RM11 Quartz Project

[GiantSquid]

Pictures and short update:

https://imgur.com/a/fjpaw3V

Working on the 67 deco and just received movements today. All parts fit and once we finish making the back deco (which took a lot of figuring out) and the third layer of the front deco we can put everything together. I still need to blacken the brass and do the color work on the dial and source hands (planning to assemble with regular hands until I can figure out how to attach the tube on custom hands), but the end is in sight!

As for the 50, I've been focusing on refining the design to the point that filing isn't needed and everything fits as well as it can. This is insanely annoying and fiddly but there's only one area left to really refine and it's just a matter of iterating the design until the tolerances play nice. The front bezel fits on without any filing or adjustment and sits true just like it does on the original midcase, which is a big upgrade over the previous design which required a bunch of filing and fucking around to fit. I'm going to mark and drill the holes through the bezel to ensure they fit, then measure those as precisely as I can and see if my printer has the dimensional tolerance to allow printed insert holes. If not, I'll just rig up a jig to drill them instead but printing would be easier!

Updates as things warrant, target for finishing and producing the first few cases in carbon fiber is the end of the summer/early september.

 

[GiantSquid]

Sorry for lack of updates! I haven't stopped working but I figured I'd drop a line since it's been a month since I updated anything.

I've been held back by working only with the printer at my workplace, so I bought my own. I've been getting it set and planning the mods I'll need to print carbon fiber/polycarb in house, and I've teamed up with another machinist who may be able to bring actual NTPT cases based on my STLs to the table. There are no details because this is just in the planning stages, but my printer has been going full-tilt since I got it with various prototypes. Fitting the crystal acceptably on the RM50 was a large challenge that I believe I've nailed, and I've had some rear crystals printed for the RM67. Etching plates are coming along, and we should be almost done with the rear deco for the 67, which is the last remaining piece.

Once everything is sorted I'll be able to iterate much much faster so we should be well on our way to finishing this project by the end of the summer!

 

[GiantSquid]

GIANT PICDUMP HERE:
Lots of things have happened, here's a straight rundown of the highlights. Sorry for lack of screwed-together pics, but trust me they fit. I'm just tired of taking it apart a billion times and never bothered to snap a pic. ANYWAYS, on to the rundown:

RM50: movement ring revised, rear deco plate revised for better fitment, midcase IS FULLY COMPLETE. I finally nailed down the rear crystal ledge and got the proper screw hole locations (after 33 iterations) and everything assembles without filing or fuss just like it's supposed to. The movement fits the ring, and the deco fits the movement. I started printing in carbon fiber today and produced the first official prototype midcase! I still need to mess with some settings to get some better layer adhesion early on but I printed one in a rush just to see if it works.

RM50 Still To Do: blacken deco plates, find pad printer for printing dial, print and paint revised rear deco plate, print revised movement ring, update settings and print carbon fiber midcases, press in all inserts in midcases, machine pusher stems, print pushers.

RM67: My friend printed off two clear crystals and while not perfect it's acceptable for a prototype. The crystal fits directly into the surround without filing, and while I'll need to figure out a way to index the rear deco so it all plays nice, the crystals, midcase, and bezels work as intended. I've iterated the front crystal ledge because it doesn't print well as designed and this should alleviate the issue. Front deco is done and 2/3rds of the rear plates are done as well. The bracelet inserts need some filework as is (will probably revise this week) but it works conceptually, and the straps aren't super hard to make, although they take time. There are a lot fewer pics of this one assembled because holding it in place requires like seventeen hands and I only have two, but all the parts I made (which is all of this) fit each other perfectly.

RM67 Still To Do: print all revised parts, etch resized front plates, etch rear plates, blacken required plates, figure out pad printing, figure out hands.

Enjoy! I'll post some fully assembled pics later this week once I have some time to blacken the plates and do some insert filework on the 67, plus a photo of the carbon fiber case when I get the first layer adhesion squared away!

