I've not done a mod log for a while so thought I would do one for a cartel 5512 that I have in. This is the piece for the winner of the WIKI contribution raffle AskMeAgain and will be my last modding piece for a while as I'm starting a new job soon and will have zero free time to mod watches.
Everyone knows the major flaws of the cartel case sets. Namely the stubby crown guards and tall crown. In this mod log I will perform all the normal modding of the parts, ageing etc, but will also tackle the modification of the case profile and the crown height. This was originally championed by RolexAddict who has done some awesome case work mods in the past and continues to work wonders with stock case sets to make them more gen like.
I will be using all rep parts, no gen or aftermarket parts in this mod log as I believe you can create something awesome just using stock parts and a bit of work.
For those of you who have not already done so I urge you to read through my How to age your Vintage Rolex - New and Improved! thread in the Tutorials section as I cover a lot of the same information there, and in more depth with tool descriptions etc. That thread is now approaching 15,000 views and many many people have contacted me since it was started. I'm proud to have written something that has helped and inspired a lot of folks to get started modding vintage watches on their own. And long may it continue!
This is just a simple job log as I work on this piece over a few days. Hopefully I'll have time to complete this in the next few days and I will keep updating the pics as I go.
So lets get started. As I've said this is a stock Cartel 5512 with a 4 line dial, domed crystal and a 21j movement. The first job is to break it down into its constituent parts for ageing and re-working. Nothing I'm doing is particularly new here, I just thought it would be good to show the full process again.
First job of course is to remove the bracelet. An easy first step using a springbar tool or even a toothpick to push the ends of the spring bars.
Next we start breaking it down by removing the caseback, I used a sticky ball because it's easy and cheap, you can also use specific Rolex caseback tools but more often than not the teeth on the caseback are not well formed and you can damage them even using the correct tools.
Use a decent sized screwdriver 1.6mm or so to remove the rotor screw.
Always good to have some place to store all your parts while working on them. These trays are available from watch supply stores and are stackable which is always handy!
Next you want to remove the stem and crown from the movement, undo the movement tabs and set the parts aside in your tray. You're going to remove the bezel assembly next so grab a caseback knife and possible a razor blade or craft knife.
Use the caseback knife to pry off the bezel assembly. As you can see it's fairly simple to do and is pretty much gen spec. Retaining ring is still on the case, but to the left you have the bezel, the washer spring and the bezel insert.
Use a screw remover to remove the tube. Remember to remove the gaskets in the tube before you do this! Keep them safe.
Here you can see the retaining ring holding the crystal down on the case. Great to see there's no plastic gasket as it will make using the stock crystal much easier.
Previous cartel case sets have had no engravings, wrong engravings, correct engravings. It's kind of pot luck what case you will get.
Here I had to use a craft knife to get under the retaining ring before being able to pry it off with a case back knife. Crystal and ring came off as one unit.
So there you have step one, breaking everything down and keeping things neat and tidy while you do
Everyone knows the major flaws of the cartel case sets. Namely the stubby crown guards and tall crown. In this mod log I will perform all the normal modding of the parts, ageing etc, but will also tackle the modification of the case profile and the crown height. This was originally championed by RolexAddict who has done some awesome case work mods in the past and continues to work wonders with stock case sets to make them more gen like.
I will be using all rep parts, no gen or aftermarket parts in this mod log as I believe you can create something awesome just using stock parts and a bit of work.
For those of you who have not already done so I urge you to read through my How to age your Vintage Rolex - New and Improved! thread in the Tutorials section as I cover a lot of the same information there, and in more depth with tool descriptions etc. That thread is now approaching 15,000 views and many many people have contacted me since it was started. I'm proud to have written something that has helped and inspired a lot of folks to get started modding vintage watches on their own. And long may it continue!
This is just a simple job log as I work on this piece over a few days. Hopefully I'll have time to complete this in the next few days and I will keep updating the pics as I go.
So lets get started. As I've said this is a stock Cartel 5512 with a 4 line dial, domed crystal and a 21j movement. The first job is to break it down into its constituent parts for ageing and re-working. Nothing I'm doing is particularly new here, I just thought it would be good to show the full process again.
First job of course is to remove the bracelet. An easy first step using a springbar tool or even a toothpick to push the ends of the spring bars.
Next we start breaking it down by removing the caseback, I used a sticky ball because it's easy and cheap, you can also use specific Rolex caseback tools but more often than not the teeth on the caseback are not well formed and you can damage them even using the correct tools.
Use a decent sized screwdriver 1.6mm or so to remove the rotor screw.
Always good to have some place to store all your parts while working on them. These trays are available from watch supply stores and are stackable which is always handy!
Next you want to remove the stem and crown from the movement, undo the movement tabs and set the parts aside in your tray. You're going to remove the bezel assembly next so grab a caseback knife and possible a razor blade or craft knife.
Use the caseback knife to pry off the bezel assembly. As you can see it's fairly simple to do and is pretty much gen spec. Retaining ring is still on the case, but to the left you have the bezel, the washer spring and the bezel insert.
Use a screw remover to remove the tube. Remember to remove the gaskets in the tube before you do this! Keep them safe.
Here you can see the retaining ring holding the crystal down on the case. Great to see there's no plastic gasket as it will make using the stock crystal much easier.
Previous cartel case sets have had no engravings, wrong engravings, correct engravings. It's kind of pot luck what case you will get.
Here I had to use a craft knife to get under the retaining ring before being able to pry it off with a case back knife. Crystal and ring came off as one unit.
So there you have step one, breaking everything down and keeping things neat and tidy while you do
