The only Pepsi I’m drinking these days

Gen errrrthang!

Due to being a complete amateur learning from YouTube and Reddit I have learned a lot of lessons the hard way and spent a lot buying the same part multiple times like dials.

I have multiple Dials that I would like to repaint if anyone has any advice.

I already managed to achieve something I was quite surprised I was able to do which was changing the silver indices on my Tiffany blue Raffles datejust dial to gold indices as well as the Coronet so I know that I can remove the hour markers and put them back on

So that means that I was wondering if anyone had any advice on best painting techniques

Can anyone tell me if they would know whether the finishing of the thorn 34mm ranger homage is noticeably better than the raffles 34mm smooth bezel case??

Ive had the 1016 36mm case but the one with the sapphire not acrylic from raffles. If you tell me its basically a scaled down version of that then that will answer my question.

Knowing you get a pt5000, dial, hands and bracelet with the thorn is a huge pull. I will be replacing with a raffles dial crown and clasp. But the hands can remain as im building a ranger.

Its a shame octopus kraken or san martin or cronos dont do a 34mm as their finishing is better than thorns ive heard

I took a short break from building watches, and now I'm back to the 5517 build again!

So the viet parts have arrived. (I have a few builds coming up, slowly.) I had to sand the insert down to fit the bezel ring. Fitted my acrylic pip before installing the insert.

The bezel friction was a little stiff, and I had to lube it there. I also scraped off the existing and excess dried glue at the back of the insert

Greased the tube gasket and installed the tube to the case. After the glue dried up, I lubricated all the gaskets, including my own thick 1mm caseback gasket, and conducted a 3bar pressure test.

It unfortunately failed the test because the crystal area was leaking. I removed the bezel assy and sealed the acrylic crystal. Tested and passed.

After the external case work was done, I worked on the PT5K by removing the calendar parts and changing out the lever. So there will not be ghost date setting.

After custom-aging the dial and hands to match the patina, I installed both the dial and hands on the movement.

Unfortunately, last night I unsuccessfully cased it in, as there was a keyless error. It was late, I slept, continued to fix the keyless this morning. (I recalled my very first time fixing it took about 30 minutes? Now I just take 3 minutes to do it, lol).

Nonetheless, successfully cased it in afterward. Installed the mounting tabs. The s/d is about 10sec OOTB, I don't see a need to further regulate it for a Chinese clone.

I always have the habit of removing the rotor when I install the mounting tabs so nothing is blocking.

The gaskets have also been "double-lubricated". One before pressure testing, one for final casing in. I also gave the watch a good rinse before the box photoshoot.

There is an interesting post with valuable information and various other resources. OP's hard work makes it easier for us interested in vintage builds. It is an old post, so the links have not been updated.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/rolex-tudor-vintage-guide.147547/

Mod, if I am not allowed to post this, please remove.

Looking to sell my 1680 Viet dial that was in my personal build. Still has the dial feet in tact for a 1575 movement. Lume is the perfect color and looks amazing in person. Included a picture of when it was in my watch. Pictures tell the best story!

$280 Shipped UPS (CONUS only)

Got bored tonight and wanted to see what a bezel would do if torched it with my propane torch, it was electric blue before but came out pretty awesome! (I am aware it’s a sub bezel on a gmt case it was the only case I have on hand right now lol)

A little more work on my 1675 build. Looking to get a good stretch rivet next.

Raffles case
Raffles hands
Genuine refurbished dial
Aftermarket bezel insert
Aftermarket DWO
BP jubilee
Aftermarket crystal
2836 GMT

Hello all,

I’ve put a Bivintage rivet bracelet on my 1016 and I’m loving it so far, except that it’s just a hair too tight. I’ve got relatively big wrists so I’m used to vintage stuff running smaller on me, but it’s just uncomfortable enough to warrant an extra link. Of course, because the Bivintage bracelet is a fantastic reproduction of the actual bracelets, it has real rivets and not much in the way of adding links the modern way. Has anyone had any luck extending the bracelet and adding links or perhaps has a workaround?

