VSF Submariner VS3235 Gen Parts Installation Project

[dogwood]

Hello friend, do you know how to fix the broken stem and crown. Mine has been broken

You’re going to need a pin vise (and maybe a soldering iron) to get the old stem out of the crown. Then you’ll need a new stem. You can buy 3235 stems on AliExpress.

Dogwood's Watchmaking Journey

I was working on a tungsten Daytona this evening and thought I’d share some pics. The donor watch in this case is a CF Daytona which tips the scales at 143g. After transferring over the movement and installing the crystal and bezel, the new watch weighs 226g. (NB: my scale maxes out at 200g...

forum.replica-watch.info

 

[Slugger]

@Jason171912 Eventually, everyone has to deal with a broken stem.

There is a new listing for genuine 3235 stems on eBay. Going with a genuine stem is not cheap but a high quality stem just might save you and your watch from the misery of future triage and teardown when a bit of broken stem gets lost in the movement. Don’t ask me how I know this.

 

[engbanna1]

@dogwood An amazing project, thanks for sharing. I think I will start my journey soon.

1- Did this project at all improve the sloppiness of the crown when adjusting the time and date?
2- Can you shed some light on the total cost for these gen parts? I have noticed that you have asked several times but never gave a clear answer. I know it may differ from a vendor to another but would like to know a range in order to allocate a proper budget towards my upcoming project.
3- Can you please list the required tools to do your experiment in this project?

Thanks for your great contributions to this community.

 

[dogwood]

@dogwood An amazing project, thanks for sharing. I think I will start my journey soon.

1- Did this project at all improve the sloppiness of the crown when adjusting the time and date?
2- Can you shed some light on the total cost for these gen parts? I have noticed that you have asked several times but never gave a clear answer. I know it may differ from a vendor to another but would like to know a range in order to allocate a proper budget towards my upcoming project.
3- Can you please list the required tools to do your experiment in this project?

Thanks for your great contributions to this community.

Answers:

1) No. the parts I replaced have no effect on the setting of the date/time.

2) if I recall correctly, the balance complete was around $800, the pallet fork was about $100, and the the escape wheel was about $100 as well. If I were to do it again I wouldn’t bother replacing the crown intermediate wheel.

3) you’ll need (off the top of my head): spring bar tool to remove the bracelet; rubber ball to open the caseback; the 3235 triangular rotor screw driver; a standard set of watchmakers screw drivers (emphasis on 1.2mm and 1.4mm); and maybe a set of broaches to open the holes on the balance bridge.

 

[Jason171912]

Answers:

1) No. the parts I replaced have no effect on the setting of the date/time.

2) if I recall correctly, the balance complete was around $800, the pallet fork was about $100, and the the escape wheel was about $100 as well. If I were to do it again I wouldn’t bother replacing the crown intermediate wheel.

3) you’ll need (off the top of my head): spring bar tool to remove the bracelet; rubber ball to open the caseback; the 3235 triangular rotor screw driver; a standard set of watchmakers screw drivers (emphasis on 1.2mm and 1.4mm); and maybe a set of broaches to open the holes on the balance bridge.

Hello friend,

Do you still have the VSF balance wheel for sale?

 

[dogwood]

Hello friend,

Do you still have the VSF balance wheel for sale?

Yes, I think I still have it. Are you in need of a VS3235 balance complete?

 

[Jason171912]

Yes, I think I still have it. Are you in need of a VS3235 balance complete?

Yes, I really need the balance wheel (see my picture). The hairspring in my watch was broken. Do you sell it?

 

[dogwood]

Yes, I really need the balance wheel (see my picture). The hairspring in my watch was broken. Do you sell it?

I can't see the problem with your hairspring, but it does look like the balance wheel's bottom pivot is broken. DM me and I'll see about helping you out.

 

[Jason171912]

I can't see the problem with your hairspring, but it does look like the balance wheel's bottom pivot is broken. DM me and I'll see about helping you out.

Sent DM

 

[roromush]

Super informative post, pretty interesting to see just how well the movement was cloned

 

[AG91]

hi guys, I know it has nothing to do with it... but can you give me directions to better align the date in the window? it stays too low in the window... I have a vs3235 in a dj36. I would like to prepare myself before starting to disassemble it... thank you very much for your attention!

 

[smf88011]

Dang, I would love to find someone that would do this work for my Cookie Monster. I used to be able to work in such a finely detailed environment but lost the ability due to health problems. I would love to have a rep watch that messes with enthusiasts so much that they cannot tell the difference without a microscope. LOL

 

[funkzy]

sorry i know this is quite a long time ago but i wanted to ask where you sourced all the gen parts you used and how was the pricing? i might be looking to do something like this too

 

[dogwood]

sorry i know this is quite a long time ago but i wanted to ask where you sourced all the gen parts you used and how was the pricing? i might be looking to do something like this too

Your best sources are places like eBay and chrono24. That’s where I sourced my parts.

 

[AG91]

hi guys, I know it has nothing to do with it... but can you give me directions to better align the date in the window? it stays too low in the window... I have a vs3235 in a dj36. I would like to prepare myself before starting to disassemble it... thank you very much for your attention!

Does anyone have any info for me? or is it a printing issue on the date wheel that needs to be replaced? @dogwood

 

[dogwood]

Does anyone have any info for me? or is it a printing issue on the date wheel that needs to be replaced? @dogwood

The dial fits onto a vs3235 movement by way of a friction fit around the rim of the movement. There can be a little bit of rotational wiggle room in this fit. So if you’re feeling bold you can remove the dial and try to re-fit it with the date window more centered on the date.

 

[Andrew_watchlist]

i do think those gen parts you installed are definitely worth the effort to do so just addreses the one 'flaw' for want of a better word for me anyway with rep movements.

 

[Slugger]

i do think those gen parts you installed are definitely worth the effort to do so just addreses the one 'flaw' for want of a better word for me anyway with rep movements.

What I enjoy most about VS/DD and SH rolex clones are their compatibility with many genuine parts. Particularly genuine 3135 parts which are so obtainable they often cost about the same as generics!

That’s a very good thing because it’s actually easier to source a genuine replacement part than to source a part from the clone factory.

 

[StanGENROL]

Hi guys just ordered about 2800£ in parts for my project along with that had to buy a full watch vsf3235 126610 for 580£ to put in my 680£ cf126610 case which is miles away better than Vsf, so movement will be 98% original! Will post photos and parts once all arrives!

 

[yuzulicious]

I'm starting my 3285 project reference to this posting too, really helpful information. Thank you @dogwood