aeromatic

Wow Thats is fantastic! You have some great friends on RWG! my next project will be a tudor sub!

Hi panerai153 yes i had one of those grey/black straps too, the new bond strap correct colours suite the vintage guilt dial of the 6538 better! glad you liked the read! thanks, aeromatic !!!!!

Yep it sure would look cool! my friend has made a red centred pearl he wanted to put it on my redsub but i wanted a yellow one to go with the indices but bloodshot eyeball mmmm yes i can go for that! aeromatic!!!!!! lets rock this joint! lets hotrod our watches too! whata ya say?

Thanks teejay hope it will be useful! to our 6538/bond lovers ! aeromatic!!!

With the new hd tv and new dvd hd we can see the correct colour of Sean Connery.s goldfinger gem! for many years we could only find the simple black and grey ones they are everywear! even new bond Daniel Craig has been seen wearing a rolex 6538 sub on one of these grey and black nylon straps off screen! i admire him rebelling when he is on contract to promote omega! The correct colours are dark navy blue ,olive green with burgandy strips, these are supplied by the Corvus watch company they have recently upgraded the fabric the old fabric was thinner and had problems with fraying around the buckle holes the new one should fix these problems i will order one myself Any way i have done some modding to the buckle to be more like the watch in goldfinger by removing the two stainless steel keepers and making a cloth keeper, for this you need a pen knife(camping knife) a pair of metal snips i used a pair of electricians wire snippers oh and you will need a extra strap to cut and make the cloth keeper ,i ordered a nato bond strap that has the extra piece underneath then i cut this off making it into a RAF strap,the RAF strap did not have the extra piece underneath it was thought that in a jet fighter it was not a good idea to have too much nylon on your skin which melts at very low temps specialy with the fums ect from the jetfuel. First use the wire snips to cut off the metal keepers cut them close to the ends be careful not to cut your strap once you have cut the cloth piece off the strap then use the pen knife heated up on your ketchen stove warning!(make sure your wife is out first!) then run the hot knifes edge along the point were you cut the the piece this is to heatseal it and ithen stop it from fraying, then take your piece of strap cloth and wrap it accross your strap, then cut it about 2.5 times the width of your strap when wrapping it remember to do it around the buckle end,which is already doubled up or your keeper will be to tight (run your hot knife along both edges of your keeper to heat seal it) to fit it has to fit on three layers of strap not to tight or to loose( the keeper will not be fixed in anyway to the strap but be free to move up and down depending on your wrist size. size it up then fold it and crease it holding it with your fingers checking by pushing the strap end in and out the keeper needs to stay put but let the strap end move in and out freely then remove the keeper and fold/crease it and heat your pen knife up and run it along the folded keeper ends to heatseal it it only needs to be done about 1-2 mm dont leave the heat on the strap too long but just until it is sealed! you should end up with a thin black line this will be hidden under your strap! 6538 with james bond RAF nylon strap photo showing the cloth keeper(this was not seen in the movie my 6538 franken! with gen rolex cal movement see my post for more on this watch! yes this is the famed sean connery(goldfinger photo! you will notice that seans rolex is worn on a 16mm nylon strap i found this not to my liking so i used an 18mm width to keep the understrapper look which gives this big watch a unique look i have tried the 20mm strap but some how it suites this iconic rolex well!

on this shot you will notice the very thick Home made acrylic crystal flat finished top and bottom, and notice the crystal home made retaining ring and the super home made pearl! here is a profile shot of this watch! again this highlighting the shape and crystal tapered end! i would love one of these crystals on my redsub as im planning removing the factory cyclops crystal which to me look thin and cheap looking this custom watch is very supple and wood look great on a franken! i love thick crystals on subs so my friend gets 10 out 10 for this one does he want to sell it?

[quote name='aeromatic' Can anyone offer advice on how to reduce my photos so that they can be seen without having to scroll?

Hello there panerai153 yes you are correct what you have written here! dident rolex reclaim all there service parts for older watches i mean watches new vintage 1970s to 80s and this hepled launch the rolex generic parts suppliers? rolexes are overpriced the rich buy them because they are marketed as luxuary and prestige and they want the best dont get me wrong i love rolex watches and i know they are top quality but can they justify the pricetag! the other day i was in a watch shop looking at some straps and on the bench there was a submariner date pre 2006 for repair when i saw it i asked the shop who does that rep belong to and ask to handle it to me it looked like a fake apart from no sharp edges iv seen better looking reps but this was no rep it was a gen 100%, the dial looked tacky and the date mag dident look correct then the local rolex ad dropped in to collect the watch!for a repair and service. rep manufacturers has shown that they can produce a watch for next to nothing ok with eta movement granted but it wouldent take much too upgrade the rep to a close to rolex standard! as you say rolexes are a mass produed product but people still see them as 2 or three oldschcool watchmakers this simply is not true anymore! when i was on holiday in the uk we visited a rolex AD in fact they only sold rolexes i was wearing a rep gmt oversized case from trusty we went there to have a look at there rolexes and prices when the sale person noticed my watch and then started showing me there latest collection they couldent believe it when i told the its a fake! and then called the ad manager even he was impressed at the overall details and finish although he said he has never seen one only heard of them! rolex made some great looking watches over the years but i think the older vintage watches look much better, qualitywise with there guilt and white dials with non laser printing!

