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JSebwc

I'm not a sub guy but.....

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JSebwc

As some of you know,  I am not a sub guy.   It was one of my first watches back in the late 90's and after a number of years I got tired of looking at it. 

Fast forward to  Nov / 22  I thought I would dip my toe back in the pool to see if I can rekindle the love I once had...but this time I wanted to try something a lil different, so I decided to build a Tudor Snowflake Sub to see  if the design cues of the Tudor could sway me back....

I went with the standard issue parts .:

Raffles case set and bracelet 

Raffles 29mm blue dial & Insert

raffles snowflake hands

T19 superdome crystal 

a whole lot of ageing and patina.  I wanted it to look like it had a very adventurous life and was left in the bottom of a gear bag to be found years later. 

I really wanted to like it but it  didn't scratch the itch.  I did like the case and the crystal , but the fact that I couldn't get a proper fade on the bezel insert, just left me uninspired.   I ghosted a few bezels and they were cool but again, not what I was after .  

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So after a few attempts, I hated it and  lost that feeling and thought about selling it on......then after creeping  online at Mil Subs .. I wanted to go that route, however with the fixed spring bars, I am more of bracelet guy than a nato and I didnt want to go half way.  so I dropped that idea.  That and the lack of available engraved case back 

Then after looking further at the other dials offered in this size  I decided to go 5513  Matte Maxi .   so I added one to my last order and it arrived  earlier this week.   Having some time today, I thought I would do the transition .  

After a bit of aging on the dial and hands  I swapped the parts and dropped it back in the case. 

Now that's more like it!! 

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Oh , and I made one last attempt at fading out an insert.   after baking it for close to an hour at 450 and checking it every 10 mins , I achieved what turned out to be a very cool fade.   It started off as a blue insert  now its a  Ghosted  Mauve....again not what I was after but I dig it.  looks authentic IRL 

I think I will pick up a few black inserts on my next parts order and see if I can get a nice faded grey.  The raffles inserts dont respond well to bleach and if you use anything a bit stronger, it strips them and are blotchy.  Bunk.

So does this scratch the itch??  YOU BET!!  I am really diggin it thus far.  from an abandoned project collecting dust to new hotness in rotation.  The explorers are going to be collecting some dust for a while during the honeymoon .

Oh and the Tudor parts are up for grabs if anyone is interested , if you have been itching for an aged blue snowflake sub on a budget, I got what you need. 

Thanks for looking , Questions and comments welcomed as always. 

cheers

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APjumbo

Nice job there. Good read.

Seems like learning the whole patina thing is a long tedious learning curve. Haven’t tried it myself, too scared to botch everything up.

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JSebwc
20 hours ago, APjumbo said:

Nice job there. Good read.

Seems like learning the whole patina thing is a long tedious learning curve. Haven’t tried it myself, too scared to botch everything up.

 

Yes.  I got it down when it comes to dials , lume and hands and case work , etc  but the bezels are a whole different thing, because there are so many different manufactures, using different finishes of various qualities  etc   and even variations in the colors and pigments will created varying results.    so its a mix of science and alot of luck.   but now that I know how the raffles inserts react.  I would like to think that I can achieve similar results , but will the black inserts react the same?  I guess well find out on my next parts order. 

 

 

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RolexFan1

Very cool. I didn’t like subs when I first got into watches but there’s no denying they are iconic. I’ve had a TC for a good few years and still love it but finding myself more drawn to vintage watches recently. Only wish I had the skills to create something like this. Great work 

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