The Vintage DateJust Thread

[Karbon74]

Yes it is. So if I remove stem and crown still has gap, the crown needs to be thicker as @Karbon74 said correct?

My comment about the thicker crown is that the spring has a bit more travel.

 

[Rolexmike69]

My comment about the thicker crown is that the spring has a bit more travel.

Lol

 

[Rolexmike69]

Does your picture above have the stem attached to the crown? If so, I would try removing the stem/crown from the movement, then remove the stem from the crown and try and screw it down on the case without the stem - if you get the same gap bad crown/tube match-up; if the gap is gone, your stem is a tab bit too long.

Thank you!

 

[pf78]

with gen dial and gen hands, built by @pompompurin

 

[Rolexmike69]

My comment about the thicker crown is that the spring has a bit more travel.

I understand.

 

[Tony-Soprano]

 

[Tony-Soprano]

What sapphire did you use? I've been trying to figure out if a DEEP crystal will work, but I think they only make them spec'd for modern Datejust which I'm pretty sure won't work with the vintage engine turned bezel. Do you know if the engine turned will work with the crystal included with Raffles' case?

Deep will not work but raffles crystal will work with ETB

 

[Rolexmike69]

Does your picture above have the stem attached to the crown? If so, I would try removing the stem/crown from the movement, then remove the stem from the crown and try and screw it down on the case without the stem - if you get the same gap bad crown/tube match-up; if the gap is gone, your stem is a tab bit too long.

Omg I just got where you said bad crown/tube combo. Will check that also. Thank you.

 

[Iksander]

It's been a few months since I asked about a light green dial here in the forum and Raffle was mentioned as a source. In the meantime, I have put all the parts together and assembled this Datejust.

Maybe one more sentence: my dream would still be a 160X dial in light blue and not this 16030. If you have a source, I would be happy to hear from you.

First of all, here are the parts for the project:
Case set: Raffle: Datejust 36mm
Bezel: Ebay - Gen
Movement: VS 3135
Hands: Raffle
Crystal: Star cross Cylop 135
Datedisk: custom - Toner Transfer
Dial: Raffle
Crown: Raffle

I didn't take many pictures during the assembly. So, with one exception, I will only present the result.

I'm a total fan of the Raffle case, as you can swap everything for original or aftermarket. So I also decided to fit the Gen Bezel and a plexi crystal. The rest is from Raffle.

Compared to the original Datejust case, it is a little too high and the holm is too wide. I reduced the height by 0.4mm with the lathe and filed the whole width of the case slimmer. Unfortunately a bit too much - you may recognise it from the pictures.

toner transfer datedisc
The 16030 is one of the last models with open 6/9 datedisc. Unfortunately the sources for the 3135 movement are limited. Some of you are using the datedisc from WSO. I think it's a good choice. Unfortunately, the price (incl. shipping to Europe) is too high. That's why I tried something and reprinted the VS 3135 datedisc in the toner transfer. Here are a few pictures.
















I don't think this was my last attempt at this. The font is a bit bold - but it's going in the right direction.


Some impressions during the build





So here some pictures of the final result.





I put my other franken datejust build (with gen case) next to the result.



Do you like the dial? I am sure that opinions differ here.

May I ask

 

[Iksander]

May I ask

Haha something went wrong here.
But are you talking about the engine turned bezel with the plexi?
I have ordered this and hoping it will fit without adjusting the bezel since I have the plexi ass well. (Clarks 135)

 

[trash3939]

 

[1016_idiot_savant]

Nice combination of engine turned bezel and Oyster bracelet

 

[trash3939]

Nice combination of engine turned bezel and Oyster bracelet

Thank you very much.
The dial has been replaced.

 

[Replicated]

Just finished my 16030 build:

- Raffles 2824 case
- Raffles jubilee bracelet
- VR3135 movement
- Aftermarket 3135 open "6/9" datewheel
- Genuine "T SWISS T" champagne dial
- Aftermarket hands from CousinsUK, used them numerous times, but I am blown away by the price/quality.
- Genuine Engine turned bezel
- Upgraded crown and tube from AliExpress
- Crystal.... Yes, I bought two "SternKreutz XS 307.457" plexi-crystals from CousinsUK, I don't know what happened to them, But BOTH of them had this issue, like a fun-house mirror:

I've heard the same happend to someone else before too.

So, back to the specsheet, I used a 36mm Clean Datejust crystal for the time being. Since I upgraded that watch with a genuine crystal.

 

[Rolexmike69]

@Karbon74
I’m using 1016 case
I showed pictures before of using the b24-603-8 crown with raffles tube. There was a gap between Case and crown so I bought a 24-5330 tube with and without the metal O-ring gaskets.
I screwed into the one 016 case and there’s still a gap.
Any suggestions on which tube I need to get so this crown will sit flush with the case or what I’m doing wrong? I’m about to just part this thing out and forget about trying to build datejusts lol. (I did build another DJ using 16200 case, raffles tube and a 604- genuine gold crown and had no issues) so I’m baffled at this point.

 

[Karbon74]

@Karbon74
I’m using 1016 case
I showed pictures before of using the b24-603-8 crown with raffles tube. There was a gap between Case and crown so I bought a 24-5330 tube with and without the metal O-ring gaskets.
I screwed into the one 016 case and there’s still a gap.
Any suggestions on which tube I need to get so this crown will sit flush with the case or what I’m doing wrong? I’m about to just part this thing out and forget about trying to build datejusts lol. (I did build another DJ using 16200 case, raffles tube and a 604- genuine gold crown and had no issues) so I’m baffled at this point.

The pics are not high res, so I cannot really see the gap.

Can you remove totally the movement, and then screw the crown in?

 

[Nabe_09]

 

[Nabe_09]

How do you all fit a VR3135 into a Raffles 16200 case? Everything actually fits with the spacer ring. But when the case back is on, the winder jams and the movement can only be wound by hand.

 

[Rolexmike69]

How do you all fit a VR3135 into a Raffles 16200 case? Everything actually fits with the spacer ring. But when the case back is on, the winder jams and the movement can only be wound by hand.

I had to take what a lot of these guys said and grind it down for the rotor to spin. I ordered this and used a drill. I bought some for my Dremel, but as they got hot, they would melt the Velcro.
These worked for me.


SI FANG 100Pcs 1 inch Sanding... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C89HD6V?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

3-Pack Disc Pad Holder Adapter... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088P1MF5R?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Rolexmike69]

The pics are not high res, so I cannot really see the gap.

Can you remove totally the movement, and then screw the crown in?

Yes let me do that