Rolex Commando 6429 Franken build

[JSebwc 87]

A little over a year and a half ago I built myself a 6429 commando after stumbling upon examples online. Coming back to the community here I noticed a few attempts have been made with good results so I ordered parts and completed my build.

Fast forward to earlier this year and W124E reached out to me and wondered if I could build another. After some discussion we put together a parts list and we got to it.

GEN PARTS USED:

5500 case set
6mm crown
folded link bracelet / end links
crystal

Other parts:
Clone 2824-2
raffles movement holder - modified
ofrie handset
raffles DJ second hand

Yuki was MIA at the time so I reached out to Mochacha and received one of their dials. Good quality quite accurate nice lume work and has a nice puffy appearance.

 

2 criticisms on the dial
the paint is quite delicate compared to dials offered from yuki or raffles . the very outside edge of the dial chipped quite easily which was a bit of a disappointment It can not be seen when assembled but I expected slightly better for $400 dial

the dial plate was slightly smaller and although it fit the case , it just barely did. I had forgot to measure the dial or opening. I was just glad I was able to make it work
overall the dial is the closest there is to a gen example. He is now asking over $500 for the dial which I would say is where I draw the line If you must have one then yes but these doubled in price just over a year later is a bit much . ( I found out about them and this option just after I finished my build and considered ordering it as a replacement) but didnt. and probably wont . wish I did when it was sup $300

Once the parts arrive I went to work.
first to match the hands to the dial.
the seconds hand I had in the parts bit but it was slightly too short so I ordered the raffles dj

test fit the case and it is looking the part.

I buttoned up the build and let it run. I found that I was having an issue with the watch stopping intermittently
so I checked hand alignment. good
It ran fine with the crown uncrewed so that told me that the stem was either too long or binding on something causing it to stop.

The movement holder need to be modified I had machined down the flat side of the movement holder to lower its height to line up with the case groves . I also filed down the stem opening as well in order to provide greater clearance for stem operation .

once I got that sorted out , it ran great, keeping reasonable time and looking sharp. It was a pleasure wearing it for a few days , getting to enjoy it before sending it off to its new owner.

Did a quick shoot and packed it up and sent it off to its new home.!!

     

Overall I am very happy with how this build worked out. It was nice being able to see the mochacha dial first hand and work with it. The service from them was good and fast. Good communication and fast shipping . I would recommend them.

Thanks again to W124E for reaching out on this project.

I look fwd to future projects and builds.

cheers

[tribefan 6,768]

Great build. I agree, $500 is way to much for that dial, especially if it has paint issues. Like it with the camo strap the best.

[JSebwc 87]

On 26/03/2022 at 12:49, tribefan said:

Great build. I agree, $500 is way to much for that dial, especially if it has paint issues. Like it with the camo strap the best.

 

Yes  when  Morchacha first came on the scene that same dial was 300  .   Inflation hits the black market too apparently 

[no_sauce_man 14]

Love these Commandos, I remember reading the original thread about yours. Hopefully prices on gen cases will come down, I'd like to make a budget 34mm build of some sort, maybe a 5500 or a 6694. Might try reshaping a Raffles case instead

[shaunattard 0]

Hi All, I love this thread, after a few years of searching and work, I have nearly completed an all-matching Rolex Ref 6429 Commando, although the final challenge I am having is to find a set of hands to fit.
Can any of you kindly help me or point me in the direction of someone who might be able to make me a set of hands or recommend a solution to my challenge, please 
Details of the hands required are as such:
Watch Hands To Fit:
Minute Hand Hole Sizes  .80mm
Hour Hand Hole Size  1.25mm 
Second-Hand hole .15mm

 Thanks S

Edited July 19, 2022 by shaunattard
update

[Redfire1066 10,923]

 .. .  Just fabulous this build  . . ..  Super cool watch the 6429 and this build looks awesome . . .  I had read that the 6429 was offered for sale without the "COMMANDO" logo on the dial in U.S. bases  .. .  cost back in the day was around $108  . . .. .