First prototype -Exemplary Watch Works

[The Guvnah]

Really like what you have done!

Well it's a start anyway and thanks.

My "tubes" to connect my links are all hand made from stainless steel rod, then tapped...

...Everything being made is done on my basement by hand (except the movement of course).

Aha then you're the very man to ask; I've had several cracks at tailstock drilling some 2mm 316 rod but without success so far. Can I ask what machine, speed and drill bit combination you're using for this operation? Advice up to now has been to "hit it hard and fast" which is easy enough to say if you've got access to 3,000+ rpm toolroom quality lathes but it's way beyond the speed range of a pre-war Zyto. I've drilled plenty of stainless over the years but not at this small scale and it's one of the elements I really need to nail.

The center links are leather (cross-drilled and tubed). Nobody that i know of has tried this.

Can't think of one off the top of my head and a nice unique feature. Will those leather links be having any further finishing so that the raw cut ends don't show?

The rest of the watch is all aluminum. Not simple -easy dent aluminum. But high grade tooling aluminum. Has a "C" scale rockwell hardness of 7. Type 316L stainless has a "C" scale rockwell of 10 by comparison.

I will also be coating this watch with a scratch resistant coating. Giving a lightweight, scratch-resistance watch to compete against the titanium ones being built at a fraction of the cost!

Casting around for a suitable alloy at the moment (Fortal?) but it does mean one can experiment with colour via the various anodizing processes. My worry is that without lining the ally links with a more resilient metal (and maybe having them hard chromed) they will prematurely wear. Your leather intermediates however remove the lateral abrasion and wear that I'm foreseeing as one link rotates relative to its neighbours. In fact it'll keep it nicely buffed!

[danny_n]

Looking good! The only (very slight) flaw for me is thath the I looks awfuly lonely on the dial. Other than that, carry on my good man!

[Medusa]

I like it a lot. Dang fine job. Really looking forward to seeing it completed.

[slikmetalfab]

Guvnah,
I had the same issue with drilling/tapping stainless this small, so I let my buddy play with it. I have a Unimat lathe that I had picked up on ebay to do the lathe work. I know it can go up to 6000 rpm, but I will check with him as to what speed he is using. But I do know he is using the tailstock to drill. So his feed is by "feel".

I also plan to anodize for color options. And yes, the leather takes out that metal-to-metal wear issue and acts like a friction washer -resembling the old friction shocks of the early 20's automotive.

The only thing I can think is to hard anodize the outer links and regular anodize the inner links to allow those to wear as the replacement links.

I hope to post final pics by the weekend. My new daytime job "promotion" has me traveling more and is delaying my finishing of this prototype.


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[The Guvnah]

Guvnah,
I had the same issue with drilling/tapping stainless this small, so I let my buddy play with it. I have a Unimat lathe that I had picked up on ebay to do the lathe work. I know it can go up to 6000 rpm, but I will check with him as to what speed he is using.

That'd be greatly appreciated, I've also had advice to try carbide tipped pcb drills and be prepared to buy 'em in boxes of ten!

The only thing I can think is to hard anodize the outer links and regular anodize the inner links to allow those to wear as the replacement links.

Well this one's really a practice piece/feasibility study for a final fabrication in bronze but that could change depending on how tough the various alloys I try turn out to be. What I should do is link some sample strips of varying grades into a bracelet (ie no case) and wear it for a month (or maybe split ring them onto my keyring) and compare their relative damage levels. The original idea behind using ally was to create a 'building-site beater' that showed every daily scar and whose provenance wasn't measured by the patination but the level of impact damage and metal removal achieved.

I hope to post final pics by the weekend. My new daytime job "promotion" has me traveling more and is delaying my finishing of this prototype.

Are you polishing, brushing, dipping or blasting?

[slikmetalfab]

I like the idea of "battle scars" on a watch. I have a Tag 6000 that has never been polished and has been on my wrist for 14 years now. Definitely has some scars. These things are made to be worn.

As for polishing, i have yet to finalize what i want to do. I kind of like the rough look, but want to see it polished. Maybe I will make another one to try that.

I also like your idea of wearing it for some time to see what wear issues and fit-and-function conditions arise. And i like the look of different alloys -has character.


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[slikmetalfab]

Got my crystal with my "floating numbers" done. I also set the hand for review. Finally looks like what I had in my head.

Last thing to do is mount my movement!

First pic is with the hands just sitting in place.
Second pic is to show the crystal with laser etched numerals.



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[ukqsb]

In fact, i think case construction is too simple. polish of bracelet wonderful.

[The Guvnah]

As for polishing, i have yet to finalize what i want to do. I kind of like the rough look, but want to see it polished. Maybe I will make another one to try that.

Maybe some subtley sized and placed polished bevels? Something in contrast to frame the face as it were. As I sit back from the screen and look at your piece I noticed that the eye abruptly 'drops off' the edge of the watch face as it scans across, there's no moderating transition to the skin tone if you see what I mean. Some polished reliefs, 'glints' and glimpses of the metal beneath around the periphery of the shape might ease and delineate it?

Is the crystal curved flush to the profile of the case or is it progressively domed a la Bulova such that it stands proud of the case work?

[slikmetalfab]

The crystal is curved and the center of the crown (curve) sits slightly above the case, then blends out at the top and bottom. This was a stock crystal that I cut down. This was not the intention, but it had grown on me now. It gives the smooth face some 3d depth.

Just ordered my polishing stones so I can start finishing it.

Waiting on the material to come in for machining the movement holder -the last piece of the puzzle for a full, working assembly.

Doing this as a hobby (part time) has really tested my patience for the final product. But worth it in the end.


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