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Molnija Build

olworthers

I'm Pretty Popular
17/8/07
2,171
33
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Well I’ve had this build in progress for several years now, but the lockdown has finally given me chance to finish it off!

Bought the parts from NightWatchParts back in the day.

So the specs:

Jackson Mini Fiddy Case fitted with Plexiglass
NightWatchParts Hands
Molnija pocket watch movement
Brass movement ring
Custom stem
Can’t remember where I got the dial!

I wanted a 2 hander so the back of the dial has a very small drilled hole about half the depth of the dial to accommodate the seconds hand stem on the movement.

I separated the dial and applied my own vintage, slightly patina-look lume before gluing the sandwich back together. Similarly I’ve added a light patina look to the lume on the hands and tried to give them a worn look rather than shiny and brand new.

The case is polished with a slight relic look, the lugs have been polished on the sides and remain brushed on top. I’ve tried to take the some off the bezel without looking like I’ve just bashed it about!

Finally the case back was originally brushed so I polished it with finer and finder grades of abrasive paper before using a cape cod for the final finish. I’ve left some deeper scratches in place to add to a more authentic look.

I was looking to create an over look of a watch that is 70+ years old, without overdoing it.

The crown guard has the hot glue gun treatment so it feels pretty tight, and the sharp edges have all been filed.


All in all I’m pretty happy with it. The keyless works was a bit fiddly but eventually I got it all together. Movement runs very well, with a 43 hour power reserve.

I’ve never done one of these photoshoots before, so I thought this would make a good first subject....


Cheers!


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