The watch that launched me on my journey to obsession/madness/watch building was the 203/A.
There is just something that resonates with me when I see the contrasting black dial with aged cream colored tritium. And the iconic tan strap against the anthracite colored PVD.... Oh yes... The PVD. That's the one feature that's been hardest for me to get nailed down. Noob still makes great cases that can be reshaped. DSN makes amazing crowns and acceptable CGs. Rolli is constantly producing great dials. There are lots of great caseback options, but the PVD... What to do?
Since affordable European sources have dried up all that remains is spending upwards of $1000 for a decent PVD job. So, over the last 2 years I have been trying to work with existing shops to get a decent price on a coating with all the required nuances. The finish should change color based on the lighting. In most outdoor conditions you'll see the classic pencil lead color emerge with a nice contrast of charcoal. On dark days and low inside light, the watch will almost look black Just as important as the anthracite finish is the surface preparation. The case must be bead blasted with the appropriate fine media to achieve the special shimmer that makes the case glow under the finish. Seems easy, right? Not really, not for a decent price. That is until recently when a friend put me in contact with a friend who I was able to work through a few iterations to get the finish just right, in my opinion anyway...
the specs on this build:
Noob 111M reshaped by me
Gen crown with custom tube
WSO gen correct double screw bars
BM C3 Crystal
Southy museum grade dial (only 2 in existence)
Jakob caseback
Swiss 6497
And on this one, a very special strap... A genunine Pre-V PAV99 with a 22mm buckle
The journey was long but worth it in the end!
There is just something that resonates with me when I see the contrasting black dial with aged cream colored tritium. And the iconic tan strap against the anthracite colored PVD.... Oh yes... The PVD. That's the one feature that's been hardest for me to get nailed down. Noob still makes great cases that can be reshaped. DSN makes amazing crowns and acceptable CGs. Rolli is constantly producing great dials. There are lots of great caseback options, but the PVD... What to do?
Since affordable European sources have dried up all that remains is spending upwards of $1000 for a decent PVD job. So, over the last 2 years I have been trying to work with existing shops to get a decent price on a coating with all the required nuances. The finish should change color based on the lighting. In most outdoor conditions you'll see the classic pencil lead color emerge with a nice contrast of charcoal. On dark days and low inside light, the watch will almost look black Just as important as the anthracite finish is the surface preparation. The case must be bead blasted with the appropriate fine media to achieve the special shimmer that makes the case glow under the finish. Seems easy, right? Not really, not for a decent price. That is until recently when a friend put me in contact with a friend who I was able to work through a few iterations to get the finish just right, in my opinion anyway...
the specs on this build:
Noob 111M reshaped by me
Gen crown with custom tube
WSO gen correct double screw bars
BM C3 Crystal
Southy museum grade dial (only 2 in existence)
Jakob caseback
Swiss 6497
And on this one, a very special strap... A genunine Pre-V PAV99 with a 22mm buckle
The journey was long but worth it in the end!