 

[Stuvetjee]

GIANT PICDUMP HERE:
Lots of things have happened, here's a straight rundown of the highlights. Sorry for lack of screwed-together pics, but trust me they fit. I'm just tired of taking it apart a billion times and never bothered to snap a pic. ANYWAYS, on to the rundown:

RM50: movement ring revised, rear deco plate revised for better fitment, midcase IS FULLY COMPLETE. I finally nailed down the rear crystal ledge and got the proper screw hole locations (after 33 iterations) and everything assembles without filing or fuss just like it's supposed to. The movement fits the ring, and the deco fits the movement. I started printing in carbon fiber today and produced the first official prototype midcase! I still need to mess with some settings to get some better layer adhesion early on but I printed one in a rush just to see if it works.

RM50 Still To Do: blacken deco plates, find pad printer for printing dial, print and paint revised rear deco plate, print revised movement ring, update settings and print carbon fiber midcases, press in all inserts in midcases, machine pusher stems, print pushers.

RM67: My friend printed off two clear crystals and while not perfect it's acceptable for a prototype. The crystal fits directly into the surround without filing, and while I'll need to figure out a way to index the rear deco so it all plays nice, the crystals, midcase, and bezels work as intended. I've iterated the front crystal ledge because it doesn't print well as designed and this should alleviate the issue. Front deco is done and 2/3rds of the rear plates are done as well. The bracelet inserts need some filework as is (will probably revise this week) but it works conceptually, and the straps aren't super hard to make, although they take time. There are a lot fewer pics of this one assembled because holding it in place requires like seventeen hands and I only have two, but all the parts I made (which is all of this) fit each other perfectly.

RM67 Still To Do: print all revised parts, etch resized front plates, etch rear plates, blacken required plates, figure out pad printing, figure out hands.

Enjoy! I'll post some fully assembled pics later this week once I have some time to blacken the plates and do some insert filework on the 67, plus a photo of the carbon fiber case when I get the first layer adhesion squared away!

Don't see any pics mate

 

[GiantSquid]

Don't see any pics mate

There was a big inline imgur box when I first posted it, looks like that feature got removed?

Anyway pics are here: https://imgur.com/a/4Ybgu6Q

 

[GiantSquid]

https://imgur.com/a/NONl7QX

Carbon cases printed! I've made two so far and need to reslice the model to make the rear screw holes more accessible, but this is done. The crystal slots in perfectly, without any of the little fitment problems of PLA, thanks to the dimensional stability of polycarbonate filament. It's also super light, at 7 grams for the midcase alone. That will probably go up a bit when I add the brass inserts but it's noticeably lighter than the PLA+ cases I've been printing. It looks like the entire watch is going to end up being lighter than just the midcase of the donor watch, which I think is pretty cool.

This watch is effectively done, I'll be figuring out pad printing for the dial as soon as I can but I have no leads on that. Unfortunately I can't assemble the whole thing (hands and all) until the dial is printed because the VK hands are hard to source and the chronos are one-time use and are not supposed to be taken off and reused. I'll put together a full unprinted watch without hands this week and take some pictures. In the meantime we'll be developing the rear deco for the RM67 and printing those cases in CF as well but the structural elements are done. I'll try to get all this together and snap some photos for you this week!

 

[krkqm2008]

Thanks

 

[GiantSquid]

Mild bump for new project and community input:
While waiting for deco to finish etching and while I figure out hands/printing for the dials (the only remaining steps in the 50 and 67 projects!), I got bored and started messing around in Fusion, and before I knew it I had CAD for the RM33-02 extra flat. This is much easier to make and I can use off-the-shelf parts for hands, crystal, screws, etc that are easier to source consistently. I started looking into donor movements to use and I've dug up a bunch of options that I need input on.

OPTION 1: Miyota 8N24 movement. Skeletonized so that the watch will have movement (which will look baller since the dial cutouts on the gen are in the right places to show off the components of the Miyota), but it's too thick and will mean bumping the watch by 2ish mm to ~11mm thick instead of 9 like gen.

