Building a franken Rolex 116610LV Hulk, without breaking the bank :)

[2841]

The Hulk is the last Rolex rep i have, the others have been exchanged for gens over the last couple of years

I've had about 5-6 Hulks since ZZF launched their first one, and every single watch had some kind of flaw i couldn't live with, so i never really used them.

I decided on doing one last build, without breaking the bank (The is no way in hell im spending crazy money on a gen dial and inlay, i would rather just buy a gen then )

Every maker in my opinion has some pretty sweet parts, so i ended up with:

Case: Newest VSF (Only correct shaped case, downside is the rehaut)
Inlay: CF (Latest version)
Bracelet/clasp: Newest VSF (Bracelet, clasp and case has been re-brushed with Bergeon blocks, to give it that nice gen satin look)
Movement: Serviced VSF (Best on the marked atm)
Dial: ZF (None of them is perfect, but i feel the best 2 ones are ZF and ZZF v2. I went with ZF because its a bit more "alive" then the ZZF v2.)
Date wheel: VSF (I lucked out with a nice stok one)
Hands: Hour/minute hands are ZZF, second hand is ARF ( I love the ZZF hands, but the second hand is very flat and needs dimension, hence the ARF second hand, that is the closest to gen imo)
Crystal: Gen (VSF crystal is not horrible, but nothing compares to gen)

That's it, i like the watch like this. And yes, you can always add more gen parts, but this was as far as i wanted to go

 

[Markangel]

:thumbsup:Great work

 

[elflako17]

very well done, hopefully, i can document my work on my Franken 126610 build as you have.

 

[BlueLineFarmer]

Which parts are gen?

 

[Theodizee]

Great watch! Did you buy only the parts or complete watches from every factory? And it looks like the bezel inlay is a bit misaligned to the left or is it just one click away from the centre?

 

[2841]

Great watch! Did you buy only the parts or complete watches from every factory? And it looks like the bezel inlay is a bit misaligned to the left or is it just one click away from the centre?

I bought each watch Except the ARF hand sets

I just a click over, after cleaning

 

[p0pperini]

An impressively precise collection of parts to achieve a very high quality result. Bravo! Although I’m disappointed you didn’t buy an entire ARF Hulk for the second hand…

I think that a lot of members would consider this Hulk “highly modded” - because the term “Franken” generally seems to be used when a number of gen parts have been included in the build.

EDIT: Oops - my apologies, I missed the gen crystal. With this significantly prominent gen part as well as the "best of the reps" parts, your Hulk must surely qualify as a Franken!

 

[2841]

An impressively precise collection of parts to achieve a very high quality result. Bravo! Although I’m disappointed you didn’t buy an entire ARF Hulk for the second hand…

I think that a lot of members would consider this Hulk “highly modded” - because the term “Franken” generally seems to be used when a number of gen parts have been included in the build.

Ha ha ha, yeah that would have been something, luckily my TD sourced me the ARF hands.

I cant figure out the terms anymore I go by:

Modded: Only rep parts
Franken: One or more gen parts
Super Franken: All out crazy stupid build

 

[Tobel]

Ha ha ha, yeah that would have been something, luckily my TD sourced me the ARF hands.

I cant figure out the terms anymore I go by:

Modded: Only rep parts
Franken: One or more gen parts
Super Franken: All out crazy stupid build

Which are the right definitions o
great build mate ! Wear it in good health

 

[2841]

Which are the right definitions o
great build mate ! Wear it in good health

Thx T, appreciate it

 

[2841]

Forgot to mention in the original post: The ZF dial is NOT a direct swap. It slightly to large, and has to be shaved to fit in the VSF case. (That's 2 hours of my life, with a nailfile, im never getting back )

 

[p0pperini]

(That's 2 hours of my life, with a nailfile, im never getting back )

I'm in awe of anyone with the skilful hands to do that work on a sunburst dial. I just know if I did it, I'd end up grinding metal filings into the face of the dial, no matter how gently I attempted to handle it!

 

[2841]

I'm in awe of anyone with the skilful hands to do that work on a sunburst dial. I just know if I did it, I'd end up grinding metal filings into the face of the dial, no matter how gently I attempted to handle it!

Its a mix of stupidity and determination

 

[2841]

I've gotten a handful questions in my inbox, and just to repeat: The ZF dial is NOT a direct swap. It slightly to large, and has to be shaved to fit in the VSF case.

Just to get your expectations right, if you are planning on a similar build

 

[TheWatchingWatcher]

This is amazing. Nice work. Currently doing a modified 116610LV myself. In your experience, is it only VSF that has the correct case shape, ie angled crown guards? I am sporting a ZF base right now, rehaut is good, crown guard width is good however the angles are at 90 degrees unlike gen. Also the scalloping on the bezel isn't deep enough. If you have any recommendations Hulk master :innocent:

 

[2841]

This is amazing. Nice work. Currently doing a modified 116610LV myself. In your experience, is it only VSF that has the correct case shape, ie angled crown guards? I am sporting a ZF base right now, rehaut is good, crown guard width is good however the angles are at 90 degrees unlike gen. Also the scalloping on the bezel isn't deep enough. If you have any recommendations Hulk master :innocent:

At the end of the day, its all up to you what you can accept. Its still going to be a rep, no matter what you do to it

But yes, imo the VSF is the one that's overall closest to the gen

 

[Asphyxa]

This is amazing. Nice work. Currently doing a modified 116610LV myself. In your experience, is it only VSF that has the correct case shape, ie angled crown guards? I am sporting a ZF base right now, rehaut is good, crown guard width is good however the angles are at 90 degrees unlike gen. Also the scalloping on the bezel isn't deep enough. If you have any recommendations Hulk master :innocent:

Yeah I'm sporting a 116610LN from ZF right now which should be the same case. I was able to find VSF LVs at an overprice but LNs seems completely unavailable no matter what sadly. I heard VSF is the only correct case shape too, been going so far as to try and pick up an LV and then swap just swap parts but I'm unsure at this point.

 

[StreetFighter]

Stunning!! Not using ARF SEL’s? Those VSF end links are a bit soft edged, this is the only thing I can see, however it’s just nitpicking, gens can be like that after a polish.

Lovely lovely example.Well done.

 

[2841]

Stunning!! Not using ARF SEL’s? Those VSF end links are a bit soft edged, this is the only thing I can see, however it’s just nitpicking, gens can be like that after a polish.

Lovely lovely example.Well done.

I got a ZZF/ARF bracelet and clasp as well, and you are completely right, the lines are more correct/sharper on the ARF. (And the clasp is actually better as well

I will proberbly change it out at some point. Either way, both bracelets needs to be rebrushed, the brush from the factory is never good

 

[adent]

Know the dial is stupid expensive but how rare and expensive are gen hulk bezels?