Building 6538 (Enjoying the process)

[Hec]

6538 Project (ongoing)

Materials

- Alix case
- Athaya crown 8mm
- Athaya Extenders
- Athaya PIP
- Alix Insert
- Raffles 6538 bracelet
- Raffles Rolex Rotor
- Helenarou hands and Dial
- 2824 Seagull (modified with setting lever 2 positions) - ghost position removed (THANKS A LOT @Karbon74 for your help)
- Sternkreuz crystal


Currently I have

- modified case with 8 mm crown
- modified 2824-2 movement
- aged insert (not sure if this is the final one)
- torch bezel

Now after seeing thousands of photos, thinking... I have to decide how to act on the dial, first I was going to use Tamiya weathering or make-up but I'm not sure.

I would like to have a vintage touch but without excess, I don't control the weathering process too much either.

I would like to give my dial an antique touch of background weathering, maybe with smoke? Water? Suggestions welcome

Attached is a photo of my initial idea;

- for the hands I'll use some vinegar, salt and soda

For the dial... I DON'T KNOW!!!

first dial idea:

 

[Hec]

Second idea, similar than dial of @369mafia

 

[Karbon74]

it's white vinegar, salt and hydrogen peroxide, not soda

This oxidization technique does not work for me in the current winter weather. It did work great in summer. I think the liquid mix has to be above 25ºC to work.

 

[Hec]

What's new...

I have a new insert, a light blue gen faded insert.

What do you think about the PIP, would you change it or leave the gene?

Next, I still have to assemble the watch, I'm still waiting for the tiger concept hands (one month away...)

Regarding painting the dial, I'm going to look for painting the markers in some ochre colour... suggestions of any paint?



This is my “idea/target”:

 

[WatchN3RD]

Will the dial markers come bright white or are you printing a dial and having to lume it completely? Unsure if you still using one from Helenarou. If the markers are already there but too white, you can possibly get away with using copic markers or watercolor paint to adjust the lume to your desired color. That's probably the simplest solution, but the options are endless depending your desired outcome and lume skills.

 

[Hec]

Yes, I go with Helenarou Dial, my idea is to use watercolor following Karbon's advice and seeing the good results that some of you have, but sometimes I think that I could get a dull color, there is also a technique called "Gouache" very similar to watercolor.

Regarding the Lume, please correct me if I am wrong, it would be the last step, I would give a very soft Lume. The Helenraou dial and the hands have lume, when painting a part of it will disappear I imagine.

 

[Hec]

a question about the "fat spring bars". (Today I have talked about it with @Karbon74 but difficult to explain for me, Thanks always master @Karbon74

I put a picture of how I would like them to look (holes with fat spring Bars), but when I put mine with the bracelet they are not visible (as they are in the picture).

My fat spring bars are visible when I don't have the bracelet on, problem of the endlinks? also the holes of this case are at the end of the lugs, which is not very logical. Ideas?

 

[Karbon74]

hello from 10000m up in the air

I think the issue you are having is that the endlink holes don't fully align with the lugholes. This is the first thing to check, especially if you have bought case and endlinks from diff sources

If they do align, it can be that there is a bit if burr on the lugholes that "catch" the springbar and prevents it from fully deploying.

1 & 2 can of course both happen

 

[Hec]

I have tried sanding the holes a little with a round file, and nothing... I have even tried different types of spring bars.

For example the "Raffles" spring bars are short compared to the "cousinsuk" ones... both do the clamping function but do not "stick out" as I have shown in the picture.



The problem is what you say, there is no deployment ... maybe I should sand the endlinks more ... even though I sanded them a lot and the spring bars go through the holes of the ends.

 

[Karbon74]

remove the springbars, and put the endlink between the lugs, holding it in position with your fingers.

look through the lughole. Everything must be aligned.

 

[KGZ]

hello from 10000m up in the air

Still following RWI and helping members from an airplane is next level commitment stuff...

Safe travels my little yellow friend!

 

[WatchN3RD]

Yes, I go with Helenarou Dial, my idea is to use watercolor following Karbon's advice and seeing the good results that some of you have, but sometimes I think that I could get a dull color, there is also a technique called "Gouache" very similar to watercolor.

Regarding the Lume, please correct me if I am wrong, it would be the last step, I would give a very soft Lume. The Helenraou dial and the hands have lume, when painting a part of it will disappear I imagine.

Gouache is a type of watercolor paint that has much more pigment than regular watercolor. It should work similarly. Since regular watercolor is often inexpensive, I would test both to see what you like. Both paints should reduce lume glow, but gouache should block more.

If I understand you correctly, you want the lume to glow, but only a little bit? Is that what you mean "dull color?"

I'd love to see your dial if you already received it.

 

[trustytime]

Lovely to come across this thread.

I personally loved the Rolex 6538 Big Crown Submariner. Managed to have 1 piece many years back but it came with a service dial. It was a 1958 one which is deep etched in my memory.

Dial lume usually of this age will not have strong glow at all. Most use a UV torch to check the tone and also the evenness across all the markers

I left the vintage game after too many fakes out there (yeah the Vietnam cases) and also many handmade fake dials which are very very well done.
I was even left scammed with a GMT 1675 Gilt Dial which to my experience and knowledge, I could not tell it was fake until it was taken apart and it also left many genuine watch dealers I know totally bewildered.
The game of vintage genuines are all over for me. However I will always love to share what I know when I can.

Cheers and good weekend.

 

[WatchN3RD]

Wow, I didn't even realize Trusty/Andrew was actually on the forum too. That is an impressive surprise for me.

Andrew, thanks for sharing. I agree with you about the vintages too. There are so many talented artists out there, just think if they had the proper equipment and no conscious. I also know some purchasers with endless funds won't even look at a watch unless it's from an estate sale or "hidden time capsule," scenario.

Can't blame you for avoiding the vintage stuff these days, but what was the final giveaway for the 1675 dial? Was it supposed to solid brass or copper and turned out to be the opposite? Something was waterbased when it should have been solvent based? I'm always intrigued by the sneaky techniques used to replicate something and sell it as genuine.

 

[kidcreole]

On the vintage stuff I try to avoid anything from Italy too. They've been top notch in replicating high end for an age.

 

[Karbon74]

On the vintage stuff I try to avoid anything from Italy too. They've been top notch in replicating high end for an age.

nice to know !
some crazy stuff coming in from Spain too

 

[Hec]

My dial is this one in the absence of the marker work, as I said I opted for a "lollipop" from tigerconcept which has not yet arrived.

When I have time I would like to write a review about the submariner 6538 & 6536.

I discovered this watch by chance, what I didn't know is that some great icons of history wore it on their wrist, for example in the takeover of Cuba there are pictures of Fidel Castro wearing a 6536 with the crown unscrewed.

In the near future I might make a 6536 but VIET, it seems to me a unique watch that was only in production for a year or two....

I am glad that some of you like the project, there have already been many 6538s and some very high quality 6536s on this forum.

Thank you @trustytime for share your history

 

[Hec]

At the moment I am blocked in the project to the point that I don't know if I will be able to finish it.

I have a problem with the athaya 8mm crown and its adapter, the athaya crown needs an adapter, and inside the adapter we put the stem.

Well, despite cutting the stem (it can't be cut anymore) and shortening the adapter, the stem+adapter is still long and I don't see a solution, obviously there is a solution but I don't know it.

I don't know if someone like @kilowattore @pompompurin or someone used this crown + adapter before and could guide me a bit,

Regards

 

[Hec]

Problem with crown is solved, now clamps