- 11/7/16
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Hey there, just wanted to share, because why not.
I happened to find a pretty good price on a genuine black dial for the 15300, so I bought it. It has been used, as the markers were not free of small blemishes.
So then, I bought the 15300 from BP Factory. It's the only one out there, but they did a great job on the date font, which I'm pretty picky about. However, you must get the white dial version when doing a franken as all genuine 15300s have a white date disc. BP factory, for whatever reason, made colored date discs with white ink (blue/black background), which is not gen-like.
Really, that is all you would need to make a decent franken. I sent the watch off to legend to thin and install, and he not only delivered perfect results but has excellent communication as well. I also asked him to clean up the scuffs/scratches on the markers of the dial with rodico or something. I think he did - legend if you're reading this, were you able to do that? If so, how do you do it out of curiosity?
Original thickness: 10.95mm
After thinning: 10.12mm
I could have got it to gen thickness (9.4mm), but it would sacrifice not only the movement deco plate (which isn't a huge deal), but also the deco rotor. Losing the rotor would really be no fun for me, so I elected to keep it all and get it as thin as possible. I asked if I could keep the rotor and ditch the deco plate, but legend said they travel as a team unfortunately. After wearing it now, it's quite nice, but I do think it would fit better at 9.4mm. I mayyyy do the thinning service again, but who knows. At 10.1mm though it's fantastic and a MUCH better fit than before.
After all installation, the dial fits and the date wheel really looks great with all of the serifs.
Overall satisfaction with mod:
It is fantastic. Even with a DSLR full frame camera with macro lens, it is VERY difficult to capture the depth, reflectivity and subtle light play that the dial gives upon viewing. It's absolutely fantastic and truly does take the watch to a different level. However, my gripe with the design itself is that a flat stainless marker at 12 (the AP logo) on a black background of the dial lends to no separation and it's difficult to see when looking at the watch directly. Even harder to capture with a camera. I was having to slightly angle the watch or move something in the reflectiveness of the AP logo so that it could be seen. Not a huge fan of that.
Future mods? Maybe. In order they would be:
1. Prof crystal 2xAR. I know it's not gen like but man it would be beautiful
2. Further thinning. I would sacrifice movement beauty on the backside, but I may do it.
3. Genuine date disc, if available.
I happened to find a pretty good price on a genuine black dial for the 15300, so I bought it. It has been used, as the markers were not free of small blemishes.
So then, I bought the 15300 from BP Factory. It's the only one out there, but they did a great job on the date font, which I'm pretty picky about. However, you must get the white dial version when doing a franken as all genuine 15300s have a white date disc. BP factory, for whatever reason, made colored date discs with white ink (blue/black background), which is not gen-like.
Really, that is all you would need to make a decent franken. I sent the watch off to legend to thin and install, and he not only delivered perfect results but has excellent communication as well. I also asked him to clean up the scuffs/scratches on the markers of the dial with rodico or something. I think he did - legend if you're reading this, were you able to do that? If so, how do you do it out of curiosity?
Original thickness: 10.95mm
After thinning: 10.12mm
I could have got it to gen thickness (9.4mm), but it would sacrifice not only the movement deco plate (which isn't a huge deal), but also the deco rotor. Losing the rotor would really be no fun for me, so I elected to keep it all and get it as thin as possible. I asked if I could keep the rotor and ditch the deco plate, but legend said they travel as a team unfortunately. After wearing it now, it's quite nice, but I do think it would fit better at 9.4mm. I mayyyy do the thinning service again, but who knows. At 10.1mm though it's fantastic and a MUCH better fit than before.
After all installation, the dial fits and the date wheel really looks great with all of the serifs.
Overall satisfaction with mod:
It is fantastic. Even with a DSLR full frame camera with macro lens, it is VERY difficult to capture the depth, reflectivity and subtle light play that the dial gives upon viewing. It's absolutely fantastic and truly does take the watch to a different level. However, my gripe with the design itself is that a flat stainless marker at 12 (the AP logo) on a black background of the dial lends to no separation and it's difficult to see when looking at the watch directly. Even harder to capture with a camera. I was having to slightly angle the watch or move something in the reflectiveness of the AP logo so that it could be seen. Not a huge fan of that.
Future mods? Maybe. In order they would be:
1. Prof crystal 2xAR. I know it's not gen like but man it would be beautiful
2. Further thinning. I would sacrifice movement beauty on the backside, but I may do it.
3. Genuine date disc, if available.
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