TeeJay

I know what you mean, a group buy would certainly be a good way of getting hold of parts, but it does rely on people needing or wanting said parts too Then there's the logistics of a group buy, which can sometimes not always go entirely to plan I'd say the best way to go, is to work out what watches you might need for parts, and order them individually or maybe two at a time, to avoid that customs hassles Sometimes the satisfaction of building a watch yourself, can allow you to overlook certain flaws in replication

The GMT Sub is something Demsey and I have discussed a few times, and agree that given Rolex produced the Explorer II for caving enthusiasts, and the GMT Master for pilots, it makes sense for there to be a diver's watch with the same GMT capability, but that it's simply a design avenue Rolex never pursued. To be honest, the one I built was not entirely as per my original plan, as I hadn't planned to using the vintage dial, but, my rebuild, will be a 100% modern watch, so a more uniform appearance As for dial sources, the Bay is one good bet, the other, is to just order more budget watches, and cannibalize them for parts... That's what I do with my projects

Those would all do very nicely for me, as well

Indeed, I saw the post To be honest, take Demsey's view on it: It's not important if the watch is 100% perfect, because it's still obvious what model watch it's supposed to be, and to be honest, the '24 hour sweep' movement and rotating bezel still allows you to track a second timezone, so still perfectly wearable. I have one myself, but inadvertently damaged the movement, by holding the watch too close to a halogen bulb to charge the lume, only to discover that the datewheel was plastic, when it warped from the heat, and dragged on the back of the dial, effectively jamming the movement / I still have plans for the watch though, as I wore it on my honeymoon, so want to do something with it rather than just chuck it out. If I was to just buy another GMT II and transplant in the dial and movement, it would be a bit redundant, so instead, I'm going to try something a little different, but the exact plans are something I want to keep somewhat secret for the moment, as they're not 100% finalized As you say, you could indeed simply convert the case to a Submariner. (Or even a Tudor Submariner ) Last year, I modified a Submariner dial to fit over the GMT movement, and installed it in a GMT, so I had a Submariner with GMT function Not everyone's cup of tea, but fun for me, and a watch I enjoyed wearing, until the movement died, and something I have plans to build a 'new and improved' version of If you take things too seriously, they stop being fun, and that's no way for a hobby to be

Thanks for the offer, PM sent, it's always good to find out new tricks and techniques

That's my kind of budget At that kind of price, watches become nearly disposable, so absolutely no fear of naffing them up (other than the frustration of it ) It'll make an awesome base for practicing the basics, or failing that, an ideal platform for modification/conversion work

Thanks, it hasn't been off the wrist since the new dial (well, other than bathing, as I don't want to get the strap wet ) But I'm definitely preferring Tudor to Rolex now in terms of dial variations

A Ventura?

Interesting thoughts, and especially interesting to read that the metal links in the strap actually serve a practical, rather than purely aesthetic purpose I do know what you mean about the sub variations. I would say my interest in subs falls part-way into that category, in so much as there are a few specific variants which interest me, but, I would say that those variations are significant enough to make each watch stand apart from the others, rather than say, mere variations in color of the dial printing Since RobbieG first posted the Rhodium-dialled MMD, I've rather liked it, and would have been keen to acquire a nice rep of it. His other discussions on the 'economy of watch collecting' and minimizing a collection, would certainly point towards a watch which can be worn for a variety of occasions, and I think the Rhodium MMD fits that catagory, in the same way a Yacht-Master can dress down, just as easily as it can dress up. However... Given the way my collecting is moving towards personal projects, I don't think I would be happy wearing a 'stock purchased' watch day in day out, as now, I would prefer to wear something which I had a hand in building. Maybe I'll wind up with one one-day, maybe I won't, but either way, I do think it is a watch which would make a fine addition to any collection

You might be able to source a cheap sub, find a Tudor dial and do a 're-branding' Having just done that myself, I am now a firm convert to the Tudor Appreciation Society Way more fun than a Rolex

None too shabby, I think you've found yourself an excellent project watch Heck, if you weren't concerned with 100% accuracy to gen, it would be a nice enough watch to wear as it is Best of luck with your plans

My bad I'm still wearing my newly modified NATO sub, which has undergone a 're-branding' from Rolex, to Tudor... From this: To this: A 100% improvement, I think I am absolutely loving the dial which Slartibartfast made, there is another in existence, which he has suggested could be put to an RWG raffle... What's the lume like? Well, it's not superluminova, but, after a charging from an LED torch before bed, the lume was still readable 6 hours later I love how it looks on the wrist, and has really got my Snowflake project off to a flying start Potentially a very long-term project due to costs of various parts, so one which will be a 'work in progress' for some time, but, one I am very happy to wear 'as is'

