Clean Factory Explorer 1 124270 Care Essentials Diary
I recently bought a Clean Factory 124270. Having owned the genuine version for quite some time, I wanted to see if it truly lives up to the "nwbig" reputation as some claim.
I’ve also been learning the art of watchmaking, or at least watch care, for my own purposes. After acquiring some tools and working on Seikos and other models, I went through the process of refining this Explorer to make it even better than it left the factory.
Here’s what I did myself to the brand new Clean Factory Explorer I 124270:
I recently bought a Clean Factory 124270. Having owned the genuine version for quite some time, I wanted to see if it truly lives up to the "nwbig" reputation as some claim.
I’ve also been learning the art of watchmaking, or at least watch care, for my own purposes. After acquiring some tools and working on Seikos and other models, I went through the process of refining this Explorer to make it even better than it left the factory.
Here’s what I did myself to the brand new Clean Factory Explorer I 124270:
- Rehaut Polishing
- I polished the rehaut without using any substances, as I noticed that products might cause the engraved letters to fade. Instead, I used different types of cloths to get as close as possible to the genuine look.
- Gasket Lubrication
- I applied silicone grease to the caseback gasket and the crown thread.
- Waterproof Testing
- After greasing and tightening the caseback (which was surprisingly loose - factories often leave it you could open it with using your fingers only), I tested the watch for waterproofing. It passed smoothly up to 6 ATM. It might have gone further, but my testing device didn’t have a higher scale.
- Crown Thread Cleaning and Greasing
- I cleaned the crown thread thoroughly and added silicone grease to ensure smoother operation. You’d be surprised how much dirt can accumulate in this area, affecting the smoothness of the crown’s function. Cleaning and greasing are, in my opinion, essential.
- Rotor Silencing
- As the owner of the genuine model, I first listened to the rotor noise in both. Interestingly, the rotor is audibly noticeable in the genuine one, but not by much. For the Clean Factory piece, I disassembled and cleaned the rotor and caseback, then applied a few precise drops of lubricant during reassembly. Now, both rotors sound almost identical, though they are still audible.
- Movement Regulation
- I made minor adjustments to the movement to bring it into COSC range.
- Bracelet SPA
- This step isn’t finished yet. I plan to use more tricks to get a superb look and feel. So far, I’ve cleaned the bracelet in an ultrasonic cleaner, disassembled it completely, and cleaned each component—screws, links, clasp. During reassembly, I applied a small drop of lubricant to each screw to ensure smooth operation.
Below, I’ve included some photos to showcase the process and results Some photos show the rep and the gen comparison.
- This step isn’t finished yet. I plan to use more tricks to get a superb look and feel. So far, I’ve cleaned the bracelet in an ultrasonic cleaner, disassembled it completely, and cleaned each component—screws, links, clasp. During reassembly, I applied a small drop of lubricant to each screw to ensure smooth operation.
