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Bezel inserts!
If you have a rolex, chances are you’ve heard people complain, possibly even yourself at some point. Well luckily there are a few options these days to sort those crappy dull number finishes.
Despite being what i can only assume from experience is the least durable of the finishes, paint pen was far and away the hardest to remove. Im guessing its oil based, could be wrong, but acetone didn’t touch it. Even alcohol didn’t do much. I had to scrape a lot of it out with a 0.8mm screw driver in the end which was a real pain in the ass and ill still probably have to do some minute detailing before i do the final paint ill before i stick it back on the watch.
The test piece
The noob v7 batman “speed bump” bezel insert. If there was no speed bump effect im sure no one would care. But there is. Im not sure on the construction of most inserts, but this one is metal (probably steel) coated with ceramic. How do they do that? Magic? I don’t know. Probably some form of sintering but ill leave that to people who know more about it.
Plated rep inserts
I nicked these pics from USD plating, hopefully he doesn’t mind. This would be the benchmark I’m aiming for, but at 1/10th the cost or less, have your expectations set accordingly.
The equipment
Not much needed to be honest. I used a straight razor blade as i find it easier to press flat on the insert but any scalpel blade will work. I used a load of acetone, you may not need it depending on if your insert has painted numbers, if you do wear gloves, its strong stuff. It wont damage your bezel unless its made from plastic and its great for getting the sticky shit off the back. If you choose to spray paint, a warm place with no dust is the best. There are various threads about removing bezel inserts so use the search bar. I used double sided sticky tape to attach it to a box for spraying.
Numéro uno
https://www.sprayster.com/product/paint-factory-enamel-silver-gloss-spray-paint-400ml/
Despite the tin looking slightly different to this picture this is what i ordered. Gloss enamel paint.
Numéro deux
https://www.sprayster.com/product/hycote-renault-platinum-metallic-spray-paint/
It had platinum in the name so i had to give it a go. It has much more of a rainbowy shimmer than the others under fake indoor lighting (leds). Hard to photograph but you can kind of see it on the 20 in the last picture. Acrylic paint.
Nummer drei
Lidl
Admittedly the only difference between this and number one is the finish, silk as opposed to gloss. There may be a difference in the flake size, ill leave that to your eyes.
Numero quattro
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pilot-Metallic-Colour-Silver-Permanent/dp/B00PCKKUDA
Yeah i know its not a molotov. Im in the uk and i got it from smiths. Its a silver paint pen at the end of the day, its in here for comparative purposes.
Results
Sorry for the lack of sunlight pics, its pissing it down all week in the uk, hence i had nothing better to do than paint the same bezel repeatedly...
Which is the most gen like? Honestly probably the surface finish of the silk is the closest to usd’s pics. From what i can tell platinum isnt a super glossy finish, it’s not a polished surface. In terms of colour perhaps the platinum as it changes colour other than just silver. It does however have a sparkle to it, which im assuming platinum doesn’t.
Which one do i like the most? The Renault platinum colour is pretty swish. Im going to do a final coat in that colour and see how i like it when i get some parts back from KJ2020. I hope you enjoyed reading and maybe even found this useful! Thanks to Kurt for the idea.
Disclaimer: if you ruin your watch, not my fault!
If you have a rolex, chances are you’ve heard people complain, possibly even yourself at some point. Well luckily there are a few options these days to sort those crappy dull number finishes.
- Buy a gen bezel. $$$$$$$
- Send your watch to sponge bob, probably the best option (or equal to usd) by without going gen but its still $300. Times that by the 6 rollies I’ve accumulated and its not an option...
- Usd plating. Much less expensive than sponge bob, probably not much difference in quality, but still €100 x6 = a new watch
- The paint pen mod.... now as with a lot of people i have tried this. Is it a mod? No its colouring in your watch with a pen. Don’t fancify it! On day one after slaving away with your little scalpel blade it looks pretty good. Much more visible in low light. But then a month down the line it looks like shit again and needs re doing.
- The KJ2020 method, spray paint. I get the ease of doing it with a pen. You dont need to remove the bezel, although good luck around the pip (if your doing a sub not a gmt). But kj knows his stuff and spray paint, at least some forms of it, is much longer lasting and hard wearing.
Despite being what i can only assume from experience is the least durable of the finishes, paint pen was far and away the hardest to remove. Im guessing its oil based, could be wrong, but acetone didn’t touch it. Even alcohol didn’t do much. I had to scrape a lot of it out with a 0.8mm screw driver in the end which was a real pain in the ass and ill still probably have to do some minute detailing before i do the final paint ill before i stick it back on the watch.
The test piece
The noob v7 batman “speed bump” bezel insert. If there was no speed bump effect im sure no one would care. But there is. Im not sure on the construction of most inserts, but this one is metal (probably steel) coated with ceramic. How do they do that? Magic? I don’t know. Probably some form of sintering but ill leave that to people who know more about it.
Plated rep inserts
I nicked these pics from USD plating, hopefully he doesn’t mind. This would be the benchmark I’m aiming for, but at 1/10th the cost or less, have your expectations set accordingly.
The equipment
Not much needed to be honest. I used a straight razor blade as i find it easier to press flat on the insert but any scalpel blade will work. I used a load of acetone, you may not need it depending on if your insert has painted numbers, if you do wear gloves, its strong stuff. It wont damage your bezel unless its made from plastic and its great for getting the sticky shit off the back. If you choose to spray paint, a warm place with no dust is the best. There are various threads about removing bezel inserts so use the search bar. I used double sided sticky tape to attach it to a box for spraying.
Numéro uno
https://www.sprayster.com/product/paint-factory-enamel-silver-gloss-spray-paint-400ml/
Despite the tin looking slightly different to this picture this is what i ordered. Gloss enamel paint.
Numéro deux
https://www.sprayster.com/product/hycote-renault-platinum-metallic-spray-paint/
It had platinum in the name so i had to give it a go. It has much more of a rainbowy shimmer than the others under fake indoor lighting (leds). Hard to photograph but you can kind of see it on the 20 in the last picture. Acrylic paint.
Nummer drei
Lidl
Admittedly the only difference between this and number one is the finish, silk as opposed to gloss. There may be a difference in the flake size, ill leave that to your eyes.
Numero quattro
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pilot-Metallic-Colour-Silver-Permanent/dp/B00PCKKUDA
Yeah i know its not a molotov. Im in the uk and i got it from smiths. Its a silver paint pen at the end of the day, its in here for comparative purposes.
Results
Sorry for the lack of sunlight pics, its pissing it down all week in the uk, hence i had nothing better to do than paint the same bezel repeatedly...
Which is the most gen like? Honestly probably the surface finish of the silk is the closest to usd’s pics. From what i can tell platinum isnt a super glossy finish, it’s not a polished surface. In terms of colour perhaps the platinum as it changes colour other than just silver. It does however have a sparkle to it, which im assuming platinum doesn’t.
Which one do i like the most? The Renault platinum colour is pretty swish. Im going to do a final coat in that colour and see how i like it when i get some parts back from KJ2020. I hope you enjoyed reading and maybe even found this useful! Thanks to Kurt for the idea.
Disclaimer: if you ruin your watch, not my fault!