Rolex 1016 6mm crown tube tap and drill advise

[cradle101]

Hi all,

I have a gen Rolex 6mm crown and tube and would like to use this on my 1016 Raffles case.

The dimensions of the tube are: 4.3mm x 2.7mm (see pictures) and the Raffles tube is 3.8mm x 2.3mm.
This means that I have to drill the tube hole and tap new threads.

I've read several threads on the forum to determine the right drill and tap size, but I can't find a definitive answer.
So before I buy the proper drill and tap, I would appreciate it if someone could advise which drill and tap size I would need.

 

[dpd3672]

Hi all,

I have a gen Rolex 6mm crown and tube and would like to use this on my 1016 Raffles case.

The dimensions of the tube are: 4.3mm x 2.7mm (see pictures) and the Raffles tube is 3.8mm x 2.3mm.
This means that I have to drill the tube hole and tap new threads.

I've read several threads on the forum to determine the right drill and tap size, but I can't find a definitive answer.
So before I buy the proper drill and tap, I would appreciate it if someone could advise which drill and tap size I would need.

I'm going from memory here, but I think the Raffles case accepts a gen crown. Not sure if that means the crown and tube are both gen spec or just the crown.

I think it was the Athaya crown/tube that required drilling and tapping.

 

[cradle101]

You're right, the Raffles 1016 case normally does accept a gen 6mm crown, but not the one which I have.

Therefore, I would like to drill out the hole and tap it to be able to use the tube and crown which I have.

 

[Megahz1]

Rolex made 2 type of 6mm crowns. The 24-600 is mounted with the "standard" tube, while the 24-603 uses the same tube as the 5.3mm crowns.
The Raffles case accepts the 24-603 crown.
Here some references:

 

[cradle101]

Thanks for the reference!

Indeed, the case does take the crown you mention. However, that's not the one I've got.

This is the crown I'm talking about, with the corresponding tube as pictured in my opening post.

 

[Megahz1]

@cradle101 then iirc the tube thread if "gen spec" is 3x0.35 and therefore the hole needs to be 2.68mm from my calculations:
https://www.guhring.com/Tech/tapdrill
2.7mm is fine; use cobalt drill bits!

 

[cradle101]

@cradle101 then iirc the tube thread if "gen spec" is 3x0.35 and therefore the hole needs to be 2.68mm from my calculations:
https://www.guhring.com/Tech/tapdrill
2.7mm is fine; use cobalt drill bits!

Thanks so much, this is really useful!

Just to summarize, I would need a 2.7mm tap for threading the tube hole, but which size of drill bit would I then need to use to drill the hole itself?

 

[Megahz1]

Thanks so much, this is really useful!

Just to summarize, I would need a 2.7mm tap for threading the tube hole, but which size of drill bit would I then need to use to drill the hole itself?

The hole needs to be 2.7mm. The tap is 3x0.35.
Have a look at my tutorial:
https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/building-a-5513-tutorial.10949961/

 

[manodeoro]

The hole needs to be 2.7mm. The tap is 3x0.35.
Have a look at my tutorial:
https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/building-a-5513-tutorial.10949961/

M3x0.35 or M3x0.30 ?

 

[Megahz1]

M3x0.35 or M3x0.30 ?

The Rolex manual lists it as 3x0.30, but most of the websites that sell tools specify 3x0.35.
I personally have used 3x0.35 in the past and it worked perfectly with gen spec tubes.

 

[manodeoro]

The Rolex manual lists it as 3x0.30, but most of the websites that sell tools specify 3x0.35.
I personally have used 3x0.35 in the past and it worked perfectly with gen spec tubes.

Thanks for the tip

 

[cradle101]

Thanks, this is super useful!

 

[Rolexmike69]

The Rolex manual lists it as 3x0.30, but most of the websites that sell tools specify 3x0.35.
I personally have used 3x0.35 in the past and it worked perfectly with gen spec tubes.

Did you have to counter sink the case hole? Thank you!

 

[Megahz1]

Did you have to counter sink the case hole? Thank you!

No I did not for the raffles 1016, but it might be different from mine depending on the case/tube.