OPTION 2: Buy a Lobinni or similar from Ali and harvest the H5000 microrotor movement, rip off the datewheel, and use that. This will fit in the gen-sized case but will NOT be skeletonized unless someone here wants to do it for me (lol), but it's very close in layout to the actual Vaucher RM uses, so theoretically if someone was able to skeletonize parts of it it would be nearly perfect but that work is beyond my skillset for now.

OPTION 3: Get a Seagull TY2809 and shave 0.3-0.9mm from the Miyota option. This is a tiny bit thinner than the Miyota above but otherwise it's about the same.

From what I can see I can't rip the rotors and winding bridges off the skeleton movements because they're integral to the movement itself, so easy thinning by making them manual-wind is out.

SO, what're your thoughts? The CAD is pretty much as done as it can be without choosing a movement, all these options will fit, but where should I put my energy while I wait to figure out pad printing?

 

[GiantSquid]

LAYOUTS OF EACH WATCH HERE: https://imgur.com/a/YU2EFqK

Update and to-do list for each of the three projects I have going. Pics above are the current state of each, amounting to two nearly-complete watches and one 75% WIP. To-do list for each below.

RM50-04: Need to pad print the frontmost deco layer, blacken the inner two deco layers, cut down custom crown tubes, cut down and machine custom pusher stems, revise crown, paint rear deco. Rear screws on the midcase require some custom drilling so I'm trying to tune the supports so we maintain necessary structural supports but eliminate supports that interfere with the rear screw holes. Either way it takes time to iterate to an acceptable solution but work is ongoing.

RM67-02: Need to etch front deco at reduced size, etch three rear deco plates, pad print and blacken both front and rear deco, reprint rehaut in resin, install lume pips, pad print rehaut, source hands (THIS IS EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC AND ANNOYING), reprint case and bezels in appropriate colors (matte fiber PLA+ in red, white, blue, etc, plus carbon), make revised strap with improved quality, install screw inserts in midcase. The lack of appropriate hands that I like for this model is a setback but I'm exploring making my own or collaborating with someone to make custom ones.

RM33-02: This came together in a weekend of CAD and presents additional problems of casting the midcase and strap, plus sourcing an expensive movement, but is probably the easiest of the three design-wise. Currently we have full CAD and a printed midcase and bezel prototype. Longer term the goal is to print the bezels and other carbon parts like the above watches, and cast the midcase in rose gold or similar. I've settled on the Hangzhou movement despite the cost(~$200 each for a Lobinni to rip it out of) because it'll maintain the gen dimensions. I still need to create and etch the dial and applique numeral layers, create a crown and rehaut, and do some fitment testing but it's almost ready to start casting some prototypes and figuring that out.

I talked with a watchmaker who might be able to help me out with the pad printing, solving a big holdup for the 50 and 67. If the printing works out I'd like to try working on custom hands, and if that works out potential skeletonization of the 33-02 movement. This is a costly and long endeavour but it'll make a superior watch and I think it's worth the money and time.

Thanks for following along and ever upwards!

 

[GiantSquid]

RM67 ASSEMBLED: https://imgur.com/a/pZHGUUw

Threw together the prototype plates I have (not final versions) and a spare PLA midcase (wrong colour but fab for fast iterating) to show off what it'll roughly look like assembled. Final thickness is 9.8-10mm depending on how hard you squeeze, and now that everything is verified to fit I need to etch the final plates, blacken and colour them, put the lume pips on the rehaut (not pictured), finish sewing the strap, and that's it. I'll be making a black carbon version and a white bezel version, and other colours are limited by materials. I can do red and white in fiber but the other variants need extra equipment and materials. The rotor also isn't pictured but will be another sheet of etch, I'm just out of usable ferric at the moment.

The RM50 is structurally done, I'm just waiting on a new seconds hand and the pusher rods to be turned, and I've revised the back deco plate a little bit. I'll assemble that one this week and pop a photo into here.

