Anticipation... Reckon this one will turn out reet nice. Where's the insert from?
Well its spring, the sun is shining and it must be about time for my annual round of Amphibia mods.
Think I will start with yet another blue Scuba Dude.
New 420 from Zenitar.
Firstly, off with the awful bracelet.
I have a pale blue Eulit but thought that I would try one of these royal blue Gekto's.
Blue PO style bezel insert arrived today.
More to follow.............................
Anticipation... Reckon this one will turn out reet nice. Where's the insert from?
I have high hopes!
Re the insert - I thought that I would give this one a go
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3021683445...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Its a lot cheaper then the last one I bought
Still waiting for the new bezel and stainless steel crown to arrive.......
Thanks
I'll be interested in your take on the replacement crown. I have a bunch of them from Meranom and they are definitely an upgrade in quality but I feel that they don't match polished cases particularly well, in the longer term I plan to have some cases bead blasted to match.
Can't wait to see this and your opinion on the new bezel/insert looked at this seller before looks like he has some nice bits for sale.
Last edited by barryw; 18th April 2017 at 22:27.
I have one of these so looking forward to the results! Do you do the work yourself? I like the look of the perlon, is it a 20mm lug width?
The new bezel arrived today - so let the modifications begin!
First of all, off with the standard bezel. A sharp case knife and a little pressure and off it pops:
If your not very confident or a bit clumsy then its best to place some card or something similar between the case and knife so as to avoid marking the latter.
Next, to the new bezel. The insert came with 3M double sided tape - however I have used flexible waterproof cement:
The insert fits perfectly:
Then, on with the new bezel. You can see the tensioning bezel spring in the shot below. Although the new bezel came with a spring I used the old one as it was easier to press home:
All done!
And finally, on the blue perlon strap:
All that needs to be done now is replacing the original pressed steel crown with a new stainless steel one when it arrives.
Looking good so far Ian, is the crown and bezel from Meranom?
Last edited by barryw; 28th April 2017 at 14:33.
Cheers, I know the feeling I have two 420's coming a KGB and para trooper both in tourquoise dial.Just need to get a couple of bezels inserts and the better crowns, as my tools have just arrived!
Great. There's some superb modding options these days but still have a soft spot for the older models.
So much enjoyment for little outlay.
Do you guys know the hour hand hole size on those hands?
I have an old Russian watch I'm trying to get hands for but it seems to be 1.4mm and I can only find 1.3 or 1.5 on cousins.
Three stainless steel crowns arrived from Meranom this morning (wish I had ordered four!) so I thought that some pics of me fitting them might be of interest.
I use an adjustable case back opener, a Bergeon spring bar tool and a cocktail stick:
The case back tool fits into the slotted retaining ring that holds the case back on:
Once unscrewed the case back simply lifts off:
Now that the movement is exposed the crown needs to be screwed all of the way out, then depressing this button gently will release the crown mechanism allowing the crown to be detached and removed:
Old pressed steel crown at the top - new stainless steel one bottom:
This is the bit that caught me out when I first did one of these swaps. I had assumed that when refitting the crown it would simply click back into place. Well, none of mine every have. I have found that the release button needs to be held down whilst the crown stem is gently pushed into position using the forked end of the spring bar tool. It sometimes take a couple of attempts for it to engage. The key here (as with removal) is to go softly and not force anything.
Once its engaged then its simply a matter of refitting the case back (making sure that the rubber gasket is seated properly) and refitting and tightening the retaining ring.
All well worth doing in my view as I think they look and feel much better:
Excellent and helpful photos, thanks for posting those.
Cheers Ian, very informative 👍
Great mods. !
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using TZ-UK mobile app
I'm afraid that the answer is 'with difficulty'. It is a vintage Eulit Panama Perlon and came from Scott of Timesofplenty in the US via his eBay portal. Sadly the 18mm coloured vintage Panama weave are now like hen's teeth, not to mention eye-wateringly expensive.
http://stores.ebay.com/Timesofplenty...ge-Watch-Bands
The best modern thick weave Perlon straps are Eulit 'Palma', available from Yelly’s Watch Corner. Unfortunately the colours are limited to black, grey, dark brown, blue and red.
I posted some photographs and notes here:
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...oto-Comparison
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Last edited by Djdremel; 21st October 2017 at 11:51.
Aha, it is time for you to head over to this thread for inspiration: http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...-Amphibia-mods
I can't speak for Velorum but I generally buy my bezels from boris_gvb via his eBay shop and inserts from Dagaz (they are the same size as the Seiko inserts).
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/vostokpoljotwatchesfromrussia/
http://www.dagazwatch.com/apps/webst...y/12255?page=2
Ian, do you set the inserts in place while the bezel is on the watch, so as to make sure the insert lines up correctly when dry, or do you just get lucky every time?
Great work and you and Mr.Curta have an eye for great colour matching!
Bob.
Bob - as the bezels are non rachet with no click stops its not an issue, the inset can be applied before the bezel is fitted.