u/Equivalent_Garage691

I just finished a build of a 1675. The problem I have is that the old crowns case takes the fat spring bars but my jubilee can’t take the 2mm diameter bar. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was going to bore but that doesn’t leave much metal left on the jubilee.

For the automod:
Old crowns 1675 case
Yuki dial
Yuki hands (tamiya added to match pumpkin patina)
2836 modded gmt movement

I realized that my last build post was blurry and not doing justice to this beauty.

Built this 16713 for myself
Jovanotti Tropical Nipple dial
CAC bezel insert
Startime 18kt gold bezel
Gen gold grown
Reproduction 18kt gold hands
3186 movement
Old Crowns 16710 case
Sillan gold wrapped jubilee

I hadn’t planned on a rootbeer but after seeing Jova’s dials . . .

I was inspired by Jova’s GMT tropical nipple dial and built out this rootbeer. I’m calling it my ‘96 Clint Eastwood since it’s a combo of a 16713 and 16710 in one watch.

Case - OC 16710
Gold Bezel- Startime
Insert - CAC
Dial - Jovanotti
Gold GMT hands - eBay
Movement - Sillan DD 3186
Gold wrapped two tone band - Sillan
Crown - genuine

This was a tough build - lots of filing for fit, issues with the hand fitment and some magnetization of the movement. In the end, it was worth it though!

This is by far my most expensive build $2k.

Just enjoying a cool day in Alsace with my Gilt Sub build. Complete with a French beer and tarte flambe

Cartier Ballon Bleu 33mm Build — Assembly Notes & Lessons Learned
Case ref. 739193YX, ETA 2671 movement (25j, 28,800 bph). Sharing this for anyone tackling the same kit — the Ballon Bleu’s case design has a few quirks that aren’t obvious until you’re mid-build.
Screw inventory (15 total):
• 3 short screws — movement holder ring (lightest torque, seat these first)
• 4 flathead, non-shiny screws — inner ring to dial face (go slow, flatheads cam out easily if your driver isn’t dead straight)
• 8 shiny screws — caseback
Assembly order that actually worked (learned through trial and error, not the order I started with):

1. Dial mated to movement first — locate the dial feet before anything else touches the ring.
2. Set the dial-foot clamps on the movement before the dial goes on. On this case design, the clamps sit under the dial edge — once the dial’s seated, you can’t access them anymore. If you forget this step order, you’re stuck.
3. Pull the stem before dropping the movement into the spacer ring — the stem will foul the ring’s crown notch otherwise.
4. Drop the movement into the ring rotor-side matching the ring’s engraved text orientation (mine read “G.METAL.C 1548 MD” facing the same way as the rotor).
5. Press the ring into the case using the smallest clamp — the Ballon Bleu case opening is tighter than a typical Rolex rep case, a bigger clamp fights the crown guard notch instead of pressing evenly. I used two of the small clamp + one longer clamp for even pressure.
6. Leave clamps slightly loose while reinserting the stem — tight clamps can pinch the ring just enough to hang up the stem.
7. Fit hands last, after the case-pressing is done. Doing the ring/clamp work with dial-on-but-hands-off means nothing’s standing proud of the dial to snag during handling. Learned this the hard way — it’s the safer sequence even though it’s not how I originally planned it.
8. Caseback last.
   Stem cutting: Go slow. Cut to ~10 threads remaining, then trim one thread at a time, test-fitting the crown against the case after each cut. I cut my first stem too short and had to source a second one — you can always remove another thread, you can’t put one back on. Also: invest in a real end-cutting nipper. A cheap stem cutter crushes the threads instead of shearing them cleanly, which gives you a burred end that won’t seat a crown properly even if your length is otherwise correct.
   Caseback screws: Thread every screw by hand into every hole before committing a driver to any of them. Back each one out a partial turn to confirm it’s not cross-threaded before final tightening. I dropped one screw mid-build and thought I’d need a replacement, but found the original on the bench — check thoroughly before assuming you’ve lost one.
   Crown/winding: This case design recesses the crown under a guard as part of the signature curved silhouette — genuine Ballon Bleus have this same trait. You’ll get noticeably less crown to grip than on a typical dive-watch homage. Don’t mistake this for a stiff or faulty crown — it’s just the design. Use fingernail/pad grip rather than trying to roll it with fingertips, and make sure you’re actually getting full winds in (30+ turns) before judging amplitude — a partially wound movement will read low amplitude that has nothing to do with the movement’s actual health.
   Lift angle for the ETA 2671: This is the one that surprised me. A lot of references (including some watchmaker forums) list 53°, but ETA’s own technical spec sheet lists 51° for all versions of the 2671. I ran the same movement at 51, 52, and 53 on my timegrapher — 51° gave the flattest, most consistent trace. Worth verifying on your own bench rather than trusting any single printed source, including this post.
   Final numbers (partial wind, pre-final-check):
   • Dial-down: -1 to +3 s/day, amplitude climbing as wind increases, beat error under 0.1ms
   • Dial-up: 0 s/day, 0.0ms beat error
   Full-wind final regulation still pending re-verification at the corrected 51° lift angle, but early numbers suggest this movement is a strong runner.
   Happy to answer questions if anyone’s working through the same kit.

I built this one for my daughter. 33mm Cartier Ballon Bleu

Case, dial, hands and bracelet from Arlan on Alibaba. Movement was ETA 2671.

