I'm trying to establish a period - correct list of parts

[Lo']

Hello!

I have been putting together my 1016 build without considering the correctness of the parts I shoved at it.

A bit of research has left me with more questions than answers since:

I was convinced that all watches manufactured before 1970 (circa) would sport a slim legged "R" like so:


Therefore all watches produced after 1970 should have borne an "R" with its characteristic "triangular - shaped" leg. This detail would compel me to stick to a GS flat crystal instead of the superdome I have been fitting my franken with.

 

Then what happens is that I find this 

on Stefano Mazzariol's blog and the piece also is equipped with a superdome.


Now I'm confused. ...

 

Does this mean that I can relume my dial with a slightly yellowish patina and it will pass for a vintage piece without anyone raising an eyebrow? Or would a more modern look (the a.m. GS crystal and white puffy lume) render it more credible?

 

Sorry for the double post (darn Tapatalk...) and for the upside down pic but that's not my fault. I have been uploading a correctly rotated image and TP has been publishing it like that...

Edited November 3, 2014 by Lo'

[tomhorn]

There are so many variations of the dials and then you have to deal with how the watches were taken care of, that you get all types of dials, lumes and patinas. Not to mention, the way the light hits it will also change the perceived color too.

 

You probably won't be able to find the dial on Stefano's blog reproduced anywhere. At least I've never seen one with the tall crown in a rep.

 

I'm quite happy with my Whoopy-dialed Explorer, with light patina lume and gen crystal.

 

 

Everyone has their own preferences, so I would just build it the way you like and not worry about it.

[dieselpower]

Sounds like you're in the same boat as me. I'm putting together a 1016 at the moment - I wanted to replicate the Ian Fleming model. The only place I could find a chapter ring dial with white lettering was NDTrading and I don't want to spend $300 on the dial, especially as I already have a whoopy dial the same as tomhorn's one as above. I'm leaning towards doing exactly what tomhorn has done, I think that's a lovely 1016 by the way Mr Horn! Another thing to take note of is the positioning of the Swiss - T 25 lettering at the bottom of the dial. Sometimes written like whoopy's near the top of the index markers, sometimes written - like Mazzariol's picture - in the middle of the index markers. I'll be following this thread closely - I need guidance myself. All the best with your build Lo', something tells me we might end up with twins!

[lhooq]

A few points, in no particular order:

-That font used for "ROLEX" is often described as slab-serif.  It was used up to the early 1970s (around '71-'72).  There was, however, a noticeable change around 1970, as the printing quality would go from crisp to indistinct and "milky".  You can also see this quality on other black-dialed sports models of the time, so I imagine it was a change in dial supplier.
-The domed Tropic 22 was in use all the way up to the end of the 1016's life cycle.  I don't know when Rolex switched to the flat T22, but the final L-Series 1016s were sold with domed T22s.  And that was near the end of the 1980s!
-We're most familiar with the Luminova 1016 service dial, but there are also tritium-lumed replacement dials that have been in use since, I think, the mid-1970s.  
-Identical dials will age differently depending on any number of mysterious environmental factors.  Not even the geniuses at VRF have figured out exactly which conditions will turn lume yellow, and which will retain the original white.  My only advice is to find a photo of a gen that you like and base your efforts on that.
-Despite all the advances we've made in the past few years, the rep community is still hurting for good aftermarket dials.  Find one, then go from there.  

After all, the only one who will be raising eyebrows at your finished watch will be you.  And me, of course!

[blue.]

As always, good points, lhooq!

Lo', a very interesting project of yours.

Keep us posted and good luck on the parts.

[Lo']

Thanks everybody!

 

Upon your replies and suggestions I have dug further into the recesses of the internet to find the following, (which I think DieselPower will appreciate too as it could help him decide his build's lume shade):

 

 

This definitely is where I want mine to get!

 

I came accross these pictures after reading that in the mid-eighties Rolex started using the "serif" font to decorate its 1016 dials, as a more linear alternative to the "slab serif" they had been using until then. Thanks LHOOQ for pointing me in the right direction . Now I know that assembling a 1016 with a "serif" dial and a superdome is period-correct.  

 

The flip size is that I can't come to terms with the formation of patina on a dial manufactured during the decade I grew up into... it still feels like yesterday...

Edited November 4, 2014 by Lo'