LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 This mini project started as... factory rep Rolex date wheel fonts suck so I'm going to improve it for my keepers. Just about every single date rep Rolex I've had/seen has a pathetic thin date font. I've been through 4-5 different GMT IIc and kept the BK primarily because the date wheel font is fantastic. Could I do better? I ordered a bunch of TC DWO to find out. The TC DWO is cheaper than the BK and in some respects, you get what you pay for. I believe the BK looks better (perhaps not more gen but better). Both the TC and BK DWO will only work in 40mm Rolexes. I started this at about 12:30AM... Uneventful de-casing. I like to work on a large, thin microfiber cloth. Picture of the hand stack in case I forget while falling asleep. Par for the course. The backside of dials is always so crappy. Now we're getting somewhere... . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 TC vs "factory" date wheel. There is a tiny little spring holding the date wheel in place. I spent LOTS of time with this spring. Notice with the overlay on, the spring is completely obscured. This means if (and when) the date wheel pops off while you're trying to adjust the perfect fit, you need to have some extreme finesse to get it back on with the overlay intact -- or remove the overlay and start over. I spent I don't know how long at this part. I thought I was nearly done and you can see this is the crystal removal part. Mother fugging keyless. Just when EVERYTHING appears to be ok and I start reassembly and testing, the keyless is botched. I de-case the entire thing and essentially start from scratch. To get to the keyless, I have to remove the date wheel... ay. At least reassembling the keyless is a piece of cake (as some have noted). More frucking with the date wheel spring, DWO position, etc. It's probably about 3:30AM at this point. I should verify using the pic EXIF data. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 I hate the bare engraved clasp so I do my Super Permanent Sharpie mod. Upgrade to beefier spring bars. It holds ROCK SOLID now with absolutely no end link play. Mandatory bracelet spa treatment (ultrasonic bath + baby oil soak). By the time I'm done, it's about 4AM. Here is the result of the swap. All the pictures are in the order of: FACTORY BK TC GEN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 Here is the result of the swap. All the pictures are in the order of: FACTORY BK TC GEN (if you have a good gen "28" pic, feel free to post in) Wait, that's only 4 hours you say? Of course. Today when I was doing final inspection, I notice a TINY little hair or something clipped between the crystal. There was also some dust on the crystal near the cyclops. I de-case the whole thing and reclean... twice. Almost an hour later, it's up to my standard and I think I'm finally satisfied enough that I can relinquish the BK version How much time did I budget for this? About 1-2 hours. Was it worth it? Well, there were a fruckload of lessons learned, and I fixed my first keyless so... I guess, yes? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J.Eric 698 Posted May 17, 2013 Very Nice!! Looks Great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatarms 7,825 Posted May 17, 2013 You are a fucking nutbag sometimes, and your threads are ultimately very educational and entertaining as a result I enjoy the hell out of your mod threads and wish I had your guts to mess with my watches. Well done, bud Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 You are a fucking nutbag sometimes, and your threads are ultimately very educational and entertaining as a result I enjoy the hell out of your mod threads and wish I had your guts to mess with my watches. Well done, bud Last night was... ok date wheel on FUCKING SPRING ok date wheel back on adjust good ok dial back on FUCKING SPRING reseat date wheel... over and over. Then sprinkled in FUCKING KEYLESS... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheSav 2 Posted May 17, 2013 You must have a lot of patience LG and some talent to boot. The date wheel certainly looks a lot better. I know I would have been able to do that let alone have the patience to spend 5 hours on it. Nice work. Must be time for some sleep now though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyr 4 Posted May 17, 2013 Good one Geek, enjoyable as always and very educational ! I'm glad you get to make the mistakes first,I don't feel alone then when I screw up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 You must have a lot of patience LG and some talent to boot. The date wheel certainly looks a lot better. I know I would have been able to do that let alone have the patience to spend 5 hours on it. Nice work. Must be time for some sleep now though. It's 1:11AM now... I'm contemplating doing the sub. I left out a crucial piece in the timeline. I stopped taking pictures when the expletives starting flying near the end. ----------------------- Refitting the handstack was brutal. For whatever reason, I couldn't get the GMT hand back on properly, or at the right height, not rubbing the hour hand but clearing the markers, etc. I know I spent a good 20 minutes doing and redoing that part. ----------------------- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SSTEEL 0 Posted May 17, 2013 Well done brother! Patience you have for sure. I am yet to experience changing a DWO, so your reference photos will certainly come in handy mate, thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 Not happy with the little left justify, I de-cases her AGAIN and half an hour later, it's perfect. I'm content enough to sell the BK. The date is perfect, the etched coronet is perfect, everything is spot on except the rehaut crown and even I'm not OCD enough to go in one more time to fix it, jeopardizing everything else. So, the lesson is you can get damn close "visually" to a BK, but man, just spend the damn $400 and have it already done for you... Unless you "work at home" like me and have gobs of time and patience The other minor niggle is the date changes at 11:55PM but I'm definitely not messing with the hands as everything is lined up perfectly now. First TC then BK. Again the TC has nice glossy raised text but I can't capture it well. Can tell in real life though. It's not crooked! It's the angle of my shot. BKs is off to the right more. Both are off just about the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerkstore 14 Posted May 17, 2013 (edited) Well done! New DWO looks sooo much better. And the rehaut crown centering is good enough to leave as is. Edited May 17, 2013 by jerkstore Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machiavegli 6 Posted May 17, 2013 Lightspeed thanks so much for posting this. I've always had a hard time "getting" why a perfect date wheel is so important, all these loupe shots make it all so clear. More money headed out of my wallet I fear... -Mach PS for my $ the BK looks best too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 17, 2013 Lightspeed thanks so much for posting this. I've always had a hard time "getting" why a perfect date wheel is so important, all these loupe shots make it all so clear. More money headed out of my wallet I fear... -Mach PS for my $ the BK looks best too Light-who? BK is good. Now buy it from me in the M2M heh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LightGeek 25 Posted May 31, 2013 Ever since the swap, it's been sitting in the winder (until today). Still going well and hasn't fallen off. This was my first swap and I think I might open her up to shim it higher. Really needs an AR cyclops. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyr 4 Posted May 31, 2013 Tempting FATE we are ... :yoda: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1littlegreen 1 Posted May 31, 2013 I love it when you push the envelope....always get a smile Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeavyKrush 16 Posted May 31, 2013 Awesome Job Light. And at 3:00 am no less. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J!m 289 Posted May 31, 2013 Nice work- "The devil is in the details..." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
