aeromatic Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 (edited) STOP!government health warning! this topic is not for the faint hearted!only for the open minded! My friend is a watch customiser! he can not leave a watch alone! almost all his watches have a unique custom made part or parts! apart from cosmetic touches he is an ace on waterproofing reps and is in process of makinmg his own helium escape valve he has made some excellent acylic crystals for his watches very thick one too! some are flat some are domed fitted with custom made retaining rings. he has made some great looking pearls, they always seem to fall of my "factory made" watches! also he makes is own bezel inserts and his own crowns too! Well we better keep our gens away from this guy!!!! Edited January 29, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hmm I like it, reminds me a bit of a Blancpain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 Hmm I like it, reminds me a bit of a Blancpain Yes i know what you mean! apologies for the cinema size photos dont know what im doing wrong tonight! ill try and drag my friend away from his creations (member george loiz) and get him to post you more photos hopefully a smaller size! aeromatic!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ck5533 Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 My friend is a watch customiser! You're 1 lucky guy, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 You're 1 lucky guy, really. Hi ck some photos of a mbw watch i know it has not got anything to do with this subject on customising watches but i thought you might like these photos seeing that 6536/8 will be your next project! aeromatic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Very nice project, faulty here n there as a Rollie rep, but an awesome watch, I'd seriously consider the idea of a new dial, with original logo or something, really an interesting model, specially that odd, but good looking crown. With a Sdome and an endlinked mesh bracelet, I'd def go for it. But that is personal. Keep us updated, mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Awesome work, I love the 6200 (the Blancpain-style bezel is also fantastic ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) Very nice project, faulty here n there as a Rollie rep, but an awesome watch, I'd seriously consider the idea of a new dial, with original logo or something, really an interesting model, specially that odd, but good looking crown. With a Sdome and an endlinked mesh bracelet, I'd def go for it. But that is personal. Keep us updated, mate. Hi crab thanks mabe my friend (george loiz)will find time away from his projects to thank you himself! yes this is not meant to represent a vintage rolly in orginal factory state, this is a customised watch like a custom/hot rod car! there are classic car restorers and hotrodders mostly they dont mix but i bend both ways i can appreciate a great franken made to look like the gen and a customised watch i would consider putting in a custom made dial without any rolex markings my friend has made a awsome black dial with white markers! Edited January 30, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Awesome work, I love the 6200 (the Blancpain-style bezel is also fantastic ) Thanks teejay my friend will be very happy! i was thinking about getting him to make me a clear acrylic bezel insert cover for one of my watches you know curved like the blancpain and glue it to the existing bezel insert so you end up with an original rolex bezel with the look of the fifty fathoms blancpain the only problem will be if glue is used, it must be a special kind that dries like glass to keep the bezel insert clean looking! this insert cover will protect the insert from scrapes and knocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Thanks teejay my friend will be very happy! i was thinking about getting him to make me a clear acrylic bezel insert cover for one of my watches you know curved like the blancpain and glue it to the existing bezel insert so you end up with an original rolex bezel with the look of the fifty fathoms blancpain the only problem will be if glue is used, it must be a special kind that dries like glass to keep the bezel insert clean looking! this insert cover will protect the insert from scrapes and knocks! Any time, and I really like the sound of your composite bezel idea For a glue, I would suggest the UV glue which folks use for attaching cyclopses to the crystal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) Any time, and I really like the sound of your composite bezel idea For a glue, I would suggest the UV glue which folks use for attaching cyclopses to the crystal Thanks teejay thats a great idea about the UV glue thanks again. aeromatic!!! i just thought would be great to have one made for a vintage pepsi bezel! Edited January 30, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Thanks teejay thats a great idea about the UV glue thanks again. aeromatic!!! i just thought would be great to have one made for a vintage pepsi bezel! No problem at all There are the bakelite bezels available on the bay, although the colors are quite a bit darker than on the more modern inserts, but if you were meaning the brighter inserts, I think it would look fantastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) No problem at all There are the bakelite bezels available on the bay, although the colors are quite a bit darker than !on the more modern inserts, but if you were meaning the brighter inserts, I think it would look fantastic Yes the bright bezel inserts would look fantastic say on a 70s to 90s gmt but the darker would go on a much earlier gmt mmm got me thinking about moddin my vintage gmt rep! Edited January 30, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 