Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and I gotta tell you about this Rolex GMT-Master II “Root Beer” bezel I tried to copy. It’s a real looker, this watch, with that two-tone bezel – half brown, half black. Makes it look kinda vintage, you know?
First off, I started looking around online to see what I could find. Found some stuff on eBay, but mostly just regular listings for the real deal. These things are expensive! But it gave me a good idea of what it looked like up close.
Then I started digging into how these watches are actually made. This GMT-Master II has this cool 24-hour hand, separate from the regular hour hand, and a bezel that turns. That’s what makes it a “GMT” – it can track a second time zone. Pretty neat for people who travel a lot, I guess.
My Process
- Finding a Base: I needed a watch to start with. I looked for something that had a similar case and dial layout as the Rolex. Something with a rotating bezel was key.
- Bezel Blues: This was the tricky part. Getting that “Root Beer” color combo just right. I found some replacement bezels online, but most were either the wrong color or too expensive. Ended up finding some videos about how to paint bezels.
- Dial Details: The original has these cool gold-ish hour markers. I found some similar looking ones and, man, that was a pain to get them on straight. Tiny little things!
- Putting It Together: I’m not gonna lie, this took a few tries. Getting the bezel to rotate smoothly, making sure the hands didn’t hit each other. I watched a ton of videos on how to put a watch back together.
In the end, it didn’t really turn out how I wanted. It looked okay from far away, but up close you could tell it was a fake. I learned a lot, though. These watches are way more complicated than they look. It takes some serious skills to put one together and make it look good. I definitely have more respect for watchmakers now. But it was a fun little project. It’s not perfect, and it sure ain’t a real Rolex, but I had a good time doing it.
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