The Ladies' Rolex thread...a guide to assembling a nice Franken (thread will be updated periodically)

[MS00012]

Yes.

In order to set the movement in the case so that the stem lines up with the hole, you need to recess the movement a little bit. That causes the movement to be spaced a bit from the dial, so the date appears sunken. The solution I'm hoping works is to mount a spacer disk, maybe 1mm in height (maybe more, maybe less, it's too small to measure with the tools I have, so I'll just use different thicknesses until it works) on the date wheel, then the DWO on the spacer.

It sounds like what you did with the ETA date wheel you ground the teeth off of, I'm just hoping to use a 3D printed spacer, or something I cut from thin metal stock. I've got some sheets of .4mm brass that I used to cut dial blanks, one or two thicknesses of that should get me in the ballpark.

The stock plastic movement ring on the NH05 is fairly thick, the 3D printed one is much thinner, but still leaves too much of a gap.

Oh I see now. So my spacer was to clear the lip of the movement so the DWO would not rub against the movement. Your problem is that there is TOO MUCH SPACE between the DW and Dial. My problem was that there was NOT ENOUGH space between the datewheel and dial as the DW rubbed with too much friction against the dial.

The 2671 was actually in a decent position with the stem in. Maybe if I had that actual brass ring, it would have given me enough clearance for the datewheel not to rub as badly against the dial.

 

[dpd3672]

A little update on the AliX cases…they do take a gen 26mm (20mm diameter) dial, they just needed yet another movement holder tweaked and printed.

I hate anything going to waste, and I’ve got excess dials to play with.

The cases are sterile, so a new 5.3mm AliX crown is needed, and they’re quite a bit thicker than Gen, but they’re well made and don’t look half bad.

I’ve got some NH05 movements arriving today, so I can build up a few more of these.




The case backs also seem to work on either the 24mm or 26mm cases, too, so it’s a cheap alternative to paying through the nose for a Gen case back.

Down the road, I’ll try to engrave these cases with the lug engravings, so unless you open it up, there’s not an obvious tell, other than the thickness and subtle differences in case shape. Not sure how much the case can be thinned, but the lugs could probably be shaped easily enough.

Try is is a side by side of the AliX case (left) and the gen(right) 26mm cases. The Ali case is much thicker, but I think the top profile is easily fixable. It also needs a add on cyclops, since it doesn’t have one.

 

[dpd3672]

And for anyone that wants to try a build with an AliX case, NH05, and a gen dial, this is the movement holder you'll need. You can discard the white plastic one that comes with the AliX case.

3D design 26mm ALIX NH05 Movement Holder - Tinkercad

3D design 26mm ALIX NH05 Movement Holder

www.tinkercad.com

And this is the case set I used. Looking at them, I think they're sold by a few different vendors, but the cases all look the same. I'd recommend buying whichever is the cheapest at any given moment, since the prices seem to fluctuate. I bought these for $26 each, and they're selling for ~$40 at the moment from this vendor.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804915925590.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.151.410d18025TtRZd&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

These crowns seem to work with the case.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806163303859.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.155.410d18025TtRZd&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

 

[MS00012]

What about a foam adhesive to attach the DWO? Give it that milimeter of height without a bunch of weight probably. It will probably stick well. My only concert is that there may be play in the datewheel if there is friction somewhere while turning.

 

[dpd3672]

And forgot to make the other movement holders public, so here they are again:

26mm movement holder (movement holder and DWO spacers in a few different thicknesses, they will likely need some tweaking to work.

24mm movement holder

 

[dpd3672]

What about a foam adhesive to attach the DWO? Give it that milimeter of height without a bunch of weight probably. It will probably stick well. My only concert is that there may be play in the datewheel if there is friction somewhere while turning.

If all else fails, it's certainly something worth trying.

Another thought I had is to put wax on the back side of the dial...nothing too likely to foul the movement, just a quick wipe on/wipe off with car wax or paraffin or furniture polish, perhaps. Ideally it will stick to the back of the dial, make it a bit more slippery, but not get into the movement or stick to the DWO.

Fortunately, these movements are cheap, so it's not a huge loss if something gets buggered up. I've already messed up one of the date works...so that movement went into a no-date, lol.

 

[MS00012]

Let me know how it goes! I am thinking double stick foam in the link below might be an easy solution.

I HATED gluing the spacer to the date wheel and then the DWO to the spacer. Gluing metal to metal doesn't always stick the best and you have two glued sides that can possibly break loose.

Amazon.com

 

[dpd3672]

A few of the AliX cases with Gen dials, just waiting for movements.




I’ll probably order 2 tone cases for the dials with the gold indices and ink, but the movement holders are great. The 26mm dials have a lip the is a friction fit on the holder, and the holder is a friction fit in the case, so it’s very secure.

 

[MS00012]

Do you know if there are any longer minute hands? The one you posted a pic of looks a bit short. Possibly the second and hour hand as well by a hair.
An ETA 2671 or clone set of hands won't fit this movement right?

