jmb Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 As mentioned in a previous post I also ordered a cheapie GMT Master II to hack around on as well. This is the first GMT I've bought and I have no idea as to how "close" it looks to the "ideal" GMT Master. I did notice that the hologram sticker has the same number on it as the Sub and neither have any rehaut engraving. The same observations apply to this as the Sub, even the etched crown at 6:00. I really don't know that much about GMT watches but it looked cool and was cheap. I still haven't been able to figure out how to set the "gmt hand" but I'll put some more thought into it later. It appears to be geared to the regular hour hand so I guess I need to continue "passing go" untill both hands point where I want them to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 To set the GMT hand, unscrew the crown and pull it out to the first stop (not the second stop where you set the time), and turn it, one direction will set the date, and the other direction will move the GMT hand. To be functional what you should do is set the GMT/24 hour hand to the current time (i.e. if it is 1:00 PM, set the GMT hand to point the the on the Bezel (make sure that the Arrow is at the 12:00 position)), which from the pictures appears to be set correctly. The idea behind the original Rolex GMT watch is to be able to quickly read Greenwich Mean Time/Zulu time for pilots. Aviation relies on GMT to get everybody on the same time and prevent errors in coordinating local time zones. Here is a website about GMT use http://fejack.net/misc/gmt24/gmt24.htm I've always set my watches to the local time (12hr and 24hr hand) and then used the bezel to find my GMT time. I live on the West Coast, USA, and depending on Daylight Savings Time we are either -8 or -7 hours off from Greenwich England, so I would move my bezel to either 7 or 8 and read GMT/Zulu from where the 24 hour hand pointed on the bezel... Hope that helps and isn't too confusing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted September 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Thanks for the description of "how it should work"! Alas, this is but a cheap rep and it doesn't seem to work that way but instead the GMT hand follows the hour hand in a 24 hour mode... The things that seem a bit irritating to me are: 1. The date font looks "weak" and is not perfectly centered in the window. 2. Crown shape. 3. CGs seem a bit "overfed". I've done some searching and it seems that GOOD pis of this gen model are few and far between... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbutlerman Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Your GMT hand may not be adjustable by itself. Heck, I don't think real Rolexs are either. It'll function perfectly by having it follow the hour hand. You'll notice that it will only make one full trip around the dial for every 24 hour period. You can just set the bezel to read different time zones. Your date "cyclops" is definitely on the lower magnification side...the date should fill the magnifier almost completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 ...This is the first GMT I've bought and I have no idea as to how "close" it looks to the "ideal" GMT Master... It's light-years away from a "ideal" GMT Master! You have nothing - yes nothing - that you can say it's nearly similar to the real deal! Even not one visible part is compareable! Sorry, but it is the truth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted September 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Thanks for the comments. I realized a lot of things were "not right" but this is meant as a "learning tool" to mess with so I don't ruin anything important. I can have fun messing with date wheels and thinning CGs, etc., and generally learning about how these things work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 You have nothing - yes nothing - that you can say it's nearly similar to the real deal! Even not one visible part is compareable! Sorry, but it is the truth... This is over the top. Don'tcha' think? To realize this statement as 'true' or close to 'truth', you would have to hold up 'jmb' 's watch, across the room from, say, By-Tor and ask; "What is this trying to be?" To prove your theorem, he would have to answer; "Hell if I know, ummmmm, a new Invicta?" But he wouldn't, he would more than likely say; "It's trying to be a GMT Master II, but falling way short on detail." Or similar. The watch has flaw, but is on-line for it's price I would imagine and certainly well endowed for the intent of it's future purpose. Have at it 'jmb'. A good place to start would indeed be with 'By-Tor'. Search his reviews with regard. There you will suss out what your watch's serious drawbacks are. From there you could certainly bring this piece along to overcome it's flaws, but that would more than likely cost you 2X the original purchase price. Money that could be put towards a better replica than upgrades here. But, aside it being a replica, it is indeed a 'watch'. There are many, many operations and mad experiments you could undertake; remove the case back and eye ball the movement in 'working order', pull out the stem and observe the 'keyless works' as you manipulate the crown/stem in it's three positions, remove the stem, uncase a movement, remove the hands/dial, separate the bezel/insert, tinker with the rate, and yes, experiment modifying the case. All basics to 'kitchen table' watch smithing. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted September 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Demsey, yes, By-Tor has a very diplomatic style of calling a turd a turd ;-) I think I've determined that the simplest thing to do would be to turn it back into a sub since that appears what the majority of it's constituent parts heredity is. And, if I do dump 2x my purchase price into it I'll still be under a C-note! Plus, if I totally hose it up maybe the plain back will fit my cheapo Daytona that has the gawd-awful engraved back with the incorrect spelling on it!! I would try to mill it off but it's so thin I'm afraid there wouldn't be any metal left once I finished... :-p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Indeed !!.. a good start jmb ... have fun with your acquisition !! and may you have plenty mo !! A~C L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.