Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with watches lately, and let me tell you, it’s a wild world out there. I decided to try my hand at making a high imitation of a Rolex, specifically the two-tone black Submariner. You know, the one with the gold and steel, looks pretty slick.
First off, I started by doing some digging. I learned that these two-tone models are more expensive than the plain steel ones, which makes sense because, well, gold isn’t cheap. They hold their value pretty well for a while, especially for Rolex, but it does go down over time. Still, the Submariner is a classic. It’s got that timeless design, it’s functional, and it’s like a little investment on your wrist.
I got my hands on a bunch of materials – some decent quality steel, some gold plating stuff, and a good movement that I found online. It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that. The real challenge was making sure everything looked right. Rolex is all about those tiny details, so I had to be super careful.
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Sourcing the parts:
I spent days looking for the right materials. I ended up using 316L stainless steel and a gold plating solution that seemed to match the Rolex color pretty well.
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Assembling the case:
Putting together the case was tricky. I had to make sure the bezel clicked just right and that the crown screwed down smoothly.
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Dial and hands:
This was probably the hardest part. I got a dial that looked pretty close to the original, but getting the hands on without scratching anything was a nightmare.
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The movement:
I used a decent automatic movement I found. It’s not a Rolex movement, but it keeps time pretty well.
After hours of fiddling, sweating, and probably cursing a bit, I finally put the whole thing together. And you know what? It didn’t look half bad! It’s definitely not a real Rolex – you can tell if you look closely. The metals might not be quite right, and I’m sure a real watchmaker would spot a million things wrong with it. But for a first attempt, I was pretty stoked.
My Observations
One thing I noticed is that the blue two-tone Submariner seems to be more popular right now. They’re going for a bit more than the black ones, which is interesting. I guess it’s just a more striking piece. Personally, I think the black one looks a bit more classic and understated, but that’s just me.
I learned a ton from this little project. It really gave me an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into these watches. Making a high imitation is one thing, but making a real, genuine Rolex is a whole other level of skill and precision. I don’t think I’ll be quitting my day job to become a watchmaker anytime soon, but it was a fun experiment! And hey, now I have a pretty cool-looking watch to wear around, even if it’s not the real deal.
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