I HATE the hands for the 67 that I have, so I'll be looking into making my own. I don't believe these hands have a collar (they're just a flat piece with a hole) so I should be able to make those much easier, but I'll use the dauphine hands I have available for now.

Thanks for following along!

 

[krkqm2008]

Looking solid sir

 

[GiantSquid]

PHOTOS: https://imgur.com/a/KLd8hwm

So it's been a while, and I've done some more stuff. Decided I hated the hands too much on the RM67, so I ditched that movement, switched to a Swiss Ronda HAQ movement, bought better hands, and now I'm satisfied. I had to redo the movement holder but that allowed me to add some additional deco on it that adds depth and detail to the deco plates.

I've started using the coloured fiber filaments and they're fantastic. I have red, white, and blue for the various versions of the RM67, and they print great, pop off supports easily, don't warp, and finish and machine really well. I have materials for straps coming and we've revised the design to be a little closer to gen materials. I was having some fitment problems on the rear bezel but that was solved by flipping my print orientation and doing more finishing work by hand, and I made a couple sanding jigs to make each part consistent and interchangeable. This will definitely help if I decide to make a few of these to sell, which I've been kicking around as an idea.

Another milestone is that I found a company that will etch for me! My etches at home keep failing and I can't devote the time necessary to generating all the plates I need, but I'm having several sets made in various materials and once they get here I'll have professionally-made parts to drop in and coat/paint. All I need now is someone to machine some pusher stems for me, and I'll be able to put together both watches for real!

Thanks for following, next update when I get my plates and assemble them!

 

[GiantSquid]

ONE WATCH FINISHED!

https://imgur.com/a/jGcNFYR

First RM67 is assembled. This one is the Italy edition, worn by Carlos Sainz from Scuderia Ferrari. The second one will be Charles LeClerc's custom, so there's a theme here.

I'm not totally satisfied. The dial plates took forever and payment is difficult (international wires are $$$) even if the results are A+ amazing. My hand-painting is a little rough and I want to smooth it out, plus add some additional details to the dial to make it pop out a bit more. THe rehaut is misaligned and I'm probably going to take the entire dial stack apart to make it sit properly, but I had to assemble it for y'all and to remind myself that I actually finished. Perfection can come later!

Biggest problem is that the hands foul on the 3:00 and 9:00 marker since the minute hand is just too long. I found a shorter one and ordered a few so I'll swap those on when they get here.

It's been a hell of a journey, and I'm going to keep iterating until it's as close to perfect as I can get. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more projects and images!

 

[krkqm2008]

Bravo !!!!!

 

[dabestone]

great job!

 

[azzurri98]

This is such a cool project! Can't wait to see how the Leclerc turns out too

 

[Bombardier]

It’s been quite a long time since this brudder started this project, I hope he is doing okay

 

[GiantSquid]

It’s been quite a long time since this brudder started this project, I hope he is doing okay

taught myself just about everything about modeling, printing, finishing, etching, and ten million other processes so I could bring something cool into the world! I should have both RM67s done by the end of the week when the new hands come in! Almost gave up a couple times in the last year since I started in earnest but I stuck with it and here we are!

 

[hong999]

ONE WATCH FINISHED!

https://imgur.com/a/jGcNFYR

First RM67 is assembled.

Congratz on ur RM67.
Few years ago, I have heard the replica factories tried to mod Miyota 9015 parts to make RM67, but failed due to lack of RM67 movement picture at internet.

 

[GiantSquid]

Congratz on ur RM67.
Few years ago, I have heard the replica factories tried to mod Miyota 9015 parts to make RM67, but failed due to lack of RM67 movement picture at internet.

From the tech drawings I can source that movement is 2mm too thick, and even removing the bridges and mainplate won't buy you the necessary clearance for gen spec unfortunately. Doubtful that any off the shelf auto can be modded into this, and they'd probably have to do a full clone which requires some pretty trick and precise machining. I'd love to see it done but it's gonna take some serious work imho