- 9/7/12
- 22,575
- 17,989
- 113
Many thousands of hours were spent sourcing the parts for this fabulous and rare time piece. But as with all incredibly rare builds, there were some compromises that had to be made regarding parts - more of that later.
First, lets talk about the case. This is truly one of a kind - not some banal 'Vietnam case', nor even some run of the mill Phong/Jensen case, this is something special. This case is from TTSPS Experience (The Tripdog Society Paper Stack Experience).
Made from totally water proof 316 gen spec steel, date stamped 1968 and with a corresponding reference number, this is the worlds first 2:1 case - A true Double Gen Spec case. And the good news is, these fabulous pieces of art are soon to be distributed by OCH, who are based in Compton, CA.
To truly honour this case, I originally wanted to commission a replica dial from the dial legend himself, Supreme Dark Overlord Master Printer of Darkness, but at $3500 and with a 2 year production time it worked out cheaper - and quicker - to simply get a genuine Rolex MKI 'Long E' dial off eBay - a steal at $1400.
A 1967 folded link Rolex 6251H jubilee with 555 end links, held in place by genuine Rolex spring bars, is engraved with initials of the bracelets original owner - "N.A.B."
Unfortunately, this is not 1:1 gen spec, and one of the compromises I had to accept. To make up for this, the links were individually massaged with the finest Swiss Hand Made silicone grease.
The use of genuine Rolex case gaskets (lovingly imbibed with the finest Swiss Hand Made silicone grease), a Rolex 116 crystal, a Rolex 531 crown and tube means the watch isn't totally waterproof (apparently the genuine item is only WR to 50m, so no deep sea diving with it - a strange but true fact.) A shame, as this means that with these parts the watch isn't truly 1:1.
A genuine Rolex vintage black insert was used, which over time has naturally faded and acquired it's own unique fabulous patina - so as soon as funds permit I'll get one of Phongs gen spec 1:1 inserts and fade it properly myself.
An astounding total of 2639 incredibly delicate and complex separate and individual tasks were performed in the building of this watch, from unscrewing the case back when the case arrived, to trimming the stem to the correct length, to aligning the cyclops over the date window, attaching the dial to the movement and putting it into the case and finally to winding it to check that it actually started ticking.
I can honestly and sincerely say, without hesitation that it's a true pressure and a pilferage to present this fabulously rare time piece to you today, to the people who are without a doubt amongst some of the people I've never met.
Enjoy:
First, lets talk about the case. This is truly one of a kind - not some banal 'Vietnam case', nor even some run of the mill Phong/Jensen case, this is something special. This case is from TTSPS Experience (The Tripdog Society Paper Stack Experience).
Made from totally water proof 316 gen spec steel, date stamped 1968 and with a corresponding reference number, this is the worlds first 2:1 case - A true Double Gen Spec case. And the good news is, these fabulous pieces of art are soon to be distributed by OCH, who are based in Compton, CA.
To truly honour this case, I originally wanted to commission a replica dial from the dial legend himself, Supreme Dark Overlord Master Printer of Darkness, but at $3500 and with a 2 year production time it worked out cheaper - and quicker - to simply get a genuine Rolex MKI 'Long E' dial off eBay - a steal at $1400.
A 1967 folded link Rolex 6251H jubilee with 555 end links, held in place by genuine Rolex spring bars, is engraved with initials of the bracelets original owner - "N.A.B."
Unfortunately, this is not 1:1 gen spec, and one of the compromises I had to accept. To make up for this, the links were individually massaged with the finest Swiss Hand Made silicone grease.
The use of genuine Rolex case gaskets (lovingly imbibed with the finest Swiss Hand Made silicone grease), a Rolex 116 crystal, a Rolex 531 crown and tube means the watch isn't totally waterproof (apparently the genuine item is only WR to 50m, so no deep sea diving with it - a strange but true fact.) A shame, as this means that with these parts the watch isn't truly 1:1.
A genuine Rolex vintage black insert was used, which over time has naturally faded and acquired it's own unique fabulous patina - so as soon as funds permit I'll get one of Phongs gen spec 1:1 inserts and fade it properly myself.
An astounding total of 2639 incredibly delicate and complex separate and individual tasks were performed in the building of this watch, from unscrewing the case back when the case arrived, to trimming the stem to the correct length, to aligning the cyclops over the date window, attaching the dial to the movement and putting it into the case and finally to winding it to check that it actually started ticking.
I can honestly and sincerely say, without hesitation that it's a true pressure and a pilferage to present this fabulously rare time piece to you today, to the people who are without a doubt amongst some of the people I've never met.
Enjoy:
