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16610 SB (Soleil Bleu) Rolex Submariner


sneed12

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I've been building this watch on and off since February or so, never seem to get it quite right. I've always thought that Rolex should have built a 16610 Sub with a blue sunburst dial, but they never did. I learned to love my Smurf ceramic blue Submariner, and I normally am not a fan of fantasy pieces, but for some reason I couldn't get this watch out of my head.

The LV is the "Lunette Verte" or "green moon" so I'm calling this one the "Blue sun" :D

I've been accumulating parts for this watch for months. The dial came from a fantasy piece that Stan was selling. The movement is a Swiss ETA 2836 that I pulled from an old watch. I had an open 6/9 datewheel in the parts box that I was itching to use; it had been in my GMT Master II for a while but it just didn't feel right in that watch. The case is one of those $30 Sillix budget Subs, and the bezel insert came from that eBay seller that does $8 inserts.

The Sillix sub had really, really terrible rehaut engraving on it. I polished it off and then, just for grins, I mirror polished the rehaut. It was totally on a whim but I think it's a cool effect. At some angles it makes the dial look bigger. The reflection really lengthens the minute markers as well.

Finished it off with a GMT IIc clasp and bracelet. I really think the tuna can clasp on the old Subs was a piece of junk, that hung around far longer than it should have. The polished center links are a nice dressy touch for a dressed-up tool watch.

Anyway, onto the pics:

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and next to its big brother:

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I've had this watch on my radar for some time now, since I saw an actor in Bones wearing one, and figured it might make a nice replacement for my blue SMP :) Only question is how I would feel wearing a non-vintage watch :whistling: I believe that it was a Japanese market-only release, but I'm not 100% on that... Awesome use of the GMTIIc bracelet and clasp, the polished stripe really brings some shine to the watch :victory: I used to think the same way about the old-style clasps, but once I heard people reporting that the welds on their DSSD clasps (same set up as the GMTIIc clasp) were failing under pressure, I realized that the old-style clasps wouldn't fail in the same way, the pins would just stretch ;) Very nice project, you may have just tipped me over the edge in trying one myself :drinks:

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