Vintageizing your Rolex dial...

[Dizzy]

Vintage Rolex franken modders please help me

So ive been trying to make my singer great white dial look old and water damaged... I've heard of people doing everything from re-luming it yellowish (very comon but im to shakey to paint tiny dots) to soaking in coffee for a few days to using "spray on varnish"

I tried the coffee thing and it didnt make any difference at all... and spraying varnish on it seems a little extreme. I have heard of people using heat (heat gun?) so age the markers to a nice crude yellow/orange. Has anyone tried this and can anyone provide me some tips before i burn and destroy my dial??

We need a GOOD dial modding sticky in the how-to section.. I tried searching and of course i cant find what i need. I want to either build another MBW sea-dweller or MBW1680 thats REALLY weathered inside and out. I want the heavy water damage/aged look on the dial and hands. I want it to look like a 30 year old tool watch thats never been in the AD for service.

Has anyone tried using heat??

This is a picture of the look i am going for, except maybe a little better with the "coloring inside the lines" with the lume but this one still looks pretty cool. I love the color of the markers on this one. Its NOT my picture and i dont know who i stole it from Maybe someone can just sell me a MBW 1680 red or white dial that thrashed and make my life easier ha ha

Lonnie

[MADRED7]

I did not modd RLX dials but bright UV light will help ya....buy a light bulp for a terrarium (has got extrem UV) and use a lamp (NO plastic please...the lamp will get HOT!) and place the dial around 5cm under that light....let it stay for 30 minutes...take a look.....not satisfied.....15 minutes more........not satisfied.....15 minutes more...

This will of course damage the luminova on the watch but gives it a nice used, dark orange effect.

Theo

[Dizzy]

Sweet, i will have to try that thanks!

Lonnie

I did not modd RLX dials but bright UV light will help ya....buy a light bulp for a terrarium (has got extrem UV) and use a lamp (NO plastic please...the lamp will get HOT!) and place the dial around 5cm under that light....let it stay for 30 minutes...take a look.....not satisfied.....15 minutes more........not satisfied.....15 minutes more...

This will of course damage the luminova on the watch but gives it a nice used, dark orange effect.

Theo