TeeJay

Congratulations on completing such an awesome project A true labor of love

Glad to be of help That's definitely the right mindset to have when it comes to getting a tattoo. Not necessarily a case of mulling over the decision for months on end, (sometimes you will know straight away that the design is right for you) but a case of being completely sure that when you do settle on the design, it is one you are completely comfortable and happy with Then comes the fun of finding the right artist to actually apply the tattoo As mentioned above, don't simply choose based on who's closest or cheapest, but by who's the best to meet your needs (although sometimes, the best might be the closest and the cheapest ) Also, as mentioned above, any kind of foreign text should be painstakingly researched to ensure it is accurate (ideally, get a native speaker to perform the translation, or at least get a native speaker to check your translation ) By all means, please feel free to PM me or ask any questions here

Thanks for the endorsement, bro Have you been able to get the design inked yet?

Fantastic work, my friend I haven't seen work done like that in quite some time

No, but I would start customizing it and re-spraying it to get it the way I want it to look Just because something has been well made, that doesn't mean that it can't be improved upon

I can't give you a book name, but if you were to do a search for something on fonts and type-setting, then you might come across some interesting results Anything else, such as design, is such a personal thing, that I couldn't make any suggestions without knowing more about what you had in mind, other than be 10000000000% sure that you are 10000000000000000000% positive on the design which you want to have done. If the artist tries to get you to change your mind, simply because they don't want to do that design, then walk away. Of course, there is a difference between an artist making suggestions which may enhance a design, and someone outright insisting that they will only do the design a particular way. The biggest tell there, is making excuses. If someone can justify that X change would enhance Y design because... then chances are they know what they're talking about. If all they're coming out with is "It would just look better" and not expand on that, it might be worth considering another artist... With regards artists, get recommendations from friends, go to various studios and see how they're set up. Does the artist(s) have a viewable portfolio of recent work? What kinds of tattoo do they specialize in? (getting someone who specializes in tribal to do a black and grey portrait could lead to some... 'interesting' results... ) Are the designs on their walls stock-purchased, or drawn themselves? Is their facility sterile? Do they take ID checks seriously? All these are things which must be considered when choosing a tattoo artist. Look at it as the beginning of a long-term relationship. Chances are, you will stick with an artist for some time (much like a favored barber or tailor) so be sure that their skills match your requirements. Best of luck, and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask

On the Rolexes I've had with cyclopses, they have all been glued on, which, as mentioned, can be removed by melting the glue Other companies do add cyclopses... Panerai and Ulysse Nardin, for example, mount them on the inside of the crystals, so the outside remains flat (which I have to admit, is much more aesthetically pleasing than how Rolex does it... )

I believe that the name Rolex was made up by the founder, in the aim of a word which would be universally pronounceable. I might have remembered that incorrectly though

With a metal bracelet, I can run my finger between the bracelet and my wrist. I can force my watch to twist under my wrist, but it would not do so by itself. I tend to wear leather and rubber straps at the same size. The only strap I wear tighter, is a NATO strap

Thanks for the suggestion I used a polishing tool and the scotch pad before taking the photos, and it made quite a difference to the naked eye, compared to when the scratches were freshly inflicted. I think the last two photos are the best example of how it actually looks to the naked eye. The first ones really did give the worst possible impression, thanks to the flash

Just another couple of unlit shots which show the scuffing more as it appears to the naked eye, rather than the first flash-lit photos

Looking good When I get a watch with a crystal worthy of coating, I could well be interested

It's not like it's a gen

To be honest, I've tried the jar method before, and not actually had any success with it, so I figured I'd give another method a try. I'm guessing you're saying it looks unnatural as the impact lines are too consistent, rather than being more random? I could always give the jar method another try, as that might inflict some random damage to 'blend in' the scuffs I've already put in... One thing I would say, is that the flash makes the scuffs much more noticeable than they are with the naked eye. They're much subtler, almost invisible unless the light is directly catching them properly. Here's a few flash-less photos to try and illustrate better [ With regards the above suggestion of dragging a watch behind a car, has anyone ever had any positive results with that, or would I be right in thinking that that is just a good way to inflict reckless damage, and potentially lose parts in the process...? I know the look I wanted to achieve, I guess I haven't been quite as successful as I had hoped to be. My plan was to have the heaviest impact scuffs at the edges of my wrist, where a watch could get knocked/scraped against something over the years, with less focussed impacts on the inner-side of the wrist. Do you think maybe buff out some of the scuffs, and then inflict some more random damage via the jar method?

1. That is part of the mechanism for creating water resistance. 2. It is a seperate piece of material whch is glued onto the flat surface. Hope that answers your questions

I actually used the bathroom floor tiles, exterior house brick, and a green scotch pad I think I've put sufficient 'age' into the case and bracelet for when I can install a vintage dial (and eventually) a vintage bezel

I define 'major' as deeply indented gouges which could definitely be felt by touch, these are all undetectable by touch The fun of vintagizing

It could indeed

Stay strong, brother, people's thoughts and prayers are with you

I also got some good results by 'slicing' at the lugs and sides of a case with these I just held them open (by the lower handle) and hacked at the case in a kind of slicing motion, and then dragged the blade down the side of the case as well, to create some nice scuffs A quick buff with a 4-way nail file blended them in so they looked old, rather than freshly inflicted (When doing this, I did not simply hack at the case like a blind woodsman, but aimed slice by slice, as I wanted to create the impression of sustained damage, rather than just a butchered case )

As before But, as before, I feel the case could do with a few dings, and the dial could do with a little baking to better recreate the age such a watch should be The insert looks a bit too aged in comparison to the rest of it, IMHO

Ahh, so mainly just little but time-consuming stuff... I have to admit, I've got to agree with Mellus about the dial. Don't get me wrong, I love how the 1680 dials look brand-spanking-new (way nicer than modern sub dials) but, if you're going to have the case aged (bearing in mind this would be an appx 30 year old watch, that's my one criticism: that it's 'too pristine', and could do with a few dings...) it wouldn't hurt to bake the dial a little. Maybe not much, or even as dark as Mellus' Explorer dial, but just a little... Of course, that's entirely up to you Regardless of what you do, it's still an awesome watch

Awesome family grouping

Very nice When you say finish it, what did you have in mind to still do? Unless you wanted to really age the case and dial, I'd've said it was finished Good to see you back on the forum