aeromatic

That looks great Ubi. Very close to what the insert looks like on my rose 7016. This insert is the original one for the watch.

superb great watches my next project will be a tudor franky! im inspired !

ETA 2846 is well suited for vintage rolex and cheap.

IMO i'ts silly to put rolex movement in rolex rep case (all closed backs). Even if they'd make a rolex clone, it wil come at a price, if not, with issues. Not even taking into account the dollars to maintain or service a clone rolly movement.

i agree about the 2846, i have put a gen rolex 1030 in my 6538 yuki case , i did that for me its feel good and i like the slower beat, i will never be able to have a gen 6538 and to me this is the nearest thing its as close as i can possible have

thats why i tried to get all the best available parts including yuki dial,hands,bezel insert.

my 5512 watch has an old 1970 2783 eta and i like that too with a slower beat plus its very close to the 2784 tudor sub movement all my other reps have the 2836-2 movement and thats great i think if you build a watch from the best rep parts and you are going to keep it for your self then why not a gen movement it cost me 2500usd for the 6538 to finish i wouldent spend that much again its a special watch to me and i have turned down a 4500usd offer for it from a guy who usually only buys gens.

No photos yet and price is unconfirmed but i am hoping for less then

sounds great to me! what i would like to see is a strong reliable movement for vintage subs a slower beat none hack movement

thats looks like a vintage rolexl or eta also would be great for someone to make clones of the vintage calibar rolex but to a high standard ok it will cost more but its getting more difficult to find working gen movements these days!

I definitely think it'll be an interesting project, but, I suspect it might be quite a long-term one

hi teejay yes it will be interesting and a long project actually we have a strong sun over here so im hoping it wont be so long of cause depends on finishing processes on todays inserts but we have seen faded inserts posted here with various techniques applied!

so fingers crossed!

Looking good!

wow! im speechless!!!!

looking at the edges .. definitely not bleach.. maybe a pen eraser or some type of light emery then repolished.. whatever.. great result R

i was just wondering how about trying some fine graded dried sand in a tupperware plastic container with a lid put your insert in and shake it in a side to side movement, if the sand is graded well in a sieve it should wear the black finish off in a supple way and you can stop at intervals and check progress mabe i should start a second project on an insert and experiment along side my "sun kissed insert project" aeromatic!!!

...guys..guys...what r u trying to do? Whom r u trying to fool by scratching your reps with sandpapers knives brillos and stones...or baking or throwing from t balcony...(yes AEROMATIC it's me again,your guardian angel).The only one u fool...is your selves first n then all t others..(well...not all of them).Let your timekeepers age naturally n physically,n let em remind u...not only what time is...but olso the memories of each scratch.Start writing your own story on your watches by wearing them everyday n all times n don't mind where u hit em.The most hilarius of all,was that guy who baked t bezel with some cookies...well man...next time make some barbecue to age your dial n tell us what happened

Next time i buy a pair of new levis i will make sure they sell me nonefaded (stonewashed) jeans!!!!!! and that distressed indy leather jacket is off the menue too! Happy!!!!!aeromatic ps i bet you havent forgiven me for aging my 5513 case and crystal?

Ahhh ok, next problem, never thought about the date...

thank

Hi!

I

I'll look forward to seeing how the project progresses

Thanks teejay i will keep you informed on progress! and thanks to all for your different ideas,i will stick with this project

to see over a certain time what kind of results can be had with natural fading ,of course not every insert will have the same finishing system so im lookin forward to results!

You could take one pic a day and wind up with a time lapse video of a fading bezel insert.

thats a great idea! i was thinking about once a week? the first day it was sunny today we had a storm! ah well mabe tommorrow!

I used a Yuiki.. best one ..imo for aging..

