 30.3
- 9/8/10
- 924
- 804
- 93
It really does. I just bit off a bit more than I could chew financially with the project. I got so lost in the build, I didn’t notice how expensive it was until after it was done.
After wearing it the last few days, I am finding it harder and harder to take off. It honestly might stay at this point.