So, I got into this whole Rolex thing, right? I’ve always loved watches, but a real Rolex is way out of my league, price-wise. But the GMT-Master II, that’s a classic. I mean, who doesn’t love that look? So, I started digging around, trying to figure out how to get that vibe without, you know, selling my car.
First, I had to get a good base watch. I read somewhere that the Ocean 39 Vintage GMT Premium Ceramic could be a good start. It’s got that Swiss automatic movement, which is pretty cool, and it’s 39mm, which is a decent size for my wrist. I managed to snag one of those online. It felt pretty solid in hand when I got it in the mail.
Then came the fun part – making it look like a Rolex! I started with the hands. I learned that on a real GMT-Master II, the hands are stacked in a specific order: Hour, GMT, Minutes. So, I took the watch apart – super carefully, I might add – and I restacked those hands. It was a bit of a pain, to be honest. Those things are tiny!
Next, I focused on the bezel. This Rolex I was eyeing, it had this green and black thing going on. Looked super sharp. I found this guy online who made custom bezels, so I ordered one with those colors. Swapping out the bezel was easier than the hands, thankfully. It just kind of clicked into place.
- Get the base watch: Ocean 39 Vintage GMT Premium Ceramic.
- Restack the hands: Hour, GMT, Minutes.
- Replace the bezel: Green and black color scheme.
I also messed around with the bracelet a bit. I wanted it to have that shiny metal look, they call it “oystersteel.” I didn’t replace the whole bracelet, but I polished the heck out of it. It came out pretty good, I think. Looks a lot more like the real deal now.
The End Result
Honestly, I was pretty stoked with how it turned out. It’s not a perfect replica, obviously, but it definitely gives off that GMT-Master II energy. I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks now, and I’ve gotten a few compliments. It’s a fun little project, and I learned a lot about watches in the process. I wear it most days now, although it took a bit of courage to wear it out of the house the first time, but I’ve gotten over that now.
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