STOP! Government health warning! this topic is not for the faint hearted !only for the open minded! My friend is a watch customiser! he can not leave a watch alone! almost all his watches have a unique custom made part or parts Well we better keep our gens away from this guy!!!! Some more of george loiz works! Please note These watches are not meant to represent a rolex rep built to gen specifications but to show that using a basic rolex rep you can custom build your watch to your own personal taste! we do not recommend you try this on your gen rolex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Yes the bright bezel inserts would look fantastic say on a 70s to 90s gmt but the darker would go on a much earlier gmt mmm got me thinking about moddin my vintage gmt rep! It sounds like a good plan to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 30, 2010 Report Share Posted January 30, 2010 Please note These watches are not meant to represent a rolex rep built to gen specifications but to show that using a basic rolex rep you can custom build your watch to your own personal taste! we do not recommend you try this on your gen rolex! I'd do that to a gen just to anger the repair center Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 I'd do that to a gen just to anger the repair center yes that would be great love to see there face, yes those repair centres at rolx ad have to realise that you buy your rolex not rent it from them.....and when you pay 5,000 plus for a rolex from them they shouldent refuse to service your watch because you have installed a non rolex made part (generic) mabe you dont have much change left after forkin out that obsene amount but it was ok when you handed over your cash...i know someone who after damaging the gen strap bought a generic one rolex refused to ever service the watch again what has the strap got to do with servicing the watch? they said they would reconsider if you buy a new rolex braclet! another guy sent his 1987 rolex to the service centre because it kept stopping they returned the watch to him in parts with a letter saying we regret to inform you that your watch can not be repaired as it is too old please go to you nearest rolx ad and purchase a new one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 yes that would be great love to see there face, yes those repair centres at rolx ad have to realise that you buy your rolex not rent it from them.....and when you pay 5,000 plus for a rolex from them they shouldent refuse to service your watch because you have installed a non rolex made part (generic) mabe you dont have much change left after forkin out that obsene amount but it was ok when you handed over your cash...i know someone who after damaging the gen strap bought a generic one rolex refused to ever service the watch again what has the strap got to do with servicing the watch? they said they would reconsider if you buy a new rolex braclet! another guy sent his 1987 rolex to the service centre because it kept stopping they returned the watch to him in parts with a letter saying we regret to inform you that your watch can not be repaired as it is too old please go to you nearest rolx ad and purchase a new one! I know, it's absolutely crazy. I can understand it in terms of a voided warranty, like with say modifying a car, but as you say, at the end of the day, the person buys the watch as their own personal property, not renting it, so it's up to the person what they do with it I'm sure I've heard someone else on here say about Rolex declining to service a watch which was considered 'too old'. I believe it might have been a gold watch, and they declined to re-finish the case, if I remember correctly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 Great looking mods your friend has done. not my cup of tea, as I'm a purist at heart, but open minded as well. I certainly don't want to be misconstrued as taking the side of the RSC's and their policies. I agree that Rolex as well as all the other "luxury goods" manufacturers are selllig a whole lot of sizzle with a little steak! Rolex probably has around 500-1K max in a 16610 Sub which sells for 5k. That's a pretty darn big markup, but folks buy the heck out of them. And what they/you are buying is a very good quality mass produced watch. Rolex produces over 200,000 watches per year. I doubt that they have thousands of watchmakers turning out totally hand built watches in those numbers. As far as the RSC's not servicing vintage, that is a partial truth. Some folks are still getting their vintage Rolexes serviced at RSC's, it depends on the service center, and the watch. Essentially what Rolex said several years ago, was that they were rapidly running out of parts for the vintage watches. Another thing that led to this decision, was the nature of vintages. Rolex doesn't want to send out a watch that they aren't positively certain about it's watertightness. That's hard to do with older more brittle plactic crystals, old seals and gaskets, etc. Also every watch coming in has a does and don't list that is a mile long. If by chance an employee doesn't see the instructions, and replaces the dial or hands, or polishes the case, against the customers wishes, Rolex catches lots of Hell from the client It's a lot easier to just say, "We don't service that particular model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 (edited) Great looking mods your friend has done. not my cup of tea, as I'm a purist at heart, but open minded as well. I certainly don't want to be misconstrued as taking the side of the RSC's and their policies. I agree that Rolex as well as all the other "luxury goods" manufacturers are selllig a whole lot of sizzle with a little steak! Rolex probably has around 500-1K max in a 16610 Sub which