Andei3000 Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 The whole story was beginning there: 1675 dials and has ended so far with this post. The last few years I was mostly interested in Panerai and then Pre-V-Panerai and then Vintage Panerai... Logical step after vintage Panerai was a vintage Rolex - as those companies have a strong relationship in the past. A contemporary Rolex is to sterile for my tastes, I wanted a piece with an interesting background and this is where it all starts: For an accurate 1675 build following parts are needed and were bought: -Josh's 1:1 Rolex 1655 -wholesaleoutlets bezel-assembly -cousinsuk Plexi with datemag -gen insert -and a gen dial found near Betania This is the story which the seller told me: The whole watch was found 10 years ago near Betania in Colombia. It has been parted out, as most parts where not repairable due to the fact, that this watch was found near a plane crash site which crashed in 1972. :nuke: This got me interested and I searched for that crash and came to the horrible fact, that 39 people died in this tragedy. So the watch was lying there for almost 28 years, with broken plexi and that's why the dial looks that way. My goal was to achieve the look of that particular watch which has been exposed to the elements for almost three decades. IMHO it would be a shame to restore a dial with such an interesting background! And now for the pictures: thanks for reading my tale but this is the story I'm going to tell, if anyone will ever ask me, why my watch looks like a truck hit it Andei p.s.: I want to thank all who contributed with their wisdom to create this watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkwbkw Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 What did you treat the hands and insert in to get that effect? Acid? Lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Holy crap Andei...that is one beautiful 1675 as well as a great story behind it...it is a great build. Wear it in good health my friend!!! How did you get the hands looking like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andei3000 Posted January 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Insert is gen and was bought that way for a lovely sum of 90$ The hands were lumed with a mixture of watercolors, glowinc and a binder that shrinks to get the puffy effect. Then they were sprayed with clear matte spray from Tamiya and instantly touched up with a papertowel - that's the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiman12 Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Awesome...simply...awesome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Absolutely killer, Andei! That's an amazing build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omgiv Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 What a beautiful build!!!! Love the way the hands turned out!!!! :thumbsupsmileyanim: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Wow!!!!!! That is stunning. Well done Andei and great story!!!! You matched everything up perfectly!!! That is one of the best looking vintage 1675's I have ever seen. Bravo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Amazing Andei! Beautiful job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Just beautiful, Andei. It's amazing how much character can be transferred by a few gen parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Congrats Andei. That is a great story and a splendid watch. Super work for sure Nothing beats vintage Rolex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Well done! A 1675 is in my future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 that is pretty awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Your hard work shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Very, very nice! There's another trick for hands you should try: make some very strong espresso with crema. Then use a q-tip and apply the crema foam, not the liquid, to the hands, covering the metal and lume. The crema will dissolve down to a liquid, and migrate to the edges of the lume, making them darker, and will leave very nice "corrosion" on the metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flex Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 One of the best looking 1675 I have seen. gen included. what movement is powering the watch now? thanks Flex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andei3000 Posted January 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Very, very nice! There's another trick for hands you should try: make some very strong espresso with crema. Then use a q-tip and apply the crema foam, not the liquid, to the hands, covering the metal and lume. The crema will dissolve down to a liquid, and migrate to the edges of the lume, making them darker, and will leave very nice "corrosion" on the metal. That is genius Nanuq! I'll definitely going to try this method on my next vintage project @flex A cheapo a21 movement, as it does everything it should do and is easy to replace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 You guys are killing me with these spectacular 1675 builds.... Well done Andei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star69 Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 super cool ! love the vintage look !! cheers, Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donerix Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Maybe the most authentic looking piece I have seen. I would be surprised if you would ever called out on it. Very well done. Love the work on the hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribal Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Nice story and a really cool looking watch Congrats to this beauty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Congrats. It's my most favorite watch . Wear it well. Carpe Diem Cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolexmaniac88 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 That is the most amazing 1675 that I have laid my eyes on on RWG since like...EVER!!!! WOWWWWWWWWW!!!! I hate you because now, I need the same exact one!!!! Congrats on this beast, wear it with pride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cib0rgman Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 WOW amazing build, I have been contemplating building one of these, do you mind sharing the part number for the acrylic at cousins, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andei3000 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 @cib0rgman I bought two plexis: Cousins reference number: C19225 and C8496 I don't know which one I used in the end, but at 4,30 GBP a piece, not much money is lost. Thanks all for your kind words, it came out exactly how I wanted it to look like :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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