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Heritage Submariner Big Crown


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Posted

OMG. I know nobody will believe me now LOL. But I have been thinking about doing this for about a year.

I always thought it would be so cool to fuse a modern case, movement , bracelet with an older style dial and bezel, and hack off the crown guards. AND I WAS RIGHT.

Totally cool.

Posted

This is something made up by a group of watch lovers not Rolex right?

Yes, and one of them is Philippe the vintage guru, I just read that they actually used a batch of nos 8mm crowns from the 50's that's insane I really want one of these now

  • Like 1
Posted

they are hyping them up and will all be placed in a safe. In 10 years, the price will have gone up by 50%. All the regulars at VRF will get 1 of the special edition 60 pieces and will be resold to the "nouveau rich" who happen to drool over them.

Posted

I'm thinking HelenaRu sterile Bond gilt dial and matching hands, domed sapphire crystal, BP case minus the crown guards and make sure everything's water tight. The insert still eludes me. I would love to have the same insert but where to source it from?

Posted

Wouldn't the gen ceramic insert have a place for the pearl? Or maybe they are drilled during assembly by Rolex?

Posted

"I know nobody will believe me now LOL. But I have been thinking about doing this for about a year."

 

Me too. I cut the crown guards off a replica 16610 lug hole case and was going to make a big crown project with Raffles Time sterile dial etc but never finished it. It was fairly easy to remove the cg and smooth the case out. 

I can't even find it now...

Posted

Wouldn't the gen ceramic insert have a place for the pearl? Or maybe they are drilled during assembly by Rolex?

I just checked yes there's a post that holds the pearl so maybe they are getting the inserts before rolex drills the post hole..who knows

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Posted

Man, I dunno.  It just looks off somehow.  Besides the fact I'd never own a watch with a flat crystal, to my jaded eye this thing lacks the elegance of the Big Crown. It's like the shape of a Jaguar E Type compared to a BMW Z4.

 

A real piece of art is separated from cave drawings by subtleties.  Anyone can draw a clunky diver case.  But it took a maestro to design the swoop and curve of the original.  That's the first step where this went wrong, IMHO.

 

post-32-0-27406100-1378829310_thumb.jpg

 

  • Like 1
Posted

True! That's what I fell in love with on the original ones, they tried their best with the bevels, but yes if they could have recreated that case shape they would have something truly special. They just basically started with a sub c base, and did it the easy way instead of designing a case from scratch

Posted

Man, I dunno.  It just looks off somehow.  Besides the fact I'd never own a watch with a flat crystal, to my jaded eye this thing lacks the elegance of the Big Crown. It's like the shape of a Jaguar E Type compared to a BMW Z4.

 

A real piece of art is separated from cave drawings by subtleties.  Anyone can draw a clunky diver case.  But it took a maestro to design the swoop and curve of the original.  That's the first step where this went wrong, IMHO.

 

attachicon.gif6538_stack.jpg

Indeed Nanuq, indeed. 

 

I forgot to add, an Athaya big crown will definitely match the bulky new case.

 

I may have a case that this could be built with. 

 

The non lume pearl ceramic insert would be awesome. Like a GMT insert with no GMT numerals. 

 

 

E

Posted

You don't have to source Rolex inserts before the holes are drilled. Fill the hole with epoxy and then sand it smooth and apply the paint layer.

 

A competent modder could do all of this with the currently available replicas. Altho I do not care for PBDad's work, he has been doing this retro-modern modding for years with replica cases.

 

Here is his "retro vintage DSSD" from 3 years ago ------ http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/116446-the-abyss/

Posted

Yes, and one of them is Philippe the vintage guru, I just read that they actually used a batch of nos 8mm crowns from the 50's that's insane I really want one of these now

 

You know....the article says 60 watches to be built.

 

Dr B. sells nos 8mm Brevit crowns, still in the package for 1000$ each. That's sixty thousand dollars....in crowns alone! I realize they didn't pay that much for them, but that gives an idea of the scope of this project. :)

Posted

Yes, and with a scope like that, why does this project look no better than a piece thrown together late in a Saturday Night Single Malt binge?

This is an anniversary piece! At least a nod to the original would be nice, beyond the big crown.

I'd expect a build like this to come from eBay, or from the cargo hold of a widebody carrying dozens of poorly packaged cheap reps, that encountered severe turbulence.

Posted

Yes, and with a scope like that, why does this project look no better than a piece thrown together late in a Saturday Night Single Malt binge?

This is an anniversary piece! At least a nod to the original would be nice, beyond the big crown.

I'd expect a build like this to come from eBay, or from the cargo hold of a widebody carrying dozens of poorly packaged cheap reps, that encountered severe turbulence.

 

Couldn't agree more. These guys really are watch modders.. and not designers.

 

Someone already posted a link to one of pbad's inventions.....and that is what I thought of instantly when I saw this watch.

 

No offense to pbad, but this is an extremely expensive modder's project.  :partytime:

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