Hello gents,
Today I'd like to show you a project I recently completed. It is nothing completely new except for the dial which is imho a huge step forward in terms of what can currently be achieved with a cartel 6538 case.
This dial is a result of the collaboration between two notable HF members who shared their passion and skills in order to recreate the famous gilt dials Rolex used extensively in his production until around 1965.
There has been a lot of studying and guessing regarding how these dials were actually produced but one thing is for sure and is what makes them so unique: their negative relief print which means graphics and inscription are not actually printed but cut out off the black paint. This exposes the brass beneath which, in turn, reflects the light once hit creating the peculiar effect the gilt dials are famous for.
You might be inclined to think such kind of method should be piece of cake nowadays but it isn't and the proof is that no maker is currently able to recreate this process and the consequent effect. Raffles dials, Helena Rou, even the chinese factories, they can make almost everything but not recreate this specific process. All they can do is paint a dial black (gloss black in best case scenario) and print graphic on it in gold paint color. The result may look similar in pictures but, trust me, it's nowhere near in person.
Only the vietnam makers are able to do it, the story behind this ability is not entirely clear but apparently they somehow got in possession of a few Rolex trade secrets during war.
Vietamese makers have been known as high end vintage Rolex parts makers and it's a deserved fame, but their stuff is pretty expensive indeed.
A few members on the forums tried to find a turnaround on this by using the so called decal technique: shortly they print a decal with the black negative dial layout and then stick it on the bare brass dial. The brass can be seen through the unpainted parts of the decal providing a real gilt effect. I followed the discussion on this matter (that's been going on for a few years) closely enough and the results haev been a little mixed due to the many small technical details involved, such as print settings and media used, which could easily affect negatively a project.
Then came HF members madasboot and Fizzz. I don't know exactly how their process was developed but I need to make clear how much I admire these guys for what they achieved.
When I received their 6538 dial I was shocked. The base coating is extremely resistant, it can be sanded, polished, textured, pigmented... the limit is your imagination. I left the dial you're seeing here with the standard finish it came with but I also have a california dial in my possession that I plan to use for a coming 3646 project. I could polish it easily with just some sandpaper and get a final result that is on par with Dow's cali dials, no one ever got close to them in the years I have been in this hobby.
There's no point in arguing these dials are still not up to the vietnam ones because graphics and text are a hair too bold. This has likely to do with the fact I didn't follow maker's suggestion to coat dial with clear varnish as it would have resulted in optically thinned fonts, but in any case we are miles and miles ahead of anything that was available until now in terms of custom dials. Hats off to you gus
Ok I have written more than enough, thanks to those who made it this far
The build I'm showing is made with the following parts:
- Cartel donor watch with asian 2836 movement
- Sternkreuz T21 plexi
- Athaya pearl
- Raffles hands
- Fizzz dial
Case was extensiely reshaped, added chamfers on top of the lugs, drilled lug holes, then refinished. Bezel was treated to get an age brass color. Dial and hands lumed by me.
And finally here's the result
Hope you enjoyed
Today I'd like to show you a project I recently completed. It is nothing completely new except for the dial which is imho a huge step forward in terms of what can currently be achieved with a cartel 6538 case.
This dial is a result of the collaboration between two notable HF members who shared their passion and skills in order to recreate the famous gilt dials Rolex used extensively in his production until around 1965.
There has been a lot of studying and guessing regarding how these dials were actually produced but one thing is for sure and is what makes them so unique: their negative relief print which means graphics and inscription are not actually printed but cut out off the black paint. This exposes the brass beneath which, in turn, reflects the light once hit creating the peculiar effect the gilt dials are famous for.
You might be inclined to think such kind of method should be piece of cake nowadays but it isn't and the proof is that no maker is currently able to recreate this process and the consequent effect. Raffles dials, Helena Rou, even the chinese factories, they can make almost everything but not recreate this specific process. All they can do is paint a dial black (gloss black in best case scenario) and print graphic on it in gold paint color. The result may look similar in pictures but, trust me, it's nowhere near in person.
Only the vietnam makers are able to do it, the story behind this ability is not entirely clear but apparently they somehow got in possession of a few Rolex trade secrets during war.
Vietamese makers have been known as high end vintage Rolex parts makers and it's a deserved fame, but their stuff is pretty expensive indeed.
A few members on the forums tried to find a turnaround on this by using the so called decal technique: shortly they print a decal with the black negative dial layout and then stick it on the bare brass dial. The brass can be seen through the unpainted parts of the decal providing a real gilt effect. I followed the discussion on this matter (that's been going on for a few years) closely enough and the results haev been a little mixed due to the many small technical details involved, such as print settings and media used, which could easily affect negatively a project.
Then came HF members madasboot and Fizzz. I don't know exactly how their process was developed but I need to make clear how much I admire these guys for what they achieved.
When I received their 6538 dial I was shocked. The base coating is extremely resistant, it can be sanded, polished, textured, pigmented... the limit is your imagination. I left the dial you're seeing here with the standard finish it came with but I also have a california dial in my possession that I plan to use for a coming 3646 project. I could polish it easily with just some sandpaper and get a final result that is on par with Dow's cali dials, no one ever got close to them in the years I have been in this hobby.
There's no point in arguing these dials are still not up to the vietnam ones because graphics and text are a hair too bold. This has likely to do with the fact I didn't follow maker's suggestion to coat dial with clear varnish as it would have resulted in optically thinned fonts, but in any case we are miles and miles ahead of anything that was available until now in terms of custom dials. Hats off to you gus
Ok I have written more than enough, thanks to those who made it this far
The build I'm showing is made with the following parts:
- Cartel donor watch with asian 2836 movement
- Sternkreuz T21 plexi
- Athaya pearl
- Raffles hands
- Fizzz dial
Case was extensiely reshaped, added chamfers on top of the lugs, drilled lug holes, then refinished. Bezel was treated to get an age brass color. Dial and hands lumed by me.
And finally here's the result
Hope you enjoyed
