eugeneandresson
·Getting close to completion.
Whats missing? It looks GREAT!
Getting close to completion.
Whats missing? It looks GREAT!
Hi Eugene,
just finished my Racing build.
I found a Mk11 in Spain with a beaten up case (bracelet was nice though), however the dial and hands were all original and in absolutely beautiful condition, this piece had certainly had a life, but the dial and hands were just about perfect inside, ever so slight ageing, but all the original mkII’s hands were still displaying their original bright and matching orange colour, I had been looking for quite a while and usually the sweep hand and subdial hands have aged to the point of not looking so good, very rare to find when all orange hands match…. So I bought it.
I managed to find a 145.022 69-ST mid case with pushers, I sourced a service hippo caseback and a movement ring, so was able to bring everything together.
I know its not a DON bezel, but I can live with that as the price of a DON bezel is eye watering.
I can also live with the “MKII” on the dial, because its a period 1960’s movement and dial, so tritium, tritium hands, and “T SWISS T” as well.
Together with the 69-ST case (forgive the service caseback), its mostly period and pretty close to the £80k 1968 original!!
I’m really enjoying wearing it and I like it a lot, which is what creating custom builds is all about.
At the moment on a rally black leather strap, I have a period early 1171, waiting for the links to arrive to try that on.
I need a movement cover and a better period caseback, so I’m still looking, if anyone has one available.
many thanks
P.S. The masking tape on the pushers and crown was put there whilst I polished the hesalite crystal, I didn’t want to get polish residue anywhere other than the crystal.
The question is, should I try and get new hands as these racing hands don't look too bright?
This may be a dumb question and forgive me if this was posted before, but is the movement holder ring from the Mark II case interchangeable with the 145.022 case? Or is the movement holder ring specific to each of the case references?
Trying to make this project happen for me just trying to build the part list so I know what to keep an eye out for.
As i also just sailed on realizing the same project, very nice watch @nickuk99 !! - great result, i have learned that the rings are different for both, and not interchangable, as the ring for the Speedy Pro case also has to fit the dust cap so it has a step on the innner vertical ring were that cap is pressed on to fixate the movement. The MKII case does not have a cap but uses 2 screws + keepers to fix the movement on the inner caseband. The crown is also different, the MKII one does not reach the case side, so maybe not as WR as the crown for the Speedy Pro. Same diameter i think but thinner so to speak.
Thanks so far @eugeneandresson and others for the inspiration and knowledge out here on OF !!