# First prototype -Exemplary Watch Works



## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

Just about complete with the first prototype. This is model Example #1



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## Lavishlivez (Feb 27, 2012)

Looks great! What kind of movement you trying to put in there?


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## CADstraps (Nov 3, 2011)

I really like that bracelet, but it leave little room for error - one removed link would make a big difference in sizing, and there is not capability for micro-adjusting. 

Something to consider.


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## Gordon Fraser (Oct 25, 2011)

CADstraps said:


> I really like that bracelet, but it leave little room for error - one removed link would make a big difference in sizing, and there is not capability for micro-adjusting.
> 
> Something to consider.


I wonder if you could perhaps combine the qualities of both metal bracelet and the expandy metal bracelets in this chunky design - so you'd have the big chunky links but the inside links would be sprung/elasticated to take up or reduce slack? Then you'd have your micro-adjusting done for you.

Make it so number one.


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## CADstraps (Nov 3, 2011)

Gordon Fraser said:


> I wonder if you could perhaps combine the qualities of both metal bracelet and the expandy metal bracelets in this chunky design - so you'd have the big chunky links but the inside links would be sprung/elasticated to take up or reduce slack? Then you'd have your micro-adjusting done for you.
> 
> Make it so number one.


Thats actually a really intersting idea.

Not the Star Trek quote though. Star Wars forever!!!


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## Dakota2cSRT4 (Jan 16, 2012)

Looking good so far!


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## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

I will be offering this watch with different length leather pieces and a couple extra shorter metal links. This will allow for an almost infinite amount of adjustment.

As far as movements goes, this prototype will have an ETA 2824 that I had in stock.


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## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

Here is one version of the dial.

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## The Guvnah (Nov 9, 2011)

I like the look, like it very much and even though the Franck Muller style dial isn't a favourite of mine I could live with this interpretation no problem. In truth I'd even wear it as is with that "fresh from the saw" look. Am I seeing it correctly or are those centre links made of leather?? Mmmm. leather and brushed stainless, (or is that aluminium?), either way it's a nice combination.

The chunky links particularly light my fire as I'm attempting something along the same lines. Were these done on a CNC machine Skil or hand made? I ask because I've just finished cropping 70 odd of these lil' aluminium beggars for an experiment...









not too shabby for a home built rad. jig... ...action shot









hurriedly polished up and temporarily pegged together with cocktail sticks!...









and of course a wrist shot...









Are you using the Panerai type screw bars here? Trying to find a source here in the UK for 'em right now but £4:50 each! Youch.


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## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

Really like what you have done!

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

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

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!

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


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## The Guvnah (Nov 9, 2011)

slikmetalfab said:


> Really like what you have done!


Well it's a start anyway and thanks.



slikmetalfab said:


> 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.



slikmetalfab said:


> 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?



slikmetalfab said:


> 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!


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## danny_n (May 15, 2009)

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!


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## Medusa (Feb 6, 2010)

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


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## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

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 (Nov 9, 2011)

slikmetalfab said:


> 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!



slikmetalfab said:


> 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.



slikmetalfab said:


> 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?


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## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

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 (Aug 17, 2011)

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 (Dec 26, 2011)

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


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## The Guvnah (Nov 9, 2011)

slikmetalfab said:


> 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?


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## slikmetalfab (Aug 17, 2011)

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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## CH007 (Mar 22, 2012)

I work as an engineer in the food and drink industry so stainless steel is all we use. hard and fast is incorrect although very often taught! stainless steel requires slow speed with firm pressure. heat will cause work hardening so you want good material removal rates. obviously smaller parts require higher speed than much larger. on very small work I tend to take first centre drill fast to prevent pressure causing wander of bit then slow and firm with lots of cutting oil. titanium nitrided bits are good. go for high cobalt content for faster drilling but use less pressure as they are more brittle. 

cheers,


Colin


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## The Guvnah (Nov 9, 2011)

CH007 said:


> I work as an engineer in the food and drink industry so stainless steel is all we use. hard and fast is incorrect although very often taught! stainless steel requires slow speed with firm pressure....


Well exactly; the 'ard 'n fast' maxim might suit a production CNC machining centre with full flood cooling but It's doing me no favours. Whenever I've had to drill stainless I've always taken that approach and got a decent cut, ramping up the speed is to me against my inner instincts! I've taken the view that there is far less chance of momentarily easing off the pressure and from experience so far that's when the bit skids, heat is generated and then it's odds on that you'll murder the drill trying to force it through using sheer force.

At the moment I've had good accurate results by centre drilling/spotting the work with the tip of a 1mm diameter carbide tipped ball end milling cutter at about 1300rpm. This was meant for a high speed Dremel and is standing up well and produces swarf. It's following it in with a twist drill that's a problem, either in the bench drill or the lathe.



CH007 said:


> ...heat will cause work hardening so you want good material removal rates...


with you;



CH007 said:


> ...obviously smaller parts require higher speed than much larger...


I'm actually gonna try it in back gear to see if I can get a decent curl of swarf and if nothing else at least rule it out as a methodology.



CH007 said:


> ...on very small work I tend to take first centre drill fast to prevent pressure causing wander of bit...


Yep, that's what I'm doing with the ball mill, just 'dotting' it really to get a good centre for the twist bit in preference to punch marking which of course just hardens it even more.



CH007 said:


> ...then slow and firm with lots of cutting oil.


Can't manage flood oiling in my current workspace so have to be content (or not) with a canned aerosol lube.



CH007 said:


> ..titanium nitrided bits are good. go for high cobalt content for faster drilling but use less pressure as they are more brittle.


With you again, how about such things as split point bits? point angles and geometry? Is one bit grind profile more effective than another as regards centering action and removal rates? I've got a nice German drill press but I'm really thinking I need to invest in a sensitive driller here, I'm pretty good with a drill press but at these diameters even my Ixion's quill feed can't convey much in the way of 'feel'.



CH007 said:


> cheers,
> 
> Colin


And thanks a bunch for the input Colin, much appreciated.


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## CH007 (Mar 22, 2012)

I use Dormer for all my drill bits and they do a range with high cobalt content and narrow lands to reduce work heating. I am not sure if they would do drills small enough for watch making.

The point angle tends to be 135 deg for stainless steel. I have read that 4 facet points improve the wandering of bit but not paid much attention with this. I see tormek do a drill sharpener to achieve such angles but would bet its big bucks. The model engineering groups would be a great source of info for small very accurate work.

I would be happy with hand applied coolant as thats what i always use unless doing some major machining.


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## KingK12 (Feb 2, 2012)

:-! looks great! I happen to like the chunky design but it would be a little difficult for some to get the proper fitting size with the links!


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