sells for 5k. That's a pretty darn big markup, but folks buy the heck out of them. And what they/you are buying is a very good quality mass produced watch. Rolex produces over 200,000 watches per year. I doubt that they have thousands of watchmakers turning out totally hand built watches in those numbers. As far as the RSC's not servicing vintage, that is a partial truth. Some folks are still getting their vintage Rolexes serviced at RSC's, it depends on the service center, and the watch. Essentially what Rolex said several years ago, was that they were rapidly running out of parts for the vintage watches. Another thing that led to this decision, was the nature of vintages. Rolex doesn't want to send out a watch that they aren't positively certain about it's watertightness. That's hard to do with older more brittle plactic crystals, old seals and gaskets, etc. Also every watch coming in has a does and don't list that is a mile long. If by chance an employee doesn't see the instructions, and replaces the dial or hands, or polishes the case, against the customers wishes, Rolex catches lots of Hell from the client It's a lot easier to just say, "We don't service that particular model. Hello there panerai153 yes you are correct what you have written here! dident rolex reclaim all there service parts for older watches i mean watches new vintage 1970s to 80s and this hepled launch the rolex generic parts suppliers? rolexes are overpriced the rich buy them because they are marketed as luxuary and prestige and they want the best dont get me wrong i love rolex watches and i know they are top quality but can they justify the pricetag! the other day i was in a watch shop looking at some straps and on the bench there was a submariner date pre 2006 for repair when i saw it i asked the shop who does that rep belong to and ask to handle it to me it looked like a fake apart from no sharp edges iv seen better looking reps but this was no rep it was a gen 100%, the dial looked tacky and the date mag dident look correct then the local rolex ad dropped in to collect the watch!for a repair and service. rep manufacturers has shown that they can produce a watch for next to nothing ok with eta movement granted but it wouldent take much too upgrade the rep to a close to rolex standard! as you say rolexes are a mass produed product but people still see them as 2 or three oldschcool watchmakers this simply is not true anymore! when i was on holiday in the uk we visited a rolex AD in fact they only sold rolexes i was wearing a rep gmt oversized case from trusty we went there to have a look at there rolexes and prices when the sale person noticed my watch and then started showing me there latest collection they couldent believe it when i told the its a fake! and then called the ad manager even he was impressed at the overall details and finish although he said he has never seen one only heard of them! rolex made some great looking watches over the years but i think the older vintage watches look much better, qualitywise with there guilt and white dials with non laser printing! Edited January 31, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 (edited) STOP!government health warning! this topic is not for the faint hearted!only for the open minded! My friend is a watch customiser! he can not leave a watch alone! Well we better keep our gens away from this guy!!!! on this shot you will notice the very thick Home made acrylic crystal flat finished top and bottom, and notice the crystal home made retaining ring and the super home made pearl! here is a profile shot of this watch! again this highlighting the shape and crystal tapered end! i would love one of these crystals on my redsub as im planning removing the factory cyclops crystal which to me look thin and cheap looking this custom watch is very supple and wood look great on a franken! i love thick crystals on subs so my friend gets 10 out 10 for this one does he want to sell it? Edited January 31, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 I like the "over-easy" pearl. I think a bloodshot eyeball would look pretty trick as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 I like the "over-easy" pearl. I think a bloodshot eyeball would look pretty trick as well! Yep it sure would look cool! my friend has made a red centred pearl he wanted to put it on my redsub but i wanted a yellow one to go with the indices but bloodshot eyeball mmmm yes i can go for that! aeromatic!!!!!! lets rock this joint! lets hotrod our watches too! whata ya say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted January 31, 2010 Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 when the sale person noticed my watch and then started showing me there latest collection they couldent believe it when i told the its a fake! and then called the ad manager even he was impressed at the overall details and finish although he said he has never seen one only heard of them! Please go and read the forum rules The one about Ads in particular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted January 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2010 (edited) Please go and read the forum rules The one about Ads in particular hello fxandy i read the rules about ads i but thought that was for people trying to pass the watch off as a gen, i told the ad shop it was a fake from the start, as i have writen on that post please read again, i have never passed of a rep as a gen even at work where many people wear gen rolexes i always glad to show then its a rep and compare the rep with the gen anyway if i have offended here is there anyway to delete the post please let me know? Edited January 31, 2010 by aeromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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