 

[dpd3672]

Do you know if there are any longer minute hands? The one you posted a pic of looks a bit short. Possibly the second and hour hand as well by a hair.
An ETA 2671 or clone set of hands won't fit this movement right?

Not sure the compatibility of ETA hands with Seiko, but the Seiko community is very active, so there should be more and better options for the NH05. The ones I used were just cheap and “close enough”…I didn’t want to invest too much in case things didn’t work out.

Unlimately, I’ll probably source better hands for them, now that I am a bit farther along in knowing how to do this.

I tend to like building in uncharted territory, but the risk is higher, since you won’t know what can be made to work until you try and fail a few times.

Next project is a franken Ousterquartz Datejust, which is already approaching the cost of a well worn Gen, lol.

But I enjoy the journey more than the destination, lol

 

[dpd3672]

The Gen cases and dials left to finish.

24mm no dates:


The 26mm Date/Datejusts:



But after this, I’m so done with ladies watches, lol, and all but a couple will probably wind up on M2M whenever I get around to it.

 

[MS00012]

Awesome builds! I might just have to buy some of these aftermarket cases as I have a couple extra gen dials. Hopefully we can come up with a proper way to add in the dateweel overlay to the NH05movement.

 

[dpd3672]

Awesome builds! I might just have to buy some of these aftermarket cases as I have a couple extra gen dials. Hopefully we can come up with a proper way to add in the dateweel overlay to the NH05movement.

Absolutely, we’ll figure it out.

 

[dpd3672]

I found some longer hands, and ordered a few sets to see if they look more gen. The ones I originally used are 5mm/8mm/8mm here:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804807085081.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.64d2XTfHXTfHqH&algo_pvid=272e894f-c32a-462f-a23c-f143760567d0&algo_exp_id=272e894f-c32a-462f-a23c-f143760567d0-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%215.53%215.53%21%21%2140.02%2140.02%21%402101c5df17181099455095021ea49e%2112000031272089389%21sea%21US%214595082603%21&curPageLogUid=0L2QODrUJLc0&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

The new ones are slightly longer, at 6mm/8.5mm/9mm, which isn't a huge difference, but might be enough on a face this small.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804874074567.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.25.64d2XTfHXTfHqH&algo_pvid=272e894f-c32a-462f-a23c-f143760567d0&algo_exp_id=272e894f-c32a-462f-a23c-f143760567d0-12&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%2114.00%217.00%21%21%2114.00%217.00%21%402101c5df17181099455095021ea49e%2112000031486560945%21sea%21US%214595082603%21&curPageLogUid=YT7DEOPicYbz&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

 

[dpd3672]

Tried to replicate the old, OOS Raffles movement holder on the 3D printer. It's 17.5mm ID, 20mm OD, with .8mm holes for the dial feet and a relief cut for the stem. I don't have a 2671 in my possession to see how it works, but if anyone is lacking this part for a build, this should work, although it would almost certainly benefit from some final fitting and tweaking of the measurements.

Movement Ring for Small Watch Movement Size #3

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rafflestime.com

3D design 26mm 2671 Movement Holder (RAFFLES) - Tinkercad

3D design 26mm 2671 Movement Holder (RAFFLES)

www.tinkercad.com

 

[MS00012]

Tried to replicate the old, OOS Raffles movement holder on the 3D printer. It's 17.5mm ID, 20mm OD, with .8mm holes for the dial feet and a relief cut for the stem. I don't have a 2671 in my possession to see how it works, but if anyone is lacking this part for a build, this should work, although it would almost certainly benefit from some final fitting and tweaking of the measurements.

Movement Ring for Small Watch Movement Size #3

<!-- /* General Settings :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: */ .gs-globalFont {font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;} .gs-sideClearance {min-width: 0px; width: 0%;} #gs-design {padding: 0px 0 0

rafflestime.com

3D design 26mm 2671 Movement Holder (RAFFLES) - Tinkercad

3D design 26mm 2671 Movement Holder (RAFFLES)

www.tinkercad.com

Tried to replicate the old, OOS Raffles movement holder on the 3D printer. It's 17.5mm ID, 20mm OD, with .8mm holes for the dial feet and a relief cut for the stem. I don't have a 2671 in my possession to see how it works, but if anyone is lacking this part for a build, this should work, although it would almost certainly benefit from some final fitting and tweaking of the measurements.

Movement Ring for Small Watch Movement Size #3

<!-- /* General Settings :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: */ .gs-globalFont {font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;} .gs-sideClearance {min-width: 0px; width: 0%;} #gs-design {padding: 0px 0 0

rafflestime.com

3D design 26mm 2671 Movement Holder (RAFFLES) - Tinkercad

3D design 26mm 2671 Movement Holder (RAFFLES)

www.tinkercad.com

Awesome man! Do you think we need any of those cutouts on top?

