Brightight

I have tried most things to stick overlays from cyanoacrylate to Evostik contact, but the epoxy is definitely best. Incidentally you can't really get a 'plug and play' Datewheel with overlay, as once the overlay is stuck on, it is very difficult to fit the datewheel as the detent spring is totally covered up by the larger overlay. Hypo glue is more suited to acrylic. RTV silicone can be too thick where there is not a lot of clearance (such as building a Franken). Cyanoacrylate is not recommended for watch work by the way as it can fog crystals from the inside. The stuff I got came from the bay and is 30min Slow Cure Epoxy, Dist by Bob Smith Industries, Alascadero, CA - http://www.bsi-inc.com/Pages/hobby/epoxies.html. It has other useful traits, it is two liquids which combine (not gels or pastes like some expoxies such as Araldite) thus is not very viscous and dries thin. Also it does not 'string'. The last thing you want is a string of epoxy falling into the works. The slow cure means you have plenty of time to move it into alignment. Once the alignment is right, I leave it well alone for 24 hours. The overlay sticks very well and cannot be removed without introducing a razor blade between the datewheel and the overlay all the way round. I also use this epoxy to glue dials to dial mounting rings.

Nice Noob, but that red jersey clashes horribly There's nothing quite like your first!

All you need is some 30minute epoxy to glue the overlay back onto the datewheel (after cleaning up any residue). However this is a tricky job as it has to be correctly aligned all the way round (thus the 30 minutes before it sets) so unless you are confident you might consider getting a modder to do this for you.

Smaller watch? Looser strap may help. EDIT : Just a thought, you're not getting an allergic reaction to the metal of the crown are you?

Apparently the 2893 uses the same method, and probably the same parts, as are used to convert the 2836.2 to GMT. So the handstack and operation is different to the gen.

Classic stuff. Must remember to check my "Dayjust"......................

+1 on a great read! Personally I have moved from large watches to small watches. I hate having a watch hanging over my wrist both sides (and there are many pictures in this thread to illustrate what I mean!), it looks ridiculous like a little girl wearing Mon's stillettos and in any case I think it better not to advertise your inadequacies. I have also moved away from watches with protuberances, Panerai, Graham you know who you are, or any kind of watch fashion statement. Current daily wear is a 36mm Franken DJ built around a 1978 case and acrylic crystal, just the right size for my wrist in my opinion and a timeless classic. Rolex does not seem to carry the 'fake' assumption in the UK as it does in Europe, and in any case people are more likely to believe a DJ is gen than a Sub, even if I cared what people think. I also find the longer I have this watch obsession, the smaller and more considered my watch collection gets, the more vintage orientated it becomes and the less likely I am to buy another rep and the more likely to build another Franken. On the subject of hairy wrists, get over it people, I have hairy wrists because I'm a man not a girlie and I refuse to shave them so as not to affend your sensibilities.

I notice one watch is 1m3s faster than the other (and it's driving me mad!!!). Is there a reason for this? Love the watches though, do they wear big on the wrist, 34mm just seems to be pushing the boundary at the moment? Smallest I have is my DJs at 36mm which are fine size wise.

PM sent with alacrity!

What sources are there for Rolex Datewheel overlays, black on white, preferably but not essentially open 6 and 9? I need a couple of these and apart from cubicworks (which despite the pic on their site are not open 6 and 9) and apparently Stilty is/has done some work on these, but he is not answering PM's at the moment, I'm up against a blank wall. If worst comes to worst I'll go with cubicworks but I thought I'd check in case anyone had better alternatives.

and that's an optical allusion..................

This has been posted before. Most of these apart from the 16200 are women's or midsize models.

Anything special?? Everything is special about this piece!!! Stunning!

Like Panerai153 above, I also get my ETA movements from old watches, they can work out very cheap. Touch wood I've been extremely lucky with them so far and I'm happy to strip, clean and lube them myself (though I don't usually bother if they look clean), but if one packed up, I would just slot in another. If I did want to buy a brand new one, they are available from Cousins UK and there is an eBay seller in Switzerland sells them at a good price.

ebay sellers of watch parts, straps, etc - 99redcamaro a-and-e-watches b_line55cc exotic-watches hitecpro jeffsmit1 jewelerstools jjw2838 rebeccas319 richcrumpton scanron tryabidforit watchbandman50 west-sussex-watches I found all these when searching for stuff for my Franken DJs and actually bought from a few of them.

Fascinating stuff. It amazes me that some have even taken reps into an AD and had them passed as gen. Just goes to show the lines are becoming blurred. No doubt about it though, people on the rep forums in general know one hell of a lot more about the subject than the gen forum guys.

As TJ says, Cousins UK sell a box of assorted Rolex hands which fit the asian movements and ETA also. I think they're about

Loaded the Datejust. I think it looks the dog's b*llocks. Many thanks for finding this!

I'd go for the GMT definitely. But I guess you'll get that answer in the majority in the Rolex area................

Thank you all for your kind comments. This has got to be one of the easiest Frankens to actually build, as long as you have a Stilty ring the hard work is done! Very enjoyable, and very wearable on my wrist.

Jerome, do some research, that is what the 'search' function is for. Read and study the watch reviews. I don't mean to be unkind, but ask yourself this - if you can't be bothered to do the basic research, why should any forum members be bothered to spoon feed you with information? This is a great forum, and the information is mostly available with not a huge deal of effort.

Only posted these yesterday, but I guess they bear repeating................ Both Frankens, gen apart from movement, hands and datewheel

I was soooooooo lucky with that dial, I got it from a-and-e-watches on ebay with a bid of $31.59!! I already had a dark blue dial but I'd wanted one of those textile dials from the start so it was too good to resist. A&E usually have buy it now or offer (and are open to reasonable offers) but their auctions have no reserve usually so you can get lucky. Unfortunately I also had to pay nearly $30 in postage to the UK but I combined the dial with the white gold bezel, so it wasn't too bad. This is their more normal price - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rolex-Datejust-Men-Silver-Florentin-White-Gold-Bar-Dial_W0QQitemZ300369115960QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ef64fb38 Yes $400 - $600 depending on your spec and luck. I tend to buy watches with used ETA 2836-2's on the bay, again patience is the key, but they can be pretty cheap ($20 - $40) and so far, touch wood, have all proved clean and reliable so there is a saving there. And I still have the option of replacing with a brand new movement at a later point if I wish. The one essential is a Stilty ring, they make the whole process so much simpler.

Hi all, here is a pic of my second Datejust Franken. All gen apart from the movement (2836-2), datewheel and hands. Just love the dial on this one - I'm not totally happy with the datewheel so will be seeking out an open 3 overlay at a later stage. I'm also not certain if the crystal is gen, the cyclops doesn't quite seem to be right, but Cousins UK have gen ones for

I don't know if this was copied from the Rolex wording, but I made a copy of this some time ago from a website somewhere - Oyster Perpetual watches should be washed regularly with warm water and soap, using a soft brush for metal bracelets. When dry, polish with a soft dry cloth. After sea-bathing, rinse your timepiece in fresh water to remove all salt and sand. SIMPLE REGULATING If your watch loses or gains a few seconds per day (remember, there are 86,400 seconds in 24 hours), you can correct it without expert aid. The rate of a watch varies slightly depending upon its position. Take it off at night and place it as follows: TO GAIN A FEW SECONDS: Lay your watch flat with the dial uppermost TO LOSE A FEW SECONDS: Lay the watch vertically with the winding-button downwards TO LOSE RATHER MORE SECONDS: Lay the watch vertically with the winding-button uppermost