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And so it begins.....my first build. I started off with a cartel 1655. The movement bit the dust on me so I figured this is my chance to try my hand at modding. This tread will be the timeline . What am I building? good question. I so very badly have two watches that I want to build. A GMT Master 6542 and a Milgauss 1019. Both of which are NLA from the TD's so if you want one you gotta build it yourself. and from what I have read, neither are very good examples of the models so alot of modding would be needed to make either of them half decent . Pics for Reference..cause everyone loves pics of watches....if you dont, what the hell ya doing here?? lol After a few convos with @JoeyB I picked his brain and he was very kind to share his knowledge and experience in the 6542 build. Finding a reasonable priced Dial atm is difficult so this is why I am leaning towards the 1019 currently. the challange with the 1019 build is finding a smooth bezel to fit the cartel case. Either Way the case needs some work so I started on that and if I dont completely mess it up, I will then decide and order parts.... So I am stripped down the 1655 to bear bones. Drilled out the lugs. Broke a bit...but managed to get it out, save the case and get the rest of the lugs done. Not too bad...sorry no pics. Tonight I started on the lugs. Getting the crown tube out was a bit of a challenge as it was locktite into the case so it took some force but managed to get it out and managed not to destroy it. Next we're the lugs. A steady hand and a Dremel with first a grinding stone and then sanding drum to clean up the marks left by the stone. Looking at the pics and comparing them to the gens. I still have a bit more to go to make the case smooth for the crown. It's been a long day and I was getting hungry so I called it. Feedback , suggestions and comments welcome. I'm here to learn Thanks for looking. [emoji482] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi folks, I'm a newbie here so apologies if this is a thread that has been exhausted but some of the threads I've managed to find seem quite old. I own a genuine GMT master 6542 that I inherited form my dad. It was fitted (still is) with a steel smooth bezel from A Rolex Milgauss 6541 after the original bakelite bezel disintegrated. I've tried without success to find a genuine replacement bezel set due to the rarity of such a piece, as you can probably understand. I have come to the conclusion that the only way I can get the watch looking right is to try and source a high quality after market bezel to give the watch back some of its originality, albeit not original . I'd be grateful to any members if they could share some of their knowledge and experience to point me in any direction where I might be able to source one. I'd be very grateful. Thanks in anticipation, Pete. I've attached a picture of said watch. PS The strap is not original and I know I should screw the crown in.

Hello Guys, I am back with this lovely roulette DWO, it is based on RWG friends and spend over 20 hours reshaping the font with AI, Photoshop, etc.... And finally ! I achieve it! Print with semi-plastic with black and red ink, it is Braille, on top of the DWO as gen, not print IN the paper. This DWO is suitable for eta movement, or DG, but not gen movement sorry. The price is 70 USD Firm include Hong Kong small post, if you need it fast, please tell me when you PM me. Please Comment below if you have any question! I will answer ASAP.

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!

Hey Guys. I was googling 6542 gmt as one usually does when obsessed and I came across this listing from 10 past 10 http://10pastten.com/watch/ta718 Reading the description , a few things jumped out at me. He claims that the case "has been recently detailed with correctly matted case sides and razor sharp large beveled edges." Ive never seen any rolex with matted case sides before. They have all had been polished...or where they all brushed from factory in the early days? This case has been reworked , clearly but has anyone else ever seen an original with brushed sides? The Dial is a T<.25 but it is a gilt dial. The T<25 dials are known as service dials but this one is gilt? Never noticed or seen one before and for it to be tropical and so evenly tropical also...the stars have aligned on this piece. That "bakealite" bezel is in amazing condition for an original, wouldn't you say? Eric Ku has a good reputation in the Vintage Rolex Market and has probably forgotten more about Rolex than I know but does anyone else find this kinda odd? a replacement "gilt" dial but original bezel ? Anyway...it is definitely eye candy!

The GMT is now done... This watch... God !!!! It took ages to achieve but now it's finally allright. The hardest part was to get the handstack right. The height of every element is of paramount importance. If the lume is too high the GMT hand does not pass... And most dials you'll find will have the lume made too high, like on a sub. But this isn't a Sub! The dial was custom made in Vietnam on a gen spec plate with ETA feet. Roulette wheel, gen-all-you-can, meaning: crown+insert+crystal. Phong bezel assy. A big BRAVO to Joe for the awesome engravings ! Movement modified for the date and GMT to behave as they should on a gen movement: non quick set and non adjustable. Enjoy the pics, Rolojack.

OK, noob poster so apologies in advance if I've missed a protocol or if I'm breaching etiquette. I've recently cobbled together a good number of parts (from Raffles, WSO) for a couple of 'homage' sterile GMT builds. So I pack these off to a local watch guy I've had do some repair stuff for me in the past. Ask him to provide me a quote for putting all the stuff together and it comes back what I view as surprisingly high. I suspect this may attributable to his just not wanting to be involved in putting together what he views as a "cheap Chinese fake". Whatever; his perogative. Can the good people here recommend a US based builder who may be more receptive to my build(s). Thanks in advance!