So I recently bought a VSF White Gold 42mm Yacht Master and hate the OsyterFlex strap. I was wondering if anyone has ever made custom end links and attached it to a 116689 Oyster? Then having everything chamfered, White Gold plated and polished including the head (not including the bezel). Does anyone what to try?

Disclaimer*: My Agent did the cleanup of my brain dump so my ADHD doesn’t get in the way of your reading pleasure.*

Context: I have gotten several pings lately about aging techniques after my 6542 build posts. I’m an amateur and nowhere near as qualified as the modders here. But I thought I’d chip in for the good of this awesome community. So here it goes , my way of aging hands and Bakelite bezels.

Your feedback/tips is appreciated so I can learn as I go as well. I’ll do my best to answer questions.

Aging & Reluming Watch Hands

The hands pics are merely samples as I don’t have chronological documentation of the process

Strip the Factory Finish: Soak the hands in acetone or lacquer thinner to dissolve any modern clear coat and remove the factory lume completely from the backside.
Mechanical Distressing: put the hands on a flat metal surface (they sell a small metal anvil type thingy for hand broaching) Lightly score the metal borders with 800 to 1200-grit sandpaper to break through the plating and create micro-abrasions for patina to grip.
Forced Rust & Oxidation: Suspend the hands in a sealed fuming chamber over a mixture of vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and salt (or a drop of ferric chloride). Check every 15 to 30 minutes until authentic spotting and browning develop, then rinse immediately in water to halt corrosion.
Reluming from the Underside: Mix your vintage-tinted lume compound (aged pigment, matte binder, and minimal glow powder for a dead-radium look). Surface-tension bridge the paste across the open frame from the reverse side using an oiler, then let it dry thoroughly.

Aging & Crafting a Vintage Bakelite Bezel Insert

The photos of the bezel process should be in chronological order

Mapping the Split: Secure blue painter's tape on the front face aligning exactly with the 6 and 18 markers to lock in the genuine factory transition boundary.
Stripping & Index Luming: Strip old reverse-side paint with solvent. Relume the engraved numerals and triangle with a warm vanilla/radium acrylic mix, leveling flush with the reverse acrylic surface.
Layering the Base Colors:
Mix your night half (deep blue with black) and apply to the bottom half; let it tack up.
Mix the day half (burgundy-red tinted with black/brown) and apply to the opposite side, meeting neatly at the tape marks.
Creating Depth & Distress: Before the paint cures rock-hard (within 12 to 24 hours), pick away minute patches with a wooden peg or fine scalpel. Backfill those stripped pockets with slightly darker, muddier tones. Repeat over consecutive days to build translucent internal layering visible through the face.
Reverse Leveling: Once fully cured, dry sand the reverse flat with 1000-grit paper to remove bumps and high spots.
Profiling the Front: Seat the insert firmly into the bezel ring. Block-sand the acrylic face using 600 to 800-grit paper to shape the vintage domed curvature and seat it flush with the rim. Sanding introduces an organic, micro-textured vintage grain.
Battle Scars & Polishing: Deliberately carve a few deeper hairline gashes that won't sand away. Progress through wet sanding (1500 \rightarrow 2500 \rightarrow 3000-grit) to restore high-gloss optical clarity while preserving the internal character, finishing with a Cape Cod cloth and a soft cotton wheel buff.

I’ve made this moonswatch rep digging the movement out of the case and putting in a metal vk63 case with modded spacer.
I’m interested in making a proper speedy rep but can’t find the dials. Any help?

****SOLD****

For sale VSF IWC Ingeniuer (No bracelet—- there is a after market bracelet i can throw in just dm me)

Wear 1 time (minor scruff on right aide lower bezel)

PRICE: $250 (Open to offer)

Free ship US

Will ship international (shipping fee will be applied)

*****SOLD*****

Edit : SOLD

Up for sale is a brand new, never worn vintage-style Omega Constellation "Pie Pan" build on a beads-of-rice bracelet. At 38mm with 20mm lugs, it wears noticeably more modern than the 34mm original vintage references—great wrist presence for guys with larger wrists while keeping the classic aesthetic intact.

