Is there a way to set up to cast acrylic watch crystals in small quanties?

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

So I have this damn only wear to church on Sunday watch I like.
Its a vintage Sinn 156 in perfect condition and I baby the thing as well as never really wear a watch anyways- just out to dinner or the like...

So I get back to the house and start tossing dog crates around and such and forget I have it on...
You can guess the next- I put a nice scratch on the crystal.
Now these 156 watches have a acrylic domed crystal as they were made to be military watches and they thought scratch better than broken I suppose...
Well these crystals are now simply unobtainable on market (everyone scratches the piss out of them and has used up the few around) so........

Can I make a few?

Watch looks like this (except now has a bleeding scratch across face..):

Crystal has a section sort of like this:

So is there a way to setup to cast a few of these?
Maybe make/cast a mold from old crystal??
Mill one out of acrylic billet??

Just toss the damn thing back in a drawer and forget about it?
Use this as a zen moment to lose my attachment to material things?
Spend tons of time on a hopeless project and start the new year off right?

Thanks all

Limy Sami · Dec 24, 2016

Lathe job - turn and polish, on a manual I'd make up form tools out of 01 gauge plate.

adama · Dec 24, 2016

Diamond turn from rod would be the easy way. Some one setup to do it could knock a few out and probably for nothing like the silly cost you would expect either.

Above all it would then be well worth paying for them to be scratch resistant coated too, so long as your doing a small batch costs on its not much at all.

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

Ah- so there is hope then...

So I am seeing "optically clear" plastic on listing for other types of replacement watch crystals.
Can I assume then I can just purchase rod of this material then??

It is easy enough to change crystal in this watch- bolted together case and just sits on a couple of seals..

The movement is in a 'tub' so crystal replacement does not involve any tricky bits with pulling stems etc:

Ok- so lathe work.
I get the face but am uncertain how to go about the under side to get uniform thickness- perhaps form tool as you say Limi.
The dome form is not particularly important and these vary somewhat over the years- mind is fairly flat while others more pronounced..

I could slog a few of these if I got a good setup to make fast- they would fetch $150 or so each- limited but appreciative market of dolts like me who can't have 'nice things'....LOL

Monarchist · Dec 24, 2016

Trboatworks said:
So I have this damn only wear to church on Sunday watch I like.
Its a vintage Sinn 156 in perfect condition and I baby the thing as well as never really wear a watch anyways- just out to dinner or the like...
...
...

Just toss the damn thing back in a drawer and forget about it?
Use this as a zen moment to lose my attachment to material things?

A Sinn is not all that 'special' as a timepiece. It is the attempted Bundes Luftwaffe contract saga behind it as adds the cachet. Nor was the crystal it used so special.

Polish the one you have. Go and get a watch "to NOT wear", that has serious 'presence' the rare times you DO wear it.

Spend tons of time on a hopeless project and start the new year off right?

Yes. Finding a far more respected-yet vintage watch... "pocket" style, even. If it is only for Sundays, 'why not'?

Jim Williams · Dec 24, 2016

As a long time watch repair hobbyist, I have a cabinet nearly full of the acrylic round crystals. Send a good edge on photo and diameter measurement and I may be able to locate one for you.

Jim

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

Monarchist said:
A Sinn is not all that 'special' as a timepiece. It is the attempted Bundes Luftwaffe contract saga behind it as adds the cachet. Nor was the crystal it used so special.

Polish the one you have. Go and get a watch "to NOT wear", that has serious 'presence' the rare times you DO wear it.

Yes. Finding a far more respected-yet vintage watch... "pocket" style, even. If it is only for Sundays, 'why not'?

Now Bill- why go and spoil all my fun?
I know all the above but I just like the old gal- I have two- a very early and this one which is factory hard coated case.
Both four screw case types..
They fetch about $2k or so each- about as far as I would go for such things given the range of other baubles I find myself in need of...

I did look at Bund prices recently- wow $5-$8K for the 3H's.
I should have picked one up when I could have for $1500 or so.....

Hall of Fame: Heuer Bundeswehr Flyback Chronograph - Wound For LifeWound For Life

Watches are after all all allusion- what's under the hood means something but that is lost on the branding which the same motor is tossed in to suit market..

The Lamania 5100 in the 156's suits my fancy...