Good luck with your aging

AC/Lani

thanks lanikai great photo your bezel insert is great,i dont believe that inserts fade the same all over anyway.

i believe that gen insert patina are a combination of uv light and wear and or sea salt. some great ways available for fading an insert,

i suppose that there really is more than one way to skin a cat! aeromatic!!! thanks guys

My guess is you'll get bored with the project before you see any difference. But good luck and keep us informed.

thanks kbh this insert came with the 15min graduation on my yuki 6538 case and yuki sent me the correct insert later,its only going to be stored in my drawer so why not in the sun!

well after reading posts about fading an insert bezel i decided to do my own experiment (at the risk of destroying an excellent yukiwatch bezel insert!)am i crazy?

so today is the first day 7/2/2010 , this would be better if done during the summer ,but here in cyprus we seem to get the sun almost everyday

Since i have no idea how long this will take i will post reports as and when i see noticable changes to the insert i will post also photos.

Due to the fact that today we have different painting/printing systems i have no idea as to what kind of patina if any i will achieve many new systems are designed to be UV resistant to a certain degree. but if i can get similar results like some members have achieved with baking/bleaching i will be happy.

Thank u GAVIDOC...it's really a pleasure to hear from people all over the world that appreciate your work,even not being tasteful to them but being openminded like u. Thanks again

hey friend take a look at the posts we have someone who wants to customised a watch!

it sounds interesting, do you have some pics/examples?

actually on wernersflying watches they have a tauchmiester on the first page that is a copy of a rolex sub with tauchmiester markings and a bracelet that looks like a omega seamaster low priced as well i own a tauchmiester too

it sounds interesting, do you have some pics/examples?

have a look at tauchmiester.com or wernersflyingwatches.com watch site,look at there watches in divers section to get some ideas! there are a few sites that do dial engraving with a lazer but i think they only do a certain qty!

Well...actually i still have to decide which watch i'm gonna use it.

I have to buy it.

I will probably buy a second hand watch, after all i'm not interested in accuracy, also an old replica would be fine.

ok! well then go for an older watch without the writing on the rehaunt, how about the submariner no date no rehaunt writing and no cyclopes? have you considered having some artist paint a diver or a deepsea divers helmet or something covering the rolex and corronet markings on the dial? would look great i would like to see a dial finished this way!

I'm sure it will be a hell of a watch.

This time i don't want a frankenwatch, i want something no-brand, that's why i cannot consider to buy a used gen dial.

aeromatic, can i ask you if the rolex writings on the rehaut and the cyclop mag are difficult to get rid of? am i supposed to find a replacement for the crystal?

thanks

it would be much better to find a rehaunt without the rolex markings like on earlier submariners that have plain rehaunts

which watch do you want to use for this project? a lot of cyclopes are glued on and can be removed by soaking the crystal in a soloution of acetone if its saphire crystal ,acylic crystals you can not remove, see tick talk cyclope removal on watchmakingblog.com i think they may have other ways to remove, but you can order a new crystal without a cyclope from a watch repair shop

they not expensive !,aeromatic!

Hi mate,

actually i would prefer some writings on the dial otherwise it would be too simple in may opinion.

That's why i like so much some MKII dials (unfortunately the most beautiful ones are not for sale as spare dials).

What i really don't want is the rolex word on it.

I 'm looking for a dial similar to the Tudor with snowflakes hands, that's beautiful.

Or also a no-date sub style with different hands(i don't like cyclops mag at all).

I just need to be patient.

By the way, i was thinking i could also buy a Alpha sub to start the project, i'm sure the quality wouldn't be worse compared to a noobmariner.

some good ideas there! my next project will be a tudor sub no date with snowflake hands i will get dial/hands from yukiwatch

and fit my eta 2783 movement i too dont like mag dates i have some date subs but i prefer no date subs which give a clean dial!

aeromatic, that's really a nice watch, kudos to your friend!

I also prefer old style rolex watches to the new ones.

Now i just have to find a dial i like that can fit well a sub case and bezel.

I want to replace hands as well, i want something peculiar, not too close to a sub.