Some of you may be familiar with these projects, especially one of them... Around August of 2011 I caught the GMT bug, because that was the year of GMTs, much like this year was the year of 1016s. I saw some of the work done by members here and knew I had to have one, but couldn't figure out - did I want 6542 or 1675? Call me crazy, but I always felt the brighter colors of the 1675 Pepsi bezel too garish, and the black inserts too boring. I decided I would go with the 6542 and its beautiful understated acrylic Pepsi goodness... And thus the project started. I had an old Silix rep sub from when I first got into reps which was horribly inaccurate, so I used it as the donor case. I sourced an Ingod dial (black, as I didn't want to draw too much attention to the watch) and a small GMT hand. I decided to use a DG3804, because from what I read here it was a very reliable movement with cheap replacement cost should thing a go south. I also obtained a rep crown and tube and an insert from JoeyB. Gleefully I packed it all up and mailed it to PBDad. He did a fantastic job in a pretty short amount of time (I was impatient) but unfortunately my cheap side came out and I had him not relume the dial, as all of the line from Ingod had rubbed off, leaving the bare dial plate. I figured it would be cake to lume the dial from the top down if he left the crystal unglued. Anyway, one bottle of glue and some messed up hands later, my lesson was learned too late. The watch sat in a pile of gluey parts for the better part of a year, a monument to my frustration and sadness. Around that same time I became fascinated with a custom 1675 which was created for the Transglobe Expedition. Oliver Shepard, leader of the expedition, had wanted a 1655, but felt the dial was too busy and illegible in harsh conditions, but that a GMT would be too fragile with its moving bezel. He had Rolex swap a 1675 dial and movement into a 1655 case, resulting in one of the coolest looking watches ever - the fixed, brushed bezel of an EXP II with the easy to read handset of the GMT Master. Anyway, I set about collecting parts - a Josh 1655 case, a gen 1675 dial, and a Zodiac GMT movement and gen spec hands. I had done some reading on this site and saw that at least one person had made a watch using that movement, as it had gen spec hands and a DW which turns in the right direction. What followed was three long years and five modders later, as each one I sent it to would give it a go for a few months then give up, as the modding of this movement is unlike any other. These parts bounced their way back and forth, doing more globe trotting than I did in two years, before finally ending back up with the modded who started it all - JMB. He tried his best to get the Zodiac movement to work, but in those three years I realized the movement was not to be. Finally, I agreed to a 2836GMT movement swap. At the same time, he was working on my 6542, which he described as a mess (mainly due to my attempt to glue in JoeyBs insert) and convinced me to use a 2836 on that as well. He crafted an amazing roulette DWO and a new insert (the glue had partially eaten away the old insert) and we were in business again. Anyway, long story short - three years, and some of JMB's magic later, I have two very amazing watches. Thanks to all the members here who helped out - first and foremost, JMB, but also the other unnamed members - I'm sure you know who you are... One doesn't usually forget headaches! Haha And now, pics:

I finally finished a project I'd been working on since I started in the rep game - a gilt 6542. First I had problems with figuring out which movement to use, then not having a decent dial, and finally not having a small GMT hand or affordable insert. Finally, about two months ago, all of that fell together and I was on my way. By the way, a huge shout-out goes to PBDad, who made this whole thing work together. The dial is an Ingod gilt dial, and while it is not super glossy, it is not entirely matte - kind of like the gen gloss dials I have. It has the OCC marking and the SWISS markings, and IMHO is a pretty good alternative to Yuki, NDT, etc., especially as it is priced at $130. I had to relume it, so I tried to make it look like an early advertisement I saw. I know the 5, 10, 20, etc. markings are too small, but that's how it appeared in the ad so I wanted to make it look like the ad. (The ad was what made me fall in love with the 6542) PB modified the dial (by grinding off the lip) and mounting it to a separate dial ring. This took a lot of ingenuity on his part, so props to him. The hands are a combination of different hands I had lying about - it is a cartel white second hand (for the 1655), a curve-ish hour hand (unknown maker) and a minute hand that matched the gen as far as I could tell for length/lume space. The small GMT hand is Rafflestime, and is pretty close to spec, IMHO. The movement is a DG 3804b, which I am extremely happy with so far. I am now convinced that this is the best movement for PB added a silver DW (which I don't think would have been accurate to the watch originally - I think my two main choices would have been roulette or b/w) but I'm really happy with the DWO. It bugs me to no end to have the numbers either fuzzy or not absolutely center justified, and this one is neither. The numbers are super crisp, even through the magnifier and are lined up perfectly in the datewindow. The case is an old Silix 5510 case. It has the bezel needed for a 6542, and while I did some initial reshaping (filing the lugs down to a normal level, and installing a better, though not gen crown) it was pretty good out of the box. PB drilled the lugholes and to me, it is pretty convincing. I have it on a Hirsch buffalo strap, which makes it a pretty comfy wear, though I am looking for a Jubilee, just to try... I have a 6636 stretch rivet bracelet that goes well with it, too. The bezel insert came from JoeyB. Mine was a custom order, as I wanted it to be really lumed - I know that's not reality, but again, that's how it looked in the ad. He superlumed it for me, which resulted in a really cool (IMHO) aged look. It looks slightly water-damaged, which to me gives it an air of authenticity. Edit - Oh, I forgot to mention - genuine Tropic 116! This crystal is super clear!! I couldn't believe that gen was that much better than Clarks, but believe me, it is! Here's the preliminary pics. More to come soon!

What is the best vintage Jubilee bracelet? I'm kind of curious about one for my 6542 (although I know it is not technically correct, it appears that a good deal of them were either special ordered that way or modified down the line) and would like to get the best possible one I can... Also, I know this isn't the place for it, but if anyone has one they wouldn't mind getting rid of, I'd love to buy it from you.