Wrong Thread

I'm absolutely the same, my friend. If I was to be totally objective and logical, I'd do with reps, what I used to do with cheap watches when I was younger: Buy one, wear it for a year, then buy a new watch. My problem, is I love collecting, and I love building... I like having a 'regular beater', but I also like having a 'specialized watch', such as a GMT for travelling, a NATO strap for hot weather etc as that gives me what I consider the perfect rotation: Not rotating for the sake of it, or because I can't settle on a watch, but because it is suited to my requirements at that time If only I could get over my aversion of wearing a NATO strap while wet, I probably wouldn't take my newly acquired Tudor project sub off, but would make it my main beater, but, I don't like taking a watch off just because of water, so SS is definitely the option for me [Edit to add] While writing this, I was seriously tempted to transplant the Tudor dial into my vintage sub, (which I think would look awesome) but, I consider the Snowflake dial to be a milsub, so I feel that requires a fixed-lug case and NATO strap

Rather than an outright buy, how about a project build?

I'll be 31 in a few weeks time

Oh man, what I'd give to have 2nd Amendment rights On a more positive note, I've managed to fix up my belt... I found my 'formal black belt' in the closet, and realized that it the buckle was secured in the same way as on my brown belt (screw/rivet holding a fold of leather in place, which in turn, held the buckle in place) so a few seconds work with the screwdriver of my Swiss Army knife, a buckle transplant later, and the brown belt is back in use Okay, I don't really like this buckle with this belt, but, it'll suffice till I can get a replacement buckle, as I really like wearing the brown belt Birthday money well spent

Thanks Your project sounds pretty awesome

Well, we've been working on the project for over a month, but R would be the best person to say how long it took to actually do, as he did all the practical work. If I remember, it took me a few hours to create the original dial template, which he then refined into something more useable

Indeed, R first used the technique for changing a date wheel font As you say, once the transfer is lumed and varnished, it really does look like it is a regular dial. The crazing on the crystal picked up the light, which obscured the dial in the photos, but on the wrist, the crystal appears much 'clearer', and, given the quality of the finished dial, I would be quite happy to install one under a 'clean' sapphire crystal, and hope to be able to do so with a future project watch

Thanks for the feedback, guys, once again, I must point out that it was Slartibartfast who did all the hard work on this project, and it was he, who constructed and lumed the dials I'm just the monkey who cased it up

My main interest in watches, has always been divers watches, and to an equal extent, military diver's watches. I started off with a EuroFakes Submariner, but after a while, wanted to replace it with an Omega 2254.50 for the larger hands and indices, however, with Casino Royale being released, instead, I went for a 42mm Planet Ocean instead. Eventually, I got into Panerai, and after selling off my collection to pay for my wedding and reception, I've since come all the way back to wearing Rolex, and now Tudor. I am by no means a well off person, but, I don't look like a bum, so I feel I can carry off watches of this value without any undue attention. Another impact on my watch collection, is the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Taking that into account, I prefer 'vintage' watches over modern ones, and, as an added benefit, an apparently-old, beaten up watch, gets no scrutiny from the casual observer. While not a total protection from the dreaded "Is that a fake Rolex?" question, it certainly helps minimize it. I think the primary focus on my collecting now, will be project builds. It's much more fun than just buying something outright, and the satisfaction one can take from looking at a watch and knowing they built it themselves, is considerable. I've never been someone who changes watch frequently, so I tend to wear the same watch for a time, before circumstances necessitate a change. For example, my NATO Sub (Now with a Snowflake dial) can only be worn on the NATO strap due to the fixed lugs, so this is an ideal watch for when it is simply too hot to wear a watch on SS or rubber. The vintage sub is still my 'daily beater', but if the temperature dictated it, I would go for the NATO sub instead. Here's a prediction for the way my collection will go: Daily Beater - Vintage Submariner Hot weather beater - NATO Tudor GMT - Project watch (Details are still in planning) Additional watches, will be the GMTIICSub project I've had in the planning for a year. This will be a modern watch, so probably get very little wear, but it's one I've thought about so much, I am going to build it, just so I can say I actually did it. If I feel the need to get a 'smart watch', I'll get myself a DJ like the one worn by John Barrowman in Torchwood. Any additional project builds, will be satisfied through building the various military-issue Rolexes/Tudors, such as the Peruvian AirForce GMT, or the South African MilSub

+1 That's looking fantastic, do tell

Many thanks, brother, but all I did was take the photos and case it up, Slartibartfast is the master craftsman here, so all the praise must go to him