ww12345

I sent him an email a while ago and he responded fairly quickly, and said that I could get any dials I needed, including the 6542...

I've been getting quite a few emails about building a 6542, and I don't think I'm anywhere near an expert on these builds, but there's not a whole lot out there regarding one of these builds, so I figured I'd write up a little tutorial based on info I've scrounged up. Hope it helps! First things first, the case. To start with, The PT 6542 complete watch is not a good base. Nothing on it is gen-spec, or could be made gen-spec. Like I say, I'd go with the 1655 case and grind it down. It's a bigger case, so you could get really damn close by just grinding it down - there's no problems like the stubby CG's on the 5513s. Just do a lot of checking on VRF - find a case you like and make it look exactly like that one. I don't remember what case I used. It was a Silix case, but one of the first I ever bought. From the email I dug up (in 2011), it was a ROL170. I don't know if he has that model anymore, or if you could figure it out from the pictures. I have the pics, and the watch started out as a 6538 (kind of) - it was really, really wrong, and had things like a small crown, wrong size springbar holes, wrong bezel, and so on. My personal recommendation would be not to go with a Silix at all, if you intend on using JoeyB's bezel and insert. They're too nice for a POS Silix rep (even though that's what a few people here swear by). The case is not gen-spec in any way at all. The crystal is glued inside, not outside a lip like gen, the bezel probably won't swap over without heavy modifications, and so on. My recommendation would be actually using a 1655 rep from The Cartel. What I've seen is grinding off the crownguards, thinning the case just a bit, thinning the caseback, drilling the lugs, and retapping for a gen small crown. The reason for this is because the 1655 rep will accept a gen 116 with no trouble, and uses gen bezel construction, so the bezel should swap over with no problem. I would use a gen 116 if you can get one (or a 115, whichever it is - don't remember the exact number) because it really does sparkle and look much, much better than any aftermarket. Next, the dial. I used an Ingod 6542 dial which had the lip ground off. To my eyes, it is closest to gen. However, the lume is awful. My dial arrived with all of the lume basically rubbed off. I would have it relumed by the modder of your choice (either glow or non-glow) and you should be as good as you can get. The dial will need to be glued onto a sort of "spacer" so that it can be attached to the movement. I think it was ground down (the lip) and JB welded onto a flat disc that functioned like a dial spacer. Not sure though. The InGod dial I used was messed with by PB and JMB. Not sure what they did, but I know they both hate me for it! haha Next, the hands. I like Clarks hand, as they look a little more gen (for the old style) than anything I can find. There are flaws (like the minute hand being too short) and the tip on the hour hand is not quite the right shape, as well as the "rectangle" part of the hour hand being too short. If you look at gen pictures you'll see that the hand is a little longer than newer styles - check it out and you'll see what I mean. TBH, I don't remember where I got the small GMT hand. I think I got it from Raffles-Time, but I'm not sure. Next, the movement. I started out using the DG 2804 (or the 2813, whichever is the GMT version) and hated every minute of it. It's not as easy to swap as some people make it sound, and personally I like getting stuff working for a long while, not doing a constant tear down and repair all the time. For that reason, I used the 2836GMT. I know people can bash that movement, but if it's serviced, it shouldn't be a problem. The DWO should be a roulette, which I think someone on RWG is selling for like 20 Euros. Expensive, but worth it. Mine is OK for now, but it really does irk me and I'll probably upgrade it at some point... One of those things, you know. Finally, the bracelet. I would use either a folded 6210 Jubilee or a rivet 6636/7206 (stretch or no stretch). Those would be period correct (the first being custom at Rolex AD and the other being the PanAm standard issue). My recommendation would be to check out some on real auction sites or VRF and find one you like, and mod it to look like that. I think with some case reshaping, a good movement, proper relumed hands and dial, a good roulette wheel DWO and the Joey B bezel and insert, plus a killer bracelet you'd have a top notch 6542. Now go, and make some really awesome 6542s!

So I doubt anybody was waiting on it, but my wrist is just over 6"...

Hey, I'd like to play - is there a limit as to how old the build can be?

Yeah, to me it looks like it was well used and serviced regularly. The 7836/3 had the 78360/3 as the service replacement (IIRC). As far as the coronet, it is fine for a nipple dial. The regular matte dials had a different coronet, but the nipple dials were a weird print setup.

Looks legit, but the GMT hand is off - reads 15:00 hours, while the hour hand reads 5pm... Shouldn't be that way. Other than that, case and everything else looks accurate and appropriate. My vote is for gen.

With a gen watch disassembled?

Haha - good idea! Will check now...

How does one measure the wrist diameter/circumference? I bet my wrist is smaller than 6.5 in...

Here's a pic in the wild... Point Sal point wristshot.

Yeah, Omega really hit a home run with this one... Makes you wonder why Rolex can't get their act together. Take note Rolex - this might be the first new gen I buy.

He said he kept the original parts, so to me if he'd prefer the RSC look, no harm no foul.

First one, no. Second one, yes. The PN markers are those black (or white) squares in the subdials.

People over at the gen forum keep thinking that it will come out Novemberish, but official word from all the ADs is February.

