Post by dano on Aug 29, 2020 7:34:55 GMT -8
Hi all. This is my first post so if I'm doing anything I shouldn't just let me know.
Among many hobbies, I've been tinkering around with watches for decades. Mods, some light servicing, and even some full teardowns and rebuilds. Sometimes the rebuilds even work afterwords! That's always a bonus.
I had an original 6105 8119 a couple years ago that I had inherited. It was a train wreck and needed everything. Sourcing parts was a challenge and of course very expensive. I was offered a grand for it as is and decided to let it go. And....then I regretted that decision. No way I could justify a couple thousand bucks or more for another one that I would be afraid to wear doing all the things I like to do. So... it became mod time!
Since Seikos and Seiko clones/homages are pretty easy to goof around with I did a couple 6105 mods over the last month or two. I bought a 6105 8000 Rdunae clone for $150 on eBay. The seller was only a couple states away and it was new in the box with all tags. Once it got here I pulled the NH35 out, took off the hands, and removed the dial. Then I put on a 6105 aftermarket dial, replaced the hands, and then put it back together. For the caseback I used a Seiko caseback from a 7002 I had laying around. The parts all fit and it came out pretty nice.
While the 6105 8000 is a nice look, I much prefer the fatter turtle of a 6105 8110. To make this happen I picked up a Steeldive 6105 homage and dropped out the movement. I also pulled the Steeldive dial and hands. I replaced the dial with another aftermarket dial and replaced the hand set. One thing that the Steeldive had that really bothered me was the extremely overdone blue anti reflective coating. The thing looked dull at certain angles. I pulled the crystal and got to work on it with some Polywatch and a buffing wheel on my drill press. After an hour or more I finally got all of the AR off. The next thing I wanted to do was to give the black chapter ring some depth. I sanded it down with some heavier grit paper and then repainted it black. From the right angle it has some definition and the depth I wanted.
The next thing to figure out was the insert. The insert that came with the Steeldive, in my opinion, is over the top kind of ugly. At night it's way too brightly glowing, and while it's a decent ceramic insert I just didn't like the look. Finding an insert that fit took a few tries. The insert that came with it measures 38mm by 32mm. The standard inserts for most/many Seiko's are different. They're not as thin in diameter as this one is. I found an insert I liked on Ebay that was for a Tag or Omega, I forget, but it matched the specs. The nice thing about the one I found was that it snapped in place. No glue or tape needed. It's much more subtle than the one that came with the watch. Also, when I removed the crystal from the watch the original insert snapped - ceramic ones are kind of fragile.
Hmmm...looks like I can only add two photos at a time. We'll here's an overview for the moment.
Dan
Among many hobbies, I've been tinkering around with watches for decades. Mods, some light servicing, and even some full teardowns and rebuilds. Sometimes the rebuilds even work afterwords! That's always a bonus.
I had an original 6105 8119 a couple years ago that I had inherited. It was a train wreck and needed everything. Sourcing parts was a challenge and of course very expensive. I was offered a grand for it as is and decided to let it go. And....then I regretted that decision. No way I could justify a couple thousand bucks or more for another one that I would be afraid to wear doing all the things I like to do. So... it became mod time!
Since Seikos and Seiko clones/homages are pretty easy to goof around with I did a couple 6105 mods over the last month or two. I bought a 6105 8000 Rdunae clone for $150 on eBay. The seller was only a couple states away and it was new in the box with all tags. Once it got here I pulled the NH35 out, took off the hands, and removed the dial. Then I put on a 6105 aftermarket dial, replaced the hands, and then put it back together. For the caseback I used a Seiko caseback from a 7002 I had laying around. The parts all fit and it came out pretty nice.
While the 6105 8000 is a nice look, I much prefer the fatter turtle of a 6105 8110. To make this happen I picked up a Steeldive 6105 homage and dropped out the movement. I also pulled the Steeldive dial and hands. I replaced the dial with another aftermarket dial and replaced the hand set. One thing that the Steeldive had that really bothered me was the extremely overdone blue anti reflective coating. The thing looked dull at certain angles. I pulled the crystal and got to work on it with some Polywatch and a buffing wheel on my drill press. After an hour or more I finally got all of the AR off. The next thing I wanted to do was to give the black chapter ring some depth. I sanded it down with some heavier grit paper and then repainted it black. From the right angle it has some definition and the depth I wanted.
The next thing to figure out was the insert. The insert that came with the Steeldive, in my opinion, is over the top kind of ugly. At night it's way too brightly glowing, and while it's a decent ceramic insert I just didn't like the look. Finding an insert that fit took a few tries. The insert that came with it measures 38mm by 32mm. The standard inserts for most/many Seiko's are different. They're not as thin in diameter as this one is. I found an insert I liked on Ebay that was for a Tag or Omega, I forget, but it matched the specs. The nice thing about the one I found was that it snapped in place. No glue or tape needed. It's much more subtle than the one that came with the watch. Also, when I removed the crystal from the watch the original insert snapped - ceramic ones are kind of fragile.
Hmmm...looks like I can only add two photos at a time. We'll here's an overview for the moment.
Dan
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