lhooq Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Anyone up for a fantasy build? One of my big regrets, Rolex parts-wise, is not snagging a NOS 116000 dial when it showed up on VRM a year ago. I don't think I've ever been so captivated by a dial upon first laying eyes on one: The perfect shade of blue, crisp white text printed on it, and applied metal markers. The 116000, for those unfamiliar with the model, is a 36mm Oyster Perpetual with a blue 3/6/9 dial. It's also more commonly known by its nickname, "The Blue Explorer". Now, I've had a thing for blue-sunburst Datejust dials for a very long time. Ditto Explorers. And while I've never been a huge fan of the 14270s and newer, any Explorer plus a beautiful blue dial should have been a slam dunk. So what went wrong? The selling price of EUR 300, for one thing. I swear that if it had been listed at EUR 299, I wouldn't have hesitated one second. Unfortunately, something about that "300" made me hem and haw for a few days, until the dial was gone. Since then, I've never seen another one come up for sale. A few months ago, I asked Justin if he'd ever seen a similar rep dial come up during his parts purchases. No blue OP, but he was able to locate a blue Explorer dial. Of course, there's no such thing, and the dial itself is an odd combination of several recent Explorer models. It most resembles a 14270, except that the numerals are polished metal (as on the 39mm 214270), rather than in-filled with white paint. The sticks are chubbier than on recent Explorers, the blue is a bit grayer than Rolex's sharp royal blue, and the print quality is dire. But it looks good at arm's length, especially when it catches a bit of sunlight. Justin put the entire watch together using parts he had on hand, and he did a great job as usual. The case is pretty good as far as rep DJ cases go. Inside it is an A2836 that's running really well. In fact, J set the watch to my local time right before sending it off. How amazing was it that, two weeks later, I opened the package to find the Explorer running and telling me the correct time? Not bad for a movement that started out with a few toothless gears! So the Bluxplorer becomes my new at-home beater, but I'm still keeping one eye open for that elusive 116000 dial. There's got to be another one out there. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Pretty cool combo M! I must say though, if you ever find another one of those Oyster Perpetual Blue dials you should definitely jump on it. That dial is simply gorgeous!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Looks good on ya, M! It would be nice to find a decent rep Blue Oyster Perpetual so I'll keep trying. I hear ya on the gen price, I don't know why blue dials in general bring such a premium... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woof* Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 WHOOOoohhhh!!!! . . ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ile Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 WOW just WOW. I am a big fan of exp 1, OP, AK and simillar rolie afairs and this one is simply stunning! Wear it with pride ! My two AKs said hi to your OP :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woof* Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 That's rediculously cool M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Wow, that Gen dial is inspiring... Great combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted May 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 My two AKs said hi to your OP :-) Love those colors, and that bezel on your silver AK. The blue, Explorer-a-like Air-Kings have been around for a while, but there's something about that full-size OP... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormTooper4 Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 Very nice and captivating in blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graf-fiti Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 that blue is superb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ile Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) Love those colors, and that bezel on your silver AK. The blue, Explorer-a-like Air-Kings have been around for a while, but there's something about that full-size OP... The one you have is so good. the more i look at it the more i like it. I've been hoping for a long time to find either a full size OP exp1 dial or the whole watch but haven't got much luck yet. Also the exp style AK dials are not to easy to find. Don't know why but I am getting more and more obsessed with OPs AKs EXP1s. so far the collection contains 4 AKs (5500, 14000m and the two 114200), exp1 36mm rep. will sadly have to part with at least two of the kings. Do you by a chance know any sources for thatkind of dials apart from ebay, yuki, ndt trading, phong, dw, ingod44... ? All the best :-) Edited May 11, 2012 by ile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Classic Rolex beauty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 Love that Blue dial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted May 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 Do you by a chance know any sources for thatkind of dials apart from ebay, yuki, ndt trading, phong, dw, ingod44... ? All the best :-) You could try contacting jmb to see if he can source any more dials like this one. I don't see too many premium aftermarket dress dials on sale at the usual sources. I just wait for whichever gen dials pop up for sale and hope to snag them cheaply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 I may have a couple more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonyyammine Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 I just bought a blue face air king because of this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zeleni kukuruz Posted May 26, 2012 Report Share Posted May 26, 2012 @LH Just got a pm from jmb telling me that he maybe has one Extra bracelet like that oohhh boy maybe luck and god will be on my side, finger crossed! Will know on monday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar1 Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 Wow, classic watch with a gorgeous sunburst dial, superb stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchguy51 Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 LHOOQ, I have a feeling you'd really like the Orient CER1P004D ... it is clearly Datejust based. Really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted May 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 LHOOQ, I have a feeling you'd really like the Orient CER1P004D ... it is clearly Datejust based. Really nice. It's hard to beat a basic dressy design in blue. I was actually looking to win this King Seiko last week, but they're more expensive than you think. More expensive than I expected, at least: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchguy51 Posted May 27, 2012 Report Share Posted May 27, 2012 Looks great! Some of the King Seikos have better movements (the 5246) than Grand Seikos. Are you sure that's the original dial colour though? I thought that KS usually just came in white, black, and beige linen dials. The KS Vanacs are a much cheaper way to get a KS, and there is a lot more colour variety - except sometimes the case shapes may be a lot more nontraditional. It's hard to beat a basic dressy design in blue. I was actually looking to win this King Seiko last week, but they're more expensive than you think. More expensive than I expected, at least: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted May 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Looks great! Some of the King Seikos have better movements (the 5246) than Grand Seikos. Are you sure that's the original dial colour though? I'm not sure at all, and that blue does seem a bit too brilliant! I'm still a beginner when it comes to vintage Seiko, so I much appreciate any tips you might have. I'm looking to get a nice KS or GS (preferably one with a 36000 bps movement) without breaking the bank. 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.