Been a member of the site for a little while now and have always had a passion for watches. My dad always loved them when I was growing up and it has become one of my main passions alongside Porsches. Like many here, I originally started this journey with some cheap and terrible reps. Looking back it's funny to think about how excited I was with those but like many passions, your tastes and expectations for excellence evolve with time and experience. I eventually moved on (with the help of this forum) to paying up for very well done "off the shelf" reps from some of the trusted dealers on the site. While these were a major improvement and I still have many of these today, my chase continues.
Now I am moving into the franken realm. This started when I picked up a really nice franken Rolex Submariner VRF 116610 LN VR3135 with Gen Cystal, Hands, Date Wheel, Crown/Stem
Next one was a DIY I did myself to create a vintage looking Omega Speedy. I know that the subdials are off and that there's no way to create a super accurate vintage speedy rep but I like how this one turned out with the GEN acrylic crystal, period correct bracelet and the fact that it uses the Venus 75 manual wind to give it that vintage feel
Next up is the most recent acquisition - This beautiful 5513 1963-based build from kilowattore I had a cheap and frankly terrible off the shelf rep of a biig crown sub I got from one of the trusted dealers and at the time I thought it was cool but in hindsight, I now know that if you are going vintage you have to go franken, do aging, etc to really get it right. So, I couldn't be happier with this example
Now onto the project at hand - I was so impressed with kilowattore work on the 5513 I reached out about commissioning a project I've been wanting to do for a while - A 60s Rolex Datejust 1603. I have a very high quality Datejust 41 rep that I love but there's something about the vintage Datejusts that is just so special. So, he agreed to take on the build and we are in the process of sourcing the parts. I haven't seen a ton of vintage Datejust franken reps on the site so I thought you guys might be interested in following along on this build thread as we bring this project together.
The first (and hardest thing to source) was the case. There aren't any rep options I am aware of and regardless, going GEN will really set the stage for this build. So, I just picked up this case, bezel and crystal set in incredible condition as the first component.
Next up.....dial! and man are there so many choices....That's the best part about the Datejusts in my opinion - the sheer variety of dial options out there.
Stay tuned!
Now I am moving into the franken realm. This started when I picked up a really nice franken Rolex Submariner VRF 116610 LN VR3135 with Gen Cystal, Hands, Date Wheel, Crown/Stem
Next one was a DIY I did myself to create a vintage looking Omega Speedy. I know that the subdials are off and that there's no way to create a super accurate vintage speedy rep but I like how this one turned out with the GEN acrylic crystal, period correct bracelet and the fact that it uses the Venus 75 manual wind to give it that vintage feel
Next up is the most recent acquisition - This beautiful 5513 1963-based build from kilowattore I had a cheap and frankly terrible off the shelf rep of a biig crown sub I got from one of the trusted dealers and at the time I thought it was cool but in hindsight, I now know that if you are going vintage you have to go franken, do aging, etc to really get it right. So, I couldn't be happier with this example
Now onto the project at hand - I was so impressed with kilowattore work on the 5513 I reached out about commissioning a project I've been wanting to do for a while - A 60s Rolex Datejust 1603. I have a very high quality Datejust 41 rep that I love but there's something about the vintage Datejusts that is just so special. So, he agreed to take on the build and we are in the process of sourcing the parts. I haven't seen a ton of vintage Datejust franken reps on the site so I thought you guys might be interested in following along on this build thread as we bring this project together.
The first (and hardest thing to source) was the case. There aren't any rep options I am aware of and regardless, going GEN will really set the stage for this build. So, I just picked up this case, bezel and crystal set in incredible condition as the first component.
Next up.....dial! and man are there so many choices....That's the best part about the Datejusts in my opinion - the sheer variety of dial options out there.
Stay tuned!
