Alright, folks, gather ’round, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into. So, I’ve always been a bit of a watch guy, right? And the Rolex GMT-Master II, that’s like the holy grail for some of us. But they’re pricey, you know? And this new left-handed version they came out with? Forget about it. Way out of my league.
But that got me thinking. I’ve been tinkering with watches for years, fixing this, replacing that, you know, the usual. So, I thought, why not try to make my own version of that left-handed GMT-Master II? A high imitation, you could say.
The Idea
First thing I did was I spent hours online, just looking at pictures, videos, anything I could find about this watch. I wanted to see every detail, every angle. Then I started sketching, drawing out how I thought it could be done, where the crown would go, how the bezel would look, all that stuff.
Gathering Parts
Next up, I needed parts. Now, I’m not using real Rolex parts, obviously. I’m not made of money. But you can find some pretty good imitation parts online if you know where to look. I found a decent-looking case, a bezel that was close enough, and a movement that I figured I could modify. The hands were tricky, especially the GMT hand. I found some that were okay, but I knew I’d have to do some work on them.
The Modification Process
- The first thing was flipping the movement. That’s the heart of the watch, the part that makes it tick. I had to basically turn it upside down so the crown would end up on the left side. That was a pain, let me tell you. Lots of tiny screws and springs flying everywhere.
- Once the movement was flipped, I had to work on the dial. I found one that looked similar to the real deal, but I had to re-drill some holes to make it fit the flipped movement. Then came the hands. I had to carefully file down the edges of the hour and minute hands to make them look a bit more like the real ones. The GMT hand, I ended up repainting it to get the color closer to what Rolex uses.
- The bezel was another challenge. The one I found was close, but not perfect. I ended up having to carefully sand down some parts and polish others to get it to look right. It’s not exact, but it’s close enough for me.
Putting It All Together
After all that, it was time to put it all together. This is always the most nerve-wracking part. One wrong move and you can mess up hours of work. But I took my time, double-checked everything, and slowly but surely, it all came together.
The Result
And you know what? It actually worked. It’s not perfect, mind you. If you put it next to a real one, you’d see the differences. The edges are a little rougher, the colors aren’t quite the same, and the movement isn’t as smooth. But from a distance, it looks pretty darn close. And it’s left-handed, just like the new Rolex.
I’ve been wearing it for a few weeks now, and I gotta say, I’m pretty proud of it. It keeps time well, it looks good on my wrist, and it’s a fun conversation starter. Plus, it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.
Now, I’m not saying everyone should go out and try to make their own imitation Rolex. It takes time, patience, and a bit of skill. But if you’re like me, and you enjoy a good challenge, it’s a fun project. And who knows, maybe you’ll end up with a pretty cool watch that you can be proud of. Just don’t try to pass it off as the real thing, alright? We all know it’s just a high imitation. But a darn good one, if I do say so myself.
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