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My first Omega...and it's heavily modded (FOIS-based)
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nismo
·How did he do a Hesalite swap without nodding the case?
That's something Adam says is 100% interchangable with the standard Speedy hesalite while others here have said no and it requires case work. He can chime in if he wants. I plan to send it back to him in 5 yrs for service including new hesalite rather than someone that doesn't know what needs to be done given mods.
Also, this dial appears to have some white spots along the subdial margins, some likely due to lighting and others not as much. Maybe it's specific to 3954.50 service dials or just their age if old stock. https://www.swisslimitededitions.co...ster-non-pro-raised-logo-c-1861-dial-145-0222
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...
It was a typo. Modding the case was what meant. The sapphire and Hesalite cases are different and they are not considered interchangeable on the pro. I thought that applied to the FOIS case as well.
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padders
··Oooo subtitles!It is the crystal swap part that would make me concerned and I too would like to hear how it’s done or at least reassurance it has been done well since a bodged job could lead to water ingress and/or a missing crystal and catastrophic dial damage. Is it actually the same Omega crystal as the Pro? Perhaps a different size fits. If it is a reliable mod then that is good news all round since a replacement sapphire is like North of $600, but I still have concerns.
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LeonDeBayonne
·An AD in Paris also managed to swap the crystal. Please see the link. He did not experience any difficulty in removing the original sapphire (without damaging it) and in putting back a plexy. I have a spare plexy at home. I'll send you the ref later in the day.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/fir...aster-fois-roll-call.550/page-31#post-1100789
https://omegaforums.net/threads/fir...aster-fois-roll-call.550/page-31#post-1100789
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Risto
·A watchmaker in Germany can also do these lovely mods.
The most expensive job is re-lume ~1500EUR.
Broad arrow re-issue dial is about 400-500€.
Don't know the price for crystal and tension ring, but the total cost is about 3000 EUR.
The most expensive job is re-lume ~1500EUR.
Broad arrow re-issue dial is about 400-500€.
Don't know the price for crystal and tension ring, but the total cost is about 3000 EUR.
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padders
··Oooo subtitles!A watchmaker in Germany can also do these lovely mods.
The most expensive job is re-lume ~1500EUR.
Broad arrow re-issue dial is about 400-500€.
Don't know the price for crystal and tension ring, but the total cost is about 3000 EUR.
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Jokr
·Congrats on a beautifully modded watch. I’m usually not a big fan of altering the original style, but this one looks stunning! 👍
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nismo
·It is the crystal swap part that would make me concerned and I too would like to hear how it’s done or at least reassurance it has been done well since a bodged job could lead to water ingress and/or a missing crystal and catastrophic dial damage. Is it actually the same Omega crystal as the Pro? Perhaps a different size fits. If it is a reliable mod then that is good news all round since a replacement sapphire is like North of $600, but I still have concerns.
Same one as the Pro per Adam. I had the same concerns prior to purchase and emailed him assuming the case had been modified as I read on these forums.
With regards to the crystal, the case has not been modified. It can be returned to standard specification at any time.
Yes the crystal has a tension ring as it is the standard crystal used on the standard Speedmaster. With a heavy enough knock it is possible to knock any plastic crystal out so looking after it is key.
I still have the original parts to swap it over, but I think hesalite looks incredible compared to sapphire. My daily watch continues to be my 18+ year old Tag quartz. It's banged all over except the sapphire which still looks brand new. That's why I'm not a stickler for having scratched lugs on my brand new Speedy let alone whatever else people here are noticing on it...they would freak out if they saw my daily Tag lol. This Speedy (and anything else I buy) will be for occasional use only.
Not bad! Pretty cool.
I’m more curious to know what it cost you though, compared to a real Ed white with relume. Real but all relumed EW doesn’t go for that high.
Sorry for the late reply as I was on my cell for the last few replies regarding the posts thinking dust was everywhere. I purposely avoided referring to my watch as an EW although Adam's certificate for it calls it that. To me it always has been and always will be a FOIS so I rather call it a modded FOIS than anything else. I normally don't discuss price, but since I will never sell this thing it was about the same as buying a FOIS at full retail from an OB. USD has been pretty strong against the AUD so it worked in my favor this time.
Next watch I buy will hopefully be a new 321 movement SS Speedy from my OB.
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jsducote
·And now I'm officially out of the Ed White market, since there will be no way to keep these from being passed off as such.
