Brown Bezel Submariner?

[Big_Pilot]

Hi,
Browsing the interweb I bumped into a pic of a brown bezelled Submariner. I really like the look of this.

I also read there was some kind of Harley Davidson Sub out there with a similar bezel.

What would be the best approach to make one? (As assume Rolex never made these.)

Buy ARF / BP 16610 LN, and replace bezel with Raffles type brown bezel.

http://rafflestime.com/submariner-style-brown-white-bezel-insert/

Or are there better alternatives out there?

Also read some people "bake" normal LN type bezel top achieve this color???

Just picking the collective RWI brain here, as need a new project for 2024.

 

[fatarms]

That's a tropical style bezel insert. There were also tropical dials on some of the vintage rolex models. Basically it was a defect in the paint that faded in the sun over time, a defect that actually made the watches with them more valuable (like when a stamp or a coin is misprinted, it's worth more.)
There are resellers of tropical inserts and dials. Just look up tropical Rolex on google and you'll see a lot of examples.

 

[Singapore9]

Yeah, you can bake a GEN LN to get a brown but also a lovely deep red... search on YouTube for baking a 16610 insert.

Or just buy the Raffles or see what Crown Art Customs has... Maybe safer than baking a GEN!

 

[Karbon74]

Raffles brown. get it a slight fade using bleach and bake it some.

you can also start from a black insert but the way it turns is a bit the luck of the draw.
My turned Rally Green. Pretty nice, but I ended up bleaching it to pale grey

 

[muiramas]

Raffles brown. get it a slight fade using bleach and bake it some.

you can also start from a black insert but the way it turns is a bit the luck of the draw.
My turned Rally Green. Pretty nice, but I ended up bleaching it to pale grey

My experience is that bleach will make it become blue-grey.

To make a black aluminium bezel turn tropical, you can heat it with a flame or on a stovetop ring / burner / range whatever the right international term is…

But it’s always a bit random…

 

[Karbon74]

My experience is that bleach will make it become blue-grey.

To make a black aluminium bezel turn tropical, you can heat it with a flame or on a stovetop ring / burner / range whatever the right international term is…

you are 100% right.
I add that it's a very short dunk in bleach, just to damage the paint a little bit and then wash, which makes the baking better looking from my own experience. It breaks the uniform color.

 

[McDuck888]

I made a brown bezel submariner for a short while. I never said it was pretty haha.

 

[CarpetRyd]

That bezel has been baked, the lume pip is a give away…. There are original versions, but you can pretty much guarantee any for sale are cooked…

 

[McDuck888]

That bezel has been baked, the lume pip is a give away…. There are original versions, but you can pretty much guarantee any for sale are cooked…

It’s just a baked CAC one. Yessirr.

 

[McDuck888]

I removed the lume pip since taking that pic and replaced it with a new luminova pip. But yea, it’s not naturally turned brown. Those natural ones are insanely beautiful to me

 

[alligoat]

The raffles insert isn't gen spec according to KJ2020- gen is 37.65 OD. Not sure what 37.55 would fit.

 

[Big_Pilot]

So after the Xmas cooking, I have to go baking again.

 

[Singapore9]

I am obsessed with the colour on the YouTube watch but you definitely want the pearl out first, in case the lume burns/discolours

Needs to be a GEN insert as you do sometimes get some odd/different colours with REP inserts. Fiery Gems on ebay usually have a tonne of GENs.