Also, you can find a pretty affordable 2671 here. They are even doing 20% off with promo code HOT20DEALS

Watch Movement for ETA2671 2671 Movement Women's Automatic Mechanical Movement | eBay

Alloy Stabilizing Mount Front Upper Arm Rod for LOSI 1/18 Mini-T 2.0 2WD Stadium. Watch Strap Reverse Buckle Silicone Band Push Button Strap for HUAWEI Watch Fit3. Li-ion Battery Upper/Lower Cover Case Shell Accessories for M18-5 18V 48-11-1815.

www.ebay.com

 

[dpd3672]

Awesome man! Do you think we need any of those cutouts on top?

Also, you can find a pretty affordable 2671 here. They are even doing 20% off with promo code HOT20DEALS

Watch Movement for ETA2671 2671 Movement Women's Automatic Mechanical Movement | eBay

Alloy Stabilizing Mount Front Upper Arm Rod for LOSI 1/18 Mini-T 2.0 2WD Stadium. Watch Strap Reverse Buckle Silicone Band Push Button Strap for HUAWEI Watch Fit3. Li-ion Battery Upper/Lower Cover Case Shell Accessories for M18-5 18V 48-11-1815.

www.ebay.com

Not sure about the cutouts, they look to be there so clips can secure the movement holder to the case. I've been printing the movement holders so that they're a snug friction fit to the case and the movement, which seems to be working for me...it's now Seiko movements usually are held in place.

They should be easy enough to add, if you know the location (looks like roughly 6:00 and 12:00, give or take? Maybe about .5mm deep nad 3mm wide, more or less, although threading the inside for the screw probably won't be terribly secure.

And that's still more than twice what the NH05 costs...a lot more money for arguably the same quality. I might build one up with a 2671 as an experiment, but not sure it's worth the extra cost, other than as a learning experience.

 

[MS00012]

The seiko movement spacer attaches snugly to the datejust non-feet dial correct? When I 3-D printed a ring with these dimensions, it did not attach to the 26mm dial that didn't have the feet. That would be my concern with the 2671 setup.

 

[dpd3672]

The seiko movement spacer attaches snugly to the datejust non-feet dial correct? When I 3-D printed a ring with these dimensions, it did not attach to the 26mm dial that didn't have the feet. That would be my concern with the 2671 setup.

I'm not sure I'm understanding the question. The Seiko movement holder I drew up is a snug, friction fit around the outside of the movement, but it leaves room for the rotor to spin and doesn't interfere with any of the gears on the watch. It also has a snug, friction fit to the inside of the case, so when it's all installed, everything is secure and doesn't move around.

The 3D printed Raffles copy just repeats the dimensions of the Raffles movement holder, so it probably would need to be modified; either dimensionally, with dial dots, or with the addition of cases clamps, although I haven't tried any of this myself, since I don't have a 2671 to experiment with. I would guess some long case clamps attached to the movement itself would work, although there'd likely need to be a cutout in the 3D movement holder to make room for the clamps (like the original Raffles metal movement holder has).

When I get an hour or two, in the next few days, I'm going to add a walkthrough of assembling a watch from a gen case and dial and NH05 movement, using the movement holder I 3D printed. It might make a bit more sense with some photos.

 

[MS00012]

I'm not sure I'm understanding the question. The Seiko movement holder I drew up is a snug, friction fit around the outside of the movement, but it leaves room for the rotor to spin and doesn't interfere with any of the gears on the watch. It also has a snug, friction fit to the inside of the case, so when it's all installed, everything is secure and doesn't move around.

The 3D printed Raffles copy just repeats the dimensions of the Raffles movement holder, so it probably would need to be modified; either dimensionally, with dial dots, or with the addition of cases clamps, although I haven't tried any of this myself, since I don't have a 2671 to experiment with. I would guess some long case clamps attached to the movement itself would work, although there'd likely need to be a cutout in the 3D movement holder to make room for the clamps (like the original Raffles metal movement holder has).

When I get an hour or two, in the next few days, I'm going to add a walkthrough of assembling a watch from a gen case and dial and NH05 movement, using the movement holder I 3D printed. It might make a bit more sense with some photos.

I meant that my previous 3d printed spacer did not attach to the dial at all. I had to use dial adhesive, which did not work well. Since the 2671 movement does not secure to the dial, the spacer is needed to secure to the dial in order for things ti be sturdy. My fear is that this new 3d printed design you made will also not secure the dial in place.


does your NH05 holder attach to the dial firmly?

Side note: Here is a link with pictures I found on a forum of a guy using the brass ring on the 2671 dial. Interesting to see how it's done.

Franken ladies DJ

Hi All, I would like to build a ladies DateJust for my fiancèe, and I'm wondering if anyone already did it.. if I rememer right Ubi was working on it.. In particular, would a ETA 2671-2 fit in a 69174 genuine case? I don't mind about the spacer, my concern is about the thickness.. Another option ...

rwg.cc