rolojack

I'm partly back actually :-) Some of my machines are still in storage but I can accept some jobs.

Absolutely ! I am amazed sometimes by the lack of attention to details by some only gen owners…. The rep world has a way to train real experts.

Interesting point of view. I for one don't think there's such a big picture... I think we vintage watch lovers are not so many. Most people want plain bling and a 100K€ vintage Daytona just isn't visible enough on the wrist to thrill the uneducated crowds. There are two kind of reps : modern and vintage. Modern is mass made and yes brands are fighting against it. It's perfectly understandable. Vintage on the other hand is a totally different picture. Never was it mass produced (for quality items. The only mass produced are jokes really...) and that very fact shows the clientele pan is limited. So they are handmade. And pretty much always by afficionados. Even the vietnam made ones are made by people who were collectors at first before it became a business. And I might add : not a lucrative one. If I count my labor for example I must make someting like 5 to 8 euros an hour... Hahahaha !!! Yeah... What a joke when in my real line of work I won't lift my pencil for less than a hundred an hour. So it isn't for the money at all: there isn't to be made. Just the thrill of creating dream pieces and cracking the small details that makes a piece a great piece. That patina, that unique lume color, that unique dial shade of brown... All those makes every build a thrilling experience. Personally: creating those timekeepers is a real therapy away from the real life. I meet you there . Your head must be free of anything else to achieve a good job. Mostly now that my sight is slowly decreasing.... I now need to pay more attention and I can't work a weekend straight on a watch. Let's all fight for our hobby to live despite that hostile world my friends !!!!!

1 hour ago, hologramet said:

RJ.

Bivintagestore is the go-to Guy for cases (he makes the base cases with custom engravings and the whole shebang).

Regarding inserts ”crownartcustoms” is the go-to guy nowadays.

PM me for contact info to both.

You too J!

We’be been missing you!

Yeah… I sold parts to taiwanese/hong long the last 2-3 years for absurd sums. No doubt about where the cash is currently.

Wow there are new players indeed !!! I'll shoot you a PM

8 hours ago, hologramet said:

The bubble will burst.

A 79090 for 8000€. A 2000€ watch 10 years ago. Crazy……

Hi my friend! Glad to see you're still here !!!!! We'll see.... I've be hearing that for years now and we're all watching it grow and grow.... I think it just follows the curve of all other values. The thing is it's a worldwide market and we westerners have less and less buying power every year compared to the new countries. So many of us are left behind not understanding what is happening. My two cents... 

2 hours ago, altesporsche said:

Welcome back ole chap ! 

Thank you so much !!!! Hope to chat soon mate !

Yes Freddy, i believe too it will keep on rising. It’s been 20 years I’m hearing from serious dealers that’s it’ll go down. And it never did. In 2000 I bought a 6239 for the equivalent of 8000 euros. I found it really expensive but I had to have one. 2 years later I sold it near 28k thinking that’s too much money for a watch compared to the pleasure it procured me. And also then I discovered the amazing and cheap 2000 viet builds in HCM that did the job for 2k usd…. I honestly thought it would kill the market. It didn’t 

5 hours ago, automatico said:

"It looks like the forum isn't as active as before or is it me?  I see the post dates are quite far apart."

 

Yeah it's a ghost town compared to a few years ago.  Sometimes there will be a flurry of posts but the flurries seem to be getting farther apart.

Seems to me that mechanical watches in general are losing steam, not just replicas and the 'born digital' generation does not seem to care very much about mechanical watches.

 

Watches are a hobby with me and high prices and no parts is a definite hobby killer.  I used to buy/sell/trade mostly 1530 base rolex watches but they are no longer affordable (to me) so they are of little interest now.  I'll wear one now and then to road test it but that's about it.

 

I am back to where I started...wearing an Accutron.

Make that an Accutron II.   

 

 

It seems the world is really going sideways.... New generation really have no taste. Best example of it to my eye is electric cars. What a sad soulless thing... Music too : it's the mirror of society and look how empty it is. No creation. Very sad. Where are we going? About our hobby : yes parts are the issue. I mean parts prices. I'm amazed how much money is involved to gather good parts now. But hey : still when you compare to what is asked for a new Tissot of some sort you can still build a decent watch within the affordable range. Let's say yesterday we were around the 1K glass roof for someting great. Now it's double. But so is it for everything around us! Besides clothing everything increased dramatically. Let's stay positive and fight against the current with our vintage rlx watches. Our resistance !!!!

This is just to share as it's already sold...

Do you guys have new contacts for dials in VN? I mean custom. Not the ready made ones. Both my contacts are gone... Getting parts is soooo hard nowadays

It looks like the forum isn't as active as before or is it me? I see the post dates are quite far apart

3 hours ago, hologramet said:

Truly welcome back, the one and only O.G. Rolo!

Thank you my friend !!!

Here is the first one : 

Thanks! And my apologies for not being around for such a long time

Hello everyone! I’ve missed you guys. I’m still not ready to accept orders just yet but I have made some builds I’ll be posting for sale soon on my favorite forum. All the best to you all!

A sweet one... I think it originally came from MBW. Not sure... I'll let the owner answer if he wants to share. Anyways: CB is well done. Dial from Vietnam, genuine clasp adjusted to a good rep bracelet. Swiss T39, Athaya crown. Case fully reshaped.

It started as a JMB v1 indeed. But there are several operations to transform it like that: shaving of the rear side, cutting of the groove and shaping of the caseback seat. All done with proper equipment. There are few to none exact 1016 cases out there !!! The 1016 has a very specific shape. Not similar to a DJ at all.

Movement is an elebore 2824. So it's an ETA based watch, but the dial has feet, and isn't too small for the case like it often is resulting in damages on the sides! parts fitment is perfect !

5 hours ago, Dlf said:

Nice work Jack, I recognize that dial

Oh yes !!! That dial exists thanks to your effort and dedication to the hobby ! 😊

Absolutely stunning example of the most desirable version of the ref 1016 with every bit correct !!!! Look at the shape of the crystal and the excellent bezel. Note the correct shape on the back of the lugs too... This is one to keep. I'm glad to have the opportunity to share this on my favorite forum I haven't been very active on lately... 

This is stamped. However, the "stamped" look can be achieved with engraving: after engraving polish to clean edges, then wash the surface with acid to give a sandblasted look to the bottom of the letters/numbers and finally do the final brushed finish. Result will be perfect.

I'm having fun here.... Over two years in the making for the large one !!!! Dial and hands are custom. Super high grade vintage swiss movements... Pretty exciting watches to my taste... Enjoy he pictures !

Classic DW fully refinished with nice pushers installed and a genuine coronet.

A great watch here, I'll let you guys guess the specs... 🙂