What did you do to your watch today?

H_Lime · 22-02-2023 10:55am #1

Excuse the unimaginative title...

As a serial watch fiddler and assembler of bits one thing that irks me is crap lume. Most a/m dials suffer in this regard which is a shame, some are rather good otherwise. Case in point

15 quid a pop and look fab but...

...are diabolical despite being hit with 400 lumens for 10 secs.

So I bought Bergeon's lume application kit and thought I'd share my findings, unsure if it been covered before here.

First off it works great, delighted with it but there's a learning curve. The lume powder (middle bottle is mixed with the thick varnish (left bottle) 1:1. And then you add the thinners if necessary to achieve a better mix.

I arsed up the blue dial. I used the tiny applicator to accurately apply the goo under magnification. My spud pullers did as best they could but nah that dial is junked. Plan change required...

Black dial was a success. What I did this time was rather than trying to apply the mix accurately I pre mixed the stuff with just the right consistency that when a single blob was precisely laid over the target it's own surface tension did the rest and allowed a lovely even spread and smooth factory like finish. In other words I got all mister miagi on it.

Screwed up dial tool a half hr, black dial literally 4 mins. There's a life lesson in there..., ehhh always ensure your goo is just right to spread and do it's own thing?

Anyway, hands are a breeze, drop em in isopropyl, poke em till the old lume is gone, dry and paint the it on the back until it spreads like a thick bubble across the void. Just be careful to not allow too much spread, again, goo prep is key.

Was like 35 quid from cousins and is available in most colours. I shall be using this kit quite a lot and based on two dials and some hands donw that should last aaaages.

That's about as good as lumibrite for an hr and tapers off just a little quicker. In saying that I've yet to experiment with increasing the lume powder. Buy some!

banie01 · 22-02-2023 11:10am

Great job on the relume. I've dabbled and have but I have learned some lessons the hard way.

IME when you have applied indices with a metal border, dropping the lume in a drop works great to fill the fill the plot. The same with hands that have their lume applied from the back. I find a drop of lume via an oiler tool works to give a great fill.

Now, what I've also learned is that any dial or hands without that defined border? Without a raised edge or if the hands need to be painted from the front?

It, in any time I tried becomes a splodgy nightmare 😟 mostly tho? That's my own fault as despite my being a passable modeller, I suffer from a dearth of the patience needed to do a good job.

H_Lime · 22-02-2023 11:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120274074#Comment_120274074

I think you have hit the nail on the head Banie regarding the lack of a border for the lume to spread up to. This was exactly the case with my borderless skx dials and is why I buggered up my first attempt.

I watched a good few tutorials and one from a custom dial maker who spread the lume around manually with the oiler into the shape he wished the proceeding drop to fill. In essence he used the goo to make a border to fill against. This was what I had settled on as best practice and was hopeful for but alas...I'm no custom dial maker lol.

I am hopeful that with the correct viscosity I could attempt front filling hands and dials in this fashion though. The second dial I did is macro worthy and I believe this is only possible if the drop when placed is allowed spread under its own surface tension, helping it along in certain directions thereafter was challenging but using the thinners was key. Note the 12, 6 and 9 indices on the black dial vs the blue.

Love to see some pics of your work?

Deep Thought · 24-02-2023 5:31pm

Good job. The blue is not bad from a distance

H_Lime · 24-02-2023 8:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284317#Comment_120284317

Thanks, I would wear it in a beater but I wouldn't sell it to someone. Bright lume mind you. The black dial is very workable though.

Made an Tiskx to match the Tirtle. Oem dark navy dial, nh36, sapphire ar, ceramic ect.

The build hit an iceberg, this nh36 was not performing as I'd have hoped, first time I've encountered that. Amplitude was down round 220 fully wound and despite setting it up perfectly its spd swung more than I've come to expect with change of position on these. It was still in spec but not what I expect to see from a tmi nh36a. Demagnatising saw no appreciable improvement. A dud, I'll harvest bits from it.

In future I will regulate the movement first (ehhh duh some might say, but they're always so reliable/predictable!). Luckily I had another new nh36 to hand so disassembled and started over. This one had been better packed incidentally...

P's can someone explain to me TF boards rotates pics!! So frickin annoying.