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Davidt
·Great looking watch. Only issue is the case contours of the Fois case but that can't be helped.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerJust to put this to rest about the crystals...they are not a "straight swap" as I will show:
The standard acrylic crystal for a Speedmaster Pro is this:
063PW5139 | GLASS PLEXI BLACK RING D34.13 H5.1
So the diameter is 34.13 mm, and it presses directly into the steel case opening as armoured (tension ring) crystals do.
The sapphire crystal for the FOIS is the same as with the regular sapphire Speedy Pro:
062SL5005 | GLASS SAPPHIRE AG1S MET D34.2 H4.65
So the diameter here is slightly larger. But this sapphire crystal is held in the case by a crystal gasket:
298EN5189 | CRYSTAL GASKET Ø35 T0.57 H0.85
The thickness of the gasket is 0.57 mm, so that is on the radius. If you remove the sapphire crystal and gasket and tried to install the acrylic crystal directly into the steel case (the way a tension ring crystal is supposed to be inserted into a case) the crystal would not seat in the FOIS or sapphire Speedy Pro case as the case opening is far too large.
My guess is that the gasket has been left in the case (or hopefully a new one installed) and this is what is holding the acrylic crystal in. Given that the interference fit on a sapphire crystal with hard plastic gasket is quite small (2-3 hundredths of a mm in the designs I've done so less than the difference in crystal diameters above), I'm not sure I would be confident that this arrangement is as secure as an acrylic crystal in a case that was designed for it. Not only on the diameter, but the depth of engagement into the case. The gasket above for the sapphire crystal is 0.85 mm tall, and the depth of engagement in an acrylic cased Speedy is about 1.15 mm, so the crystal isn't seated as deeply either from what I can see.
Anyway, it's not a "straight swap" as people keep saying it is - that's my main point here. To me that means being able to remove the sapphire and press the acrylic straight into the case as it was designed to be installed.
It definitely looks nice though so I can understand the interest in this mod. 👍
Cheers, Al
The standard acrylic crystal for a Speedmaster Pro is this:
063PW5139 | GLASS PLEXI BLACK RING D34.13 H5.1
So the diameter is 34.13 mm, and it presses directly into the steel case opening as armoured (tension ring) crystals do.
The sapphire crystal for the FOIS is the same as with the regular sapphire Speedy Pro:
062SL5005 | GLASS SAPPHIRE AG1S MET D34.2 H4.65
So the diameter here is slightly larger. But this sapphire crystal is held in the case by a crystal gasket:
298EN5189 | CRYSTAL GASKET Ø35 T0.57 H0.85
The thickness of the gasket is 0.57 mm, so that is on the radius. If you remove the sapphire crystal and gasket and tried to install the acrylic crystal directly into the steel case (the way a tension ring crystal is supposed to be inserted into a case) the crystal would not seat in the FOIS or sapphire Speedy Pro case as the case opening is far too large.
My guess is that the gasket has been left in the case (or hopefully a new one installed) and this is what is holding the acrylic crystal in. Given that the interference fit on a sapphire crystal with hard plastic gasket is quite small (2-3 hundredths of a mm in the designs I've done so less than the difference in crystal diameters above), I'm not sure I would be confident that this arrangement is as secure as an acrylic crystal in a case that was designed for it. Not only on the diameter, but the depth of engagement into the case. The gasket above for the sapphire crystal is 0.85 mm tall, and the depth of engagement in an acrylic cased Speedy is about 1.15 mm, so the crystal isn't seated as deeply either from what I can see.
Anyway, it's not a "straight swap" as people keep saying it is - that's my main point here. To me that means being able to remove the sapphire and press the acrylic straight into the case as it was designed to be installed.
It definitely looks nice though so I can understand the interest in this mod. 👍
Cheers, Al
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nismo
·And now I'm officially out of the Ed White market, since there will be no way to keep these from being passed off as such.
Hope you're not serious. I was looking for an original EW prior to this, but was not happy with how pretty much all had replacement parts and not original (no DON bezel, relumed, service caseback, etc). I could not verify what was what and did not want to get burned.
Hold out for the 321 SS coming. It may fit what you want.
As far as mine, I don't refer to it as an EW as it's not an EW and to me does not look like one. Dial is wrong, bezel wrong, crown wrong. Case can't even fit a 19mm Trilogy flatlink. So basically all wrong except service caseback and hands.