Welcome to the vintage club. There's no turning back now... Haha

Thanks! On another note, just heard from Omega that the gen Seamaster won't be released until February...

First thing - McQueen never wore one. Urban legend. If you want a McQueen watch you have to build a 5512. However, if you want a 1655, I would start with a Cartel rep, and mod gen/aftermarket parts into that. Ingod for the dial, omega flight master hands for the handset, a gen spec broached 24hr hand, a phong bezel, and a gem crown and tube. Hope that helps!

Haha - I was thinking that earlier today! I know a lot of people here (myself included) are always worried about minor "tells" but I think a massive tell is a rep of a watch that won't be out for another month!

Here are some quick pics I took today showing the approximate size. Like I said, not a bad watch size overall. Also, my wrist is really small, so it shows how wearable of a watch this is.

Apparently the gen Omega is that way - friction pins capped by screws. How strange (and stupid, IMHO).

Yeah, I can't imagine the gen being really sturdy if it's put together the same way... I wonder if the Rolex screws are patented? (can they even patent something like that?)

Here's the review - the pics will follow either tonight or tomorrow morning. The Omega Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial (what a mouthful) is a great sized watch. I was dubious, seeing that picture of it earlier in the thread next to the LV and how monstrous it looked, but on the wrist, it kind of works like a GMT IIc (one of the other few modern watches I wear) - slim and close to the wrist, letting you forget that it's there. The lug length is 41mm, so it is bigger, but it honestly feels the same size or a little bit smaller than a GMT IIc - it's pretty comparable to a 5513. I tried to get pics of it with each of them so you could see the size difference. One of the problems that I think makes people feel like it is a bigger watch is the bracelet. As it is an SEL, it has the same problem as many other SEL watches - the bracelet connects a good 1-2mm from the end of the lugs. This makes it look incredibly long, but in reality it is only a tiny bit bigger than the GMT IIc. Overall, a great sized watch, and that says a bit. My wrists are so skinny that even regular Subs seem to dwarf it, but this fits right at home in the "just a tiny bit bigger" category of dive watches. The readability is awesome. Seriously, I don't know of any other watch which is as legible at a first glance. I suppose I don't often mix up the hour and the minute hand on a Sub, but I sometimes don't see the second hand. Never a problem on this watch - the nice white crispness of the second hand makes it easy to see exactly where it is just at a glance. Now the review of the rep parts. Very well done, overall. The movement is not as bad as I had feared (the fact that it is a unidirectional rotor and that the seconds had a potential to stutter really worried me) but from what I've seen on mine the stutter is all but imperceptible (read not there at all that I could tell) and the unidirectional rotor is pretty quiet. I was fearing 21j noisiness, and in reality it is no louder than a regular ETA. The dial is deep black with silver numbers and cut-out sandwich dial lume markers. The daytime color is great (not too orange, and not too brown) and the lume is perfect - blue on everything except the minute hand and bezel pip, and let me tell you - it lasts for a long, long time. The bezel is pretty great too - 120 very solid clicks on an easy to turn by hand, virtually impossible by any other means rotation. I even like the polished midlinks more than I thought I would. They're not that stand-outish, and they remind me of some of the older gen Omega bracelets I had from the '50s and '60s. I suppose I could brush them if I want, but I don't mind an honest wear. The push clasp extension is a nice touch too. However, resizing is a PITA. Seriously - and I don't know if the gen is like this - but this is one thing Rolex gets right. On a newer Rolex bracelet, you unscrew one screw and the bracelet comes neatly apart. On this bracelet (which has links that are approximately 3/4 the size of standard Rolex links) you have to unscrew both sides and push a pin through the hole. Then, you have to keep the screws and pin separate while you remove the next set of screws and pins so that you can shorten the bracelet. Really a labor intensive job, and feels much less sturdy than the Rolex solution. One problem I had (which may not exist on the gen) is that the screws wanted to wiggle out, and it was a chore putting Loctite on all of them. Once done, it feels slightly more secure, but only slightly. Like I say, if I were using this for diving, and the gen is like this, I totally would not trust the bracelet, and it would go straight on a NATO. Overall though, a very solid entry and one I would recommend to everyone. It satisfies the "modern" in people with the slick, shiny, polished surfaces and the "vintage" in people by being an almost exact clone of the earlier Seamaster. Not at all heavy or too big (which I find even the SD4000 fits into, or even the 1665 for that matter) but a solid, understated watch that would look good anywhere from the pool (which mine is officially rated for, per the Puretime WR printout) to the conference room. The only complaint I had was the fact that my bezel is not exactly lined up - it's about 1-3mm off of dead center, which probably isn't enough to bug me now, but may bug others, so that is one thing to check on the QC photos. However, that may be just a one off, and shouldn't stop anyone from getting this watch.

Finally on my wrist. Wore it all day, and have some decent feedback. Will try to write up a better review later, but here's the gist: Not too big, even for skinny wrists Resizing is a pita. Period. Very comfortable and solid feeling, overall.

Is it possible for gaskets to shrink? I know I've had a few that seem too small after a while.

Thanks! Ours look like the same dial maker - I wish more aftermarket dials were like those!