Restoration project #1: Rolex 6564 cal. 1030 Part 3: Case done, Dial done
Update time!
We are almost done in fact, just waiting on a few parts for the movement as we speak. But what did I do in the mean time? Well here we go:
1) I did fit in a new pendant tube. Remember that the crown did not hold in place? Well both the thread of the crown and the old pendant tube were worn down. I like the crown so I chose to keep it and replace the pendant tube. The crown does now screw in again! I can show you a photo of the new pendant tube, but trust me that is not the most exciting part to look at!
2) The new crystal arrived! yay! The old one was pretty much gone, it got discolored, cracked, she was just done. Replacing the crystal was also the scary part to do. Remember the crack in the bezel? Well, the bezel on a rolex or a vintage seiko has a job in fact. It is one of the reasons why a rolex was waterproof. The pressure of the bezel on the crystal makes a air tight seal. It was the 'fire test' of the bezel.
Quite a difference, right?
Do I use a vintage seiko press on a vintage Rolex? Yes I do. Sue me! No for real, this seiko press is the best I ever used, I do have some presses from horotec and also one from bergeon but I keep on getting back to this one. If anyone is interested in the reference number of it, do feel free to ask!
New crystal and new pendant tube fitted!
3) Probably the most exciting part, the clean-up of the dial. We have some bad nasty black spots on the dial. What are these marks? Honestly not a clue, I presume some form of dust got in to the watch due to the cracks in the crystal. The dust had the chance to really 'bake' in to the dial over the years.
I fitted the dial on a piece of cardboard, this makes it easier for me to put in some elbow grease and actually clean the dial. At first I used rodico, it is some sort of watchmakers putty. It is used to clean parts but also for picking up parts like click springs and other small things!
After the first round of elbow grease we can already see quite a difference! 
After another round of rolling I got to the point where I did feel I reached the end of my rodico powers!
This is in fact the end result, the place were I chose to stop cleaning. I did eventually use a magical combination of products that I got taughed from an old man a few years ago. All the lume spots are still on the dial, most of the radium burn is gone as a result of the product usage but I am not mad about it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the read! If you did, feel free to share it on social media, tell your friends, spread it around!
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