Nubie starting his fist Franken Project

[CFTHEGHOST]

Hello all!
New rep fam here! I’ve been a lurker over on Reptime in Reddit for about a year. Got my first watch a few months back and now I’m ready to get a build started.

I have already gotten myself on a wait list for servicing & to swap some things out. My biggest speed bump is I have no idea what gen parts are going to work on my Clean Factory DateJust.

I would like to replace the bezel, dial & crystal for gen.
(I’ve heard about a “prof xtal?” that someone on this forum can source but it seem to always be a submariner so idk if that option is available for my DJ).

I’ve been using my common sense and just looking up Rolex 126334 dail, bezel etc.on places like eBay & chrono 24 but before I get too ahead of myself and start ordering I would like to verify if those parts will even fit.

If someone could educate me on what or where I should be looking for what’s compatible for my watch I would greatly appreciate it

I am thankful for any and all help!

 

[40mm]

Welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't assume that all of the genuine parts will automatically fit your particular replica. You might want to take some measurements.

Maybe someone who has worked on the exact same model of the same watch can tell you, otherwise:


Go to Otto Frei .com . They have a guide on how to choose a matching crystal.

Note that you will have to disassemble your watch and take out the current crystal to measure it. You will need a vernier caliper to do this.

Once you know which crystal dimensions are important, and the related specific measurements for your crystal, you can go to ebay and find a genuine one that matches your case, or buy parts from a member.

Same thing for the dial and bezel. Take them out/off and measure diameter, and in the case of the dial, be sure to measure where the date window is.

For the bezel you need inner and outer diameter and same thing for the bezel insert.

Then look at the dimensions for the genuine parts. Are they the same? If so, go for it!

It would be a shame to spend hundreds of dollars on genuine parts and find they don't fit.


Best of luck on your project.

 

[CFTHEGHOST]

Thank you so much for taking the time out to shed the light you did!

Wow! I can’t believe how intricate this all is.
Sounds like I’m about to take myself deeper into the rabbit hole lol It’s fun though. THANKS AGAIN!

 

[Amorist]

Also check rolexforums for parts. They have a for sale section for parts only and it's a good way to go aside from ebay.

 

[indyrepgeek812]

I have been exploring a Frankenstein of my own as well. fb groups have been really helpful for parts also..

 

[hzha8687]

Hey mate, welcome to the forum. I started my franken journey early last year, it was definitely a deep rabbit hole!

My best advice here as a newbie as well is to have a chat with the watch maker of your choice, discuss with them what you can and cannot do to the watch you have purchased and start looking for parts. At the same time, dive into the forum and search for keywords relating to your watch to see if others have done something similar (most of the time yes)

Best of luck!

HZ


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