Hall of Fame: Lemania 51 - Wound For LifeWound For Life

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

Jim Williams said:
As a long time watch repair hobbyist, I have a cabinet nearly full of the acrylic round crystals. Send a good edge on photo and diameter measurement and I may be able to locate one for you.

Jim

Jim- thank you very much.
As I understand it these use the same case and crystal as the Bundesheer issue Heuer.

I will pop the crystal out and measure.

Monarchist · Dec 24, 2016

Trboatworks said:
As I understand it these use the same case and crystal as the Bundesheer issue Heuer.

Ah noo.. anecdotal evidence seems to say otherwise, and that's the problem as to sourcing parts. They do not- quite - use the same bezel, seat, or crystal. They just LOOK as if they do.

Monarchist · Dec 24, 2016

Trboatworks said:
The Lamania 5100 in the 156's suits my fancy...

Workmanlike enough. Still, it is but one of MANY movements quite adept at performing their assigned task.

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

Post this next bit under- "it ain't ever gonna happen" but......

I am seeing I can purchase sapphire domed crystal blanks at good price with polished edge:

Domed and Round Sapphire Watch Crystal

Now a crafty guy might turn a stainless band to make the fitup to case on the 156 and bond the crystal to that (they are bonded to case in normal installation)....

Best of both worlds- a vintage Sinn with Sapphire crystal.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...... a couple more hours to kill before I have to head out to inlaws.. let me draw something up...

D Nelson · Dec 24, 2016

2000 grit wet sand and buff won't take 15 minutes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

Monarchist said:
Workmanlike enough. Still, it is but one of MANY movements quite adept at performing their assigned task.

Jesus Bill- now you are just being a pain...

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

D Nelson said:
2000 grit wet sand and buff won't take 15 minutes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Too much of a scratch to polish out I am afraid.

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

Trboatworks said:
Post this next bit under- "it ain't ever gonna happen" but......

I am seeing I can purchase sapphire domed crystal blanks at good price with polished edge:

Domed and Round Sapphire Watch Crystal

Now a crafty guy might turn a stainless band to make the fitup to case on the 156 and bond the crystal to that (they are bonded to case in normal installation)....

Best of both worlds- a vintage Sinn with Sapphire crystal.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...... a couple more hours to kill before I have to head out to inlaws.. let me draw something up...

Like this:

Monarchist · Dec 24, 2016

Trboatworks said:
Jesus Bill- now you are just being a pain...

Not so. Look around.

Lemainia's were good enough to go into a lot more than just Sinn watches. But so, too a dozen other 'great' movements went into interesting watches.

Hard part isn't finding one to cherish for 'special' times.

Hard part is avoiding ending up with a dozen. Or several dozen.

Each with a story, of course. That's part of what they are about.

They ALL have interesting stories, one way or another.

On-edit... dang it TR.. now yah got ME doin' it... and I had shelving to put up today..

Heuer and Lemania: Part One | The Home of Vintage Heuer Collectors

http://iwmagazine.com/news-and-now/20110705/the-lemania-legacy-2/

Watch Nerd Alert: Top 1 Chronograph Movements › WatchTime - USA's No.1 Watch Magazine

Bill

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

LOL Bill- how is your Christmas shaping up?

Are you still 'standing watch'?
Everything OK?

Are you doing any reloading Bill?
It's winter so I am thinking about getting out to the range and working with the Hi Power which has got me thinking to set up for reloading which has got me looking at Dillon stuff which has got me thinking I should just buy a 1000 case of CCI Blazer Brass and call it a day.....

I snagged a perfect Israeli P35 buy back a couple of years back- original finish type II with the sight rail and other bits...
Looks like they never even opened the box.

"baubles"....

oh now you are going to tell me to get a side arm with class.........LOL

I have been wondering about adding a P210.. target sights 6 P or A series type 2.......... shoot me now.

stephen thomas · Dec 24, 2016

develop & market a Gorilla glass upgrade?

smt

Trboatworks · Dec 24, 2016

LOL- the watch nut subset which is populated by 156 fans has to be tiny- who knows though, this could be my ticket to fame and fortune..
I need to find some way to get the other to fund this project- it was her damn dog crates for her damn dogs....

DanielG · Dec 24, 2016

There are a few outfits who stock NOS crystals. I cracked the crystal on my grandfather's Bulova, which has a domed rectangular crystal. My friend who repaired it got me three NOS crystals, so I'd have a spare. They were cheap too. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop.

Is there a way to set up to cast acrylic watch crystals in small quanties?

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