Changing out the movement in a Rolex GMT replica?

[GatheringKnowledge5586]

Hi everyone,

I have a Rolex GMT Master II BLNR noob (not sure what version?) replica and I was wondering what would be involved if I wanted to replace the movement so that the GMT hand doesn't just rotate with the hours hand. I realize I would need new hands as well as a new movement so I wanted to see if there is information on doing so. I like the watch & would like to keep it versus parting ways with it but I really want the GMT function to handle 2 different time zones using the bezel & the hand aside from my local time.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, as far as watch maker / hacking :-D skills that I have... I'm an electrical engineer by trade and used to working with very tiny & delicate components. But not a watch maker by trade. Just to give an idea of where I stand with mechanical abilities.

Thanks!

 

[alligoat]

You don't say which movement you have- DG3804 or eta 2836-2gmt, but it shouldn't matter. Pull the crown out to the second stop- you wind in one direction to change the date and the other direction to change the gmt hand- easy sqeasy, n'est pas?

 

[RepPossessed]

On a side note... I dont think that watch is noob

and your saying the gmt only moves along with the hour hand? IE.. it doesn't do a 24hour rotation to align with the bezel?

Noob never made any watches with a 12 hour gmt

I think its more hassle than its worth.. sell it and use the money toward a noob V2

 

[d4m.test]

On this one alligoat´s tip should do the trick. For the future, the ability to swap the movement (and dial and hands etc) adds a lot of fun and ease to the hobby. Keep this link for future reference: https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/how-to-age-your-vintage-rolex-bonesey-style.92860/

 

[Quick_Build]

Swapping movements isn't that hard, having the correct tools and not rushing is the key to a quality job. I'm a bit vague on what you're doing (I don't have a noob Batman, but I did build a Batman/Deepsea hybrid using a DG3804B movement) but it sounds like you're wanting to swap in a better GMT movement into your rep. Probably not an impossible job, and I can't recommend a movement that would be better, but here's some of the issues you may run into

Finding the correct hands - probably the biggest issue, whatever movement you swap in, make sure the correct BLNR-style hands are readily available, if not, you may be looking into a custom made set

Dial fitment - The dial feet will almost certainly not line up, no biggie, rip the feet off and use adhesive dots. But be sure to get a movement with the same date window spacing, or re-use your movement's date wheel as an overlay on the new movement(if possible)

Crown height - I ran into this on a watch I was putting together, had everything put in place but no matter what I tried, I couldn't get the crown and stem to install. Turns out, the case was made for a completely different crown height than what the movement was designed for. I ended up using a thick dial spacer to 'raise' the movement up to match the case's crown height, but the downside was now I had a noticeable gap between the dial and date wheel. Can't win em' all lol

Movement ring - I've yet to come across a case/movement combo on a watch I'm assembling from scratch where the movement ring fit perfectly without modification. I really need to get an assortment of rings, as I've been shaving some down, cutting, etc. - anything to create a reliable way of holding the movement in place once in the case.

Those are some of the basic issues I commonly hit when throwing watches together. Keep us update on your progress

 

[GatheringKnowledge5586]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. This forum has been super helpful so far (I've been mainly lurking).

You don't say which movement you have- DG3804 or eta 2836-2gmt, but it shouldn't matter. Pull the crown out to the second stop- you wind in one direction to change the date and the other direction to change the gmt hand- easy sqeasy, n'est pas?

Not sure which movement it has currently but the GMT hand moves w/ the hour hand (not independent as it should be for a GMT) so I think it's a more basic movement in there. I will have to take the case back off & take a shot for this thread. Not sure what's in there.

On a side note... I dont think that watch is noob

and your saying the gmt only moves along with the hour hand? IE.. it doesn't do a 24hour rotation to align with the bezel?

Noob never made any watches with a 12 hour gmt

I think its more hassle than its worth.. sell it and use the money toward a noob V2

It was sold to me as a noob so that's why I referenced it being a noob. Perhaps it is not. I'm still very green when it comes to these to be honest.

On this one alligoat´s tip should do the trick. For the future, the ability to swap the movement (and dial and hands etc) adds a lot of fun and ease to the hobby. Keep this link for future reference: https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/how-to-age-your-vintage-rolex-bonesey-style.92860/

Thanks for the link. I'll be reading that during my boring work meetings :-D.

Swapping movements isn't that hard, having the correct tools and not rushing is the key to a quality job. I'm a bit vague on what you're doing (I don't have a noob Batman, but I did build a Batman/Deepsea hybrid using a DG3804B movement) but it sounds like you're wanting to swap in a better GMT movement into your rep. Probably not an impossible job, and I can't recommend a movement that would be better, but here's some of the issues you may run into

Finding the correct hands - probably the biggest issue, whatever movement you swap in, make sure the correct BLNR-style hands are readily available, if not, you may be looking into a custom made set

Dial fitment - The dial feet will almost certainly not line up, no biggie, rip the feet off and use adhesive dots. But be sure to get a movement with the same date window spacing, or re-use your movement's date wheel as an overlay on the new movement(if possible)

Crown height - I ran into this on a watch I was putting together, had everything put in place but no matter what I tried, I couldn't get the crown and stem to install. Turns out, the case was made for a completely different crown height than what the movement was designed for. I ended up using a thick dial spacer to 'raise' the movement up to match the case's crown height, but the downside was now I had a noticeable gap between the dial and date wheel. Can't win em' all lol

Movement ring - I've yet to come across a case/movement combo on a watch I'm assembling from scratch where the movement ring fit perfectly without modification. I really need to get an assortment of rings, as I've been shaving some down, cutting, etc. - anything to create a reliable way of holding the movement in place once in the case.

Those are some of the basic issues I commonly hit when throwing watches together. Keep us update on your progress

This is good to know. I didn't think about the hands being a problem but you are right. I need to do some research on what movement and what hands to get before I tear into it and just leave myself with a failed experiment.