Continuation from
http://andywristwatches.blogspot.my/2016/06/flieger-type-modifications-plan_24.html :
With my modification plans in place, I began to look through the offers from fellow readers. There were offers of Archimede, Laco, Steinhart, and Stowa. I opted for the Archimede Pilot 42 Heritage as the base for the modification.
After all, if Watchuseek moderator had an Archimede Pilot Original, then the watch should be good enough for the rest of us. Note that the crown in the Pilot Original was different from the Pilot 42 Heritage above. I prefer the Pilot Original crown.
The seller informed that the watch was hardly-worn, in rotation with his other watches. There were some scratches on the case, but since I meant to polish the blasted case anyway, that was not a point of contention. The sapphire crystal was in good nick with no chips whatsoever (since this was the view that one would be looking at when wearing the watch, this was an essential part in my books) and movement looked clean and nice; but again, I meant to send the watch for a full service with my watch smith so I wasn't too concerned about it. As long as there was an ETA 2824-2 movement ticking in there, I could have it serviced and lubed like new again.
Archimede box was just a simple affair. And the watch in question was in the exact same outlook as the picture above, plus a few battle scars made over the last 2 years. I contacted my watch smith and reiterated on the plans that I had for the said watch. I then couriered the watch over.
The ETA 2824-2 was a pretty standard and robust Swiss movement, and normal servicing was recommended every 5 years or so. Since my watch smith was a family friend and doesn't charge me an arm and a leg (my Dad used to be a watch smith too and when he retired from the industry, he practically gave his friend all his watch repair tools, spare parts and furnishings for free; so his friend kind of reciprocate whenever I needed repairs or servicing of my watches), I prefer for the movement to be done up too. These pictures from the Net shows how a standard 2824-2 movement was disassembled and cleaned.
The caseback, crown, and seal were tested for WR of 50m, which was good enough since this was a pilot watch and I don't meant to do swimming with it. The movement looked like new after being re-assembled.
I also wanted to relume the dial but so he did not cater to this, so I have to leave this part of the project to another time and place.
When the courier came back to me, the watch was looking like new. The polished case made it looked more attractive and premium, and the contrast against the sterile dial was very evident compared to its previous blasted case reiteration.
Note that the crown was not a current 42 Heritage crown, but that of the Pilot Original series.
It was paired to a Rios 1931 hand-made calf leather strap from Germany; but as per my previous post, I had plans to change it to a carbon fibre design strap to update the watch to current times. I had already made an order for the intended strap and it arrived this very morning.
Under direct lighting, the carbon fibre design strap was a looker by itself. Matched with a pair of butterfly deployment clasp, the double white-stitched strap truly transformed the overall look and feel of an otherwise very traditional Flieger design.
At darker areas without direct lighting, the strap looked like a normal black leather strap so it was versatile in that aspect.
And therein concludes the mini-modification adventure that I started with this Flieger example. It would now go into rotation with the other watches in my collection and should see many more years of productive use.
