stealthy Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hi. I'm a noob here and trying my best to learn from this forum. (So, please be kind ) Well, I am big fan of vintage rolex submariner and sea-dweller. I bought this beautiful vintage double red sea-dweller from "Trusty" or Andrew. I love this watch, but... The lume of the dial is looking brand new and glossy and the printed letters on dial also shiny and glossy. I want to make this watch look real vintage. I guess I need to make the dial matte and lume to not-glossy. I tried to search this forum with keyword such as "vintage", "wear-out", "dial" but I could not find right guide or pictorial how to make a dial look vintage or worn-out. So can somebody help me find right post for this issue? Thank! and Happy Chinese New Year to all members in this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 As I recently learned in another thread here, first for the general wear and tear, a 30+yr old watch will have some dings. Try the "coin treatment" put in in your pocket with a bunch of coins to add some scratches etc.... If you want a weathered look to the exterior. Finally, my experience with some rep dials, and hanging my arm out the car window, is the sun light does a wonderful job of fading the dial. You may not have the time or sunlight (where I live we get 300+ days of sun), but maybe a strong UV light source.... If you are willing and able to disassemble the watch, an old "Hollywood" trick to reduce luster is hair spray. Obviously you would only want to hit the dial. I can NOT vouch for this on a watch however. Props and cars yes... Just some random thoughts. I am sure the pros will chime in soon. -Ronin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 There have been many suggestions here. Tea soaking, coffee soaking matte varnish sprays etc etc. I am not a modder myself but it seems each one has his own preferred method. Be prepared for many suggestions. Welcome to RWG by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hi and welcome You need to have a look at Stephane's 1665 trio for the definative of this watch aged! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hi and welcome You need to have a look at Stephane's 1665 trio for the definative of this watch aged! Yes, true but that is done bu a mystery modder and not easy to achieve for common guys like us ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRae Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 The effect you're trying to get is quite easy to do actually. Disassemble the watch and put just the dial and hands in the oven! Medium heat for awhile, just take them out whenever you're satisfied with the ageing effect. The dial is going to get flatter and duller and the lume is going from white to yellowish and finally starts to get brown, just stop when you're satisfied. You can also spray it with matt clearcoat, but be advised that that turns the lume even more yellow, so if you started with the oven treatment, you maybe want to finish that before you're satisfied, due to the combined effect. Been there, done that... The reason for the clearcoat isn't in my opinion mostly for dulling the dial, it's more for getting an uneven surface on the dial which some old gen dials have but not all! Therefore my recommendation is go for the oven treatment only! Oh, and don't forget that the dial and hands may need different lenghts of exposure (the dial takes longer if the memory serves me correctly). Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJo35 Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Here's one I did. I used a damp/dry brush technique with coffee. After that a fine mist of laquer was sprayed over it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marble Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Just did a test on a dial that I bought from BigCrown, put it in the microwave for 10 minutes and use the grill function! The indices will raise and get a nice patina. I also did one hand and the metal gets a strange color to Now I have to find a way to get rid of the glossy, so hairspray is a good solution? Originaldial Toasted dial Toasted dial Toasted hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribal Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Put some matte Varnish on the Dial. Makes a nice old texture and the glossy is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marble Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Put some matte Varnish on the Dial. Makes a nice old texture and the glossy is gone. Ok will try that on monday but first i'll try the coffee mod, or the cigar mod......hmm must read more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drop Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 I've used tea and coffee - had more success with coffee. The oven trick is intriguing I'm going to give it a whirl. Marble, did you really put your dial and hand in the microwave, or an oven? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marble Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 I've used tea and coffee - had more success with coffee. The oven trick is intriguing I'm going to give it a whirl. Marble, did you really put your dial and hand in the microwave, or an oven? I just did it half an hour ago, the only thing is you have to use a combi microwave with grill function and only use the grill. Do not use a regular microwave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Jeez, is this a watch forum or a cookery site? told you you'd get lots of recipies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Click me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibartsimp Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Hi, reviving this topic, will soon receive my 5514sub of which I want to age the dial & hands Can you give more details about the coffee technique (how do you apply it?) and about the oven, which mode and temperature? Grill? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bc1221 Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 coffee isnt really good for it. i think coffee mixed with sugar actually sticks to the dial if you wanna try that. coffee never really worked for me. if you dont like the way coffee looks, you can usually brush it with water and clean it off. the few vintage subs i built, i just re-lumed the dial/hands, spray a few layers of matte lacquer and toast it a little under a halogen lamp. gives it a pretty good looking finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panermaniac Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 I'm interested in this topic, too. I have a PAM dial I want to vintagize Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Less is more when it comes to patina. Most gens I've seen have been well looked after and have subtle signs of aging. Here's my 1665 with the following specs: 1665 from PC 703 crown Singer dial, lume lightly stained with tea, light coating of matt varnish Yuki insert and pearl Polexpete DWO Shaped CGs Drilled out lugs to 1.2mm Softened case Tudor ETA hands ETA 2846 A few more builds with varying levels of "patina". 5513 PCG 5517 5513 feet first 5513 meters first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panermaniac Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Very nice 1665! I would love one of those with a slightly faded bezel insert. thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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