TeeJay Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 I thought it might be nice to have a thread to share tips and advice on vintaging watches. So far, I have found that a daylight bulb was good for vintaging dial lume, and bleaching a strap also had an aging effect. I had an idea for vintaging a case, and wondered what people thought... Empty case, with some electricians tape over the crystal, and strategic places on the bezel insert, then 'skimmed' over loose gravel, like one would skim a stone over water. My theory is that the rotation of the case, and differing texture of the gravel would create totally random nicks in the case, rather than say taking a wire brush and buffing in certain directions... What do people think? Good idea, or would the damage be 'too much'? Any other tips and advice would be most welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver_dylan Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Ive vintagized 3 diff subs. One method was to take an empty plastic peanut butter jar (cleaned or not...lol), fill 1/3 to 1/2 way with pennies, throw in the watch, and shake away. Checking every 30 sec. On my 3rd vintagizing project I was lucky enough to have an unrestored 5512 to "copy" off of. I used a few methods, but a good start is the penny method. If you get unhappy with any markings on the acrylic crystal, take 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper and wet sand them out. Then with firm pressure, rub toothpaste back and forth(on a wash cloth) and watch it turn clear. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted May 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Ive vintagized 3 diff subs. One method was to take an empty plastic peanut butter jar (cleaned or not...lol), fill 1/3 to 1/2 way with pennies, throw in the watch, and shake away. Checking every 30 sec. On my 3rd vintagizing project I was lucky enough to have an unrestored 5512 to "copy" off of. I used a few methods, but a good start is the penny method. If you get unhappy with any markings on the acrylic crystal, take 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper and wet sand them out. Then with firm pressure, rub toothpaste back and forth(on a wash cloth) and watch it turn clear. D That sounds like an excellent idea, and certainly less 'aggressive' than my skimming idea... Do you have any pics of the watches you used that method on as a demonstration? I'm hoping to get some photos of my bleached strap posted up tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eunomians Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 Keys and coins in yer pocket. Throw in yer watch. Walk around for a day. Watch the magic unfold. Truth be told, this is my only attempt at making something new look old. But it works real nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predfan2001 Posted May 8, 2007 Report Share Posted May 8, 2007 (edited) I've thinking about the case "vintaging" myself. I have been thinking about using my tumbler and small gravel on a bare case with the vital areas taped off. I have an extra "practice" case to try this out on (I bought a cheap asian vintage rep. to practice mods on). I also have a Sandoz diver that I wear daily as a beater. It's 10 years old but the ETA runs like a champ. It's actually performed better than most of my high end gens. (namely Omega-I've had a few problems with my SMP). After reading some of the threads here, I tried a few tricks on it. I bleached the bezel. I used a coffee cup with a little bleach in the bottom and set the watch down face first. I checked it every few minutes at first but nothing was happening. So I just left it in for about 45 minutes. That gave it the effect I was looking for. I then removed the cyclops using a little heat as described in a thread. Next I gouged up the case a little with misc. steel items like big bolts and screwdrivers and then rebuffed it. Next I installed a vintage rep. Rolex riveted band that I scuffed around here and there and re-rubbed with a scotch-brite pad rubbing at different angles for a more worn look. I then hand rubbed the band with polish to brighten back up a little. If only it had a plexi crystal! Funny thing is I've got several compliments on the watch since vintaged. I never have before vintaging . Getting ready to start on a "very worn and abused" submariner rep. project. Just need to source a 1680 MBW. I wish I had got in on that group buy. Check out the Sandoz: Here's my old gen. refinished(??) dial I plan to use on the project: Edited May 9, 2007 by predfan2001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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