[Nick Steele]

I've been swearing at my 8926 for about 30 minutes now, and thought I'd share my information.

I lost the bezel click spring in a completely predicable and avoidable way. It's probably going to turn up in a few months, when I least expect it.

I ordered a 16610 click from cousins - this spring is too thin to properly fit into the retaining hole in the case of the 8926 - when I try and put the bezel back on, it just wiggles out and ends up under the bezel, thus fouling the action.

The stainless wire that holds the bezel on is about half a millimetre thick, by my ruler and seems to fit the hole a little better. I tried to fashion another click spring from the bezel retaining wire from a vostok kommandirskie, but it wasn't stiff enough.

So... now, the hunt is on for some fairly stiff .5mm stainless steel wire. I can't see eBay or amazon wanting to sell me just 10 cm of the stuff. If anyone's got a spare 8926 click spring, I'd happy trade...

 

[svorkoetter]

Yes, I'd recommend the c1. Good luck!

Yes, definitely go with the C1 hands. They, like the 95/5 C1/C3 mix, are almost white in daylight, whereas straight C3 is noticeably green. The C1 is plenty bright enough to remain visible all night (to dark-adapted eyes). The reason Jake uses a mix for the dial is to give the tiny lume plots a bit of extra brightness to make up for their size.

 

[Glow and Show]

Yes, definitely go with the C1 hands. They, like the 95/5 C1/C3 mix, are almost white in daylight, whereas straight C3 is noticeably green. The C1 is plenty bright enough to remain visible all night (to dark-adapted eyes). The reason Jake uses a mix for the dial is to give the tiny lume plots a bit of extra brightness to make up for their size.

i was hoping you would voice your opinion as well. sonic_driftwood did recommend them as well, so im going to place my order tomorrow tomorrow from dagaz. since you live a few hours away, im curious how long delivery takes? and does it come directly to the door? i am having a problem with finding a 30mmx2.5mm flat sapphire crystal, i looked on esslinger and they dont have any, and i could not find them on ebay either so im hoping you can recommend me other companys that may carry them. my goal is to make the rolex 114060 homage and it looks like its a flat crystal so id like to keep it as close to it as possible. if i cannot find one i will keep the original invicta flat mineral crystal removing the cyclops until she breaks.

thanks again

 

[cantinker]

i was hoping you would voice your opinion as well. sonic_driftwood did recommend them as well, so im going to place my order tomorrow tomorrow from dagaz. since you live a few hours away, im curious how long delivery takes? and does it come directly to the door? i am having a problem with finding a 30mmx2.5mm flat sapphire crystal, i looked on esslinger and they dont have any, and i could not find them on ebay either so im hoping you can recommend me other companys that may carry them. my goal is to make the rolex 114060 homage and it looks like its a flat crystal so id like to keep it as close to it as possible. if i cannot find one i will keep the original invicta flat mineral crystal removing the cyclops until she breaks.

thanks again

Try cousinsuk.com I'd be surprised if they didn't have the crystal you're looking for.

 

[Glow and Show]

Try cousinsuk.com I'd be surprised if they didn't have the crystal you're looking for.

i just checked the website and the largest they have for a sapphire crystal is 2.4mm thick. would this work, or should i stick with the 2.5mm thickness like the original. and by the way thanks for the reply.

 

[cantinker]

i just checked the website and the largest they have for a sapphire crystal is 2.4mm thick. would this work, or should i stick with the 2.5mm thickness like the original. and by the way thanks for the reply.

Thought for sure they'd have what you're looking for....sorry. If you go the cyclops removal route and have a mishap let me know. I've got an original crystal (with cyclops) I swapped for a domed one you can have.

 

[Glow and Show]

Thought for sure they'd have what you're looking for....sorry. If you go the cyclops removal route and have a mishap let me know. I've got an original crystal (with cyclops) I swapped for a domed one you can have.

thank you very much, i will give the cyclops removal a go, and if things go south i will definitely let you know.thank you much

 

[svorkoetter]

i just checked the website and the largest they have for a sapphire crystal is 2.4mm thick. would this work, or should i stick with the 2.5mm thickness like the original. and by the way thanks for the reply.

2.4mm will work fine. Cousins is another great source, and I should have remembered to mention them. I actually buy most of my stuff from them. The shipping is cheaper and generally faster, despite having to cross the Atlantic.

Regarding your question about shipping from Dagaz, it generally takes 10-14 days, and it will come directly to whatever your registered PayPal shipping address is (assuming you pay with PayPal, but that's all I've ever done with Dagaz). These items aren't large. They'll arrive in small plastic containers inside a padded envelope.

I had been thinking of doing a "plain" Rolex homage, so it will be interesting to see how yours turns out. It'll be more of a 14060 instead of 114060, since the Invicta doesn't have the obese lugs, and the Dagaz BB tribute dial doesn't have the over-sized markers. But that's okay, because Rolex has lost its way with the 114060 in my opinion. The 14060 is a much more refined looking watch.

Are you planning on removing the Invicta logo from the side of the case?

