My First Project Watch - a 176 (h?)

[LemmyCaution]

This is my first project watch with parts and lots of help, inspiration and moral support from Babola and Pamfried.
I'm learning so, don't hold back on the criticism but I do ask you to back it up with facts as best you can. Praise? Praise away!

Take a really nice 112h:
swiss ETA 6497, dagger S/N, CDG bridges
superb case
sapphire with excellent A/R
lumed by Flav, in C2
high cannon pin, pin top flattened and polished like gen
dial txt darkened in beige to be 1:1 to the gen
palp crown, and excellent CG

And one Old School Ti Case:

Remove the Crown, Movement and dial:

Place said movement and dial into case, remove SS crown, replace with Ti Crown, adjust shaft, tighten movement screws and...
Voila:

And a quick Wrist Shot - (I'll post more tomorrow in Eyecandy)

a 176 H - (thanks LoS)
Note to self, Buy:
movement holder
back remover
a more definitive set of screwdrivers
better tweezers for placing the movement holder plates

 

[LegendofSpeed]

it's an H.... and what will you do with the palp SS crown??? :?:

 

[LemmyCaution]

it's an H.... and what will you do with the palp SS crown??? :?:

Thanks LoS I assumed it was but, as I said.

The case, crown etc. await a movement and dial for a 114. My next project watch.

 

[LegendofSpeed]

a 114... interesting.... who has a correct caseback for that?

 

[fakemaster]

Go Lemmy!

 

[brtelec]

I think half the fun of messing around with reps. Is I have no fear of digging into them. It has bitten me on the ass, but it is just another learning experience. It is satisfying to complete a project like this. Good for you.

 

[ken72]

Nice work. I have gone back and forth on Pan's and have never really decided if I like them. I have owned two and sold them both. I like this one very much. Very good work sir.

 

[dvburns]

That's a great project. It's a big step to take apart a good watch in the pursuit of something more appealing. The 176 is an excellent choice for such a project. You will enjoy it all the more for having done the work yourself. Now that you are on the path, get really good tools. You will have even more confidence using them on your next project.

 

[babola]

Great result mate,
I put a lot of efforts in sourcing those parts, that 112H was one of the best reps I ever owned...I kinds miss it now :-(

Don't stop now, you've started a wonderful journey into modding and watchmaking in general

cheers,
babola

 

[LemmyCaution]

Thanks all -

FakeMaster, brtelec, ken72, DVBurns, Babola - thanks for the support. This project was pretty tame as my friends had done much of the ground work. Any suggestions for tool sources? What's the difference between Bergeon and lesser screwdrivers? I take my 'hobbies' as seriously as I do any other worthwhile work.

Ken72 - As my sig states, I'm more interested in A/P ROOS but, the reps are just not 'there' yet. When I first started exploring reps - like many - I thought Panerai were the most over-rated, clumsy and generally stupid watches I'd ever seen. Then, on a whim - I bought a cheap Fiddy. I've worn it a couple of times. Then, I bought a beautiful 183g from Babola. The Rad was an absolutely perfect watch (I sold it to Sylar at Repgeek) but, the style just didn't work for me.

Then I bought the 112 (ex Babola) which I was afraid to wear because the polished SS case was so pristine. Then a DSN 036, then another 036 from AndyAudi - With the 036 I really turned the corner. The titanium watches are where my interests lie. The Ti watches are perfect for my day to day watch. I'm a fairly 'hands-on' manager and I think nothing of pulling ethernet cables through an equipment rack or replacing the system board in a failed computer so, titanium is an ideal material for my watch.

Being a 'hands-on' guy, the Panerai have another lure - their size makes them fairly easy to work-on. I do basic maintenance on my road bike, my 10 yr old Porsche, my audio system and pretty much everything else I own (except cameras). This was an ideal project for me. Working with watches is like anything else - the results depend on one's commitment and understanding. I did not attempt this swap until I had rehearsed it a hundred times in my head.

My friends Babola, Pamfried, Sylar, AndyAudi and LoS have all offered (knowingly or not) inspiration and various tips over the last few months. Without them, RG, RWI, RWG and Google, I could never have done this. TWPs 'From Start to Finish' was a great help.

Last weekend, we took a road trip through the Central Coast of California, I've been wearing one of my 36s or my 177h (from Trusty) - hoping that the last pieces for the 176 would be in the mail when I returned home. They were. Now, it's time to find the parts for the 114 and perfect the 177h (send off for Lume, and correct A/R), and to buy one of those 'secs@12' AP ROOs.

Thanks again -

 

[calavera]

nice work. I'll be doing something similar in the future..I hope

 

[hubrisin]

I'm starting up on my 177h soon, who should do the Lume work? Can't get ahold of Vacuum?

 

[vintage911]

nice work!