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Rolex Explorer


nickyboyo

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Gentlemen, and ladies,

Would it be frowned upon, if after one has set his heart on an old 5500 Explorer, knowing that there are very, very few genuine examples out there in the big wide world....

Do you think it is acceptable to redial a mighty fine example of a 1002 as an Explorer?

I have just done such a thing, and i am, to be honest over the moon. It is not a replica, it is my own personal dof of the cap to a watch that i have always admired.

Being a fan of the older age watch dimensions- as in 36mm maximum, i have a Rolex Date and an Explorer 14270.

The Date is lovely, and so is the 14270, but neither satisfied my desire for an original 34mm Explorer.

I have redialled a 1002, to keep as my daily wearer, but i think this will become my one and only- the other two will be passed on to my daughter and son when they reach an age to appreciate them for what they are.

Pictures will follow soon, but i am interested in your opinions, from the purist to the aesthetic chasers, please bear in mind i'm just a watch lover and appreciator.

 

Basically, a 1002 case, a 1570 movement and a yuki dial- the hands supplied didn't fit- long live local watch shops/watch makers!!

 

A couple of points of interest, i posted this new thread up at the rolex forum only 30 minutes ago, only to have it disappear, and no one at WUS has answered since i posted the same- a lot of smoke blowing up each others skirts going on the meantime though.

Edited by nickyboyo
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Has TRF banned you yet?  You have committed a grievous sin over there...

 

I personally would probably leave it alone and build a pure rep in a rep 34mm case.  You can use the Yuki dial, rep case, and ETA movement to create something very credible and nobody is going to know what's inside but you.  But, if that matters to you then I suppose if using the Yuki in your 1002 is what counts!  You can always swap dials back out if you decide it needs to remain "pure" as the driven snow!

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Yes, as Justin says, the purists don't like to see someone put a Yuki dial in a 1002 and make an Explorer

Now if you were able to find an original 5500 Explorer dial, then some of the purists might still talk to you, but not many.

 

But around here, it's not that big a deal. But most of us know better than to try to show our wares over on TRF.

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Ha ha, ya playing any sort of mod on a 'gen' rolex forum will get you tarred and feathered for sure. My 5500 is a complete gen 5500 case, gen bracelet and end links, yuki gilt dial and an eta movement. Love the little thing. God forbid I post it on WUS.

Anyway, I would one day like to purchase a 1520 or 1530 movement and make it "whole". In your case, I would keep it like you have it. Technically, it is simply a redial. The Yuki blanks are genuine Singer (at least mine is, I assume he still uses them) so, really it's a redial.

The key is, never trying to sell it as genuine. Other than that... Post pictures, and wear it in good health!

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Fair play to my watchmaker, he did say the dial is in remarkable condition. It will always be there for a change out back to original.

 

But at the moment, i've got my explorer on, literally and metaphorically. I love this watch...

 

A few shots of the transformation....

 

DSC_1995_zpsowts7wo0.jpg

 

DSC_2000_zpspkfsti8k.jpg

 

DSC_2001_zpsuow6ji9p.jpg

 

DSC_2002_zpstfghnb1b.jpg

 

DSC_2004_zpsrkjndzlg.jpg

 

DSC_2010_zps9e90ayqw.jpg

 

DSC_2017_zpssv165oot.jpg

Edited by nickyboyo
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