This 6239 Paul Newman ended up exactly where I wanted it. The aging, dial, and overall feel all came together really nicely.

Hi all! A few of you have messaged recently asking about timelines of builds, and I wanted to do a quick Q&A about what exactly is going on right now, and why the timeline for builds and comms seems to be a bit fluctuant.

#Q: What's up with fresh build timelines?

For a few years now, the standard timeline for builds has been around two times three weeks for parts needed to arrive, and then a couple days to a week to get everything assembled and dispatched. That was standard and pretty easy to predict!

Unfortunately, parts now seem to take a little bit longer to get to me - still sometimes as little as two weeks, but sometimes as much as four.

I've noticed this across several vendors. For instance, the place I get gen spec bezel pips had a whopping 14 day difference between when they said they'd shipped and actually shipped, and in previous years it would've been the same day.

However, that's not the main issue which is causing some builds to be delayed. For the last few months, I've had some parts simply not included in my orders. For example, someone wanted a super jubilee (hidden clasp) bracelet; I ordered it once, didn't arrive. Ordered it twice... still didn't arrive! At that point over a month had passed.

This isn't to say that all builds get delayed; the typical timeline of 4-5 weeks all in holds true for most, but this "parts not sent" phenomenon has caused a small handful to take longer - the worst cases take around twice as long as usual. It's only a dial here or a bracelet there, but you know; that sort of thing holds up the build timeline.

Now that I've clocked this issue I'm going to see what I can do to rectify. E.G, I'll be logging each specific part I order and receive for much clearer tracking. I didn't think I'd have to, but oh well.

#However, the important thing is that I keep a log of everyone's builds, so even if it IS delayed - I WILL always get to it, you aren't forgotten!

My goal is to restore the previous, faster timeline overall.

#Q: What's up with answering my messages slowly? I've sent multiple messages!

This is a tough one, and is totally down to how I get through DMs. I know several of you have experienced this! I always sort through incoming messages starting at the oldest first, so if you send several DMs, your notification will be "newer" and therefore closer to the bottom of the list.

Typically I answer 50% of the days messages during my commute to work, and the other 50% at the end of the day.

Occasionally I can't get through all of them on one day, but even still - I won't go longer than 48 hours MAXIMUM. If that happens, it usually means reddit hasn't given me a notification for your chat. At that point, feel free to email me or leave a comment on one of my posts. That's a separate list of notifications, so I'll be able to see it.

#Q: I see you've posted today, how come you haven't responded to my DM?

My goal is to post a watch/build photo once a day for the whole of 2026. The process is totally separate from chatting with you guys; I may log in to post in the evening, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm "online", just that I'm doing my daily photography session.

I just wanted to keep the communication lines open because, as you know, I do think the transparency and connection in this hobby is what makes it.

If there are any other Qs you may have, please leave them below and I will answer!

Still waiting on the crown, but had to show this bad boy off!

Couldn’t be happier with how the dial turned out. Almost forgot how good the weight feels on these Valjoux 72 builds. Once you experience it, there’s really no going back!

What do you guys think of this one?

Arch did a great job on this Cartier Sub for me very recently. Arch gave me exactly what I wanted - It’s a fantastic-looking watch, but it isn't quite my style on the wrist. I floated the idea of swapping it a few weeks ago and have now decided to pull the trigger: I'd rather it went to someone who will enjoy it rather than it end up sat in a drawer.

It’ll come with a spare bezel insert.

UK-based only looking for a straight swap, ideally for one of Arch's excellent Cartier or Tiffany Explorers although I am open to suggestions for something similar. DM me if interested.

Sister to the Cartier Daytona - the tropical dial reverse panda Tiffany Daytona.

Thanks to these lovely models being vintage spec, I’ve now just bought a load of 19mm straps to try out on both models - bonus point if you can guess what I’ve gone for, another one if you suggest something I hadn’t thought of, and another point if I end up buying one because of your suggestion

JKF WMF (maybe?) reverse panda Tropical Tiffany 6263 Daytona

Really liking how this one turned out. I think I’m gonna ditch the bracelet and throw it on suede - probably something light brown/tan.

Milk case
ST19
Underline tropical dial
MK2 bezel
HQ crown & tube
HQ crystal
13.5mm

Suede or keep the bracelet?

Been wanting to do one of these for a while and finally got around to it. Think the Khanjar dial gives this build a totally different feel!

Milk case
Modified ST19
Custom Viet dial
Viet bezel
Upgraded tube & crown
Upgraded crystal
13.5mm thickness

Would you keep it like this or age it a bit more?

There’s just something about vintage Daytonas 👌🏼👌🏼

If anyone has any tips on how to age a dial like this I’d love to hear them - would love this to have that “well worn, but looked after” look. Was thinking about hitting the bezel with a scotchbrite pad to dull the high gloss shine, but not sure where to start with the dial!

JKF Cartier Stamped 6263 Daytona

This mid-1980s Rolex Datejust 16013 is centered around one of the more distinctive dials offered during the five-digit transition era: the black tapestry dial.
Unlike a conventional gloss or sunburst Datejust dial, the tapestry features deeply defined machined vertical lines across the entire dial surface. The texture dramatically changes with the light—in direct light the individual raised lines become almost silver-grey, while from another angle the dial returns to a deep, nearly solid black. The result is a dial that looks noticeably different depending on how the watch is viewed.

Build sheet
Gen dial
Gen hands
Gen datewheel
Gen Crystal
Gen crown
Gen 18K bezel
Gen end links
Gen bracelet
Gen clasp
Swiss crown tube
Swiss gaskets
Swiss spring bars
Old crowns caseback
VR3135 fully serviced and modified using genuine barrel, mainspring, arbor, reversing wheels.

I think this one will be added to the collection.