Wibbs · 24-02-2023 10:53pm

Well that's a very nice result on the ticky tocky electronical box. Weird how the original nh36 wasn't performing. LIke you say a dud, a Friday afternoon movement I suppose. To be fair I've feck all experience with Seiko movements, certainly nowhere near yours. I have tweaked a few friends ones down the years. They very much reminded me of old school Rolex movements. Remarkably wide tolerances, but could be fiddled with and regulated to an amazing degree, damned near bulletproof and both could go decades of heavy wear and tear with no servicing and still bloody work. 😁

A client of mine has two watches, both bought 40 odd years back, one a Seiko Diver, the other a Rolex Datejust. He's always been an active boyo and told me he wears his Rolex for "office days" and "good wear" the Seiko for everything else, and this lad's into all sorts, real outdoorsy type. And often forgets which one he's wearing for what. Both look well used and loved, no safe queens for investment here, and keep fantastic time, never missing a beat. I asked him once, who services them? His reply; Oh I didn't know they needed servicing. Yep. That's all you need to know really. 😁

H_Lime · 16-05-2023 11:05am

Wolfie.

Lorddrakul · 21-05-2023 4:18pm

Having gone through an awful lot of experimentation, I've eventually settled on a Forstner 1450 bracelet with a 1499 Speedie pro clasp for my Mark II Speedie.

However, Forstner sold them with a section of flexible links that just give up after six months or so. This has now happened twice. The first time was a no quibble replacement, including an upgrade to their beautiful milled clasp. This time, I can't be arsed.

So I spent half an hour with a case knife gently opening the clasp end link that hooks the now bandy flexible links to the bracelet. Then, taking the solid half link from the other end, I was able to make up the necessary new end link to make it an all solid link bracelet. There are more than enough solid links to make up for the lost ones.

It's not quite as good a fit, as the clasp only has one micro adjustment, but it is solid and robust and free.

H_Lime · 21-05-2023 4:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624188#Comment_120624188

Any pic of it now on the bracelet?

Do Uncle Seiko do a bracelet for it? Do you rate them? Despite the jingle jangle I've grown to like the Z199 on my turtle.

Lorddrakul · 21-05-2023 7:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624279#Comment_120624279

Aye, here it is:

Overall, I'd say the Forstner is slightly better quality than the Uncle Seiko, but not by much.

I have a US 1171, that I have fitted with an Omega clasp and 735 end links and it is nice, but not quite there with the Forstner.

I generally prefer the 20mm end and taper than the OEM 1162 that had a 20mm end link, but a 22mm first link.

H_Lime · 22-05-2023 8:38am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624903#Comment_120624903

Looks great on that, very in keeping. You'd never know you had it apart. Have you the watch long?

The Uncle Seiko thing is weird, seems to have a touch of emperors new clothes about it re quality. Then it's claimed the chinsey-ness is intentional, emulating the oe bracelets of old. Crafty lol. Either way I dig the two I have despite them sounding like mister t skipping.

banie01 · 22-05-2023 12:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624903#Comment_120624903

I do love the speedie MK2. I know that the "history" lies with the original but I just prefer the MK2. That and the Sinn 140 series always give me a real cool 70's vibe that I just prefer to the moon watch.

Lorddrakul · 22-05-2023 2:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625969#Comment_120625969

I bought the watch from a dealer on Chrono24 in 2021. It was bought as a birth year watch, so I loved the faded dial, because it is completely uniform in the way the lume has aged, along with the hands. It is completely original and the movement serial number comes in about right for 72. A mate in the north did a full rebuild, and it runs about +1-+3s per day.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626761#Comment_120626761

Indeed, that's why I went for it.

I love the fact that it came from the original Alaska Project and was the first Omega designed for space, but due to Nasa cut backs was never flight qualified. It probably flew with Astronaut Ed Gibson as his personal timepiece in the 1974 Skylab mission, but it has never been proved. As such, it is a wonderful piece of its time, that was tragically overlooked.

It is my daily undless I'm doing something hazardous, when I throw on an old diver.

dave_o_brien · 22-05-2023 9:46pm

I tried it to see. It's a hard no for me. Back on the rubber and the leather returns to the Bambino

H_Lime · 25-05-2023 10:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624903#Comment_120624903

It's cool it's your birth year watch and even more so it's been fettled to full accuracy. That's a handy mate to have, envious of his hands:)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629169#Comment_120629169

Some fluorine rubber straps are uber comfy, silicone even more but are lint magnets. I love a leather strap and wear nearly everything on one at some point. Pavstraps on etsy does great work and have a few from him and some in horween chromexcel.

