10 years in 10 minutes

[TeeJay]

In the end, I decided not to customize the GMT Master II, reviewed here, for my friend. I couldn't see the point. He's not a watch enthusiast, so wouldn't appreciate it, and a non-standard color scheme would only draw attention to him wearing a 'fake', so I figured the safest bet was wabi-sabi camouflage. That's not to say he couldn't afford to be wearing a brand new gen, but if this watch was early 2000s manufacture, it wouldn't be 100% pristine. Unlike my previous vintaging projects, which involved some pretty serious abuse to recreate 50 years of wear and tear, this was much more restrained, and confined to some scuffing of the insert, and applying hair-fine 'desk diving' scuffs all over the case and bracelet with a Scotchbrite pad

[deniz21]

thats a real nice watch my friend

i realy like it and im sure your friend will also

all the best

[TeeJay]

thats a real nice watch my friend

i realy like it and im sure your friend will also

all the best

Thanks, bro, I'm really happy with how it's come out If he doesn't like it, I'll keep it for myself

[vafarmer70]

It is really amazing what minor aging can do for the character of the watch.

[TeeJay]

It is really amazing what minor aging can do for the character of the watch.

Indeed, the look I was going for, was to give the watch just enough character to say it's been worn, and is not brand new, but not enough to make it look abused

[vafarmer70]

I think you found the perfect blend. Too often, people end up with watches that look BRAND NEW but abused, not the 40 yr old look they were going for. The minor aging is so much more realistic.

Great Job!!

[TeeJay]

I think you found the perfect blend. Too often, people end up with watches that look BRAND NEW but abused, not the 40 yr old look they were going for. The minor aging is so much more realistic.

Great Job!!

Thanks I know what you mean there, a few dings alone isn't going to make a watch look old, it's the hairfine scuffs from the Scotchbrite buffing and the areas which are polished shiny by friction (which don't really show up in those photos) which give the aged effect

[Dizzy]

that looks good

I usually scuff and bang it up, polish it, scuff it up and polish it.. do that 2 or 3 times and you get years worth of patina. I like when the steel is somewhat shiney yet scratched underneath if you know what i mean.

dizz

[maxman]

Nice job broham Im going to break down and get one of these. I said I would never wear a Rolex, oh well, best laid plans of mice and men and all that Mike

[TeeJay]

that looks good

I usually scuff and bang it up, polish it, scuff it up and polish it.. do that 2 or 3 times and you get years worth of patina. I like when the steel is somewhat shiney yet scratched underneath if you know what i mean.

dizz

Thanks indeed, and I know precisely what you mean That's the look I've got on my 6200 project, but I haven't been able to capture it with the camera so it looks the same as to the naked eye... No flash, and the scuffing's invisible, flash, and the scratches white-out and appear exaggerated... I didn't want to go too extreme on this watch, as it was only supposed to be 10 years worth of wear. To be honest, I think I went a little overboard on the insert (although I do like how it looks, and it does lend some gravitas to the watch)

Nice job broham Im going to break down and get one of these. I said I would never wear a Rolex, oh well, best laid plans of mice and men and all that Mike

Thanks, bro Go for it, the worst that can happen is you'll be asked "Is that a real Rolex??"

This was the effect I was meaning with the sticker... The photos don't capture it quite right... The naked eye can pick up the fading around the edge of the sticker, but without the flash, it's not so visible in photography, and with the flash, it exaggerates the sticker Think the color of non-flash, with the diferentiation between the faded and non-faded sections of the flash...