Rolex 6200 Project Planned

[TeeJay]

This has become a planned project to utilise the 'left over' Submariner watch from when I make my planned GMT Submariner (which will involve transplanting a Submariner dial into a GMT Master II) Initially, I considered simply getting a Tudor dial and installing it, but felt that that wouldn't be much of a challenge or project, then I thought of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6200. The watch Ian Flemming originally wrote for Bond to wear in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Watch is identified by name, and described as having 'large, luminous numbers', and the 6200 circa 1953 is the only Rolex that meets these descriptions)

This is what the watch looks like:

I've managed to find someone who will produce the dial, and also sells vintage watch parts, so obtaining the correct bezel insert will not be a problem. However, I am making a minor change in the dial. Rather than the aged yellow, I am having the dial printed in the white/grey the Rolex uses on its contemporary watches. Essentially, I want this to look like a watch that has just been manufactured, not one that is 54 years old. Bearing this in mind, I recalled reading on another watch forum how when people sent their Rolexes back for servicing, the policy is to make them look 'as new', so any faulty (or simply outdated) parts get replaced, and the watch gets re-finished. This made me wonder, if Rolex were to manufacture a 6200 today, would they still use the same design bezel and insert, or would they simply use the ones from the contemporary Submariner? And that is essentially what I would like people's opinion on. Should I order an insert which is like those used on the original 6200s, or should I just keep the existing insert in place?

Other planned aspects of the project, will be to remove the cyclops from the crystal (bearing in mind that the flat crystal is what Rolex now installs on it's dateless watches) and to totally remove the crown guards (yes, the modern Oyster case has crown guards, but the original did not, and I think that will be a nice homage to the original cases)

What do folks think? Any advice, tips or questions are always welcomed

[TeeJay]

Man oh man............ not to be too blunt, but you can work your fingers to the bone with the mods you're proposing and the end result will not look like a 6200. Sorry.

- The case will be way too big, and way too thick

- The crystal MUST be domed acrylic for a vintage

- The dial must be yellowed or gilt

- The bezel must have a "coin" edge

If you want the contemporary look, you can't make a vintage 6200. Those two just don't go together. A contemporary 6200?? I guess it might have a fluted bezel and flat crystal, but then it's becoming more of a Turn-O-Graph or Thunderbird. It sure won't be a Sub.

That's cool, I'm not going for a 100% accurate 6200 look, and certainly not a vintaged one. If anything, my intention was to do a modern homage to the 6200, a kind of how one might look if Rolex were to make one today with contemporary parts. Knowing what Rolex is like, they (as a company) probably wouldn't hesitate to use the bezel and insert that is used today rather than the original design. As for it not being a Sub, that's no problem, as the 1953 6200 wasn't a sub... It wasn't called that for another 2 years :wink: My other criteria for the project, was it couldn't involve too many part replacements (bezel, crown, crystal etc) as the Submariner I'm going to be buying will likely be less than accurate, so it was more a case of fitting a new dial, and then manipulating the existing case/crystal into something visually similar to the 6200 One thing's for sure, I'm likely going to put the watch on my bleached leather strap rather than keeping it on the SS Bracelet.