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nismo
·Just to put this to rest about the crystals...they are not a "straight swap" as I will show:
The standard acrylic crystal for a Speedmaster Pro is this:
063PW5139 | GLASS PLEXI BLACK RING D34.13 H5.1
So the diameter is 34.13 mm, and it presses directly into the steel case opening as armoured (tension ring) crystals do.
The sapphire crystal for the FOIS is the same as with the regular sapphire Speedy Pro:
062SL5005 | GLASS SAPPHIRE AG1S MET D34.2 H4.65
So the diameter here is slightly larger. But this sapphire crystal is held in the case by a crystal gasket:
298EN5189 | CRYSTAL GASKET Ø35 T0.57 H0.85
The thickness of the gasket is 0.57 mm, so that is on the radius. If you remove the sapphire crystal and gasket and tried to install the acrylic crystal directly into the steel case (the way a tension ring crystal is supposed to be inserted into a case) the crystal would not seat in the FOIS or sapphire Speedy Pro case as the case opening is far too large.
My guess is that the gasket has been left in the case (or hopefully a new one installed) and this is what is holding the acrylic crystal in. Given that the interference fit on a sapphire crystal with hard plastic gasket is quite small (2-3 hundredths of a mm in the designs I've done so less than the difference in crystal diameters above), I'm not sure I would be confident that this arrangement is as secure as an acrylic crystal in a case that was designed for it. Not only on the diameter, but the depth of engagement into the case. The gasket above for the sapphire crystal is 0.85 mm tall, and the depth of engagement in an acrylic cased Speedy is about 1.15 mm, so the crystal isn't seated as deeply either from what I can see.
Anyway, it's not a "straight swap" as people keep saying it is - that's my main point here. To me that means being able to remove the sapphire and press the acrylic straight into the case as it was designed to be installed.
It definitely looks nice though so I can understand the interest in this mod. 👍
Cheers, Al
I'm going to guess the gasket was left in place. Here is a photo of original parts I was given. It's case back, sapphire, crown, and dial. No gasket. Hands were throw away.
Your input is always appreciated. Thanks for that info. If I ever send this watch to you for service please let me know what you find. It will be a few years until then tho. 😀
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jsducote
·Hope you're not serious. I was looking for an original EW prior to this, but was not happy with how pretty much all had replacement parts and not original (no DON bezel, relumed, service caseback, etc). I could not verify what was what and did not want to get burned.
#darkplace #makemesmart
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ext1
·what hope do I have for ever being able to tell the difference? [...] I just don't think I'm ever going to get to the level of the many people here who can look at a dial and instantly tell from where and whence it came.
I don't understand. It's like you're saying you can't learn new information per se.. you're telling me you can't go read and understand the content on speedmaster101 or MWO? (They are written in English btw...) speedmaster101 and MWO can get you started in a really good place.
Of course I'm not that good either yet as much as the veterans here, but that's because learning never ends and I need to keep being exposed to new information and gain more experience, make some noob mistakes here and there. Perhaps spend more time here with the right mindset and you'll see yourself get to better places...
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LeonDeBayonne
·Yeah, I pretty much am serious, facepalms aside. If the guy who did these mods wants to call it an EW, what hope do I have for ever being able to tell the difference? Sure, caveat emptor and do your due diligence applies to everything. I just don't think I'm ever going to get to the level of the many people here who can look at a dial and instantly tell from where and whence it came. You do you, and no hard feelings from me, but there are just some authentic vintage models I'm resigning myself never to own.
#darkplace #makemesmart
Adam names it FOIS modded into Ed White. So there is no confusion at all about what you get from him.
But, assuming these modded FOIS did not exist, would you be more comfortable in buying an Ed White? I don't believe so. If you're not trained to spot differences, how will you be certain that you have the right dial, hands, crown, bezel, that the dial has not been relumed yesterday or 10 years ago, that the watch is not just a repackage of parts even you have an extract? There is no way to be 100% certain when you buy vintage (except if you know the only owner and if he can tell you the whole story). Here at least, you know it's modern watch turned into an oldie. And it costs only a fraction of the oldie that is supposedly genuine.
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nismo
·Yes the OF have been a great resource and I've learned a lot here. I've sent many private messages and always had friendly replies. If I spend the money on an EW I am absolutely spending a ton of time learning everything about it before dropping 5 figures. Thanks to everyone here for all the great threads and DMs.
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dukerules
·And now I'm officially out of the Ed White market, since there will be no way to keep these from being passed off as such.
To the OP: incredible mods, and along the lines of what I'm thinking of someday doing to my own FOIS.
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