Cheers

your welcome, good luck as for the hands there are many types that will fit on eta movement! how about painting your dial with a colour of your choice i seen some plain black semi matt dials no printing at all! and also some custom painting with marble effect spray paint!

I understand your conflict. When you come upon a super rep that really does pass the smell test and has all the functionality and 99% of the aesthetic of an expensive gen it is difficult to pull that gen trigger. This is one of the seriously best repped pieces.I was seriously considering saving up my money for a gen DSSD (based on buying an earlier rep version). With the latest versions I have concluded any gen money I have could be better spent. Then again I am not planning on going diving 2 miles below the surface.

What can i say Nothing!!!! you have said it all! after all good quality reps are real watches in there own right! and great time keepers too what else do we need! aeromatic!!!

I ask this because I was just in this dilemma and will share what happened to me.

As soon as I learned that Rolex was releasing the Sea Dweller Deep Sea I wanted to trade in my gen Sea Dweller for a new one. I bought my gen in 2005 from an AD and decided to take my SD to the dealer and work out a deal.

Before I did that I wanted to get a rep to see if I like the watch. Well I received the rep and I love it. Besides the minor bracelet issue I have (which Joshua is fixing) the watch is just top notch.

So, after some deliberation I went to the AD and tried out the DSSD and tried to work out the pricing...

The bottom line was I would need to come out of pocket an extra $6,100 to get the watch including my trade in of the gen SD (for a $3,800 trade in).

Are they freakin crazy???

I took pictures to compare the gen to the rep at my house and the differences are so minimal. (see my post in the Rolex section for pics). Why even think of spending the kind of money on a gen when the rep is nearly identical.

The amazing thing to me is the technology now that the reps are getting. The ability to replicate the slide lock bracelet for the DSSD on the rep is an amazing success and just illustrates why the gen is SO overpriced. How can Rolex even think that watch is worth $9,250.

Anyay, some of the newer reps are so close I could never justify spending the money for a gen anymore. I have owned gen watches before and bought the gen SD when my son was born. It is his watch one day so it won't leave me (unless I traded it in for another gen Rolex but now that won't happen either).

I'd love to own the gen DSSD just to know it will last a nuclear blast and of course the rep won't survive a jump in the pool...but for a savings of $8,850 i'll live with it.

Hello watchnroll i would keep the gen you may regret it later, and keep the rep dsdw i got mine from trusty and i have used it swimming with no problems trusty also have it rated a 50m if im not mistaken so it should be ok for a swimming pool of cause all wateresistant watches have to be checked regular and somethimes have rubber seals replaced, i find that most good quality reps are water resistant to a certain degree you can take your rep to watch repair shop and have it tested/sealed find a replica friendly repair shop!

Hi everybody,

i need some help from you guys since my knowledge about rolex is almost non-existent.

I'm not a big fan of rolex but i'd like to create a customized watch using a rolex replica case with a MKII dial and snowflake model hands.

My questions are:

- can i use a 28mm dial for eta movement in a rolex replica case? would it fit or it would be too small/big?

- would a ETA2824 fit a case for asian movement? do i need a specific movement holder?

- is it easy to find a crown replacement with no crown on it and also a no-brand clasp replacement?

- i don't want any magnification for the date since i'm gonna coat the crystal, can i use the same crystal removing a single part of it?

I'm fully aware those are stupid questions for you but as said i'm a total noob about this brand.

Any tip appreciated.

Thank you

hello friend you should see our post by aeromatic on "customised vintage rolex subs" where you will see custom watches by my friend member george loiz you will see his creations made from rolex replicas some have home made dials without rolex markings my friend may be able to help you with regards fitting different parts ,as for finding a crown and bracelet without rolex markings the are a few sites that sell generic crowns and bracelets without rolex marking that should fit,

my friend george loiz is a watchmaker and has made his own dials and crowns so check out our post my friend willa appreciate

other persons interested in customizing watches. aeromatic!