EBAY / Ali express case set review

[369mafia]

was cruising ebay , looking for parts and came across this case set.

39MM Stainless Steel Case Green Luminous Watch Case For NH34/35/36 Movement | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 39MM Stainless Steel Case Green Luminous Watch Case For NH34/35/36 Movement at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.ca

It arrived today and good news. I was looking for a thinner case set for a 6536 /5508 build and I think I may have found it!!

case dimentions mm the flat sizes make it look thicc but its quite a nice size mid case.
38.1 d
15.6 h
lug height 5.3
case has lug holes , that look like they could be drilled out to 1.3

rehaut 28.1
dial seat 29.4
36mm raffles movement holder fits perfect.
will fit raffles sub dials no problem

bezel
uses wire - not gen spec - only disappointment the bezel is fine however I was thinking it may be good for a milgauss but a smooth bezel wont fit the mid case without some machining work. a bit above my pay grade. I think that because the way the crystal mounts I would be plagued with that gap between teh bezel and dial , that ruined my first 1019 build. But for my 6536 it will work just fine!!

uni directional with click spring removable.
insert 37.3 od
30.6 id

the insert it comes with I thought may be acrylic and could be repainted for a 6542 but it is a solid plastic with engraved numerals.
raffles inserts pop right in and fit nicely

raffles 6mm crown fits
raffles 5.3 crown fits
raffles 8mm may fit. I will try it later
crystal has cyclops and is acrylic . the WSO 116 gmt crystal fits loose. would need some GS glue , but maybe a T19 or a clarks 25-116 may be tighter I can provide dimentions and if any crystal nerds can cross reference the sizes to a clarks piece, that would be cool .
it is not glued in so it can be swapped for one without a cyclops or you can sand off the one on the og crystal

I have not done a comparison between the raffles 6538 and this case but this one feels slimmer and better suited for a 6536 project for sure.
I may swap in my 6538 guts to get a feel and see how it looks. so far its quite promising.



Always happy to find and share new options for projects and builds!!

if there are any specifics I missed, ask away and I can take measurements.

 

[dpd3672]

I’ve got a big crown raffles case in the queue, interested in seeing this progress.

 

[DeLoMan]

The bezel looks more accurate than the Raffles 6538. I’m tempted to buy it just for that to upgrade mine.

 

[369mafia]

The bezel looks more accurate than the Raffles 6538. I’m tempted to buy it just for that to upgrade mine.

youre correct

gen for ref

I did a quick look at this case and my 6538 the flanks of the case look slightly smaller than the raffles case. but it feels more svelte than the raffles. maybe its the crystal ?

the bezel as you mentioned looks more accurate.
have yet to compare the lug holes position

 

[369mafia]

at closer look this case is not anywhere near thin enough for a 6536 but the finishing is nice , it has nice chamfers
overall its a nice affordable alternative to the usual suspects from china and vietnam.

it could be passable to most except vintage experts.
gen for ref.

 

[369mafia]

 

[369mafia]

UPDATE:

So I thought I would attempt a bit of shaping yesterday evening using needle files. and I must say I am pleased with the shape this case is taking on!! I address the underside of the lugs, the very bottom edge and reduced its height slightly and softened the bottom edge

I think its quite similar to 6536-1 profile shown above.

the way the caseback is designed on this , the threads are somewhat inset to the opening so there is little chance of accidently hitting them with a file and wrecking the threads so you can really work on the flanks and reduce height.

I am 95% satisfied , it looks like it can use a bit more near the ends of the lugs to form a bit more of a point.


There is a gasket in the recess that holds the crystal I have not tried removing it as I dont want to damage it. however a T22 would not fit. , but I tried it with the gasket installed. I think it might just fit if I remove the gasket. perhaps Ill try today.

I want to drill out the lugs but I am a bit concerned on the position. I will enlarge them but may not go to 1.3

In reality a great option. I wonder if @Winni1611 could chime in as he had built a 6538 using a tiger concept case and to me it looks similar to what they offer. Could this be from the factory where he gets his parts? plausible.

a couple quick pics. I think Im going to swap over the 6538 and see how it looks and make sure everything lines up with an eta before I go all in on this.

 

[Winni1611]

The TC case is ok, but I don't think it's way better than the eBay/Ali case. Beside that the stem high does not fit any 28.. or NH..
Maybe this case is made to fit a 3.... movement. I have to check this.

 

[dpd3672]

The ebay seller has some pretty cheap options for watch cases, although I'm not sure what the various differences might be.

 

[Winni1611]

I bought a cheap case from Ali (about 20 $) Was ok after modifying the case, but it did not fit a rolex crown,
nor a tube ( hole was too big for zhe tube)

 

[dpd3672]

I bought a cheap case from Ali (about 20 $) Was ok after modifying the case, but it did not fit a rolex crown,
nor a tube ( hole was too big for zhe tube)

I have an absolute bottom of the barrel quartz 2-tone Submariner that was part of a deal, and have been wondering how good it could potentially be if I were to shape the case a bit, replace the movement and dial (possibly the bezel and hands, as well) and make a beater out of it. Really nothing to lose but my time, and it could wind up a fun project.

 

[Winni1611]

I have an absolute bottom of the barrel quartz 2-tone Submariner that was part of a deal, and have been wondering how good it could potentially be if I were to shape the case a bit, replace the movement and dial (possibly the bezel and hands, as well) and make a beater out of it. Really nothing to lose but my time, and it could wind up a fun project.

It will be for shure. Mostly those cases are to thick , so you have enough Material to work with.
I love modding cases, making other bezels fit is a bigger challenge...

 

[Singapore9]

Cool thread - noticed this case before and thought it looked like a good, cheap project! Nice to see someone took the leap! Great work OP!

 

[Karbon74]

@Hec you had a similar project?

 

[Hec]

@Hec you had a similar project?

Yes!!! Thanks for share

I have on the way case from Raffles, handset from Helenarou… It’s my next project

 

[369mafia]

The TC case is ok, but I don't think it's way better than the eBay/Ali case. Beside that the stem high does not fit any 28.. or NH..
Maybe this case is made to fit a 3.... movement. I have to check this.

the TC case does look rather beefy with thick lugs and flanks .

I thought this one may be similar to it but it seems to be of some other style or factory.

Nice to find a diamond in the rough every once in a while.

 

[369mafia]

Update:

Swapped the guts from the raffles case into enay case it and they fit. No problem. In fact the rehaut is slightly larger so you see a bit more of the swiss and a bir more area ourside the chapter ring

movement holder fits
Tabs need to be modified to fit the case. Slight variation to the raffles. Probably since the case is intended for nh movements.


Its just a moke up but overall i do like it morw than the raffles case. Its every so slightly more svelte Other than that. Not much difference.

The raffles 8mm crown doesn’t fit. You will need to swap in the tube.

 

[Karbon74]

that's a nice case indeed

 

[Geonor]

I think I found the same case here

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EvnI1ed

 

[Karbon74]

I think I found the same case here

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EvnI1ed

I was hesitating to say so...