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Rolex 6542 - A long project finally finished


ww12345

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I finally finished a project I'd been working on since I started in the rep game - a gilt 6542. First I had problems with figuring out which movement to use, then not having a decent dial, and finally not having a small GMT hand or affordable insert. Finally, about two months ago, all of that fell together and I was on my way. By the way, a huge shout-out goes to PBDad, who made this whole thing work together.

The dial is an Ingod gilt dial, and while it is not super glossy, it is not entirely matte - kind of like the gen gloss dials I have. It has the OCC marking and the SWISS markings, and IMHO is a pretty good alternative to Yuki, NDT, etc., especially as it is priced at $130. I had to relume it, so I tried to make it look like an early advertisement I saw. I know the 5, 10, 20, etc. markings are too small, but that's how it appeared in the ad so I wanted to make it look like the ad. (The ad was what made me fall in love with the 6542) PB modified the dial (by grinding off the lip) and mounting it to a separate dial ring. This took a lot of ingenuity on his part, so props to him.

The hands are a combination of different hands I had lying about - it is a cartel white second hand (for the 1655), a curve-ish hour hand (unknown maker) and a minute hand that matched the gen as far as I could tell for length/lume space. The small GMT hand is Rafflestime, and is pretty close to spec, IMHO.

The movement is a DG 3804b, which I am extremely happy with so far. I am now convinced that this is the best movement for PB added a silver DW (which I don't think would have been accurate to the watch originally - I think my two main choices would have been roulette or b/w) but I'm really happy with the DWO. It bugs me to no end to have the numbers either fuzzy or not absolutely center justified, and this one is neither. The numbers are super crisp, even through the magnifier and are lined up perfectly in the datewindow.

The case is an old Silix 5510 case. It has the bezel needed for a 6542, and while I did some initial reshaping (filing the lugs down to a normal level, and installing a better, though not gen crown) it was pretty good out of the box. PB drilled the lugholes and to me, it is pretty convincing. I have it on a Hirsch buffalo strap, which makes it a pretty comfy wear, though I am looking for a Jubilee, just to try... I have a 6636 stretch rivet bracelet that goes well with it, too.

The bezel insert came from JoeyB. Mine was a custom order, as I wanted it to be really lumed - I know that's not reality, but again, that's how it looked in the ad. He superlumed it for me, which resulted in a really cool (IMHO) aged look. It looks slightly water-damaged, which to me gives it an air of authenticity.

Edit - Oh, I forgot to mention - genuine Tropic 116! This crystal is super clear!! I couldn't believe that gen was that much better than Clarks, but believe me, it is!

Here's the preliminary pics. More to come soon! :)

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This is a common question, for which there is a single answer - read your camera's owner's manual (so you know what features your camera has & how to use them) & the tutorials in the Photography forum & practice, practice, practice.

Taking good pictures is just like driving a car. Once you know how to work the controls, it just takes practice until their operation is 2nd nature so you can concentrate on the task & not the technology behind it.

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That would help, but I would read the 'Macro' chapter in your camera's owner's manual 1st. Once you figure that out, you would have clearer pics, the lack of which is the biggest impediment keeping people from seeing the fine details of your watch.

Note that most of my pics are taken with this 2002 4MP point-&-shoot ;)

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