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Back in September of 2014 a member by the handle of DeLaForce posted a build he’d finished in the VinRoPorn thread. I’d never seen anything like it before and I was floored. It was a Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 with a white dial. At the time I didn’t know it was the first GMT Rolex ever produced, or that the white dial – known as the “Pan Am†– was an oft-debated legendary example. I also knew I didn’t then (nor do I today) possess the skills to build something like that. Well in the time since I’ve made acquaintances (friends, really) with some people who do possess those skills. Two of them figure prominently in this saga – Jase and Rik. Rik was the builder of the aforementioned piece that served as my inspiration, and Jase… well, Jase is a god among men.
The inspiration:
It was early July, last summer, when I approached Jase about possibly building a Pan Am. He laid out for me a few possible routes that included high-end uber builds from Phong or Minh Quy or NDT, as well as more “budget-friendly†options using Yuki as a base, and cobbling the rest of the parts together as needed. The latter option was most feasible for me at the time, and after Jase made a quick list of what he needed to get started, I sent some cash his way and we were off. I figured a month or two and I’d finally have this stunning piece on my wrist! Oh the naiveté…
What followed was what, in hindsight, could be construed as myriad warnings to cease and desist from the rep gods. Waiting over a month for a Yuki package of case, insert, and dial only to be told in the end by Yuki he’s having a problem with his insert maker, and it’s a no-go. Jase and I both emailing with MQ about pricing and being given dramatically different estimates. The mysterious disappearance of Ingod – widely considered the best option for these kinds of dials. A plethora of personal issues descending upon Jase in the middle of all this, God bless him. Parts that didn’t fit the way they should have, and new parts that were equally as unhelpful. Just when we thought we’d solved the issue at hand, another would present itself. Incredibly, Jase pressed on undeterred. I would not have blamed him for abandoning the project; in fact, at one point I recommended it.
We enlisted the help of Rik, who was intimately aware of the pitfalls of these builds, and he contributed his expertise to eventually get us over the top, so a hearty cheers goes to Rik. But the fact that I’m here writing this, with the watch sitting in front of me, is more than anything a tribute to Jase’s abilities and perseverance, simply because he wanted me to have a finished product I’d enjoy. And he probably doesn’t want me disclosing this because he’s a modest guy, but he didn’t charge me a dime. Nine months of work, dealing with life issues, having to remake our strategy over and over and over – he would only tell me, as I pleaded with him to take my guild-ridden money, that he just hopes I’m happy with the end result. Well I am Jase, thanks to you. Yeah, I know I’m singing an aria right now, and it’s just a damn watch, and it ain’t gonna make America great again or whatever, but his efforts were pretty special, and he should be appreciated for them by more people than just me.
Specs:
- Case/case back/bezel: Yuki; Jase shaped, aged, and polished the case, modified the bezel assembly and lightly aged the insert; also formed a custom movement ring himself.
- Insert: dung_chrono on eBay
- Dial: bought from Rik so unsure of origin; aged/dulled by Jase
- Hands: Yuki hour/minute/second; Raffles small GMT; Rik machined a seconds hand tube to get the fit right; relumed to match the dial
- Crown/tube: Yuki
- Crystal: Sternkreuz 25-116
- Movement: Hangzhou 6460 GMT (clone of an ETA 2836-2)
- Roulette date wheel: Erick78 on RWI; from Italy
...
Along the way, as dire chance and fateful cockup would have it, I was able to acquire the piece that started it all – Rik’s Pan Am. So now I have two of these damn things, and one of ‘em probably has to go. But so that the story of this build isn’t swallowed by a quick M2M sale, this thread here stands as a tribute to Jase’s character and work, and a warning: Beware the ides of Pan Am.
The inspiration:
It was early July, last summer, when I approached Jase about possibly building a Pan Am. He laid out for me a few possible routes that included high-end uber builds from Phong or Minh Quy or NDT, as well as more “budget-friendly†options using Yuki as a base, and cobbling the rest of the parts together as needed. The latter option was most feasible for me at the time, and after Jase made a quick list of what he needed to get started, I sent some cash his way and we were off. I figured a month or two and I’d finally have this stunning piece on my wrist! Oh the naiveté…
What followed was what, in hindsight, could be construed as myriad warnings to cease and desist from the rep gods. Waiting over a month for a Yuki package of case, insert, and dial only to be told in the end by Yuki he’s having a problem with his insert maker, and it’s a no-go. Jase and I both emailing with MQ about pricing and being given dramatically different estimates. The mysterious disappearance of Ingod – widely considered the best option for these kinds of dials. A plethora of personal issues descending upon Jase in the middle of all this, God bless him. Parts that didn’t fit the way they should have, and new parts that were equally as unhelpful. Just when we thought we’d solved the issue at hand, another would present itself. Incredibly, Jase pressed on undeterred. I would not have blamed him for abandoning the project; in fact, at one point I recommended it.
We enlisted the help of Rik, who was intimately aware of the pitfalls of these builds, and he contributed his expertise to eventually get us over the top, so a hearty cheers goes to Rik. But the fact that I’m here writing this, with the watch sitting in front of me, is more than anything a tribute to Jase’s abilities and perseverance, simply because he wanted me to have a finished product I’d enjoy. And he probably doesn’t want me disclosing this because he’s a modest guy, but he didn’t charge me a dime. Nine months of work, dealing with life issues, having to remake our strategy over and over and over – he would only tell me, as I pleaded with him to take my guild-ridden money, that he just hopes I’m happy with the end result. Well I am Jase, thanks to you. Yeah, I know I’m singing an aria right now, and it’s just a damn watch, and it ain’t gonna make America great again or whatever, but his efforts were pretty special, and he should be appreciated for them by more people than just me.
Specs:
- Case/case back/bezel: Yuki; Jase shaped, aged, and polished the case, modified the bezel assembly and lightly aged the insert; also formed a custom movement ring himself.
- Insert: dung_chrono on eBay
- Dial: bought from Rik so unsure of origin; aged/dulled by Jase
- Hands: Yuki hour/minute/second; Raffles small GMT; Rik machined a seconds hand tube to get the fit right; relumed to match the dial
- Crown/tube: Yuki
- Crystal: Sternkreuz 25-116
- Movement: Hangzhou 6460 GMT (clone of an ETA 2836-2)
- Roulette date wheel: Erick78 on RWI; from Italy
...
Along the way, as dire chance and fateful cockup would have it, I was able to acquire the piece that started it all – Rik’s Pan Am. So now I have two of these damn things, and one of ‘em probably has to go. But so that the story of this build isn’t swallowed by a quick M2M sale, this thread here stands as a tribute to Jase’s character and work, and a warning: Beware the ides of Pan Am.
