Patek Philippe 16-250 Movement Gets a New Case

In this video I recase a Patek Philippe 16-250 movement and cobalt blue Golden Ellipse dial that I bought used over a year ago. The solid silver case that I recently found for it was made by the Italian jewelry maker Fope in the 1970s and is a perfect visual match for the Patek Philippe movement and dial.

I had to make several structural changes to make this movement changeover work: I had to open up the caseback so that the slightly larger 16-250 would fit in the case, I had to bend the flange that I created opening up the case back to get the prefect dial depth, I had to add an elliptical tension ring to the crystal to cover the edges of the Patek's solid 18K gold sigma dial (made by Singer), and I had to create a new stem for the movement that was slightly longer than the stem that came with it.

Here's a link to my video about the Zeiss Jena goggles I use with the lathe: https://youtu.be/rywO0H8AG1Y

Here's a link to the AliExpress Eakins microscope that I use product page (affiliate link):
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dm3HajH

If you're interested in the variable speed brushless DC servo motor that I have attached to my vintage watchmaker's lathe that was a purchase on AliExpress and cost $98 not including shipping.

Here's an affiliate link for that:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkLT5xP

I bought the 800W Kit, which includes the motor bracket.

I also bought the two v-belt pulleys you can see mounted on the motor's 14mm shaft separately:

smaller pulley (mounted closer to the motor in the video):
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DD2MTxP (select W4 O30 suit 4mm belt and specify bore size of 14mm to seller in message)

larger pulley (mounted on the end of the drive shaft in the video):
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_De0TtwN (select Bore Diameter: 14mm, Width: 40mm)

You only need one pulley, and I recommend the smaller one even though it costs a bit more as it fits the 4mm belts better. I ordered two because I was not sure that the larger, less expensive one would work. It works fine but the belt can slip from side to side.

chapters:

00:00:00 introduction to the project
00:03:17 fitting the new tension ring to the crystal
00:06:07 opening up the caseback to fit the new movement
00:10:19 testing the fit of the new movement in the modified caseback
00:11:30 making a cutout in the caseback for the movement's locator pin
00:13:57 putting the dial back on the movement to test it in the case
00:15:27 testing the movement in the case
00:17:20 adjusting the flange depth of the caseback
00:17:48 testing the case fit again
00:18:12 overview of the stem project
00:22:55 reviewing the measurements necessary for the stem modification
00:24:39 overview of how I plan to reduce the size of the square part of the new stem
00:25:14 using the lathe to hold the stem while I reduce the square part of the stem
00:35:23 reviewing the first step of the stem modification
00:37:39 continuing to reduce the square part of the stem using an Arkansa stone
00:42:38 reducing the length of the stem using an India stone
00:43:35 comparing the original stem with the copy in progress
00:45:18 reducing the diameter(s) of the stem on the watchmaker's lathe
00:50:17 burnishing the tip of the stem on the watchmaker's lathe
00:52:23 reviewing the new diameters with the micrometer
00:56:45 opening the watchcase to swap out the stems
01:00:48 comparing the first stem I made with the second one I made
01:01:25 cutting the new stem to length
01:05:44 fitting the crown to the stem
01:06:54 putting the new stem in the movement
01:07:48 putting the new movement and stem in the case
01:09:34 testing the stem in the closed watchcase
01:10:40 polishing the case with a Bergeon silver polishing cloth
01:12:47 polishing the crystal with PolyWatch
01:13:33 reviewing the final result

#vintage #patekphilippe #restoration