Phong 1665 'thin case' DRSD

[tripdog]

Phong. Everybody knows the name . Purveyor of high end 'gen' spec' 'Rolex' parts. Gonna need a respectable paper stack though if you wanna buy off Phong - this shit's phucking expensive - $1400 for a case, $200 for hand sets etc.

The best thing about Phongs cases is the engravings- they're cleaner and crisper than Rolex engravings - which would mean they aren't really gen' spec' . . .

The worst thing about Phong is, well, Phong. His 'vintage' case refinishing is plain weird. A Phong vintage refinished case looks like a blob of ice cream that's just starting to melt in the sun. Everything is soft, rounded, indistinct.

Below is a Phong 'thin case' 1665 DRSD. Except it's not really a 'thin case', it's a thick case with the top shaved off on a lathe. That's cheating - and it's not gen' spec'.

The 'thin case' 1665's actually used a 5513 case with HEV as the base - this was later replaced with the dedicated 'thick case' to make the distinction between the SD's and Submariners.

This Phong 'thin case' case needed some work - an almost total absence of straight lines and flat surfaces, and a general level of finish that means you wonder why you paid $1400 for it, especially if you have to send it off to again to get it sorted.
.
At the workshop in Compton (DaPhuck Rephinishing, next to the McDonalds) they did a great job as usual.

Before:

After:

Thanks for looking.

 

[Drr80]

Phongs been hittin the bong to much.

 

[cpd2186]

Brushed per Gen baby!!!!!

 

[yodog]

clean!!!

 

[blackboxes]

Mastery of the craft!

 

[J___]

Yeah......it's no 2:1 double gen-spec though...

 

[xray7]

At the workshop in Compton (DaPhuck Rephinishing, next to the McDonalds) they did a great job as usual.

As is often the case when Trip displays his acerbic wit, I suspect the neighbours heard me laughing.

 

[gunsmoke16610]

The engraving on that case is awesome and your metal work skills take to another level man.

 

[jimcon11]

I like to imagine you as the guy in your avatar when I read these threads.

Doesn't shaving the top of the case off mean that that the tube hole is way off center? It looks like it needs to be filled and redrilled lower, if that's even possible.

 

[tripdog]

I like to imagine you as the guy in your avatar when I read these threads.

Doesn't shaving the top of the case off mean that that the tube hole is way off center? It looks like it needs to be filled and redrilled lower, if that's even possible.

The tube position in the case is determined by the movement and it's stem height - shaving the top off the case means the bezel assembly will sit lower, it will also give the impression the crystal is taller and that the crown sits higher in the case, but it won't have any impact on the alignment of the crown/stem/movement.

 

[jimcon11]

The tube position in the case is determined by the movement and it's stem height - shaving the top off the case means the bezel assembly will sit lower, it will also give the impression the crystal is taller and that the crown sits higher in the case, but it won't have any impact on the alignment of the crown/stem/movement.

I see what you're saying. From your pics it just worries me that your crown is going to be sitting higher on the case than it should. My big crown has that issue a bit because the tube was drilled at a slight angle for some reason.

Anyway, the case lines look 100% better than the phlubber you received, I'm sure you've got a plan to make it work.

 

[capice]

looking very nice....
Here are a few photos of a gen, hard to tell if the crown in yours sits too high...
The placing of the lugholes seems to be too much to the lug tip, on the gen there is more space between the lug tip and the hole..
Also the place of the HEV is a bit higher in regards to the gen.

 

[tripdog]

looking very nice....
Here are a few photos of a gen, hard to tell if the crown in yours sits too high...
The placing of the lugholes seems to be too much to the lug tip, on the gen there is more space between the lug tip and the hole..
Also the place of the HEV is a bit higher in regards to the gen.

That's a 'thick case' 1665 - as I said in the OP the 'thin case' 1665 used a 5513 case as it's base - much thinner than the 'thick case' which it replaced - crown position is different and so are lug hole positions compared to the 'thick case' 1665.

 

[capice]

sorry, still a noob on Rolex...but learning a lot

 

[tripdog]

An update on the quest for a true 'Thin Case' 1665. This is from MQ, it's a true 'Thin Case' - note the position of the HEV, the thickness of the case around the middle part and the channel on the top of the case for the gasket - which Phongs didn't have as he'd cheated and shaved a normal 1665 case on a lathe.

This wasn't perfect when it arrived, the finish on the sides of the lugs wasn't great, the crown guards weren't the right shape and the HEV stuck out of the case like a fighter pilots thumb.

Conclusion ? Phlee Phong.

 

[cpd2186]

stuck out of the case like a fighter pilots thumb.

Never heard that quote before but like it!!!

 

[jimcon11]

An update on the quest for a true 'Thin Case' 1665. This is from MQ, it's a true 'Thin Case' - note the position of the HEV, the thickness of the case around the middle part and the channel on the top of the case for the gasket - which Phongs didn't have as he'd cheated and shaved a normal 1665 case on a lathe.

This wasn't perfect when it arrived, the finish on the sides of the lugs wasn't great, the crown guards weren't the right shape and the HEV stuck out of the case like a fighter pilots thumb



Conclusion ? Phlee Phong.

Looks fantastic. How are the caseback engravings? That's one aspect of the Phong case that looked really nice, though this isn't a watch I've looked at a ton so I'm not sure about the accuracy.

 

[tripdog]

Looks fantastic. How are the caseback engravings? That's one aspect of the Phong case that looked really nice, though this isn't a watch I've looked at a ton so I'm not sure about the accuracy.

Didn't come with a case back - this one's not waterroof.

 

[Mika00]

Great job on those cases. MQ's case is just another level compared to Phong's. As you said Phong's cases (even untouched ones) have no straight, flat lines. Where as MQ's - you can almost use it as is, unless you want that absolute perfection. Good lessons learnt on this project.