Part 1 of Building the "Reprogle Ultra" Chronograph for Dawson's Graduation

Building the "Reprogle Ultra" Chronograph for Dawson's Graduation

Me, Dawson, and Alysa Grady at a Purdue football game in 2023

My son Dawson will be graduating from Purdue Polytechnic University this year, and per tradition I'm building him a wristwatch as a graduation present.

Originally the idea was to try to replicate an Omega Speedmaster Professional "Moonwatch".  Dawson has had a fascination and interest in the history of space exploration, and the Moonwatch was worn on the Apollo missions including the first moon landing.

For whatever reason, however, the watch parts market has not seen fit to provide the case, dial, and hands parts needed for hobbyists to put together a decent replica.  Cheap Moonwatch copies of the made in China exist, but that's not the point now, is it?

Choosing a design triggers a series of interdependent decisions constrained by availability, desired features, and technical compatibility.  Some of those questions:

1. What overall style?
2. What movement/case combinations are available?
3. Which of those fit
4. What movements are available for

Of the other options to include the Rolex Daytona, TAG Monaco, and Tudor Monte Carlo, Dawson settled on the Pilot chronograph style that originated during WWII.  Functionality and readability were the focus of the design, and the style continues to be popular 70+ years later.

Fortunately, one of my favorite watch part suppliers on eBay, SWISS-MADE-TIME, sells all of the parts needed to build and customize a watch based on the proven Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement.

Swiss Made Time also sells multiple variations of the 7750 with assorted features and complications such as: day, date (in various dial locations), moon phase, and quick set.  Besides the complications it comes in three grades: Standard, Elabore, and Top, with added decoration and timekeeping accuracy features.

Valjoux 7750 Top movement with blued screws and day/date

but in the end Dawson chose the original configuration with 6 hands plus the day and date windows at 3 o'clock.  The closest watch on the market to the final look is the IWC Pilot Chronograph 41 Blue Dial (reference IW3881).

For the hands, we looked at several options, and Dawson liked the look of chronographs like Tudor Monte Carlo and Breitling Chronomat with one or more orange hands.  So we decided on an orange sweep seconds hand and an orange running seconds subdial hand.  He made a mock-up in MS Paint with the two orange hands, and that became the design. The only other change was to make the day and date indicators black on white like the IWC above.

One other option Dawson chose was to add a bit of "pop" to the rear view by swapping out the winding rotor.

The final part of the watch design to decide was the strap or bracelet.  The classic pilot watch look includes a leather strap, often with rivets and contrasting stitching.

I had previously purchased custom leather goods from Etsy shops, and in particular I had a watch strap made from kangaroo leather which is very supple.   I ended up custom ordering the strap from TkachenkoLeather in Ukraine.  

Evgeniy makes goods from a variety of exotic leathers, and he was able to meet all of the requirements, except he did not have a buckle to match the matte titanium finish of the case.  After not finding an actual titanium buckle, I found a shop in the UK selling a sandblasted stainless steel buckle that should be a good match per the photo. I had suggested a deployant style clasp to Dawson, but he preferred the basic pin buckle instead.

Besides the watch itself, I ordered a gift/storage box, plus I picked up a nice watch winder I saw on an auction site.  Next comes the waiting for everything to arrive...