Buddhabar 4,579 Posted May 5, 2023 Hi everybody. I want to ask your opinion based on your experiences. I have a case in which I would like to reduce the thickness of the flange, to house an automatic movement. The case is made of steel and was previously equipped with a quartz movement. The diameter to fit the dial is 28.5mmm. Not having a lathe, but a good drill, what would you recommend to do. Thank you for your attention and possible answers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenTLe 1,510 Posted May 5, 2023 9 hours ago, Buddhabar said: Hi everybody. I want to ask your opinion based on your experiences. I have a case in which I would like to reduce the thickness of the flange, to house an automatic movement. The case is made of steel and was previously equipped with a quartz movement. The diameter to fit the dial is 28.5mmm. Not having a lathe, but a good drill, what would you recommend to do. Thank you for your attention and possible answers. Flange you mean the movement ring? I'd try with one of these, but the precision needed can bee too much for these, and keeping the small flange in place while enlarging it without a lathe chuck can be a mess (especially for your fingers) Plus you need to consider things like the height of the hole for the stem: if it's not the same between the quartz and the mechanical movement it's a waste of work, time and money. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buddhabar 4,579 Posted May 6, 2023 8 hours ago, GenTLe said: Flange you mean the movement ring? I'd try with one of these, but the precision needed can bee too much for these, and keeping the small flange in place while enlarging it without a lathe chuck can be a mess (especially for your fingers) Plus you need to consider things like the height of the hole for the stem: if it's not the same between the quartz and the mechanical movement it's a waste of work, time and money. Thanks for your reply. Exactly..I meant to reduce the thickness of the rehaut (where the dial rests). This is precisely to ensure that the axis of the winding shaft can be aligned with that of the crown tube. I am attaching some photos for better understanding. In fact, I thought about the tool you put in the photo, but if you think about it, it won't be easy to do a good job, if you don't use the lathe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenTLe 1,510 Posted May 6, 2023 Uhm, nope, you need a lathe for that... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buddhabar 4,579 Posted May 7, 2023 17 hours ago, GenTLe said: Uhm, nope, you need a lathe for that... Thanks mate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aramis2288 6,313 Posted May 7, 2023 (edited) Hi @Buddhabar, Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but if you are thinking of doing a custom build based on an automatic movement, perhaps you may want to consider grabbing one of the Seiko SKX conversion cases. These days there are models resembling the styles of many iconic Swiss watches i.e. submariner, nautilus, royal oak, etc. while being compatible with the NH line of automatic movements out of the box. In addition, there is a massive market for both OEM and custom dials, hands, chapter rings, bezel inserts, crystals, etc. Furthermore, several available versions of the base movements would allow you to choose your preferred complication (no-date, date, day-date, GMT). This way you could avoid all the complexity of modifying the flange / movement ring and end up with a very similar result. Edited May 7, 2023 by Aramis2288 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buddhabar 4,579 Posted May 7, 2023 Hi [mention=24370]Buddhabar[/mention], Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but if you are thinking of doing a custom build based on an automatic movement, perhaps you may want to consider grabbing one of the Seiko SKX conversion cases. These days there are models resembling the styles of many iconic Swiss watches i.e. submariner, nautilus, royal oak, etc. while being compatible with the NH line of automatic movements out of the box. In addition, there is a massive market for both OEM and custom dials, hands, chapter rings, bezel inserts, crystals, etc. Furthermore, several available versions of the base movements would allow you to choose your preferred complication (no-date, date, day-date, GMT). This way you could avoid all the complexity of modifying the flange / movement ring and end up with a very similar result.Thanks for your message friend Aramis.... Considering all the problems, in fact it will be more convenient to use a new case suitable for my dial with movement. Too complicated to reduce the flange if not performing a professional work on the lathe. I was also considering using a movement with a stem height of 1.5/1.6mm...but it's not an easy task. In the end I followed your advice. Thank you very much for your suggestion. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