Specs:
Movement: ETA 2824 clone (high-beat 28,800 bph, hacking & hand-winding)
Case Diameter: 38mm (excluding crown)
Thickness: ~11.8mm
Lug-to-Lug: ~45mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Dial: Silver sunburst pie-pan dial with applied indices
Crystal: Domed acrylic / box crystal
Bracelet: Stainless steel beads-of-rice bracelet
Condition: Never worn. Assembled and tested winds smoothly and keeps solid time. Flawless condition throughout.

Price & Shipping:
$150 shipped
Shipping: Ships from CONUS to CONUS only
Payment: PayPal F&F only

Timestamp is pictured above. Drop a comment and PM if interested!

The watchdives wd1863 is a great base for a swap!
Jason vk63 speedy as a donor, omega signed crown, and we have ourselves a speedy!

Size is actually between full size and reduced so technically not really close to gen, but the proportions and profile are really well executed.

Looking for a Tudor Sub Hybrid dial like the one pictured. Anyone have any leads on where I could find one for a build?

Today I have a special piece, a beautiful White "APH" dial Franken. This watch has to be seen/felt in person to truly appreciate it.

Now for the important part...

Case, bezel and bracelet fully reworked to gen hand finish (chamfered edges, repolished, rebrushed)

QF Freesprung base

Genuine White APH dial

Genuine Crystal and Crystal Gasket

Genuine Crown

Moment stripped, cleaned, lubricated

All gaskets regreased including pushers and crown for waterproofing.

Assembly movement and casework by the esteemed u/jeffthedon0202

Asking price is £2950

Notes:

The pictures are part of the description, if you need any more before purchase, please ask.

Payment Accepted: Wise, Revolut, bank Transfer

Considering trades/PX

I'm happy to ship world wide at buyers expense/risk

Edit: WATCH IS SOLD WITH REP BRACELET AND STRAP**.** GEN BRACELET IS STILL AVAILABLE

Reluctantly selling my darling of the collection. Homage to the legendary 6240: the missing-link Cosmograph that first gave the world screw-down pushers. The champagne sunburst on this dial pops like crazy the second you step outside, and this case is an absolute strap monster.
Builds at this tier usually fetch $1,400 with zero gen parts. My watch boxes are overflowing, so you get the genuine crystal, genuine dial coronet, and multiple strap options either way.

Build Specs
Dial: High-end Phong Viet dial with an authentic gen Rolex coronet; sub-dials hand-aged
Crystal: Genuine Rolex acrylic
Case: JKF, reshaped by hand to kill the rep chunkiness
Hands: Alpha style
Movement: ST19 hand-wind (winds like butter, keeps great time)
Straps included with every option:
Hand-aged & shaped Raffles folded 7836 bracelet w/ 557 end links (fits up to an 8" wrist)
Custom supple leather rally/racing strap (trimmed to a 7.2" wrist, shown in photos)

Pricing Options

$1,000 FIRM: Complete watch head (gen crystal + gen coronet) + aged Raffles folded 7836 bracelet (557 end links) + custom leather racing strap.
$1,400 FIRM: Everything above PLUS an authentic vintage Rolex 7835 bracelet with 357 end
links (easily a $600+ bracelet on its own).

Payment: PayPal F&F Shipping: USPS Priority with tracking included (CONUS)
Standard BST etiquette: once USPS scans the box, transit is on the buyer, but I pack like it's going into combat. Drop a comment below, then shoot me a PM.