Not what I did to my watch today but last week. Gave it to my son to wear climbing, chopping, digging, bashing, swimming, sand you name it. The patina is darker in person, looks great. One problem is he's grown attached lol. I'm going to buy the same bronze case in 39 for me.

H_Lime · 30-05-2023 6:30pm

After fixing (and admiring) my buddies Tudor bb36 I did a mod homage of sorts in a bb58-ish 38mm case.

It's a lovely bronze medallion Lucius Atelier dial and hanset in bgw9 with a seiko nh38. Dial changes appearance in different light. Tempted by the real deal for Xmas but will hold out for Sbdx001.

dave_o_brien · 30-05-2023 9:27pm

As posted on the "photos of tou watch" thread - new jubilee on Seiko 5. Awful fiddly to fit but very happy with it.

DuckSlice · 10-06-2023 9:09pm

What’s the best watch to get to Mod? Or does it depend on what look you want to achieve?

H_Lime · 10-06-2023 9:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699449#Comment_120699449

What do you want to do? Seiko?

Skx007 is best bet but they're gone pricier than they were.

You can start from scratch and buy an "skx" case from namoki, AliExpress or a multitude of places based around skx007 interchangeability.

And remember the holy trinity, clean under the crystal, hands at 12 and bezel/chapter ring/dial alignment!:)

DuckSlice · 10-06-2023 10:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699711#Comment_120699711

Something like this. Doesn’t have to be exactly like this but loving the stealth look!

H_Lime · 10-06-2023 10:47pm

Cases abound on AliExpress

Screenshot_20230610_222616_Samsung Internet.jpg

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/black-seiko-dials#

Handsets available above or on Ali.

It wouldn't be my bag tbh. Seiko don't belong in that case to me.

What about this

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mK4LmXE

And this

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMFJLEk

With these

Not as stealthy but the lume will be effective and it's all in the seiko universe unlike the other.

DuckSlice · 11-06-2023 12:05am

Yea that does look cool. I would rather keep it in the seiko universe as you say. Time to get looking for a sk007, the list of watches I want to buy is getting quite long 🙈

Lorddrakul · 12-06-2023 9:52am

I spent some time playing with my watch tools and trying to develop some skills.

I had an old quartz three hander with a Miyota movement and I was practicing removing the movement frmm the case, removing the and refitting the dial and hands.

I have a hand presser and an extractor that are both relatively decent quality.

The verdict: it's bloody tricky! Twice I refitted the central seconds hand only to find it moved with the hour hand. :(

Stem removal and refititng, and all other apsects of the operation were good, but that particular bit of refitting the seconds hand was tricky and took a few goes.

Only serve to increase me respect for horologists :)

H_Lime · 12-06-2023 11:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120704030#Comment_120704030

"I'm not a horogist but I'll have a look" always makes me chuckle.

Fair play, it's all practice. I have xl hands not designed for watch pokery and have a very slight shake of late, but I get by.

Two good tips with second hand instillation is to use rodico to hold the hand in its final seated orientation to align it on the pinion prior to mating it home. Ie, by the tip and parallel to the dial.

Second tip is watch as you gently dab it round the centre of the pinion in search of the pin. You'll know you're on it when you see the hand is very slightly higher as the pin is proud. Have the mount tool in your dominant hand a couple mm above waiting.

What happens when it moves with the hands is you've missed the pin and have pushed it between the pin and minute hand. I usually just use an open tweezers on its side each side of the pinion to pop it off, it won't resist or bend as its barely held. This way you don't have to start over.

Last thing is to ensure the stack is parallel to each other, not canted lengthways and are rotate freely without hitting each other or crystal.

I have an eighty euro oem set to fit later today that by all accounts do not tolerate being fit and removed and fit again without getting sloppy on the pinion. Let's hope I take my own advice:)

For me the greatest challenge is alignment, you can have em bang on and rotate them round to 12 and lo....the feckers can be off and so too the date change over. My ocd demands it be right.

H_Lime · 19-06-2023 8:54pm

Loving this one I put together, difficult build but fun. My new transparent tip hand setter and indice and hand cleaning pen is a joy to use, should have bought them ages ago.