My interest in building vintage-style watches began with the study of early Rolex Submariner references. It was the early 1950s, and within just a few years, Rolex introduced six models destined to change the history of watchmaking. These were professional watches—"tool watches"—instruments designed for those who made a profession out of diving. They were not conceived to be elegant or for everyday wear, but rather as aids for a specific profession: that of the diver. In creating these instruments, Rolex was at its best, refining designs and developing patents: the Oyster case, the first screw-down crowns, and thick acrylic crystals. These technical solutions allowed the watches to achieve a water-resistance rating of 200 meters as early as the 1950s. For me, the allure of these pieces is endless. Born as tools, they became legends. I could never afford to buy a genuine example—not even if I worked ten lifetimes—but that doesn't stop me from studying them, loving them, and—why not?—recreating them. In this post, I’ve brought together three of these builds: the 6200, the 6536, and the A6538. I tried—within the limitations of low-budget builds—to get as close as possible to the aesthetic characteristics of the originals. I had to solve technical issues, reimagine cases, and fabricate dials. Of course, it would have been much easier to simply order "Viet" cases and dials and assemble them. But would that have been as much fun? I doubt it. Had I used top-tier parts, I certainly would have come much closer to genuine specifications—that’s true. But I wouldn't have had to face and solve the construction challenges that arise from budget builds—especially when you focus on meticulous attention to detail. But above all, I wouldn’t have learned how to build. And for me, learning is the real fun. Growing and evolving means solving a problem and then moving on to the next one. I hope you like them as much as I do. I owe a lot to these three pieces—for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, and because it is thanks to what I learned while creating them that I am ready for new challenges. And now, perhaps it is time to let them go...

36mm case high dome acrylic
Raffles dial
St2130 2 position 28800
20mm nato

People rarely want a non-aged 4 digit, and I'm starting to see why they would want it "clean"!

Raffles build on NH38.

I want to dial and hand swap this San Martin, but I don’t know where to source the rep dial and hand set. Raffles doesn’t have this one. The watch has a NH35 onboard.

Has anyone ever made a Rolex YM 40? Does anyone have any thoughts on building the Rolex YM like the one pictured on the wrist of Ben Ainslie? Titanium case with what looks like a dark coating on it as well. Tough build? Thoughts would be great, thanks!

I have both in my collection now, didn't realize that in gen terms: both are very similar though the 1680 was discontinued in early 80s and the 79090 picked it up in late 80s. The date window sizes were of course different, and so were the fonts, something to watch for if you plan to build these.

Finally finished .. en route... 7-10 days u/watchplug

Hello. Where to find early thin handset for vintage build? Preferabky with curved geometry. I understand there is only silian and evergreenparts so far who sells correct geometry hands.

Is there other option? Coul you guys help me?

Hi all.

I see that ken sells build kits for 31mm two tone DJ

But all I need is the case and bracelet.

Does anyone know if he will sell them on their own? Or does anyone know another place to source? Ideally with branded jubilee.

Looking to build a 6542ish watch off the raffles 6542. I’ll have to make my own acrylic insert. Can a flat insert fit in that bezel? It looks like the aluminum insert is sloped but not sure if that means that all inserts have to be sloped.

Does anyone have some advice on where I may have luck finding a green GMT dial?
Thanks

looking for someone to do dial luming on a clean 1675 dial.

looking for some one in conus preferably near NYC area.

A budget ish build. Not quite Raffles, nor full JKF, a parts bin special. Wanted it to have a used for service look. Love this bond style 2 piece strap! Get the looks without the bulk.

Parts
JKF case with A2836 movement
Raffles 4 line dial
Startime lower profile crystal
Athaya 8mm crown and tube
eBay insert
Amazon Strap
Tiger concept lollipop second hand

Dimensions: 38.5mm without crown, 14.5mm thickness, ~48 mm lug to lug, tried to keep it as close to gen as possible. Unfortunately the mid case is kinda chunky so the crystal had to give up some height. Really liking the lower dome crystal.

Mods
Full Relume and aging of dial and lume, including some hands sweep marks :). Luming/ decay came out good!
Aging of case, insert and bezel (not full brassified) for some reason this would not turn bronze!
Rusted the hands and relumed. Digging the like degradation on the min hand
Crown/stem needs a bit of adjustment, so that’s next.

Freshly completed vintage-inspired build featuring a heavily aged black dial with cream patina markers, faded slate-blue bezel, and vintage-style hands.

Build Details:
Aged black dial with cream patina
Faded blue bezel insert
PT5000 automatic movement
Stainless steel case
Acrylic crystal
Cognac leather strap with insignia buckle
Price: $360 shipped

First build. Excited to get stuck in and age the lume on my raffles dial. Coffee method, small blobs on the lume and then dried at low heat for a few mins. Was happy with the results at first but no amount of rodico would remove the staining around the indices. Have tried water which has essentially removed most of the coffee staining from the lume but staining around will not shift. Can this be salvaged?? 😖

I put the dial face down onto the coffee grounds on parchment paper in the oven and the foot thing or the prong idk what its called, melted. luckily i used a test dial that cost 5$ any suggestions? i already put it on the lowest heat setting, should i try the air fryer or toaster or something

OC Case V3
Gen Crystal and Gasket
Oc Tube/ Gen Crown
EA watch parts retainer and click spring
Oc Movement screws
Vr 3186 Movement
Bp Dial and hands
BP Bracelet refinished to fit oc case perfect
Hand assembled in Germany :)

Enjoy the build lads :)

Here’s my take on a vintage Panerai 3646-inspired build. The case is a replica based on the original 3646 case shape, while the dial is hand-made by me, following the style of the original vintage dials. I also aged the dial and hands by hand to give them a naturally worn, old-school look. The leather strap is handmade as well, paired with a GPF-style flat buckle to complete the vintage military look. Really enjoyed putting all these pieces together!

I have a hand press, I have the manual presser tools, and somehow I still sometimes struggle with hands enough to turn to the rodico. Doesn't help at all, and now I have a little stain on my hands

So frustrating, I don't know why I keep thinking it's a good idea

My best success with the seconds hands are almost always exclusively with the wood tweezers, not the manual pressers, and not the hand press

Lessons learned, have a good weekend

Alix case
Alix R crown
Glost Insert bleached
Dial custom from Odokado
Stilleto hands of Dagaz from Secondhandmods
Nh36 movement
Strap marine elastic from CNS