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Gold Rolex GMT Ref. 6542


Deckard1979

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Posted on Hodinkee today:

 

http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/on-the-block-gold-rolex-gmt-ref-6542-with-bakelite-bezel-at-sothebys-new-york-live-pics

 

As much i don't like gold watches i found this GMT beautiful!

 

I have never knew Rolex made them with that Bakelite bezel color variation and without crown guards. Interesting is the long and slim GMT hand.

 

post-52132-0-14725400-1386084461_thumb.j

 

post-52132-0-66605000-1386084466_thumb.j

 

post-52132-0-33452900-1386084469_thumb.j

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

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:snorkel:

 

 

Muff diving.... :) I'm in !!

 

 

I never knew bakelite could be clear.... I remember the bakelite phones and light switches etc ... but never seen it clear...

 

I wonder if that dial has aged much in terms of colour... or is that pretty much the colour tone when new?

 

 

Nice share mate..... I know you sweaty's wouldnt buy gold anything.... afterall you vcant fit it in your wallet and keep it closed !!!  :) :) :balloon:

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Lovely thanks mate...I really like that brown and brown Gorgeous..

 

For me those markers are the nicest I have ever seen on a Rolex... I really like the undersized (comaparatively to other models I have seen) lume and the shape of them overall

 

 

Really nice :)

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Well of course you like them Pete, that's affectionately known as the Nipple Dial.

 

LOL ! Really ?

 

No wonder ...I was drawn to it immediately...  but funny I am usually a neck man ;)

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:snorkel:

 

I never knew bakelite could be clear.... :balloon:

The inserts used in the 6542 were Perspex, not bakelite. Bakelite is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, an early plastic and the name was misplaced on other plastics. Perspex, a Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) transparent thermoplastic,  is a brand name for an acrylic plastic, others being Plexiglass, Lucite, Optix and more. Modern acrylics are not as brittle as they were initially. 

Lexan is the brand name for polycarbonate resin thermoplastic. It is used for many things including bullet resistance canopies for fighter aircraft.

And, of course, worn by the more discerning Rolex 6542 owner.  :whistling:

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The inserts used in the 6542 were Perspex, not bakelite. Bakelite is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, an early plastic and the name was misplaced on other plastics. Perspex, a Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) transparent thermoplastic,  is a brand name for an acrylic plastic, others being Plexiglass, Lucite, Optix and more. Modern acrylics are not as brittle as they were initially. 

Lexan is the brand name for polycarbonate resin thermoplastic. It is used for many things including bullet resistance canopies for fighter aircraft.

And, of course, worn by the more discerning Rolex 6542 owner.  :whistling:

 

 

Great...Thanks mate.... so just so the less discerning amongst us can be sure  :)... generally there was no clear bakelite? And regardless that comment in the link is just incorrect and likely for same reason you explain in your post.....just a misplaced name

 

So again just so I am clear ;).... you would treat that insert in the same way you would a plexi glass...say in terms of refurbing etc?

 

Now my last question and probably the most important one..

 

Do you know any "more discerning 6542" wearers that I could contact to discuss further.... :) :) ;)

 

 

Thanks again though :) Always learning .....  :)

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Great info mate thanks...and seeing some of those Beatles albums reminds of what I have sitting in my loft... I should dig them out...and have a listen..I cant remember what it is like to hear the sound of vinyl playing or indeed mono ! :)

 

 

But I think I missed something from there...you mentioned Pan-Am...

 

".....Of course, due to Pan Am's familiarity with airplanes (Pan Am was an airline, after all), Perspex was an obvious (& readily accessible off-the-shelf) choice for the GMT's insert."

 

 

What did they have to do with your comments please?

 

 

Sweet little red hand bag in that post too :)

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Thanks Freddy and Joey for clarifying things. As Pete mentioned i remember Bakelite as stinking ugly light switches

 

post-52132-0-06298200-1386174373_thumb.j

 

and handguards, magazines in some firearms 

 

post-52132-0-89619400-1386174531_thumb.j

 

Perspex makes much more sense.

 

 

 

 

 

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Great...Thanks mate.... so just so the less discerning amongst us can be sure  :)... generally there was no clear bakelite? And regardless that comment in the link is just incorrect and likely for same reason you explain in your post.....just a misplaced name

 

So again just so I am clear ;).... you would treat that insert in the same way you would a plexi glass...say in terms of refurbing etc?

 

Now my last question and probably the most important one..

 

Do you know any "more discerning 6542" wearers that I could contact to discuss further.... :) :) ;)

 

 

Thanks again though :) Always learning .....  :)

An original, genuine insert would be somewhat rare to find in one piece. As acrylic plastic does, and the older formulas even more, they dry out and get brittle and break. I saw one in something like 8 pieces on Ebay sell for over $800usd, as I recall. So, no. I would NOT refurbish a genuine insert. In fact, two that I know of were sold to people with genuine 6542s who put the genuine insert in a safe place and used mine so as to wear the watch. 

 

freddy is one, and in the linked threads in my sig are more. 

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But I think I missed something from there...you mentioned Pan-Am...

".....Of course, due to Pan Am's familiarity with airplanes (Pan Am was an airline, after all), Perspex was an obvious (& readily accessible off-the-shelf) choice for the GMT's insert."

What did they have to do with your comments please?

 

Pan Am was the reason the GMT was produced. Pan Am asked Rolex to research/produce a watch to track 2 different times, so their pilots would not be able to use being confused by the time zone of their destination as the reason for their tardiness in arriving on time for take-off. Initially, the 6542 was intended for Pan Am only, but the tooling costs & early sales of the Turn-O-Graph hinted that a GMT might be a popular seller at the retail level, which it was.

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Thanks Mr F...I always thought it was made for presenting to Thomas Magnum... :)

 

I will have to look into that... I must admit the thought never crossed my mind when I read what you wrote.. normally you can sort of guess/assume a link in those sort of instances but I certainly never put the 2 together when reading your comments...

 

Thank you for sharing :)

 

Always learning something new... :)

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