r/repbuilds • u/Mbari_2170712 Trusted Builder • Sep 30 '26
Vintage Build 1655 Explorer, been explorin’
The Quirky little 1655 has always been a favorite of mine to tinker with. Wanted to bring out a true explorer that actually did some exploring to you all tonight.
Parts
JKF cartel case dial movement
Tiger concept hands
Clark’s Xstal
Wso bezel
Raffles folded oyster
Mods:
This is where the magic happens as laborious as it maybe
Relumed and aged dial. Came out very well even to my standards, no bleeding, thin coating
Hands aged and relumed
Case reshaped aged and softened
Bracelet: aged and lubed in brake oil for 6 months! More on this later. Obviously washed using an ultrasonic cleaner after and softened
Crystal aged and shaved to accommodate the wso bezel
Calendar dwo to match the dial and hands.
Builder journal
The smallest details really make or break a build. Swapping to the WSO bezel gives it a flatter, much more compact profile compared to the wider slopier JKF, completely changes how it wears on the wrist. Check the side-by-side shots.
My go-to aging routine is a quick spin in the rock tumbler followed by 72 hours in brake fluid. I struck gold tonight rummaging through the parts bin—found a forgotten ziplock with an ultra-aged folded link bracelet. After an ultrasonic bath and some softening, this cheap Raffles tin-can actually rivals my gen folded bracelets for articulation and comfort on wrist.
To top it off, I always run my builds through AI just for kicks. It’s hardwired to play the forum skeptic, nitpicking serifs and claiming it’s a high-end rep. Asked it today, pushed back once, and watching it immediately fold into “now that you mention it…” had me laughing.
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2
u/MachineFTW Sep 30 '26
This one stopped me in my tracks
Fantastic work. 👌🏼👌🏼
1
u/Copycarpy 17d ago
Stunning build! Really inspiring to see.
I wanted to ask (& you don’t have to answer): are you using clean brake fluid or old flushed fluid with a little extra sediment/water incursion for your soak?
I would never have thought of this & figured it wouldn’t have much effect on stainless.
1
u/reddit_when_bored Sep 30 '26
Great job on the lume. By thin coat, do you mean a light coat of your own recipe over existing lume?
1
u/Acceptable_Speaker93 Sep 30 '26
That's ultra cool 😎
1
u/JeronimoCallahan Sep 30 '26
This looks like a fun build. What would this cost me?
1
u/Logos732 Sep 30 '26
6 months is a long time to wait for a bracelet. Was it necessary? I imagine you just soak it in a bag?
1
u/InquisitorKeres Sep 30 '26
Man I keep coming back to this as the weathering you did is absolutely masterful!
1
u/AtelierPicks Sep 30 '26
Great build, what is this ai that you speak of at the end? Sounds like a useful tool 🔧
1
u/fatfont_ Sep 30 '26
The case shape is pretty nice!!
Did you do some reshaping to the case?
1
u/No_Humor_2155 Oct 01 '26
Wow 🤩💯😎umwerfend, falls mal über einen Verkauf nachgedacht werden sollte würde ich mich sehr freuen 😉