 

[rbesass]

Here is a link to a place that has come through for me on sapphire...2.5MM Flat Round Sapphire Crystal

 

[Glow and Show]

Here is a link to a place that has come through for me on sapphire...2.5MM Flat Round Sapphire Crystal

thanks alot for the link.

 

[Glow and Show]

2.4mm will work fine. Cousins is another great source, and I should have remembered to mention them. I actually buy most of my stuff from them. The shipping is cheaper and generally faster, despite having to cross the Atlantic.

Regarding your question about shipping from Dagaz, it generally takes 10-14 days, and it will come directly to whatever your registered PayPal shipping address is (assuming you pay with PayPal, but that's all I've ever done with Dagaz). These items aren't large. They'll arrive in small plastic containers inside a padded envelope.

I had been thinking of doing a "plain" Rolex homage, so it will be interesting to see how yours turns out. It'll be more of a 14060 instead of 114060, since the Invicta doesn't have the obese lugs, and the Dagaz BB tribute dial doesn't have the over-sized markers. But that's okay, because Rolex has lost its way with the 114060 in my opinion. The 14060 is a much more refined looking watch.

Are you planning on removing the Invicta logo from the side of the case?

the logo have been removed from the side of the case,which i did with the bezel still intact. i have removed the logo on the clasp, and brushed the bracelet temporary, but am going to purchase a new one from ebay because i really dont like this one. i am planning on removing the writing on the case back, but i really want to replace it with a solid one and will do so when i find one. and i know you dont c it, but ill know that its there. lol i do still need to polish the watch but will not do so until i have everything and taken the watch apart which will be when parts arrive. the only thing and most important thing are tools, and id like to purchase a kit, do you recommend the kits on amazon? do they have everything i need to do a full mod job? or are there better kits out there somehwere. i will pruchase a press from amazon as there not expensive and they do come with different style cups for different shaped crystal, or again do you recommend something else?. please let me know what you think about these.
thanks again to everyone who has given there opinion i really do appreciate it

please reply and let me know if this will fit for on the 8926 for my mod as im going to place an order today
3:00 bb tribute dial?
full hands set for seiko- mercedes set c1?

thanks again

 

[svorkoetter]

Yes, the 3:00 BB tribute dial and a Seiko handset will fit.

Can't advise you much on tools, as I just bought various tools separately as I needed them, mostly from Esslinger or Cousins. I also made a few of my own tools, such as case and movement holders, and attachments for my drill press to let me use it as a crystal press (see my Black Lagoon article and others for some of these tools).

 

[Glow and Show]

Yes, the 3:00 BB tribute dial and a Seiko handset will fit.

Can't advise you much on tools, as I just bought various tools separately as I needed them, mostly from Esslinger or Cousins. I also made a few of my own tools, such as case and movement holders, and attachments for my drill press to let me use it as a crystal press (see my Black Lagoon article and others for some of these tools).

thats great im going to place an order tonight and hope to have my dials and hands in the next 2 weeks. i will definitely check out that article.thanks for all the help so far. it is greatly appreciated

 

[cantinker]

thats great im going to place an order tonight and hope to have my dials and hands in the next 2 weeks. i will definitely check out that article.thanks for all the help so far. it is greatly appreciated

For tools Google "uncle Larry's watch shop". He sells used tools. They're usually good quality (probably from retiring watchmakers) but condition can vary. Read the descriptions and ask questions. He responds quite quickly to emails and will help with your choices. A plus is he's located in Woodstock, Ont.

 

[Glow and Show]

For tools Google "uncle Larry's watch shop". He sells used tools. They're usually good quality (probably from retiring watchmakers) but condition can vary. Read the descriptions and ask questions. He responds quite quickly to emails and will help with your choices. A plus is he's located in Woodstock, Ont.

thank you kindly

 

[rbesass]

 

[alaincopter]

Hi all, new member here, just began modding my 8926 a little while back. Read this entire thread - what an inspiration!

First mods were the usual brushing of the bracelent, cyclops removal and removal of the invicta logo on the side of the case; But then I decided to dwelve deeper and see if I could make a ceramic bezel from a Parnis fit. While at it, I painted the triangle red on it, too.

It requires a lot of work to the bezel and to the insert itself to make it fit and sit low enough since it's larger in diameter and much thicker than the stock stainless steel insert - I used a dremel and a bench grinder for most of it. Mine still doesn't sit as low as I would ideally like it to, and I managed to nick the edge of the insert in a couple places and put a crack right through the center of the triangle, but I'm very happy with it for the time being! The parnis insert is not top quality as can be seen in the close up pics but I love how reflective it is, how much it resists scratching and how it gets a greyed look to it in some lighting.

Next mods planned are the new Seventies dial from Dagaz and a mercedes style red seconds hand to finish off the look, replacing the insert with another undamaged one, and replacing the crystal with a saphire one since mine already has a scratch on it right at 12:00. I'll only get to do all of it in April, but I'll be sure to post the final result!

 

[rbesass]

Better photos...

 

[yankeexpress]

Changed to a squeezed 22mm Alpha strap on 20mm lugs after trying a black Perlon

 

[fmadrid]

Beautiful work alaincopter!