I’m doing a build of a 33mm Cartier Ballon Bleu using an AF kit and an eta 2671. I’m nearly done but there is one screw that is longer than the others and I cannot figure out where it goes. There are 7 shiny screws which makes them an easy choice for the 8 caseback screw holes, but there is one screw that is longer and seems to have a Phillips head or similar pattern when all others are flathead. If anyone had done this build and could help point me in the right direction, I’d appreciate it

Finally finished this one. Wanted to share the full breakdown including lessons learned the hard way.
The Build
A vintage-style 5513 Submariner with gilt dial and hands. Built as a gift for my son.
Components
• Case: Raffles 5513 (crown guards hand-reshaped)
• Dial: Gilt matte black, Yuki
• Hands: Gold Mercedes set, Yuki
• Movement: Clone ETA 2824
• Bezel insert: Aluminum
• Strap: Dark brown leather with orange contrast stitching (Etsy)
The Crown Guard Reshaping
The Raffles case comes with crown guards that are too blocky out of the box. I spent about 5 hours total with Vallorbe needle files working the taper and tip profile to get something closer to the original 5513 geometry. Five passes per side, blending constantly, checking under loupe. It’s tedious work but the result is worth it — the guards now have a proper sweep and taper rather than the squared-off factory look.
If you’re planning this same mod: go slow, remove less than you think you need to, and check your progress under magnification every few passes. You cannot put material back.
Raffles Clamp Sizing — Know This Before You Start
The clamps that come with the Raffles case are too short to hold the movement holder securely in place. I burned through half a dozen attempts before giving up and sourcing larger clamps. This cost me time and unnecessary handling of the dial and movement. If you’re building on a Raffles 5513: check your clamp length against the movement holder depth before you sit down to case up. Source bigger ones first. Don’t learn this the way I did.
Dial Handling
Gilt lacquer dials do not forgive fingerprints. My dial clamps were undersized for this case and I ended up handling the dial more than I wanted to. Lesson: source correct-diameter dial clamps before you start, not after. Clean any contact marks immediately with naphtha on a pegwood-wrapped lens tissue — one direction only, light pressure, stay away from the lume plots.
The Result
Very happy with how it wears. The aged cream plots against the matte black read correctly as vintage at wrist distance. The Yuki hands have just the right warm gold tone to match the dial.
Happy to answer sourcing questions in the comments.

Long time lurker, finally posting a completed build. All my previous builds have been NH35 based so this was my first time working with a Sellita SW200. Wanted to build something personal — a 1974 matte black no-date Sub homage.
 
Parts list:
- Case: Old Crowns 5513 midcase set
- Dial: Old Crowns gift dial — matte black, meters-first, aged cream lume patina
- Hands: Yuki — attempted coffee staining to match dial patina
- Movement: Sellita SW200
- Crystal: Acrylic low-dome, period correct for 1974
- Bezel: Black insert, gold lume pip
- Bracelet: OystersJubilee.com ref 95130 hollow oyster, Italian made
- Clasp: Sillan, edges chamfered and polished
 
Timegrapher results:
+7s/day, 0.1ms beat error, 315° amplitude
 
Build notes:
Stem seats without depressing the setting lever on this case — lever catches automatically. No dial spacer needed with SW200. Movement holder ring notch must align to crown tube at 3 o’clock before figuring that out.
 
First attempt at coffee staining the hands — I think they came out reasonably well against the aged cream lume but open to feedback from anyone who has done this before.
 
Happy to answer questions on the Old Crowns 5513 fitment — took some trial and error to get right.

Sorry but this isn’t for sale.

I built this one for myself and couldn’t be happier with the end results. This isn’t for sale - info to help other builders.

The Parts - all from Sillan on Alibaba
• Movement: Shanghai SC330 (324SC clone) — $350
• 3K Factory case, dial, hands — $370
• Total: $800 with shipping and tarrifs
 
What Went Smoothly
The case finishing on this 3K set is genuinely excellent. Alternating brushed and polished surfaces are true to the reference. The integrated bracelet transition is clean. Pressure tested to 60 PSI with no issues.
 
Hands went on without a hand setter — the Nautilus hand stack is not deeply recessed so standard tools worked fine. Plus none of the standard movement holders could hold and center this.
 
The One Problem I Solved
The dial is friction fit with no feet locks. I handled the dial a lot during fitting and the friction got progressively looser each time. Solved it with dial dots on the movement, away from all moving parts and jewels. Clean fix, took two minutes. Given stand alone dials from SW are 400 I couldn’t just get another.
 
Timegrapher Results
Position
Rate
Amplitude
Beat Error
Dial up
0s/d
259°
0.0ms
Crown up
-3s/d
210°
0.1ms
Crown down
+1s/d
207°
0.0ms
Dial down
+8s/d
240°
0.0ms
 
Rate variance of 4 seconds across all positions. Beat error negligible throughout. Did not touch the regulator — did not need to. Amplitude runs modest across positions, consistent with the SC330. Wrist rate will land around +1 to +3 seconds per day.
 
One Tip for Front-Loading Cases
Use Rodico on the dial center to lower the movement in. Do not use rubber gloves — latex and nitrile leave residue in the guilloche texture and it is very hard to remove. I also needed to have a second set of hands hold the case while I put on the retaining clamps since the bezel needed to be off for the load.
 
Build time: ~8 hours over 3 days
Started: 5/20/2026 — Completed: 5/23/2026
 
Happy to answer questions on the SC330 fit or the 3K case set.

I am struggling with attaching the dial to the sc330 movement. Does anyone know if this uses dial screws or some other way to attach? Any help would be appreciated.