So ... what about that
A/6538 CUSTOM BEZEL
First let me quote (partially) Shane Griffin from "Gear Patrol" :
"Around 1957, when the MOD was ready to commit to the Submariner, Rolex was several years and several upgraded references into the Submariner’s history.
The 6538 ... was made into a MOD-spec version, the A/6538.
The MOD required, among other specific features, a larger bezel, allowing gloved divers more gripping power; and a bezel material of German silver, which would typically dent upon impact, versus cracking or breaking."
The required bezel was virtually (and as far as I know) a "thick" 5513 bezel build in 2 parts :
- downer part (the one that clipped on the retaining ring) made from stainless steel
- upper part made from "german silver"
That specific construction could be controversial but when one look at the pic below it really seems the bezel is made from 2 parts, the upper part being corroded differently than the downer part.
The different color of the upper part could be due to the specific composition of the "german silver" ("nickel silver", "maillechort") that can contain a significant percentage of copper (40 to 70%).
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I all cases, that is THAT pic (plus the Burford dial of course) that made me "fall in love" with the A/6538 and that pushed me to try to build the "same" watch.
So, after grafting a new rehaut to my Silix 6538 case,
I am, at the moment, actually building a 2 parts custom bezel ... and I know ... I'm probably crazy :hehehe:
I will show pics of the finished bezel and explain the building process but today I want to speak about "bronzing" stainless steel.
The upper part of my custom bezel should look like the one on the pic above, so it should have what I would call a "light yellow color"
So last week I PMed my good friend and "king of steel" @mascob to get some infos about how to "lightly bronze" Stainless Steel.
As usually he was enthousiastic, did some tests with a torch and send me the pics altogether with process advices.
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Result was really nice but not "light" enough and color was too "orange/yellow".
The other problem was that ... I dont have a gaz torch.
So if I wanted to get that "really discreet yellow color" I had to heat the bezel :
- at a lower temperature that the one obtained with a gaz torch
- in a very well distribued way to get a homogeneous coloration
On Saturday morning, about 6AM, I was cleaning my italian coffe maker (search Bialetti Moka Express on the web) and I had an epiphany !!!
The downside of my coffe maker, plain stainless steel, was partially showing a light yellow color :cheese::cheese::cheese:
So to reproduce the process I just had to analyse "how do I heat my coffee maker" ...
The answer was :
- very low heat
- long time
So, just after drinking me coffee, I took an old twisted bezel, put it on the smallest burner of my cooking plate, light the burner and waited to see if something would happen.
And my expectations were more than fullfilled ... after 2 heating periods of 30mn each my bezel showed a really light but really nice yellow/gold color
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That was all for Saturday but on Sunday afternoon I have decided to try another 30mn heating period and I put my bezel on the burner again
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At this very moment I had a little "problem" as my wife entered the kitchen and looked alternatively at me and the bezel on the burner ...
Her :
"Please tell me, my love, are you cooking a ... watch ?"
Me :
"Well, darling, I'm NOT actually cooking a complete watch ... just a watch bezel"
Her :
"Are we supposed to ... eat that thing ?"
Me :
"Definitely NOT my dear ... you know I cook organic food only and I can't attest that that bezel is an organic product"
There is moments in life when you're dealing with your wife/girl-friend and you know that you HAVE to find something to say and/or do if you want to avoid sleeping on the couch.
So I flashed my "Clooney's smile" (Clooney ... not clowny) and said :
"We've been living together since 35 years and see, I'm still able to surprise you ... what else ?"
Then she laughed and kissed me, poored two glasses of Saint-Mont
(Tannat, Pinenc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and waited with me for the final result.
So here are the pics, almost exactly the colored I 'm trying to reproduce
and BTW ... I did not slept on the couch :wink:
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