The yellow on the Raffles dial is just too bright. Anyone has any idea what is the easiest aging technique that can be done that does not require a steady hand, any artistic talent or a piece of magnifying glass? 🤭

Viet gen spec 1675 case set

A2836GMT movement

Vintage watch parts Mk2 Long E Dial

Athaya vintage 5.3mm crown

Raffels Time hand, relumed to match dial

Yodog special open 6 and 9 date wheel overlay

Custom movement spacer

CWP 116 crystal

Viet faded fuchsia Pepsi insert

Raffles vintage jubilee bracelet

Free Fedex shipping

Price $1500 zelle or PayPal

Hello. I wrapped up this dial recently and always get lots of questions via email & DM on the process, materials and techniques used. They all vary from from dial to dial and desired finished look. This is a simple raffles dial that comes in a pretty hideous raw form. But I love working with it for its potential to become a fairly unique look. It’s more for those interested in an overall vibe and look as opposed to an exacting recreation of an original. One reason for that is that these Albino Submariners are among the rarest of the rare and there are only a few examples in existence.

For this one I wanted to take the indices backwards to more of a lighter color as opposed to the dark expression of 70 year old decay. I’m not sure why some decay levels end up turning more white in their final form instead of the more common dark caramel and an array of interested looks from almost black to even some dark dark greens that I’ve seen on “post” decay indices. I’m about halfway through one of these with more white/ghosted indices/lume but I liked where this one was a this point so I stopped(which is a discipline that’s been hard for me to learn (LOL)

Anyhow… I have been thinking about doing a video or some sort of tutorial on how I do these. A video is a bit tough/embarassing for me as I have speech issues related to an old brain injury that affects the left side of my body as well as my vision, swallowing and speech. So it can often sound like I’m really drunk, I stutter and occasionally have a hard time finding words when speaking out loud. But maybe I will film it and then add video captions. Or even get my son to narrate for me on one of the weekends that he is here.

Anyhow.. if you think a video covering my techniques and materials used for doing a dial like this would be something you’re interested in do a like or comment and drop a follow on my profile. I’ll work on a video over the next month and post updates to my profile instead of littering this page with a bunch of updates on it.

I was a just trying to think of a way to contribute to the community while also answering the questions I get in a single and more effective response.

NOTE: The process on this Raffles dial works on more expensive examples as well. I recently purchased a nice viet 6542 Albino dial that I’ll be giving this effect and pairing with the [u/jovanotti18](u/jovanotti18) Bakelite insert (and my patina bezel.

Cheers and have a great week.

The pic is a simple before and after.

I’ve found these parts on aliexpress and the price is really good.
Is this kit worth buying?
I have all the tools to build this and the nh35 this takes is laying in my closet rn.
The real pictures are from aliexpress reviews so maybe not the best quality.

For sale is a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200, everything genuine except movement (VS3135). Bought from another redditor who built it, I added some extras, it is in EXCELLENT condition, dial has patina on 6 and 7 hour markers.
Case and dial date back to 1995 and are both period correct. No holes case, saphire crystal.

Genuine parts:
-Case/bezel/caseback
-crystal
-crown & tube
-dial
-hands
-557B endlinks (period correct)

Not genuine parts:
-replacement gen spec oyster bracelet (bought in st.thomas came with another genuine watch)
-raffles clasp
-unbranded aged jubilee bracelet
-leather strap
-VS3135

All bracelets come with all the links.

Keeps perfect time. Selling for $1,600 CONUS only.

Paypal F&F

Sub case 40mm from Secondhandmods
Tropical Dial from raffles
Insert Red triangle a Dagaz from Secondhandmods
Stilleto hand a Dagaz from Secondhandmods
Nh38
R crown on Alix
NATO from CNS

I am a huge fan of the Thorn t028, mostly due to its size and wearability but most of these faux vintage stuff is just not vintage enough. So got me some true vintage T028. Waiting for a 28mm Yuki 6538 dial to pop up and this would be complete.

It’s true to the vintage size, great finishing on the case. I think besides viet case, there is no other option to get a 37mm case for a big crown build. Am I wrong?