yes that would be great love to see there face, yes those repair centres at rolx ad have to realise that you buy your rolex not rent it from them.....and when you pay 5,000 plus for a rolex from them they shouldent refuse to service your watch because you have installed a non rolex made part (generic) mabe you dont have much change left after forkin out that obsene amount but it was ok when you handed over your cash...i know someone who after damaging the gen strap bought a generic one rolex refused to ever service the watch again what has the strap got to do with servicing the watch? they said they would reconsider if you buy a new rolex braclet! another guy sent his 1987 rolex to the service centre because it kept stopping they returned the watch to him in parts with a letter saying we regret to inform you that your watch can not be repaired as it is too old please go to you nearest rolx ad and purchase a new one!

more none metal straps!

Please note These watches are not meant to represent a rolex rep built to gen specifications but to show that using a basic rolex rep you can custom build your watch to your own personal taste! we do not recommend you try this on your gen rolex!

wow what a great watch and photo i think i should get you to take my photos from now on, you get 20 out of ten for that photo!!!! aeromatic!!!

yes teejay i agree about the £30 datonas iv seen them they look well made and the buckles are good too!

There are some leather straps iv seen forgot the site, loisianna aligator strap that are water proof! but very expensive not everyone can wear stainless steel straps i like both myself leather straps were used in the 1950s replaced by there owners because the old style straps riveted with springs in the links were not very comfortable specialy if you have a hairy wrist like sean connery in DR No and i think from russia with love he wore his rolex on a crocodile or aligator strap its upto you anyway if you are like me you change your straps often! and i dont think a leather strap will make a watch look fake at all in fact it will, if anything make the watch look classy sort of dressy and sporty combined!specialy with a rolex buckle. wear your watch for yourself and not for others!

Yes the bright bezel inserts would look fantastic say on a 70s to 90s gmt but the darker would go on a much earlier gmt mmm got me thinking about moddin my vintage gmt rep!

Cheers Shawnbeaver! ok thanks again!

Great Reading and very helpful! we always need info when building frankens i wanted to put a yuki tudor rotor onto a 2836-2 eta but yuki told me it only fits on a 2784/2824 movement any way at the shop we changed the 2836-2 rotor with a 1970s 2783 eta and viceversa they fitted and worked fine then i emailed yuki to let him know that the rotor will fit ! he was glad to know that actualy the gold colour 2836-2 with the nickle plated rotor looks ok together!unique too eta movement have had very little changes to parts over the years just certain improvements like the fasterbeat movements although i prefer on vintage reps the slower beat movements! thanks again FxrAndy

Thanks teejay thats a great idea about the UV glue thanks again. aeromatic!!! i just thought would be great to have one made for a vintage pepsi bezel!

Wow! Great looking watch shawnbeaver! i want to replace my cracked t19 on my 5512 can you give me the clark site details i found a site hong kong based selling gen T-19 ( if they are gen) but cant remember the www for about 90usd whats the going rate for a new old stock gen t-19 can they still be found?

Thanks teejay my friend will be very happy! i was thinking about getting him to make me a clear acrylic bezel insert cover for one of my watches you know curved like the blancpain and glue it to the existing bezel insert so you end up with an original rolex bezel with the look of the fifty fathoms blancpain the only problem will be if glue is used, it must be a special kind that dries like glass to keep the bezel insert clean looking! this insert cover will protect the insert from scrapes and knocks!

Hi crab thanks mabe my friend (george loiz)will find time away from his projects to thank you himself! yes this is not meant to represent a vintage rolly in orginal factory state, this is a customised watch like a custom/hot rod car! there are classic car restorers and hotrodders mostly they dont mix but i bend both ways i can appreciate a great franken made to look like the gen and a customised watch i would consider putting in a custom made dial without any rolex markings my friend has made a awsome black dial with white markers!

Thank you crab and hello there i second that there yep yuki sure makes some rare stuff! at the moment tryin different straps on her, it stands out from my other watches iv forgot how much it cost! well almost! im looking forward to a yuki tudor no date next project! aeromatic!!!

hello ck we have just measured the brevet yuki crown i was correct it is 8mm not 7.50mm

Hi ck some photos of a mbw watch i know it has not got anything to do with this subject on customising watches but i thought you might like these photos seeing that 6536/8 will be your next project! aeromatic!